MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Publishers' Pricing & Release Delay Tactics

poohbear_nc · 03-08-2010, 11:49 AM

Like many readers, I use the NYT Sunday Book Review to get suggestions/ideas for ebook purchases. And like many readers, I am experiencing the onslaught of publishers' new tactics in the ebook market. Here's how it played out for me (and the publishers) on Sunday.

I noted 4 titles that I decided were interesting enough to purchase:

1. The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight - available now at $9.99.
(Houghton, Mifflin)
2. This Book is Overdue - available now at $9.99 (HarperCollins)
3. Angelology - $15.37 preorder for 03/09/10 release (Viking)
4. The Infinities - $13.65 available now (Knopf)

Result: The first 2 books are sitting on my Kindle, and Houghton & HarperCollins get my cash, and my appreciation for the $9.99 pricing.
The last 2 books go into my "future buy & read slush pile" - no cash to Viking or Knopf.
Plus - next week's Book Review will have more selections to tantalize me. So any books hapless enough to end up in my digital slush pile will most likely never generate any revenue to their publishers - now or ever.
There are just far too many good reads available at $9.99 or below for me to ever consider paying publisher-set digital pricing. Multiply this scenario by 52 weeks per year - just for me - and the amount of potential lost revenue to publishers mounts up. Multiply this amount by the number of angry readers ... it could be interesting.

03-08-2010, 11:49 AM	#1
poohbear_nc Bah! Humbug! Posts: 63,483 Karma: 135239851 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Publishers' Pricing & Release Delay Tactics - An Individual Response Like many readers, I use the NYT Sunday Book Review to get suggestions/ideas for ebook purchases. And like many readers, I am experiencing the onslaught of publishers' new tactics in the ebook market. Here's how it played out for me (and the publishers) on Sunday. I noted 4 titles that I decided were interesting enough to purchase: 1. The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight - available now at $9.99. (Houghton, Mifflin) 2. This Book is Overdue - available now at $9.99 (HarperCollins) 3. Angelology - $15.37 preorder for 03/09/10 release (Viking) 4. The Infinities - $13.65 available now (Knopf) Result: The first 2 books are sitting on my Kindle, and Houghton & HarperCollins get my cash, and my appreciation for the $9.99 pricing. The last 2 books go into my "future buy & read slush pile" - no cash to Viking or Knopf. Plus - next week's Book Review will have more selections to tantalize me. So any books hapless enough to end up in my digital slush pile will most likely never generate any revenue to their publishers - now or ever. There are just far too many good reads available at $9.99 or below for me to ever consider paying publisher-set digital pricing. Multiply this scenario by 52 weeks per year - just for me - and the amount of potential lost revenue to publishers mounts up. Multiply this amount by the number of angry readers ... it could be interesting.