Travel guidebook writer and guild member, Hugh Taylor, discussed the implications of the WH Smith-Penguin deal in today's edition of Book Café on BBC Radio Scotland at lunchtime today.

Using a clip of Michael Palin arguing passionately against the WH Smith-Penguin deal to introduce a 19-min debate, presenter Clare English, asked Hugh, James Daunt - owner of a chain of independent booksellers in London, and Simon Calder - Senior Travel Editor at The Independent, why the deal is causing such a stir.

Simon Calder described WH Smith's claim to be making life simpler for customers by reducing choice as "a lot of tosh".

WH Smith has responded to criticism from the The British Guild of Travel Writers about its controversial decision to make Penguin its sole supplier of travel guides saying that its initial research had shown that giving a wider range of guidebooks made it “difficult to shop” for customers.

In a letter to Guild chairman Melissa Shales, WH Smith CEO Kate Swann played down the exclusive deal as “a trial” and said that she intended to now “review customer research, market data and feedback”.

Ms Shales said the letter did not mention Penguin, was very general and left both the present situation and WH Smith’s future plans unclear. She was relieved to hear however that the deal was “only a trial”.

The British Guild of Travel Writers has issued an official complaint to the Office of Fair Trading over the decision by WH Smith Travel to make publisher Penguin the sole supplier of foreign travel guides in its travel outlets.

“We believe that this is a restrictive vertical agreement, contrary to the Competition Act 1998, between two parties with significant market power in the travel guide market. It will have the effect of restricting competition and consumer choice, and of causing significant detriment to members of our association,” said Chairman Melissa Shales in the letter to the OFT.

Oh, come off it. Don’t insult our intelligence. What Smiths are really saying is “Hey, thickheads, you’ll buy what we tell you to and like it, capeesh?”

Award-winning broadcaster, author and BGTW member, Charlie Connelly, claims the Penguin-WHS deal is a "stitch-up" in his latest blog posting.