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Originally Posted by QuantumIguana
But many people don't bother, because it is only a penny. A quarter, nearly everyone will stop to pick it up. Ratios don't seem to matter when we are talking about something very small.
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I doubt you intended this inference, but your statement is consistent with the idea that publishers would have to charge less than US$0.25 to put a big dent in piracy.
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They have marketing people who do research to set the right price. That doesn't mean they are always right.
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True, but with such a large number of separate products (titles), they can get much more statistically valid data than can companies with just a handful, like, say, Apple. Also, continuing the Apple comparison, Apple would risk cheapening its brand if it experimentally lowered prices, whereas publishers, if worried about that, can stand up a new imprint. Another reason publishers can get good data is that, according to the OP article, authors have no say in book pricing. So while publishers aren't always right, there's little reason to think they systematically overprice or underprice.
While not knowing the best price for a book, I admit to liking the idea that they start out high, and go down. It is quite rare I read a book that wouldn't be just as good five years from now. I get the same great reading experience as a billionaire, just later, and maybe not even that if I go for paper from the library. Is there any more perfect an example of social justice?