Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew H.
Then you should buy a paper book because it doesn't sound like e-books will meet your needs. It's not like publishers make any additional money because you can't lend, resell, or donate e-books. It's not like the authors, editors, proof-readers, etc. have to work any less on an e-book. The fact that you can't lend, sell, donate, etc. an e-book doesn't really affect the publisher's bottom line; it is merely your preference. If these things are important to you (they're not to me), buy a paper book.
You do run the risk of needing to change to a new e-book reader. That's a risk that everyone incurs when they buy an e-book reader; it's inherent in the technology. It's not like publishers or authors somehow benefit from this.
Buying an e-book isn't like renting a book. Rented books have to be returned. E-books don't have to be returned.
Publishers generally sell e-books at a discount (not a large one) to hardbacks. If, based on your personal needs, a hardback is a better fit, than you should buy a hardback and not complain that the e-book medium doesn't fit your needs.
But I don't see that the publishers are any more money grubbing than, say, you are.
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Or just make your own copy for free. After all, the big publishers aren't price fixing and copyright violation isn't stealing. If the BPH's want to play that game they'll lose.
Highroller's reaction is very typical to the irrational e-book pricing. Pricing e-books higher then what a paper version is
selling for will just continue to upset people. "Experimenting" to find out the maximum price that people will pay (before they get pissed of and stop buying) is not how you price virtual goods. That's what market research is for. You have to do it properly and you have to accept the results and then figure out how you can deliver to that price point, increase the product value or go out of business.
Consumers are not going to react the way you think they should. Virtual goods have different economic rules then physical goods. Pretending they don't doesn't make it so.