Quote:
Originally Posted by Krystian Galaj
They don't want ebooks to cut into hardbacks market.
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Presuming that they ebooks and hardbacks target the same market, HB sales could be reduced if a reader were only interested in the author's content. However, if a reader only wants the content, then there is an opportunity for the publisher to make many magnitudes greater profit margin by selling the content in an eBook container.
However, I imagine there are readers that purchase HB because of the container's (HB) look and feel. They want to have that HB on their shelf. They want to see all their HB's in a series lined up. In this respect, the container becomes part of a reader's decor like
CyGuy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Krystian Galaj
Okay. But why won't they release it for a really high price, like 50$? That would change the message "we have it, but you won't get it no matter what you do" into "we don't want to lose on hardback sales, so we're not really sucking up to customers with this one yet, but if you REALLY want it, you can have it". I can think of a few books in the past I'd buy like that, and if I didn't, it would be my decision. As it is, I really can't blame anyone but publisher for keeping the book out of my hands.
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I think the reason they wouldn't release it for a price well in excess of the HB is because they would have a very difficult time making an argument for value.
As others have already suggested, publishers could release the eBook version as the same time as the HB. That would allow publishers to market their HBs as having enhanced value (while incurring no additional manufacturing cost depending on how they chose to do it.)
Those that suggest the eBook be included on SD with the HB are really just introducing a different type of container to the equation. An alternative value-added idea might be to include in addition to the current HB content, a particular author's back catalog as well. This could potentially drive additional HB sales in a print-on-demand environment, or be used to cross-promote similar authors if a back catalog is lacking. I think Baen might already be doing something similar to this.
The publishers' difficulty is maintaining the perception of value in a state of abundance. Instead of working and thinking in the state of abundance and what it can do for them, they are doing everything they can to create scarcity. People are generally resistant to change, and publishers are people too.
(that last part sounds really corny, but you get the point.)