[eGeezer]

Calvin, I base my "best guess" of 30% on the availability of pbooks at 25-30% discounts, which puts them in the neighborhood of $7.50, and many times even $4-5. If retailers can discount pbooks that much and everyone still makes their money (albeit less for the retailer than at $full), then 30% off the pbook price for an ebook is more than an a reasonable expectation. But who knows?

As for the Amazon $9.99 price, I see that as the "hb equivalent, first release, hot off the presses, never seen the light of day before" price. I might actually see myself buying an occasional first-release book at that price. After all, I paid $16.99 for the last Harold Patterer book -- probably the first first-release hb book I have ever purchased. Of course, I bought it for my sister-in-law and only just happened to read it cuz it took her a while to come get it (wink wink).

Therefore, I then see the "later release" ebook price as being lower just like pbacks.

This is a different reasoning than that used originally to reach the "30% less" mentioned earlier, but it supports my expectations.

Of course, this is the very thing it appears the publishers fear, as mentioned many times in this thread and others -- arbitrary price-setting establishing an artificially low price in the minds of the angry villagers carrying torches and pitchforks up the path to the castle.

Btw, I have no problem with the higher hb prices because like any industry, first release of a product pays for the research and development (authoring, in this case), and initial manufacturing setup (printing).

I also waited for Blu Ray players to come down in price before purchasing.