Quote:
Originally Posted by mr ploppy
There is a perceived value in hardbacks, and at least half of that is in their potential resale value (even if the reader has no plans to sell it). Ebooks have no perceived value, they are just disposable reading copies (even if the reader has no plans to delete it afte reading). That is why people expect them to be priced accordingly, and why very few people will pay hardback prices for ebooks. Especially if they are already used to buying second hand paperbacks rather than hardbacks.
Writer types might say most of the value is in the words that they have written, but that is not the way readers see it. They are buying a product, not just a bunch of words. They won't pay the same amount for disposable paper plates that they would pay for bone china ones. Even if the food that goes on them is the same.
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Most people I know buy paperbacks by preference, and only buy hardcovers of books they really want. In short, they do base a large part of the value of a book on the words.
As for resale value, I don't know what it's like where you are now, but in my experience, hardcovers often have less resale value than paperbacks - not more. It's only limited and first editions that tend to have any additional resale value. Many used bookstores won't even take hardcovers, because most of their clientele won't pay any more for them than for a paperback and they take up more room.