MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - (Some) Kobo books more expensive than other ebooks

RedRoverJ · 06-26-2010, 01:57 PM

I do not know the financials involved but that does not work for me as a consumer. If $5 is not viable as an eBook price then the publishers need to rethink their strategy. Most consumers want cheaper eBooks.

People always ask about my eBook reader and assume that book prices are cheaper, for reasons that have been discussed many times. When I tell them that the books cost more than the paperback they get a confused look and often say something like "Oh, that's neat but I will wait until book prices change..." I don't see those changes coming from the publishing industry.

Many authors are trying to go the independent route and can offer their books much cheaper when they cut out the publisher. This model is obviously in its infancy, and is not without its hurdles. The hardest part, it would seem, of going indie is that people see indie books as inferior. While some indie books are certainly not worth bunk, some other authors do have their books properly proofed and edited by professionals in the industry. People need to understand the indie does not mean amateur. The trick is separating the good indie authors from the fly-by-nighters who think they are authors. Although, you cannot argue that the big publishers have not released their own share of bunk over the years.

It can also be stated that eBooks only account for 3-4% of all book sales. However, I wonder if indie sources are included in those figures? Maybe people are buying more eBooks, just not from the publishers.

Anyway, I am rambling now. In my opinion, eBook prices NEED to come down for the wider adoption of the format. This can either happen by publishers rethinking their models, or losing ground to the indie authors out there. Will all the indie authors in the world ever take down the bigger publishers? Probably not, but they can definitely take a slice of their pie.

Do yourself, and your wallet, a favor, check out an Indie site and look at the titles that are getting great reviews. You might just find your next great read for cheap. I buy from Smashwords but there are others.

06-26-2010, 01:57 PM	#26
RedRoverJ Zealot Posts: 125 Karma: 314 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Canada, Eh! Device: Kobo	I do not know the financials involved but that does not work for me as a consumer. If $5 is not viable as an eBook price then the publishers need to rethink their strategy. Most consumers want cheaper eBooks. People always ask about my eBook reader and assume that book prices are cheaper, for reasons that have been discussed many times. When I tell them that the books cost more than the paperback they get a confused look and often say something like "Oh, that's neat but I will wait until book prices change..." I don't see those changes coming from the publishing industry. Many authors are trying to go the independent route and can offer their books much cheaper when they cut out the publisher. This model is obviously in its infancy, and is not without its hurdles. The hardest part, it would seem, of going indie is that people see indie books as inferior. While some indie books are certainly not worth bunk, some other authors do have their books properly proofed and edited by professionals in the industry. People need to understand the indie does not mean amateur. The trick is separating the good indie authors from the fly-by-nighters who think they are authors. Although, you cannot argue that the big publishers have not released their own share of bunk over the years. It can also be stated that eBooks only account for 3-4% of all book sales. However, I wonder if indie sources are included in those figures? Maybe people are buying more eBooks, just not from the publishers. Anyway, I am rambling now. In my opinion, eBook prices NEED to come down for the wider adoption of the format. This can either happen by publishers rethinking their models, or losing ground to the indie authors out there. Will all the indie authors in the world ever take down the bigger publishers? Probably not, but they can definitely take a slice of their pie. Do yourself, and your wallet, a favor, check out an Indie site and look at the titles that are getting great reviews. You might just find your next great read for cheap. I buy from Smashwords but there are others. Last edited by RedRoverJ; 06-26-2010 at 02:03 PM.