Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaggy
There are also more costs than just printing/distribution which are eliminated.
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Rule of thumb for estimating costs of a book.
45-55% of cover price - bookstore
50% of remainder - distribution chain before bookstore
50% of remainder of pre-distribution-chain - printing costs
5-20% (Okay, for *most* authors, 20% is *high*) of that amount - royalties
Remainder pays for copy-editing, promotion, managment, *profits to the publisher*, etc.
Given that the distribution-chain and printing costs are pretty much gone, that leaves the rest for the bookstore, publisher and author. Guess who gets little or no boost in income from the reduced cost of ebooks as compared to dead-tree? That's right, the author.
Derek