Why are ebooks so expensive?

[Cyberman tM]

Originally Posted by Fbone

But the publisher considers $13.00 to be the actual price. They have no control on what B&N/Amazon will charge for the book.

Are you sure about that? I've read (on this forum I think) that these supposed price-cuts are actually sanctioned/given by the publisher, not the reseller - but only apply to the printed book.

Why should B&N/Amazon care if you buy the eBook or the pBook, as long as you buy.

--

[edit] I don't have a budget for books - I don't plan, I buy when my guts say "this looks good". So cheap books are going to get my money. That's why O'Reilly is currently getting money from me every so often. Half-price eBook of a topic that interests me? Sold!

To stay on topic: As has been said, taxes and price-cuts on pBook are a big problem. They let eBooks appear more expensive for no reason.

[jbcohen]

I have seen a concerted effort on the part of book publishers to raise book prices, something that I will not participate in. I guess to each his/her own if amaramadoll is willing to pay sky high prices for reading litterature thats fine. Personally I won't pay over $8 for a book electronic or printed no matter who wrote it. Don't care if its galenorn or butcher I simply will not pay more than $8 each for them and in many cases I will pay no more than $2, I am reading a lot of great authors under that $2 price limit from Amazon: Drew Berquist, David Wood, Daniel Leston and Rod Pennington. Much to my own dismay my favorite Andy Mc Dermott goes for $8, I would preferr not to pay the extra $6 and I may stop reading him for that reason. Its all about dollars and not paying that extra dollars.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by outlander78

It seems that I have been shopping at the wrong sites. Where do I find the heavily discounted backlist titles that are going for $2 and up?

Backlist ebooks. I tend to buy them from Smashwords.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Hell, I've still not read all of the Nebula award winners, price all of them at $2 and I'll buy them tomorrow - of course I wont need to buy anything for the next 2 years. so some publisher somewhere is losing a ton of money from me.

If you can really resist buying another book for 2 years just because you have already bought 2 years worth of reading you are very much in a minority.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

Backlist ebooks. I tend to buy them from Smashwords.

Well, thank you SO much, Elfwreck.

Now all the new releases for this year won't be bought or read because we'll all be too busy reading the backlist and thus will the sales get cannibalized.

I hope you're proud of yourself.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by Cyberman tM

Are you sure about that? I've read (on this forum I think) that these supposed price-cuts are actually sanctioned/given by the publisher, not the reseller - but only apply to the printed book.

Why should B&N/Amazon care if you buy the eBook or the pBook, as long as you buy.

Well, I'm not going to buy the $8.12 paperbook from B&N. If they had the ability to price the ebook at $8.12, I would have bought that.

I don't buy paperbacks anymore, I'm afraid, for a variety of personal reasons. I don't think I'm unique in that regard.

[outlander78]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

Backlist ebooks. I tend to buy them from Smashwords.

Thank you.

[OtterBooks]

Originally Posted by DMB

One of the splits I detect here is due to people's reading habits. I don't think it follows that 100 ultra-cheap books are better than 10 expensive ones. If one is a voracious reading addict and a book is simply a notch up from a cereal packet as something to feed the addiction that may be so. The fact that I can buy 100s of books for next to nothing is irrelevant if the books I really want to read are very expensive.

You aren't alone in this observation. I find that sometimes voracious readers have much in common with voracious eaters.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by OtterBooks

You aren't alone in this observation. I find that sometimes voracious readers have much in common with voracious eaters.

Commercial Voice-over: Do you feel bloated after a long book? Do you feel like you can't stop reading, no matter how full you feel?

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

If you can really resist buying another book for 2 years just because you have already bought 2 years worth of reading you are very much in a minority.

Ah, well, yes, err maybe the odd book, but I am going to read them all and I must admit that my TBR pile is a bit on the large side.

Ok, my name is Mike and I'm a bookaholic it's been 1 month since my last purchase

[anamardoll]

Haha, my To-Read list is over 1000 --- we need a poll about that! *zips off*

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

If you can really resist buying another book for 2 years just because you have already bought 2 years worth of reading you are very much in a minority.

Amen. My backlog is huge, but that didn't stop me from picking up a small stack of ebooks from Amazon this morning.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

Amen. My backlog is huge, but that didn't stop me from picking up a small stack of ebooks from Amazon this morning.

I added 9 books to calibre just this morning.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Well, thank you SO much, Elfwreck.

Now all the new releases for this year won't be bought or read because we'll all be too busy reading the backlist and thus will the sales get cannibalized.

I hope you're proud of yourself.

Cannibal books nom nom nom eatin up all da new book sales. Obviously have already devoured brains of major publishing executives.

How come we don't have a zombie smiley?

[anamardoll]

Ima in yur backlists, cannibalizin yur salez.

(We have a squirrel but no LOLcatz? )