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I just bought a new non-fiction ebook for £15.99. The hardback has just come out at the same time and is priced at £14.74. Now this is more than I would normally want to pay for most books, but I very much want to read this book now.
I imagine that the publisher is charging the same price for hardback and ebook, but ebooks are subject to VAT, whereas dt books aren't. But I don't mind paying extra for the ebook. I regard it as paying for the convenience of having it on my Kindle rather than having a heavy, unwieldy hardback.
I wouldn't expect backlist books to be sold for the same as hardbacks, but perhaps about the same as paperbacks would be OK. I agree with the thesis that publishers are businesses that have to cover costs and make a profit. What I want is for publishers to have the incentive to issue backlist books in eformats. They won't do it just because readers feel they are owed something. OTW readers are loyal to writers rather than to publishers. Be honest now, do you always notice who has published a book you are reading?
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