Quote:
Originally Posted by FizzyWater
Not this consumer. Almost all the books I would buy (MMPB versions) are still at the fixed cover price, where before I could get regular discounts between 15%-30% regularly at Fictionwise.
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It partly depends on your starting point.
In 2002, the average hardcover fiction price paid* by Michigan public libraries was $26.86. I presume those sales were mostly of recently released books. If you compare to the consumer price of recently released fiction, in a form factor (eBook) that people on this board commonly say they like a lot more, I'd say prices have gone down alot. Now, the price the library pays hasn't gone down, which is a separate (although more important to me) issue.
The reason I mention hardcover in the paragraph above is that, in 2002,
there was more of a gap in time between hardback and paperback release. The fact that you can now get a paperback of a fairly new bestseller is another indication of declining book prices for consumers.
If your starting point is when loss leader pricing, presumably to goose eReader adoption, was common, it will look different. But loss leader pricing can't last.
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* I may be misinterpreting the chart, as it is unclear to me if it
reflects common discounts. But I think the point -- that eBooks have lowered consumer prices -- holds. Also, the real comparison point for many would be the historical price of a large print paper book, making the price reduction from the eBook revolution even more impressive.