Quote:
Originally Posted by avantman42
If that's true, then why didn't that happen with paper books? Why didn't everyone wait for the mass market paper back? I don't think I've ever bought a new hardback (I do have some that I bought second hand), but I have bought trade paper backs when I wanted the book badly enough that I didn't want to wait for the mass market paper back.
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It DID happen with paper books. No one releases the paper back version at the same time as the hard back. Plenty of folks are like you and me and rarely bought new release hard backs. But MILLIONS of folks DID buy the hard backs. But there is a relatively small time window when folks don't have other options. Before too long there are used hard backs. Then come the trade paper backs, the more expensive version. Then finally the mass market paper back.
At no point has the book industry priced the new books at the same price as used. Never have, never will.
With ebooks, there is no concept of "used". Each copy of an ebook is as good as the last. There will be no such thing as used ebooks. Nor will ebooks ever be priced to compete with someone's garage sale of used paperbacks.
Lee