05-30-2011, 08:27 PM | #16 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,262
Karma: 2979086
Join Date: Nov 2010
Device: Kindle 4, iPad Mini/Retina
|
troll.
|
05-30-2011, 08:34 PM | #17 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 27,549
Karma: 193191846
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD
|
Quote:
I wish ebooks were cheaper, too. I just don't have a magic price or percentage of the dtb price I'm looking for. I make my purchase decisions on a book-by-book, author-by-author basis. Regardless of the medium. I'm shallow... I'm only in it for the words. |
|
Advert | |
|
05-30-2011, 08:53 PM | #18 | |
e-reading since 2008
Posts: 197
Karma: 112730
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Hinesville Georgia
Device: Nook STR, Sony PRS-T1
|
Quote:
Vic |
|
05-30-2011, 08:55 PM | #19 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,016
Karma: 2838487
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Washington, DC
Device: Ipad, IPhone
|
I think the OP is asking, "Why doesn't the publishing industry price and format ebooks the way us cool techie hipsters think should be priced and formatted?"
In my experience, ebooks are on average cheaper than pbooks. Heck, you could build a very good library of 1000 ebooks and not pay a dime. Try doing that with pbooks. If you are focused on buying bestselling nonfiction and fiction, ebooks could be expensive -though less expensive than buying the same in dead-tree books. Cast your net a little wider and be patient in looking for discounts and you would be surprised at how well you can do. |
05-30-2011, 09:27 PM | #20 | |
Maratus speciosus butt
Posts: 3,292
Karma: 1162698
Join Date: Sep 2009
Device: PRS-350
|
Quote:
In other words, par for the course for you. I also think that-- just for the heck of it-- we should make sure that arman68 has more karma than you before the day is over. I've done my part. Last edited by ardeegee; 05-30-2011 at 09:29 PM. |
|
Advert | |
|
05-30-2011, 09:44 PM | #21 | |
Ebook Reader
Posts: 605
Karma: 3205128
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Texas
Device: Kindle 3, HTC Evo, HTC View
|
Quote:
|
|
05-30-2011, 10:02 PM | #22 |
Ninja Librarian
Posts: 179
Karma: 347750
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Denmark
Device: Sony PRS-950, Cybook 3. gen, Sony T1, Kindle Paperwhite
|
Very good question OP.
I think the main reason is that publishers is treating the digital media like their traditional market model. If consumers get used to the idea of the actual initial product costs being disgustingly low, compared to what we actually buy it for, it'll be very hard to return to a higher price point and the potential profit associated with it. When you have a growing market like this, it's all about consumer habits. A lot of book reader suffers from a form of Stockholms syndrome, where they beyond buying the product places an ethical value in supporting the author, unfortunately it's hard for those consumers to extricate the author from the publishers, considering them virtually identical. The more consumers who obtains low or free books and demand DRM free products, the faster we'll see a market adapt to meet those consumers needs. |
05-31-2011, 01:47 AM | #23 |
Guru
Posts: 973
Karma: 4269175
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Europe
Device: Pocketbook Basic 613
|
We've had this before: printing is only part of it, warehousing, shelf space, transportation and dealing with returns and the associated personal cost isn't cheap. Why are ebooks so expensive? Because they ask what they think the market will bear; the cost of production, whatever that means for the end price, is significantly lower.
|
05-31-2011, 02:48 AM | #24 | |
DRM hater
Posts: 945
Karma: 2066176
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Michigan
Device: Nook ST glow, Kindle Voyage
|
Quote:
Paperbacks are still a relatively free market - the standard product producer / seller & price competition between sellers model. Ebooks are on the agencies-agree-to-the-same-pricing-scheme plan. The result is the price you see above. |
|
05-31-2011, 04:20 AM | #25 |
Feral Underclass
Posts: 3,622
Karma: 26821535
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Yorkshire, tha noz
Device: 2nd hand paperback
|
Yes, and over 50% of the cover price goes to distributors and wholesalers. Whereas with ebooks only 30% of the sale price goes to Amazon or whoever else sells it. Which means that if the intention is to make the same amount of profit on both realbook and ebook, then ebooks would be priced about 30% lower than realbooks. It would also be unfair to include the cost of proofreading in ebook prices, since we all know that they don't bother fixing the mistakes that they find in the proofs for the print version.
|
05-31-2011, 05:39 AM | #26 |
Guru
Posts: 989
Karma: 5782970
Join Date: Jul 2010
Device: Scribe,Kindle Oasis 3, iPad Pro 11, iPhone 13 Pro Max,iPad mini 6, PW5
|
Maybe they should just give them away for free.
|
05-31-2011, 06:03 AM | #27 |
Old Git
Posts: 958
Karma: 1840790
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Switzerland (mostly)
Device: Two kindle PWs wifi, kindle fire, iPad3 wifi
|
In the UK ebooks are subject to tax (VAT) and print books are exempt. Really unfair and it does affect prices.
|
05-31-2011, 07:18 AM | #28 | |
Wizard
Posts: 3,450
Karma: 10484861
Join Date: May 2006
Device: PocketBook 360, before it was Sony Reader, cassiopeia A-20
|
Quote:
For many, many years the publishing model was to publish expensive hardcover and sell it to all those that couldn't wait. Then when they ran out of customers willing to cough up $39, they printed Trade Paperback format to try to milk the customers that were still waiting. Finally, Mass Market Paperback was printed and sold at $7.99. In the meanwhile lots of people went to second-hand bookstore (were you can't take your e-book after you finish) but that is another story ... Publishers never *ever* told us that the production price difference (actual paper and binding) between the hardcover ($39) and MMPB ($7.90) was less than 1 dollar. Only now, when they are trying to justify high prices of bunch of ones and zeroes they tell us that the majority of price is in authors royalty, editing, typesetting, cover illustration, marketing, ... Dear paper publishers, trying to gouge us on e-books, I wish you Many Happy Returns ;-) |
|
05-31-2011, 10:53 AM | #29 |
The Introvert
Posts: 8,307
Karma: 1000077497
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500
|
|
05-31-2011, 11:28 AM | #30 |
Zealot
Posts: 104
Karma: 263218
Join Date: Jan 2011
Device: Sony PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Arc 7
|
Hmmmm ... General's Daughter price has dropped from $9.99 a few months ago. I wonder what drove that decision?
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Why eBooks are so expensive ? | SerialAeon | Lounge | 18 | 09-01-2011 08:14 PM |
(Some) Kobo books more expensive than other ebooks | Ivo | Kobo Reader | 36 | 06-28-2010 01:03 PM |
Why are Sony Ebooks more expensive? | advocate2 | Sony Reader | 22 | 07-14-2009 09:55 AM |
Mobi ebooks more expensive than average | Over | Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) | 29 | 03-19-2009 11:21 PM |
Why are ebooks so expensive? | ntgcmlfu | News | 77 | 01-18-2009 12:00 PM |