an ex-Amazonian looks at Amazon

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

they're lousy for teaching kids to read;

I don't know about that. I'm aware of the benefits attributed to physical books that have been discussed here before, and I suspect it's valid, but I think ereaders, particularly more interactive tablets, with read-to-me, word tracking, etc, not to mention the access they usually afford to a wider variety of material, some of which hopefully captures the kid's interest, can contribute to an improved teaching and learning experience.

ApK

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by ApK

How'd you get that? I'm refuting the statement that there is no valid reason for ebook to cost as much as paperbacks.
[...]
And ebooks are selling well. Lots of people seem to see the value.

The missing link in your argument is showing that high-priced eBooks are selling well.
Of the current list of top 10 paid eBooks, only two cost more than $4.99.

[QuantumIguana]

Originally Posted by ApK

How'd you get that? I'm refuting the statement that there is no valid reason for ebook to cost as much as paperbacks.

I'm not concerned whether the publisher's price is "valid" or not. They can charge what they want, and I can decide whether or not I want to make that purchase or not.

And ebooks are selling well. Lots of people seem to see the value.

Yes they are. They are selling for less than the paper copy.

And by buying ebooks that I want, I'm casting my vote for authors and publishers to offer more ebooks like those I want at a price I find acceptable.

Then by all means, buy what you want.

No telling from that. Those books may have sold if they were priced higher.

It does indicate that the publishers think that they are maximizing their revenues by selling the e-book for less than the paper copy. Perhaps they are mistaken, and publishers don't always make ideal business decisions, but for them to be wrong in such overwhelming numbers seems unlikely.

No flaw in not buying something you feel is priced too high. I'm all for lower prices, as long as quality doesn't degrade with it.
But I've been pointing out the flaws in your reasoning for making that judgement based on price of a paperback.

Well, you've attempted to.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

The missing link in your argument is showing that high-priced eBooks are selling well.
Of the current list of top 10 paid eBooks, only two cost more than $4.99.

And for those two, the Kindle edition costs more or almost exactly as much as at least one of the print editions.

IF my point was that ebooks sell even if they are priced higher than an available print edition, it would seem to be supported.

But that was never my point. Only that there there are valid reasons for an ebook to cost as much or even more than a print edition. The value an ebook delivers by virtue of its format's properties are legitimately worth charging for, and the existence of other formats with different properties doesn't change that. Guesses as to internal cost to produce certainly don't change it.

ApK

[ApK]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

I'm not concerned whether the publisher's price is "valid" or not. They can charge what they want, and I can decide whether or not I want to make that purchase or not.

OK, but you responded directly to my refutation of Teh603's claim of invalidity.
That's what I've been addressing.

Well, you've attempted to.

We'll let the Interwebs decide how successful the attempt was.
Maybe we should start a poll.

[QuantumIguana]

Originally Posted by ApK

OK, but you responded directly to my refutation of Teh603's claim of invalidity.
That's what I've been addressing.

If the publishers think that they will make more money by charging more for an e-book than the paper copy, then they should feel free to do so. Whether or not such pricing actually maximizes revenue is a different matter. But what maximizes some company's revenue is no concern of mine; I have my own criteria for whether I purchase this book or that book. I did respond to someone who claimed that charging more for the e-book than the paper book was invalid, but I never made such a claim myself.

We'll let the Interwebs decide how successful the attempt was.
Maybe we should start a poll.

I would submit that neither of us need submit to binding arbitration on our purchasing criteria.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

I would submit that neither of us need submit to binding arbitration on our purchasing criteria.

Of course. No one need do that.

(At least until I win the vote and take over....mwahahaha.)

[MikeB1972]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

When I buy a book from the Amazon web page, it shows not just the price of the Kindle version, but the price of the paper version as well. It may well be that posters on a forum dedicated to e-books may be willing to pay more for an e-book than for a paper book, but that's not necessarily a representative sample of readers. It's become largely a moot point, a significant majority e-books cost less than the paper book.

Does it show the price of the paperback when you order direct from the kindle? I thought one of the big selling points of the kindle was that you could buy direct from the device.

I'm not sure how many people buy direct from the device against on a PC - I only know 2 people with kindles and 1 of them needed help finding the home menu again after they opened a book (Turns out the paperwhite screen is capacitive not IR and giant honking nails like talons don't work, who knew )

[QuantumIguana]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Does it show the price of the paperback when you order direct from the kindle? I thought one of the big selling points of the kindle was that you could buy direct from the device.

I'm not sure how many people buy direct from the device against on a PC - I only know 2 people with kindles and 1 of them needed help finding the home menu again after they opened a book (Turns out the paperwhite screen is capacitive not IR and giant honking nails like talons don't work, who knew )

No, it doesn't, but I prefer to buy books from the computer when I'm at home. When I'm looking at book reviews, I prefer to do it on the computer. Buying from the Kindle is of course convenient when I'm away from home and at a WiFi hotspot.