Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book General > News

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 01-18-2013, 12:33 PM   #1
afv011
Captain Penguin
afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.afv011 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
afv011's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,944
Karma: 2077653593
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Vancouver, BC
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Nook Glowlight
Why do ebooks cost so much?

Quote:
The lion’s share of the retail price of a book, whether in digital or physical form, is going to the publisher. And what’s good news for him is bad news for you. Want cheaper books? Eliminate the fattest fingers in the pie – the publisher’s.
Interesting read.

Source
afv011 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 01:48 PM   #2
QuantumIguana
Philosopher
QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
QuantumIguana's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,034
Karma: 18736532
Join Date: Jan 2012
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch
Because you'll pay. There are plenty of cheaper books out there, and if more of us read those, the publishers would be under a lot of pressure to lower prices. Yet... I have a couple "must have" authors: C.J. Cherryh and Terry Pratchett. I do however refuse to pay more for the e-book than for paper.
QuantumIguana is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 02:07 PM   #3
Catlady
Grand Sorcerer
Catlady ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Catlady ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Catlady ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Catlady ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Catlady ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Catlady ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Catlady ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Catlady ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Catlady ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Catlady ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Catlady ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Catlady's Avatar
 
Posts: 7,340
Karma: 52366945
Join Date: Oct 2010
Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip
The article is hogwash. I'm really tired of these silly diatribes against the evil, greedy publishers.
Catlady is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 02:39 PM   #4
QuantumIguana
Philosopher
QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
QuantumIguana's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,034
Karma: 18736532
Join Date: Jan 2012
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch
What about the article was objectionable? I didn't see anything that portrayed publishers as evil. But publishers aren't our friends, they have their own interests that may not be in alignment with our interests. What's wrong with cutting out the middleman?
QuantumIguana is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 02:47 PM   #5
medard
Wizard
medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
medard's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,014
Karma: 5595784
Join Date: May 2012
Device: Electronic Paper
Publishers are my friends, because they read 1'000 manuscripts untill they find the one they think is good enough for readers. That is really nice, so I don't have to do this.

I don't think that english ebooks are too expensive. You can find much higer pricing for ebooks in central europe.
medard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 03:01 PM   #6
pdurrant
The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠
pdurrant ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pdurrant ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pdurrant ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pdurrant ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pdurrant ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pdurrant ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pdurrant ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pdurrant ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pdurrant ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pdurrant ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pdurrant ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
pdurrant's Avatar
 
Posts: 71,366
Karma: 305065800
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Norfolk, England
Device: Kindle Voyage
This is the first time that I've seen someone in one of the articles actually come up with a proper example.

Life or Debt (Kindle) costs $9.73
Life or Debt (Paperback) costs $6.00.

The thing to notice with this example is that this is a "Bargain Price" book. As far as I can tell, that's Amazon code for "remaindered". The paperback is cheaper because it's unwanted stock that the publisher has sold off, and won't be paying any royalties to the author for them. The Kindle copies will be earning the author royalties.

And look who the author of the article is: It's the author. And the rest of the article is puffing a new book and publishing project.


Although if there are non-remaindered paper books costing more than the kindle version, it's probably the publishers fault. Or just possibly it's Amazon doing a near-loss-leader on the paper book, but not on the kindle book.


Ebooks (in the absence of things like VAT on ebooks and not pbooks) cost less than the paper books. And I mean less than the discounted Amazon price, not retail price. If they don't, something strange has happened.
pdurrant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 03:09 PM   #7
AnemicOak
Bookaholic
AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.AnemicOak ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
AnemicOak's Avatar
 
Posts: 14,391
Karma: 54969924
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Minnesota
Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +
They're remaindered, and once they run out the non-remaindered version costs more than the eBook...
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Debt-2010...mm_pap_title_1
AnemicOak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 03:14 PM   #8
QuantumIguana
Philosopher
QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
QuantumIguana's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,034
Karma: 18736532
Join Date: Jan 2012
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch
I'm not saying that publishers are your enemy, only that they have their own interests which aren't always the same as yours.
QuantumIguana is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 03:22 PM   #9
crich70
Grand Sorcerer
crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
crich70's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,306
Karma: 43993832
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Monroe Wisconsin
Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)
I can see what some are saying as far as some books being remaindered i.e. books sold at a loss in order to clear space for new stock, but I imagine the average publisher doesn't make that clear in their advertisement of the product. That might be part of the problem too. That the average buyer doesn't know that fact and just sees that the ebook is selling for more than the paper copy. And sometimes you see books sold in stores (like Wal-Mart) for say $15.00 and then you see an ebook copy of the same book for$25.00 and you are left wondering why they are trying to get so much more for the ebook copy. Part of that is psychological I think too. We don't mind the $15.00 for a hard copy edition of a book because we can feel the weight of the book and the texture of the paper, but all that is missing with an ebook. The only weight is that of the reader and likewise the only texture is the feel of the casing of said reader. So on an unconscious level we feel the book is worth less and should be at a lower price.
crich70 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 03:34 PM   #10
QuantumIguana
Philosopher
QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
QuantumIguana's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,034
Karma: 18736532
Join Date: Jan 2012
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch
I look at look Amazon.com at the New York Times Best Seller list for 2012. Most of the books cost less in Kindle format than in paperback. However, three of the top ten best sellers cost more in Kindle format than in paperback. #3, #4 and #6 cost more. After the top ten, only four of the next 40 sold for more than the Kindle version: #14, #34, #42 and #44. From #50 to #100, only #85 cost more. It does seem that less and less e-books are selling for more than the paperback version, although perhaps the publishers feel that for the most popular books, customers will pay more for the e-book.
QuantumIguana is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 03:44 PM   #11
crich70
Grand Sorcerer
crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
crich70's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,306
Karma: 43993832
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Monroe Wisconsin
Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)
I think it's also good to keep in mind that ebook publishing is a new business when compared to 'traditional' publishing. The 1st movies were set up like stage plays and no doubt the publishers don't quite understand that though the product is the same (books) that the media is sufficiently different that there are some problems with the business as usual frame of mind.
crich70 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 03:53 PM   #12
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 73,510
Karma: 126422064
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
The reason eBooks cost so much is because of the publisher's hate for Amazon's discounting of eBooks. The BPHs and Apple ganged up against Amazon to prevent them from discounting new popular best selling eBooks and taking away from the hardcover sales. The publishers went agency in order to raise prices and no longer allow discounts. They did this because of an irrational hatred of Amazon. The BPHs never actually thought this out properly. They just raised prices close to or in some case more than the pBook edition. Also, the BPHs in order to keep eBook prices high have come out with new higher priced paperback editions (tryng to do away with the old favorite MMPB). This war with Amazon has hit the consumer at a time when the consumer can least afford it.

