Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom
I'm not adverse to paying more for early release; what I object to is the inability to buy at all. Set the hardcover and ebook price the same on release date - then I have a choice. A lower price point for ebooks had absolutely no part in my decision to buy a kindle. As a matter of fact, I went from getting books at the library, to buying books. But with windowing, I don't have a choice. And it isn't the same as the hardback/paperback. That is the same format. I hope we end up with the same pricing structure as pbooks- early release of the ebook at one price, becoming lower over time.
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I also don't object to paying more to have it sooner but I don't think many people will find it fair to pay the same as they do for a hardcover, especially if the ebook has DRM. While the suggested retail on hardcovers is usually more than $15, they are frequently sold for $15 at retail because shops are allowed to discount them. I think windowing is a sound marketing practice but I'm betting the price differences are going to have to flatten a bit on the digital side if they want ebooks to be at all successful.
Of course I sometimes doubt the publishers really do want that, at least not at the current time. When I see stuff like this, it makes me wonder if one of the goals of publishers like MacMillan is to make ebook reading less attractive until they can figure out how to work that market better and get their business in line with new ways of doing things. I'm sure they realize that ebooks are the way things are going but it's a rough transition for them and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they're aiming to slow it down a little.