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All the belly aching and whining about how big are the digital costs or how much of the cost is about editing, converting, marketing and so on are given a lie by the difference between the price of a mmpb at 8$ and a hc at 25$ - and I am talking here about original releases since lots and lots of books are realeased mmpb first and also lots and lots of books released as hc do not see mmpb editions, so we cannot say that mmpb is a second hand edition so to speak.
Why the same kind of content is priced at 8$ vs 25$. Case in point Way of Shadows which is a mmpb original priced at 7.99$, no hc edition - only some bookclub whole trilogy edition - and say a comparable 600 page hc release fantasy. What is the difference in all those intangibles that seem to figure out so high in ebook accounting? Editing, marketing, advance... I contend none, and the 16$ list price difference or the fact that one costs triple another is due ONLY to format, a solid durable nice hardcover vs a cheap, disposable mmpb.
So people bellyaching about those high intangible costs are dissembling at best, putting it politely. If Orbit can release and hope to make good money on Way of Shadows as mmpb original - and it seemed they sold boatloads of it so made good money btw - no hc edition at 8$ a pop, there is no reason any (fiction) ebook whatsoever should cost more since ebooks are even more disposable than mmpb's...
The high costs of ebooks is simply due to a normal desire to get revenue, or as some put it best not to exchange the analog dollars for digital pennies and sadly this strategy failed badly until now and I do not think it will succeed with books either.
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