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Old 02-02-2010, 04:46 PM   #4
Lemurion
eReader
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Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcl View Post
Except that almost all ebooks are digital versions of existing paper books. Those costs would exist even if ebooks didn't. You don't re-edit an ebook version of a paper title. You don't have massive additional administrative or marketing overhead for ebooks. And so on.
Given that the publisher only has a couple of dollars production margin to work with, it's actually not that surprising that ebooks may not be significantly cheaper.

In the current market you need to create at least three different versions (Epub, Kindle, Ereader) and possibly a fourth (PDF), with three different DRM schemes. That adds costs.

Also, since not all ebooks are sold at the same venues as pbooks there are additional marketing costs. Sony doesn't sell paperbacks.

As for setup costs, why should ebooks get a free ride and let the other versions cover all of it? The basics should be split among all editions, with ebooks carrying their share.
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