are you participating in the 9.99 boycott?

[Sydney's Mom]

I probably am, by default. I will not buy any book where the dead tree version (hardback or paperback) is cheaper or the same. Most hardback bestsellers are discounted so much that the ebook is a no-go. Same with bestsellers coming out in paperback. I use the library for those ebooks. I pretty much only buy lesser known authors, and rarely pay more than $4.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by whitearrow

It's utterly irrelevant now that 5 of the 6 big publishers are using the agency model. Amazon isn't setting the prices, and has no control over them. What Amazon said in its marketing 2+ years ago just doesn't matter now.

Not that it matters, but it was never a promise or a guarantee that *all* books would be $9.99 or less.

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Nope, they never promised anything of the sort. As far as it goes Amazon is still doing the $9.99 thing on books they sell, they simply aren't the seller for all the books anymore. The Agency 5 are setup like any other 3rd party seller on Amazon.

no, I understand it was the N.Y. Times best sellers, but it still sets the bar. an unsteady bar for sure, but it is set

[AnemicOak]

I was just browsing Amazon and I see some of the publishers are up their old trick of "forgetting", at least that's what they used to say back in the day, to lower the prices on ebooks that just had a corresponding paperback release. Years ago this was a problem, I hope it doesn't turn into one again.



I will say that while I don't really boycott anything that doesn't mean I buy much of the more expensive stuff either (two $12.99 books sense the Agency deal started), but then I'm used to the way higher pre-Kindle $9.99 pricing that used to exist too. I've been making great use of the Philly Free Library and have already read over 20 books from there, best $15 I've spent in a long time.

[whitearrow]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

no, I understand it was the N.Y. Times best sellers, but it still sets the bar. an unsteady bar for sure, but it is set

If the bar is "unsteady" and you admit that Amazon never made a guarantee that all books would be less than $9.99 forever eternal, then why does it make sense to draw a line in the sand at $9.99? $9.99 is ok, but $10.49 is somehow absurdly overpriced? This is what I mean by "arbitrary."

[Poppa1956]

Does buying the competitor's product count? I'm not buying much from B&N either. There are far too many free classics and inexpensive "indie" writers and publishers out there.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by whitearrow

If the bar is "unsteady" and you admit that Amazon never made a guarantee that all books would be less than $9.99 forever eternal, then why does it make sense to draw a line in the sand at $9.99? $9.99 is ok, but $10.49 is somehow absurdly overpriced? This is what I mean by "arbitrary."

look, you can buy ebooks for $25.99 for all I care. this is how and where grass roots movements start. it's been an issue for awhile. if you are complacent and have deep pockets, flush your money away. if you think it's a concern, then try to be part of the solution

Originally Posted by Poppa1956

Does buying the competitor's product count? I'm not buying much from B&N either. There are far too many free classics and inexpensive "indie" writers and publishers out there.

no. personally, I'll buy from anywhere I can get readable material on my Kindle. thus far between the Amazon, Smashwords, here, Baen and the darknet, I've pretty much been able to satisfy my immediate reading needs. but I've gotten the impression that much of the ebook reading public is tired of being farked with and wants to have their voice heard

[whitearrow]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

look, you can buy ebooks for $25.99 for all I care. this is how and where grass roots movements start. it's been an issue for awhile. if you are complacent and have deep pockets, flush your money away. if you think it's a concern, then try to be part of the solution

Okay, so, because I don't think this $9.99 thing makes a lick of sense, I obviously must be 1) complacent, and 2) have deep pockets. Yet earlier in this thread I was bitching about ebooks of backlist titles being priced $2 higher than the paperbacks. So, thank you for playing, but no, you're wrong on both counts.

If someone comes up with a potential "solution" that actually makes some sense, I'll be a part of it. Until then, I choose not to deprive myself of a new release I want to read because it's $2 more than an arbitrary line in the sand.

[mcgriff]

If I feel like reading something I will probably just buy it and read it. Age has imparted a bit of wisdom as well. I will leave the lobbying to the younger folks.

