Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Since you say "you just know", I assume that you have personal experience of the publishing industry? Almost all the costs of producing a book apply equally to a paper and an eBook. The only thing you don't get with an eBook is the cost of printing, which is a very minor component indeed of the overall cost of producing a book.
I find that most of the eBooks I buy are considerably cheaper than the corresponding paper book - generally they are about 70% or so of the paper book cost. This is a fair price, in my view.
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Are we now forgetting distribution, shelf space, and advertising costs as well? Books don't just sell themselves. I am actually in a business that involves channeling things through a very similar pipeline minus a publisher. And yes, I do know for a fact that it costs significantly nothing to make a ebook (i have built and seen the hardware to convert said books into ebook formats if you are going the conversion route).
There is really little reason for a lot ebooks to at least be 50% of the physical copy. Sorry, but much like the music industry, you have to make things more affordable and accessible in the digital age, thats where price and competition play a major role. Things like Drm and regional avaliability sap that progress away. Esp if its by the people who can help sculpt that progress for their loyal customers. Amazon would be helping everyone by trying to change old ways that no longer are relevant in todays economy and digital infrastructure.