The way to do it is not to raise prices. Raising prices drives customers to the net to get it for free. If there is a rise in eBook piracy, the blame is to be laid at the feet of the price fix six (and Apple).
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 03:59 PM   #13
medard
Wizard
medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.medard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
medard's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,014
Karma: 5595784
Join Date: May 2012
Device: Electronic Paper
The pricing of ebooks is not only a deal between Amazon and other stores.

At least in Central Europe, some publishers sell the most ebooks to libraries. And that makes ebooks expensive, because they're paid by the library. But on the other hand you can get them for free through a library system.

The question is: Is a digital manuscript of a book something you should actually "buy" or is it something you should better get through a library for free (paid by the library).
medard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 04:01 PM   #14
Elfwreck
Grand Sorcerer
Elfwreck ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Elfwreck ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Elfwreck ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Elfwreck ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Elfwreck ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Elfwreck ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Elfwreck ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Elfwreck ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Elfwreck ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Elfwreck ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Elfwreck ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Elfwreck's Avatar
 
Posts: 5,185
Karma: 25133758
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA
Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)
The previous article he links to shows an interesting view of publishers' perspectives on ebooks:
Quote:
As you are probably aware, Amazon is selling most eBooks for $9.99. That is already roughly half the price (depending on the format) of the typical physical book.
No, that's roughly half the price of the typical hardcover-or-trade book, averaged out. Not half the price of the typical paperback, which is how most avid readers consume books. (Some because of price, and some because of portability; carrying three novels for a weekend trip is a lot easier if they're not hardcovers.)

And as this article noted,
Quote:
Anyone who produces anything digital that was formerly physical knows digital is cheaper. A website is cheaper than a newspaper. A digital version of a video costs less to deliver than a tape. An e-book costs less than a physical book. Anyone suggesting otherwise, like this publishing executive, probably has a dog in the fight.
Ebooks are cheaper to produce. A lot cheaper. Even allowing for all the extra hassles of digital QC and multiple formats. If they weren't, the handful of authors who've had runaway success with self-published ebooks would be eking out pennies, not paying off mortgages.

The cost difference between producing 10 copies of a paperback and 10 in ebook format may not be substantial. The difference between producing 1000 of each is tremendous. And big publishers, unlike special-interest publishers and individual authors, don't produce books that they think might only sell 150 copies.

If ebooks really cost about as much as paperbacks, the publishers would be releasing info showing the cost-of-production broken into fixed and variable costs, not charts that combine all the costs together for a title... that still shows them making 60% more profit on ebooks--after they pay the author.

If publishers want us to believe ebooks cost "almost as much" as pbooks, they can say what percentage the author royalties are for a sale run of 5000 vs 20000 ebooks, OR they can list the price breakdown for mass-market paperbacks. Funny how they don't want to pretend those exist when they do cost evaluations.
Elfwreck is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2013, 04:14 PM   #15
evolutionary
Enthusiast
evolutionary walks where angels fear to fly.evolutionary walks where angels fear to fly.evolutionary walks where angels fear to fly.evolutionary walks where angels fear to fly.evolutionary walks where angels fear to fly.evolutionary walks where angels fear to fly.evolutionary walks where angels fear to fly.evolutionary walks where angels fear to fly.evolutionary walks where angels fear to fly.evolutionary walks where angels fear to fly.evolutionary walks where angels fear to fly.
 
Posts: 25
Karma: 152194
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Edinburgh
Device: Sony PRS-T1, Google Nexus 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf View Post
If there is a rise in eBook piracy, the blame is to be laid at the feet of the price fix six (and Apple).
Exactly. When will any of these industries--music, publishing, film, etc.--ever get it: 'Piracy' is about service not price as such. Crippling ebooks with DRM; making people jump through hoops with acsm files and the like; walled gardens and incompatible formats; archaic geographical restrictions; all topped off with ebooks often costing more than the paper version -- this all adds up to woeful service at an unattractive price.

Insanity, and a perfect recipie for promoting illegitimate downloads. Make the legitimate channel so convenient and reasonably priced that no-one would ever bother looking elsewhere.
evolutionary is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Cost of eBooks - Waterstones V Paper vans General Discussions 5 08-02-2011 11:52 AM
Cost of ebooks you've read this year? pdurrant General Discussions 38 12-05-2010 07:35 PM
Rising cost of ebooks ppearce Amazon Kindle 60 09-27-2010 10:46 AM
Understanding the Cost of eBooks Randolphlalonde Writers' Corner 15 02-18-2010 06:54 AM
Cost of ebooks Amanda iRex 1 12-19-2007 03:12 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:44 PM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.