Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
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I know why you think they should be 20% cheaper - you're the reader interested in buying the book.
Pretend I'm the publisher issuing the book. I see the chance of selling the ebook at the same price as the paper edition, with the 15%-20% savings of not issuing a print edition flowing to my bottom line. If I believe I can successfully charge the same price as the paper edition and see comparable sales, tell me why I ought to lower it? (The fact that you will then buy it will not sway me. You're one reader. I'm concerned with tens or hundreds of thousands of readers.)
You want to get your ebooks cheaper. I want to stay in business. Guess which will trump?...
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LOL, if you are so honest about gouging consumers, how about this:
Pretend I am a consumer interested in a book. I see a chance to buy it, but the publisher wants $27 for it, and because of the Agency Model, I can't find it discounted.
$27 is a lot of money, so I decide to check out a couple of file sharing sites. Oh-oh! It's there! No DRM, so I can keep it forever, and it's mine for free.
The fact that you (the publisher) will not get a penny will not sway me, because now I feel justified (rightly or wrongly), since you tried to gouge me.
You want to gouge me. I want the book, but don't want to feel ripped off. So, I get the book for free. Guess which will trump? And guess who will be out of business?
Since for new titles publishers are generally monopolies, "piracy" is a powerful tool to keep them from gouging the market.
The music industry already tried your model, and look how far it got them.
It's all about the price: When Amazon was selling titles for $6-$7, I was doing a ton of impulse buying, including stuff I may never really read. At over $10, I don't do this. At over $20, for a DRM-ed, poor-quality ebook, I may turn elsewhere. And I am not going to be the only one....