Quote:
Originally Posted by Fabe
Ultimately we are paying for the value of the content, not the cost of the packaging. There is no reason what-so-ever electronic books should cost less or more than a hard or paperback edition. It comes down to what the market will bear.
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With great respect, Fabe, that's bullshit. What we pay for the value of the content is that portion of the price which is the author's royalty. The rest is packaging, sales and marketing, and doesn't add a jot to the value of the content. It just makes the content available to us. And an ebook makes that content available at a much lower cost.
Take a look at the price of a book and how it's made up: take off the cost of paper, cardboard, transport, warehousing and showroom space, and even if you don't think there's a saving on labour costs and profit margins, you've got a product that is considerably lower in price than a hardback or paperback.
I made the comment recently on MR that I buy and read more books when they are reasonably priced e-books than I ever could if all I had was hardbacks or even paperbacks. And I increase the chances that a rookie author will make a sale, since I'm willing to take a chance on an ebook costing 99 cents or a couple of dollars, which I wouldn't take if it cost me $25 or even half that price. Sure it's tough for the Stephen Kings and Dan Browns of this world, but they'll survive.