Quote:
Originally Posted by tompe
The $9.99 price was only for best sellers in the beginning. It was not setup to be the maximum price.
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I know--that is actually how it was referred to between Apple and the Publishers.
I would be content to let the market decide, but the publishers insist that I subsidize pbooks. This was the rationale behind the "$9.99 Problem". As we see in this thread, there are people who only want ebooks, and people who want pbooks of certain authors or subjects. That is fine. But I only want ebooks, and I cannot gift or lend or donate those ebooks. If I want to do that I have to buy a pbook. So why should the price I pay for the ebook have anything to do with propping up the market for pbooks?
I think the publishers have really shot themselves in the foot. When the kindle first came out, I looked to buy books I wanted to read. When the price went to $14, $16, $18.99, I went to the library. I believe all the big publishers are now selling digital books to libraries; at least there have been very few if any bestsellers I haven't been able to get at the library. The only problem with the library is series, and I have been buying to supplement series. But my library is filling in their series digitally, as well.
If publishers allow the $9.99, I may go back to buying. But that means I have to change my behavior, again. I can't promise to do so, but they have to realize that consumers understand what they are paying for when they charge $14.99.