Quote:
Originally Posted by FligMupple
a) NO early ebook options
b) ONE early ebook option to buy it at retail price
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I vote
B but with a clarification: that the retail price of a newly released ebook always be set a few bucks lower than an equivalent hardcover, as an acknowledgment that the consumer receives no physical back-up copy and--under current DRM implementations--loses right of first sale or the ability to lend or annotate (in most cases).
As other physical versions of the book are printed, the ebook price should drop to a value slightly lower than the cheapest printed version.
There's no reason publishers can't be flexible with ebook pricing. I think in the past they've made the mistake of pretending an ebook should be priced like a hardcover no matter what other formats are available, and currently retailers are making the mistake of arbitrarily applying a $10 value to ebooks no matter how new they are.
I would gladly pay, say, between $15-25 for a digital copy of "Under the Dome" this afternoon (and when it comes out in mass market I'd expect the ebook price to drop accordingly). If Amazon refused to agree to that price point, the publisher could always sell it through other channels--just because Amazon won the first big marketplace battle doesn't mean publishers should pack up their toys and go home.
Also: I know the hardcover is the grandfather of modern publishing, but it's foolish (and pointlessly romantic) to protect its status as the First Version of a book if technology provides a more effective tool. Hardcover will always be the most dramatic and visually appealing instance of a book, but digital can get to the marketplace first, and in multiple formats, and with last-minute or temporary bonus content, and much more cheaply. By contrast, the hardcover makes a great anchor for a launch day marketing event. Why not embrace both equally?
I mean really, you spend marketing dollars to rile up customers to swarm on a new product on the day of release. Why wouldn't you be prepared to offer it in as many distribution channels as you can afford in order to maximize profits?
Now I shall kill a Smiley, because they keep trying to get my attention while I type:
