Getting your share of e-book settlement?

Buyers of e-books should make sure they get their fair share of a settlement agreed to by several of the nation's biggest publishers, advises the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

The $69 million credit-or-refund deal applies to e-books purchased in every state but Minnesota from April 1, 2010, to May 21 of this year if they were published by Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Macmillan, or certain imprints or subsidiaries of those companies, which allegedly charged inflated prices or fixed prices.

The actual seller was likely to be another company, such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble. (See Amazon's FAQ about the settlement: http://amzn.to/V2pcq0).

The first step is to check mail and e-mail for notifications from retailers or the national settlement administrator. The notices should detail how to get account credits or submit claim forms for checks, according to a state news release.

Claims must be submitted by Dec. 12.

The deal awaits final court approval, with a hearing set for early next year.

Anyone who thinks he or she is deserving of a payment who has not been notified may visit the official settlement website, www.EBookAGSettlements.com. A full list of publishers, including imprints, is available there.

Payments will vary according to category of book, as well as the number of claims.

For more information, call 1-866-621-4153. That's also the number to call to verify the authenticity of any correspondence.

Claimants should deal directly with retailers they know or the official settlement website. Beware any requests for money or bank-account information.

Publishers participating in the settlement have denied any wrongdoing.

A separate lawsuit with similar claims is being pursued by the state attorneys general against Penguin Books, Apple Inc., and others.