Quote:
Originally Posted by tobymax
I also can't quite figure out also why publishers would want to get into
ebook format. I suspect ebooks with piracy are nothing more then a form
of used book but publishers have slightly more chance of getting money.
|
After conversion to electronic format, this is the cheapest method of production and distribution. Since it involves only a license to use, the consumer does not own something that he/she can resell or donate. What a great sales model! A typical paperback can have several lives. The original owner purchases the copy new. Later he/she may sell or donate the book. It creates a negative benefit to the publisher, since he cannot make any additional money on the book, and it cannibalizes new sales. (Some may argue this point since the opportunity to sell new does not exist with certain customers- they only buy used).
As for thrift shops, they do cheapen the market for books, but they do this for nearly everything in their store. Ever bought a 100% cotton shirt (retail $40 new) for $3 used? That's just the nature of thrift stores. You might want to compare book prices at a (specialty) used book dealer or comic book store.
I will agree with you about recent novels, at least the unsigned ones. They just do not retain value. However, there are classes of non-fiction books that do hold value. The subject they address must be non-changing, and they should be OOP. Right now, The Complete Films of Bette Davis (Citadel) is being offered on Ebay for $15 - $35, about the cost of the book, when it was new. This book had a large production run in its day. Next, try looking for a mint copy of The Complete Films of Doris Day, and you'll see that its price is well over $100. Reason: lower production. Extremely rare art books have 4 and 5 figure sales prices. These are signed and limited editions. Why would anyone pay over 10 grand for Helmut Newton's SUMO Tacshen? Because they can afford it, and the book holds value.
I believe the only solution to transitioning hard core paper book buyers into the world of ebooks is to bundle the two together. Those publishers who want to defer the release of ebooks by 4 months to capitalize on hard cover sales should offer to sell the ebooks only if the buyer purchases both formats. This may sound elitist or restrictive, but it seems like the only compromise that appears workable.