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Kali Yuga · 04-17-2010, 03:04 PM

So while I still agree with the general premise, I just have to say again that some of y'all need to get a grip. Really.

Availability will improve, since the major publishers will not have to worry about ebooks sabotaging high-margin hardcover sales; e.g. Macmillan's CEO has publicly stated they will put out the ebook at the same time paper first goes on sale. The real issue that has temporarily affected availability is that a few smaller ebook retailers did not handle the transition to the agency model properly. Perhaps they didn't get enough notice, perhaps their DBA's suck, but whatever happened it was short-lived. Meanwhile, on Amazon alone the number of ebooks has gone from around 400,000 to nearly 500,000 since January 1st, 2010.

Thus, it's a tad silly to conflate a retailer fumbling a major pricing change with "ongoing lack of availability," especially since the numbers indicate otherwise.

Prices also aren't affected nearly as badly as the Chicken Littles proclaim. Some new ebooks are expensive, others are still at $10 or so. As a title gets older, it will drop in price -- just in the same way that a new hardcover gets released as a less expensive paperback after a delay. I'm sure someone will drum up a handful of titles that cost more than they are willing to pay, but really you'd have to do a full analysis with a representative sample of commercial titles, before and after the agency model, to get an accurate picture.

I might add that the $10 price point was not exactly universal prior to the agency model. Sony, B&N, Amazon and others didn't always hew to that exact price point, and when they did it was often subsidized by the retailer in order to try and gain market share.

Lastly, ebooks are still in their infancy, and sales still only account for 5% or less of the total book market. There are plenty of people who have never bought a commercial ebook, who will not necessarily have the expectation that "ebooks ought to be $10," and won't flinch nearly as badly at paying $13 for a NY Times Bestseller in ebook form.

IMO all this doom, gloom and bile is not fully justifiable, and I seriously doubt it will result in the destruction of an entire tier of the book industry as some believe (or desire).

04-17-2010, 03:04 PM	#26
Kali Yuga Professional Contrarian Posts: 2,045 Karma: 3289631 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 4 No Touchie	So while I still agree with the general premise, I just have to say again that some of y'all need to get a grip. Really. Availability will improve, since the major publishers will not have to worry about ebooks sabotaging high-margin hardcover sales; e.g. Macmillan's CEO has publicly stated they will put out the ebook at the same time paper first goes on sale. The real issue that has temporarily affected availability is that a few smaller ebook retailers did not handle the transition to the agency model properly. Perhaps they didn't get enough notice, perhaps their DBA's suck, but whatever happened it was short-lived. Meanwhile, on Amazon alone the number of ebooks has gone from around 400,000 to nearly 500,000 since January 1st, 2010. Thus, it's a tad silly to conflate a retailer fumbling a major pricing change with "ongoing lack of availability," especially since the numbers indicate otherwise. Prices also aren't affected nearly as badly as the Chicken Littles proclaim. Some new ebooks are expensive, others are still at $10 or so. As a title gets older, it will drop in price -- just in the same way that a new hardcover gets released as a less expensive paperback after a delay. I'm sure someone will drum up a handful of titles that cost more than they are willing to pay, but really you'd have to do a full analysis with a representative sample of commercial titles, before and after the agency model, to get an accurate picture. I might add that the $10 price point was not exactly universal prior to the agency model. Sony, B&N, Amazon and others didn't always hew to that exact price point, and when they did it was often subsidized by the retailer in order to try and gain market share. Lastly, ebooks are still in their infancy, and sales still only account for 5% or less of the total book market. There are plenty of people who have never bought a commercial ebook, who will not necessarily have the expectation that "ebooks ought to be $10," and won't flinch nearly as badly at paying $13 for a NY Times Bestseller in ebook form. IMO all this doom, gloom and bile is not fully justifiable, and I seriously doubt it will result in the destruction of an entire tier of the book industry as some believe (or desire).