Quote:
Originally Posted by rlauzon
eBooks cost almost nothing to produce. They can sell them at a far lower cost and still make the same profit. I would argue that they would make a higher profit because they don't have to handle returns and they will never over "print" an eBook.
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All true and well, but there's a break even point below which this isn't true, i.e. below which the overhead necessary for distribution and marketing of ebooks actually outweighs the extra profit that could be made.
Right now, sales of ebooks are nowhere near reaching that break even point, and like it's been said in the thread, publishers are a conservative bunch and they aren't ready to invest into something that may or may not work out, no matter how much they could earn if it does.
The prices are high, because publishers that *have* dared to enter the ebook market are trying to make sure they get enough profit out of ebook sales to cover their venture, no matter how small the audience is or remains.