Quote:
Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel
prices are definitely one of the biggest obstacles to more widespread acceptance of ebooks. like you, i can't justify paying full hardcover price for an ebook (not even when it's new ! sorry), and this sometimes prevents me from buying a book, which i will try to get at the library instead.
the ebook industry is still in its infancy, and i think it's important for us, as consumers, to participate in the form it will take.
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Zelda, you are absolutely right.
Right now ebook publishers are trying to make a fast buck with unnecessarily high prices. In fact, in a previous thread, someone (I expect he was from the ebook industry) argued that we had to pay more because of the convenience of buying ebooks versus driving to a bookstore to buy a pbook. IOW, his argument was similar to the justification for the odious 'Convenience charge' some cinemas and sports venues add to the bill; when, in reality, they are charging you for saving them money!
The truth is, the prices will ultimately be driven by supply and demand. But the ebook industry, like most, wants the answer to be low demand and high prices. The recording industry was like this over esongs till Steve Jobs grabbed them by the ears made them realize that selling to at a low cost would drive up demand and, since the price is so low, help reduce pirated songs.
Lots of other factors involved but that's a major one.