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by mcgriff

If I feel like reading something I will probably just buy it and read it. Age has imparted a bit of wisdom as well. I will leave the lobbying to the younger folks.

I'm neither young nor lacking in wisdom (I don't think!)

Nor am I actively participating in a boycott. I make my purchase decisions on a case-by-case basis. I have not, however, purchased an ebook from one of the major publishers in the past few months; I'm working through the last few years of purchases and my public-domain collection -- enough to keep me busy for years.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by whitearrow

Okay, so, because I don't think this $9.99 thing makes a lick of sense, I obviously must be 1) complacent, and 2) have deep pockets. Yet earlier in this thread I was bitching about ebooks of backlist titles being priced $2 higher than the paperbacks. So, thank you for playing, but no, you're wrong on both counts.

If someone comes up with a potential "solution" that actually makes some sense, I'll be a part of it. Until then, I choose not to deprive myself of a new release I want to read because it's $2 more than an arbitrary line in the sand.

ok, at the risk of humbling myseof to being bated...

9.99 is an obvious number, keeping it below the 10 dollar level. Amazon set the bar to begin with.

I'm really not interested in a bitchfest. play nicely or move on

[NogDog]

I buy any book, including e-books, based on how much I desire to read it versus the asking price. I have no arbitrary amount above which I will not spend, though certainly I'm more likely to buy it the lower its price is. But $9.99 is every bit as arbitrary as $8.95 or $10.53, it just sounds nice because it's one cent below $10.00. Besides, there are so many good books out there that are not brand new releases which are significantly below $9.99, that I really have very little problem keeping my Kindle full of unread books without even spending as much as $9.99 for any of them. So effectively I'm virtually boycotting e-books over $9.99, but then I'm almost as effectively boycotting e-books at $9.99, too.

[fbrII]

Yes, I am participating but I will confess to not knowing that a boycott existed. The issue of 9.99 is arbitrary and really not worth arguing about but in my case it did become my upper limit number.

My issue is not with a particular price point it's with the obvious price fixing being done by the publishing industry. it should be noted that not all publishers participate in "agency pricing/fixed pricing" and those that don't should be rewarded.

I have no argument that an author should be able to get whatever price a free market is willing to pay, but, "agency pricing" is not an example of a free market pricing, is it?

I can say "agency pricing" has in my case liberated me. As a direct result of agency pricing I have discovered Independent authors and renewed my love of public domain sites. As a direct consequence, I now, as previously stated by another commenter read more and pay less and as a result enjoy my reader more than ever.

[nursedude]

I'm not formally boycotting anything but I am trying to use "consumer smarts".

I WILL NOT pay more than the HB or PB price for an ebook.

Unless it's something I will want to read multiple times I'll still probably borrow the library book (if possible).

For space reasons I tend to only buy "physical" books from authors I like to collect or will reference repeatedly.

I also wouldn't mind the option to pay a bit more for a DRM free ebook (sort of like iTunes does sometimes with music) but that's probably a discussion for a different topic.

[whitearrow]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

I'm really not interested in a bitchfest. play nicely or move on

Please go back and read my posts. You are the one who questioned my motives for disagreeing with you ("complacent" and "deep pockets") and therefore made this personal. I simply said you were wrong. If you don't want a "bitchfest," then please address the arguments people are making and don't attack the person making them.

[pricecw]

I am not formally part of a protest, but I find the prices extreme and worthless. I won't pay more than a paper version, if given the same rights.

With DRM etc, the "purchase" is nothing more than a rental, and I refuse to pay more than a rental. If I can rent a movie ($100+ million to make) for $1, then that is what a DRM ebook is worth.

If a publisher/author puts DRM on their books and/or charges an exorbitant price for them, then I won't buy the book in any form. They don't deserve having customers, and the world would be a little better for their failure. No book is worth my morals, I can read good novels from those that appreciate their customers and don't want to treat us like scum to suck money from.

--Carl