View Single Post
Old 12-09-2008, 09:40 AM   #32
rhadin
Literacy = Understanding
rhadin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.rhadin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.rhadin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.rhadin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.rhadin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.rhadin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.rhadin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.rhadin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.rhadin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.rhadin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.rhadin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
rhadin's Avatar
 
Posts: 4,833
Karma: 59674358
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The World of Books
Device: Nook, Nook Tablet
Quote:
Originally Posted by starrigger View Post
But don't fool yourselves into thinking that it's a simple matter to gear up for selling ebooks. It requires setting up new production processes, working out sales and distribution, and in general a lot of things behind the scenes that may not be obvious to the reader.
This is quite true. One of the small publishers I work for has decided to investigate ebooks for his market (a specialty market, not a mass market). After several months of discussion with me about what would be needed and the workflow requirements, he has decided to proceed on a trial basis. But what this means to him is a significant investment of money and time. Production cycle will increase by 4-6 weeks and production costs will increase by approximately 30%. Plus there is the investment in that has to be made in the software, fonts, mode of distribution, and other necessaries.

In the long-term the costs will decline. Some things are one-time investments. But until ebooks and their devices become commonplace among his readers, the per unit cost will remain high. The question becomes how much of that initial high cost can he absorb in order to reduce the price of the ebook? In the end, his margins have to remain at least the same, if not be greater, for ebooks as for pbooks in order for him to remain in business.

I'll grant that I dislike paying $14+ for a crippled ebook, even though I do occasionally pay it. But it isn't the $14+ that bothers me -- it is the crippling. I think this is where the publishers are going offcourse -- not the pricing but the crippling plus the pricing.
rhadin is offline   Reply With Quote