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bostonte · 10-10-2006, 10:53 PM

Not that my opinion matters to the powers that be, but I felt like a rant. Seems logical to me, what do you think?

Publishers should feel quite comfortable allowing lower prices on DRM'd Sony eBooks. (Of course there's always the proceeved threat of backlash from brick and mortar owners.)

Having been an avid reader for years, and managed a large book store during university, the "best" customers of the store buy just about any and every new release (i.e. all the new mystery thrillers, biographies, etc. -- just about anything on the front shelf when you walk into the store). They typically walk in, spend all of 20 seconds at the shelf, and grab 3 or 4 books.

And what do they tend to do with them when they're done? They trade them at a used book store or give them to friends who give them to friends. Only very specific things are kept.

The publisher has the very nice advantage of being able to completely cripple the secondary market with books sold through CONNECT. Except for rather extreme measures (deauthorizing my reader and selling my account details, I suppose would work) -- they're almost guaranteed to limit the sale to one reader only. (i.e. no trading among friends) with the current implementation.

Obviously the publishers aren't oblivious that one copy of a new release from B&N is quite likely to be passed around -- they've worked this into their pricing model.

It needs to be unworked from the pricing model of eBooks, or they need to offer us the same options we get when we purchase a real book -- when I'm done with it I should be able to "deauthorize" myself and give/sell it to someone else.

Certainly my thoughts are restricted to certain genres of books (not reference or instructional, for instance).

Rant over.. back to spending more money at CONNECT, it's as darn additictive as iTunes. Might as well just sign my paycheck over to the two.

10-10-2006, 10:53 PM	#1
bostonte Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: Sony Reader	My View of eBook Pricing Not that my opinion matters to the powers that be, but I felt like a rant. Seems logical to me, what do you think? Publishers should feel quite comfortable allowing lower prices on DRM'd Sony eBooks. (Of course there's always the proceeved threat of backlash from brick and mortar owners.) Having been an avid reader for years, and managed a large book store during university, the "best" customers of the store buy just about any and every new release (i.e. all the new mystery thrillers, biographies, etc. -- just about anything on the front shelf when you walk into the store). They typically walk in, spend all of 20 seconds at the shelf, and grab 3 or 4 books. And what do they tend to do with them when they're done? They trade them at a used book store or give them to friends who give them to friends. Only very specific things are kept. The publisher has the very nice advantage of being able to completely cripple the secondary market with books sold through CONNECT. Except for rather extreme measures (deauthorizing my reader and selling my account details, I suppose would work) -- they're almost guaranteed to limit the sale to one reader only. (i.e. no trading among friends) with the current implementation. Obviously the publishers aren't oblivious that one copy of a new release from B&N is quite likely to be passed around -- they've worked this into their pricing model. It needs to be unworked from the pricing model of eBooks, or they need to offer us the same options we get when we purchase a real book -- when I'm done with it I should be able to "deauthorize" myself and give/sell it to someone else. Certainly my thoughts are restricted to certain genres of books (not reference or instructional, for instance). Rant over.. back to spending more money at CONNECT, it's as darn additictive as iTunes. Might as well just sign my paycheck over to the two.