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Old 02-03-2010, 05:50 AM   #18
Solicitous
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kali Yuga View Post
$15 is just the price for new ebooks; it's pretty clear that publishers will use dynamic pricing, e.g. drop the price of the ebook after the title has been out for 6 months or so. That's how hardcovers work -- I assure you, it doesn't cost 2x or 3x as much to print a hardcover as it does a paperback. They just happen to use a physical form to set up a tiered pricing structure. You charge more for high-demand titles, and when demand falls, you reduce the price in order to encourage more sales. It's just basic economics -- albeit without the artifice currently utilized by the book industry.

Even at $15 for a new ebook, they're cheaper, more convenient, more portable, and "greener" than paper. The market is not going to collapse in a fiery ball because they charge $5 more for a brand-new title for a few months.
When I see new books discounted 6 months after release it is usually to do with bookshops clearing out stock that isn't moving as fast as it did when first released. I don't see ebooks ever being sold cheap to clear room. Ebook stores don't have to buy X-number of ebooks then on-sell them. They get a copy, sell a copy, pay publisher. No money is tied up in stock taking up space. I understand your argument for basic economics, but I feel it is only valid for physical products that cost per unit to produce before sale.
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