Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Why do you consider agency prices to be "ridiculous"?
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Because some books are just worth it, and many people read too much of those to pay that kind of money.
Take the newest Terry Brooks Shannara book ("The High Druid's Blade"), for example. In the Netherlands, it retais for €19.95, for both the hardcover and the ebook. In the US, it retails at $19.95 for the hardcover (€14.70). At Amazon and Kobo US, the ebook retails for $13.99 (€9.50).
I can imagine the hardcover being more expensive in the Netherlands, as it has to be imported, and taxes and VAT are levied. For the e-book however, the price difference is 50%! I can buy it in the UK, or US, or anywhere, and have it delivered within seconds. I don't need to buy it in The Netherlands.
Now, imagine this book had been agency priced, costing the equivalent of €19.95 everywhere; it would have cost $27.15. Wouldn't that be a bit much for a 320 page book, that some people can read in two or three days?
Even going with the lower price of $14, many people don't have the money to spend $14 per three days on books. That would be $1700 a year. I could do it, but I don't want to. A 300-ish page fantasy story isn't worth that much for me.