Quote:
Originally Posted by nogle
I would like to be driving a Cadillac, but I can only afford a Chevy. Production costs are similar, so pricing should be similar... It is the evil auto industry and their "price fixing" that keeps me from driving the vehicle I want.
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That's a good analogy in some ways because as with a particular book a particular car model will cost the same new whichever dealer I go to. However a different model is still a car and if similarly spec'd then its a much closer substitute than a different book would be. (You might even argue that a book that was very similar to but not identical to another book is a bad thing - originality is considered a good thing in writing.)
Also cars can be re-sold. This in itself helps keep prices down because a second-hand version of the same model is also a close substitute.
Of course in the same way paper books can compete with ebooks and paper books (in the UK at least) can be discounted - but then it comes down to how badly you want it in ebook form.