Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
Okay, I'll get back on topic...
Okay, I'll get back on topic...
Over at The Digital Reader:
http://www.the-digital-reader.com/20...as-loans-drop/
That report got me thinking that in an economy of abundance, the ready availability of free promos, free PD titles, and quality low-cost titles might not only devalue hardcover and "bestseller" titles (the BPHs nightmare) but also devalue the "value" of "free!".
I'm thinking that people with Kindles (or Nooks or Kobos or whatever) full of quality reads are not going to stapede at the mere mention of a free title and can afford to be selective in what they spend their reading time. *And* might be just as willing to pick up a reasonably-priced paid title as a free one.
If that psychology prevails, pricing is only an issue at the high end and there might be no long-term advantage to creative pricing schemes. It may even be that $0.99 might *not* be the sweet spot to maximize ebook sales volume. |
That's the reality. Like the jet fighter pilots over North Vietnam, they're flipping off the switches. (See my monograph
And The World Changed here on MR).
There's too much entertainment to be enjoyed. Some people sort by price, some by recommendation, some by previous experience with the author. Some even dial at random...
This hammers new creators. One can now spend a lifetime reading old free authors (Project Gutenberg,
et al) and new free books (giveaways) and never spend a dime for reading material. (I'm not talking piracy, legal giveaways -remember the TOR.com giveaways of 20 free S/F novels?)
In the digital world of abundance, nothing ever goes away...