Hello from Peebles Scotland

rabbie · 10-07-2009, 09:21 AM

I am considering buying an ebook reader but was shocked by the price difference between ebooks and printed. As an example in Waterstones online Ian Banks book Transition was £14.00 for ebook, £13.00 for Hardback and £9.09 for paperback. How can they justify this? They have no printing,distribution or postage costs and in my view the prices should be the other way round.
I would be good to hear some other views. Hope I have put this in the right place

pdurrant · 10-07-2009, 09:56 AM

Hi Rabbie,

Welcome to mobileread!

Ebook pricing policies are currently in a state of flux. The big publishers are trying things out to see what they can get away with. And yes, this includes doing crazy things like trying to charge more for the ebook than for the cheapest paper edition.

There are at least a couple of threads on ebook pricing. Here's a recent one:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57227

Some publisher do know how to price ebooks. The classic example if Baen, where the individual books are $6, and bundles of a month's releases are $15. But they only do SF/Fantasy. Romance publishers mostly understand ebooks too.

But from most publishers at the moment, the most you can hope for is that the price isn't actually more than the paperback.

I expect that this will change over the next five years or so, as ebooks become more mainstream.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabbie

I am considering buying an ebook reader but was shocked by the price difference between ebooks and printed. As an example in Waterstones online Ian Banks book Transition was £14.00 for ebook, £13.00 for Hardback and £9.09 for paperback. How can they justify this? They have no printing,distribution or postage costs and in my view the prices should be the other way round.
I would be good to hear some other views. Hope I have put this in the right place

dreams · 10-08-2009, 05:05 PM

Welcome to mobileread, rabbie!

This is definitely the place to "hear some other views". Check out the thread pdurrant posted and read through some of the other forums. There are many, many varying views from the cost of ebooks to the best Reader.

Have fun.

Superlucky · 10-08-2009, 07:09 PM

Welcome to the forums. Maybe you can translate Trainspotting for me. I didn't understand a word of that book.

cassidym · 10-08-2009, 07:22 PM

Hi rabbie and welcome to MobileRead

neilmarr · 10-09-2009, 03:54 AM

Slainte, Rab. I'd seriously recommend the Sony PRS-505 to a fellow Scot (I'd tell an Englishman to go for the new International Kindle because I think it's vastly inferior). Neil

Mike L · 10-09-2009, 06:50 AM

Greetings, Rabbie. Nice to hear from another member in this part of the world.

I'll leave it to others to discuss the reason for the pricing of ebooks vs paper books. As you've probably seen, it's a recurring theme in this forum.

ShortNCuddlyAm · 10-09-2009, 09:16 AM

Welcome to MR!

rabbie · 10-09-2009, 03:11 PM

Thanks to everyone for the info. Yesterday I took the time to read Amazon's Privacy Policy for the Kindle and it beggars belief. They will download and use all the information on what you read when you read it where you bookmark and also any notes and annotations you make.
They have also in the US deleted books without the authority of the owner. This seems to going way way to far.

Any comment??

Mike L · 10-10-2009, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabbie

They have also in the US deleted books without the authority of the owner. This seems to going way way to far.

Yes, but they also received a storm of protest, issued a grovelling apology, handed out a $30 credit to everyone who was affected, and settled a legal action against one particular customer for $150,000.

(But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be concerned.)

10-07-2009, 09:21 AM	#1
rabbie Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Peebles Scotland Device: none	Hello from Peebles Scotland I am considering buying an ebook reader but was shocked by the price difference between ebooks and printed. As an example in Waterstones online Ian Banks book Transition was £14.00 for ebook, £13.00 for Hardback and £9.09 for paperback. How can they justify this? They have no printing,distribution or postage costs and in my view the prices should be the other way round. I would be good to hear some other views. Hope I have put this in the right place

10-08-2009, 05:05 PM	#3
dreams Anticipation Posts: 21,523 Karma: 50518786 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	Welcome to mobileread, rabbie! This is definitely the place to "hear some other views". Check out the thread pdurrant posted and read through some of the other forums. There are many, many varying views from the cost of ebooks to the best Reader. Have fun. __________________ MobileRead Wiki . MobileRead's Patricia Clark Memorial Library free (mostly PD) ebooks MobileRead's Posting Guidelines . Author Guidelines 2012 list - 2013 list

10-08-2009, 07:22 PM	#5
cassidym Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,330 Karma: 5032368 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Northern Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-505, iPhone 5, Sony T1, iPad 3	Hi rabbie and welcome to MobileRead __________________ I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library. - Jorge Luis Borges

10-09-2009, 06:50 AM	#7
Mike L Wizard Posts: 1,175 Karma: 2962988 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Device: Kindle 3	Greetings, Rabbie. Nice to hear from another member in this part of the world. I'll leave it to others to discuss the reason for the pricing of ebooks vs paper books. As you've probably seen, it's a recurring theme in this forum. __________________ Currently reading: Why Was Queen Victoria Such a Prude? (David Haviland); Payment Deferred (C.S. Forester)

10-09-2009, 09:16 AM	#8
ShortNCuddlyAm WWHALD Posts: 7,882 Karma: 337114 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mitcham, Surrey, UK Device: iPad. Selling my silver 505 here	Welcome to MR! __________________ Am --- So long, and thanks for all the fish

10-08-2009, 07:09 PM	#4
Superlucky Fanatic Posts: 584 Karma: 5952 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: PRS-505, PRS-350	Welcome to the forums. Maybe you can translate Trainspotting for me. I didn't understand a word of that book.

10-09-2009, 03:54 AM	#6
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,233 Karma: 5881759 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Slainte, Rab. I'd seriously recommend the Sony PRS-505 to a fellow Scot (I'd tell an Englishman to go for the new International Kindle because I think it's vastly inferior). Neil

10-09-2009, 03:11 PM	#9
rabbie Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Peebles Scotland Device: none	Privacy Issues with the Kindle Thanks to everyone for the info. Yesterday I took the time to read Amazon's Privacy Policy for the Kindle and it beggars belief. They will download and use all the information on what you read when you read it where you bookmark and also any notes and annotations you make. They have also in the US deleted books without the authority of the owner. This seems to going way way to far. Any comment??

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