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Old 05-16-2011, 04:04 PM   #36
stonetools
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I like Shatzkin's article, but I think he's got the pricing wrong; I think more than $20/month is a recipe for failure. Or maybe success for a tiny book club, but it won't sweep the internet as the new economic model.

If we can pay less $10/month for all the movies we can watch, why would we pay five times that much for a much more limited range of content? And badly-formatted content as well?
To repeat, the success of any subscription plan would be tied not what's happening in any other industry, but to how much per month we spend on books.
from your remarks, Elfmark, I believe that you are the kind of reader who is satisfied with fan fic, Smashwords, Baen, and the stuff you can get in the "bargain bin" at Amazon and B&N (not that there's anything wrong with that). .For you , $10 per month is the max you would spend on books.
Shatzkin, OTOH. strikes me as a guy who buys 2-3 books per month from the NYT bestseller list, in addition to buying other books. I would guess his tastes run to high fiction and non-fiction (He confessed he doesn't read SF). For him, $50 per month seems fine, because this is what he normally spends on books).
I think you two are outliers and the average "moderate to heavy" reader falls in between these extremes. From the numerous threads excoriating publishers for "unconscionably high" ebook prices, I suspect that you have a lot more company in this forum than Mr. Shatzkin in terms of buying habits. However, you probably should not take your habits as the norm. After all, a helluva lot of folks bought and are buying Ms. Hillenbrands "Unbroken" ebook at $12.99 and above. Judging from the five star ratings and the unanimous rave reviews, those buyers think its worth every penny.
I think there are a lot of folks out there who would be willing to do $15-30 per month for subscriptions. I expect we'll find out soon.

Last edited by stonetools; 05-16-2011 at 04:07 PM.
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