Quote:
Originally Posted by meeera
My understanding of the data is that an ebook, on average, costs slightly less to produce than a pbook. Not "far less". The vast majority of book production costs are not printing.
|
Publishers are very fond of saying that is so, but it is definitely untrue, especially if you consider other factors outside of just the production ones, as you must, as they also factor in cost. You must also look at overall profit and other factors that apply ... I've already mentioned some of them.
It is true however, to say the first stage of production is no different ... the writing and editing. I guess you can say there is some extra cost for formatting concerns for different ebook formats, but that is to some degree a choice, as we are talking flowing text. If an editor or publisher decides to go fancy, that is a choice. As a fair comparison though, a physical book also takes a lot of work, when you factor in paperback, large trade and hardcover formatting. And if authors use different publishers in different countries or have multiple deals, then there can be size differences between paperbacks for instance, so I don't really buy that argument most of the time. To me they are roughly on par.
Printing costs are also part of production, and not negligible, as I am sure anyone who has ever published a book can tell you. Sure publishers get special deals for big runs, and so can reduce the cost quite a bit sometimes. But ink, glue and paper etc still account for a good portion of a book's cost. Then there is also storage and transport, and not just locally. Then there is misprints and damages and losses. Then there is the pride of place costs at stores when being displayed or shelved. Ebooks don't really have any of that, and something like a misprint can be fixed very quickly and cheaply, often using readers as the free proofreaders. Let us not forget the cost of insurance, especially for transport, but also for storage.
What about sales for unsold stock?
Profits can seriously dwindle when physical books aren't sold in a timely fashion. Staying on store shelves costs money, and transport back to the publisher is too costly and storage as well. So these sorts of books are sold, often very cheaply, which means profit for them takes a big hit, and going by the prices I have often seen, they are either making a loss or their books were making a lot of profit.
I have already mentioned that ebooks cannot be sold on or lent, but that bears looking at in detail, because it means a lot of profit to author and publisher etc ... profit they mostly missed out on previously.
I could buy a physical book, then sell it to someone, then they sell it after they have read, and that could occur a number of times. I know in AUS, that secondhand sellers (businesses) have to pay a levy to publishers and presumably authors, to cover the fact they don't make any money after the first sale. I doubt that levy gives them anywhere near the profit they now make due to more copies being sold, because people cannot resell ebooks or lend them very easily. Lending they never got any compensation for.
There are just so many advantages to the seller when selling ebooks.
I also don't buy the false argument that ebooks are devaluing books. I care about the books I read just as much as ever. What has happened though, is that Indie books are very prolific and cheap, and people who have always been suspicious of many physical book prices, are now voting with their wallets and purses. It is more about competition, than undervaluing something. It is always going to be about perceived value.
Many publishers it seems are deliberately trying to avoid competition with Indie books, by maintaining high prices and jumping on their high horse, whether it is warranted or not, about quality ... be that story telling skill or editing. People by and large are not dumb. Most of us I am sure, are prepared to pay a bit more for higher quality, providing we can afford it and it is indeed such the case.
How much extra is the question, and comparison between formats and production/providing costs for each is inevitable.
There are many other factors at play, but I think I have covered the main ones.
P.S. If there is any undervaluing going on, it is for books in general, as other forms of entertainment and media vie for our money and time. That and ease of use, which an ebook makes even better. Ease of use can be attention span related. The ebook format allows authors to produce more shorter stories or segment longer ones. Many are starting to realize this, some have realized for quite a while, the benefits.
P.S.S. Another cost that must be considered, is the time from Author to Reader. That cost can be quite significant. Printing run costs and waiting times can be considerable, as can transport times and related.