Random House comments on Amazon Pricing - Page 5

Hellmark · 04-29-2011, 01:46 AM

DrDln, please stop gravedigging.

As far as pricing the same as paperbooks, well, they're a company whose goal is to make money, and they will make more money doing it that way.

Plus, per unit, it is arguably not that much more expensive for them to make and ship paperbooks than ebooks. Most of the cost is in the editing, lay out, etc. I've heard estimates of it costing somewhere in the range of 70 cents to $1 for printing, storage, and shipping of a paper book.

J. Strnad · 04-30-2011, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmark

DrDln, please stop gravedigging.

As far as pricing the same as paperbooks, well, they're a company whose goal is to make money, and they will make more money doing it that way.

Plus, per unit, it is arguably not that much more expensive for them to make and ship paperbooks than ebooks. Most of the cost is in the editing, lay out, etc. I've heard estimates of it costing somewhere in the range of 70 cents to $1 for printing, storage, and shipping of a paper book.

Publishers have been using the excuse of "rising paper prices" for ages to justify price hikes.

So, were they lying then or are they lying now?

tubemonkey · 04-30-2011, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

Publishers have been using the excuse of "rising paper prices" for ages to justify price hikes.

So, were they lying then or are they lying now?

I hear tell there's an electron shortage; which would explain the high cost of digital content.

RockdaMan · 04-30-2011, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I hear tell there's an electron shortage; which would explain the high cost of digital content.

grumpy3b · 05-01-2011, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I hear tell there's an electron shortage; which would explain the high cost of digital content.

to say nothing of the per quark use tax!!

Lemurion · 05-01-2011, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I hear tell there's an electron shortage; which would explain the high cost of digital content.

We pay more because eBooks are displayed with acid-free photons.

J. Strnad · 05-01-2011, 12:26 PM

There is no single price point for an ebook.

I think of the movie theaters, where it costs the same to go see Win Win as The Adventures of Pluto Nash. One was cheap to make and excellent, the other was an expensive piece of crap. However you weigh those values, it cost exactly the same to buy a ticket. Other films being offered might be cheap pieces of crap and expensive masterpieces. All cost the same to see.

Since movie theaters can't charge according to the quality of a movie (which can't be determined objectively...some people would enjoy Pluto Nash over Win Win)...they charge a uniform price and it's take-it-or-leave-it. Consumers find their price point in other venues: DVD, PPV, NetFlix, streaming, over-the-air for free, etc.

With ebooks, the price is fluid, more like a stock offering. Books from unknown writers have a lower value that may actually go up in time as they pass the initial bargain-offering phase, and books from bestselling authors start high and (I would think) should go down over time after the initial gotta-have-it-now readers have been "gouged." (That's a pretty strong term, but it makes my point.)

The factor that varies is "when" not "where" you buy it. New release, major author: Hardback price (however you define that after discounts). When the paperback comes out: the ebook price goes down. When the paperback is out of print and the only alternative is the used book store: the price takes its final plunge.

It seems kind of obvious to me. I don't know why publishers are having such a hard time with it.

With B&N demanding a 60% discount on new bestselling hardbacks, why shouldn't the ebook price be 65-70% off? If nothing else, the publisher isn't going to have to wait 6-9 months or more to be paid! (At least, I don't think they do. If Amazon can pay a little guy like me every month, surely they cut monthly checks to the big boys.)

Hellmark · 05-01-2011, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

Publishers have been using the excuse of "rising paper prices" for ages to justify price hikes.

So, were they lying then or are they lying now?

Can't they lie both then and now?

carld · 05-01-2011, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmark

Plus, per unit, it is arguably not that much more expensive for them to make and ship paperbooks than ebooks. Most of the cost is in the editing, lay out, etc. I've heard estimates of it costing somewhere in the range of 70 cents to $1 for printing, storage, and shipping of a paper book.

I don't believe that for a second. We heard for ages about how high the physicals costs of book were. Now that the physical costs have been eliminated for ebooks they suddenly aren't so significant after all. Nope, not buying it.

tompe · 05-01-2011, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carld

I don't believe that for a second. We heard for ages about how high the physicals costs of book were.

