Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemurion
As for the publishers, I don't think DRM and price are that closely coupled for most of them. It's not so much an issue of "we'll give up DRM if you let us raise prices," as much as a desire to fight rampant discounting which has created a 40% drop in the perceived value of their most important products over the last decade or so.
Nobody buys hardcovers for list any more, and that drop in perceived value is something publishers have to deal with, especially since their costs have not dropped significantly.
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But is it really the ebook market that has driven down the perceived value of a hardback edition? Seems to me that's really being driven by the downward pressure on price coming from not just Amazon, but Wall-Mart, target etc. I don't really see how ebooks play into that at all.
To my mind, the ebook really is a replacement for the mass market paperback. Most people read a paperback once, and give it away, loan it to friends or even just toss it in the trash afterwards. These are the folks who would consider buying an ebook. Someone who's considering buying a hardback book is typically someone looking for something tangible and collectible, aren't they? I know in my case, I only buy hardback books from my very favorite authors - the kind I know I want to display on the bookshelves in my office or living room long term.