This is usually claimed. But I do not remember that. So does anybody have any reference that shows that this is true?

carld · 05-01-2011, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

This is usually claimed. But I do not remember that. So does anybody have any reference that shows that this is true?

I do, from reading Writer's Digest way back in the day. I don't have any references off hand, but I'll pass some along if I find them.

Elfwreck · 05-01-2011, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

Publishers have been using the excuse of "rising paper prices" for ages to justify price hikes.
So, were they lying then or are they lying now?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmark

Can't they lie both then and now?

No, wait, it's not "lying" if it's done to protect profits. It's, um, "PR." Or maybe "creative accounting interpretation." Or "Stockholm syndrome."

No, I'm confused. That's what the authors have.

DrDln · 05-01-2011, 08:37 PM

Another issue with ebooks is that these are easy to publish and there is no quality control. But ebooks are certainly the future. They are not going away.

DrDln · 05-01-2011, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmark

DrDln, please stop gravedigging.

As far as pricing the same as paperbooks, well, they're a company whose goal is to make money, and they will make more money doing it that way.

Plus, per unit, it is arguably not that much more expensive for them to make and ship paperbooks than ebooks. Most of the cost is in the editing, lay out, etc. I've heard estimates of it costing somewhere in the range of 70 cents to $1 for printing, storage, and shipping of a paper book.

I respect your belief.

If it costs the same, then why the printed books give 10% or less royalty, where as ebooks give 70%. Simply, because once it is uploaded then there is hardly any cost such as printing and shipping.

JSWolf · 05-01-2011, 08:51 PM

With gas prices rising, that makes pBooks even more expensive to ship. eBooks are becoming cheaper since they use no gas to ship.

05-01-2011, 12:26 PM	#67
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	There is no single price point for an ebook. I think of the movie theaters, where it costs the same to go see Win Win as The Adventures of Pluto Nash. One was cheap to make and excellent, the other was an expensive piece of crap. However you weigh those values, it cost exactly the same to buy a ticket. Other films being offered might be cheap pieces of crap and expensive masterpieces. All cost the same to see. Since movie theaters can't charge according to the quality of a movie (which can't be determined objectively...some people would enjoy Pluto Nash over Win Win)...they charge a uniform price and it's take-it-or-leave-it. Consumers find their price point in other venues: DVD, PPV, NetFlix, streaming, over-the-air for free, etc. With ebooks, the price is fluid, more like a stock offering. Books from unknown writers have a lower value that may actually go up in time as they pass the initial bargain-offering phase, and books from bestselling authors start high and (I would think) should go down over time after the initial gotta-have-it-now readers have been "gouged." (That's a pretty strong term, but it makes my point.) The factor that varies is "when" not "where" you buy it. New release, major author: Hardback price (however you define that after discounts). When the paperback comes out: the ebook price goes down. When the paperback is out of print and the only alternative is the used book store: the price takes its final plunge. It seems kind of obvious to me. I don't know why publishers are having such a hard time with it. With B&N demanding a 60% discount on new bestselling hardbacks, why shouldn't the ebook price be 65-70% off? If nothing else, the publisher isn't going to have to wait 6-9 months or more to be paid! (At least, I don't think they do. If Amazon can pay a little guy like me every month, surely they cut monthly checks to the big boys.) Last edited by J. Strnad; 05-01-2011 at 12:27 PM. Reason: typo

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04-29-2011, 01:46 AM	#61
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,549 Karma: 3799999 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: O'Fallon, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3	DrDln, please stop gravedigging. As far as pricing the same as paperbooks, well, they're a company whose goal is to make money, and they will make more money doing it that way. Plus, per unit, it is arguably not that much more expensive for them to make and ship paperbooks than ebooks. Most of the cost is in the editing, lay out, etc. I've heard estimates of it costing somewhere in the range of 70 cents to $1 for printing, storage, and shipping of a paper book.

05-01-2011, 08:37 PM	#73
DrDln Banned Posts: 1,527 Karma: 2349214 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Mountain House, CA Device: kindle	Another issue with ebooks is that these are easy to publish and there is no quality control. But ebooks are certainly the future. They are not going away.

05-01-2011, 08:51 PM	#75
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,943 Karma: 128903250 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	With gas prices rising, that makes pBooks even more expensive to ship. eBooks are becoming cheaper since they use no gas to ship.

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