I wanna buy all of Steinbeck, but man the prices!

kennyc · 10-05-2011, 07:48 AM

I went looking for East of Eden and found it at various places but for $13.99...
and most of his others are priced the same.

Damn Penguins anyway!

Ron. · 10-05-2011, 07:57 AM

I don't in general have a problem with prices but penguin pushes it.

Catlady · 10-05-2011, 08:34 AM

I hear ya. I would buy Steinbeck e-books even though I have paper copies, but the prices are way too high. I did buy Winter of Our Discontent , but that's all.

elemenoP · 10-05-2011, 08:47 AM

Agreed that the ebook prices are too high, but their hardcover reissues are quite handsome. Luckily my library has pretty much all of Steinbeck in ebook form.

eP

HomeInMyShoes · 10-05-2011, 09:08 AM

Yep, most of my close to classics reading is definitely in the borrow from the library form. I've been wanting to read some Hemingway, but the e-books are all $20+. Seriously? Is anyone buying these things at that price?

Hellmark · 10-05-2011, 09:13 AM

East of Eden paperback, brand new, sells for $11.56. Why would I pay $2.43 more for the ebook?

abookreader · 10-05-2011, 09:20 AM

I agree. My kid has had to pick up one or two for English classes and those prices always make me wince. I always suspect they know they're holding the educational crowd hostage with those.

I know our Overdrive has a couple of them though.

HomeInMyShoes · 10-05-2011, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellmark

East of Eden paperback, brand new, sells for $11.56. Why would I pay $2.43 more for the ebook?

Yep, hard to rationalize that.

Currently my favourite example for pricing stupidity:
Ernest Hemingway: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Kindle: $18.44
Hardcover: $19.80
Paperback: $10.88

Ernest Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises
Kindle: $16.27
Hardcover: $17.16
Paperback: $10.20

DebbyS · 10-05-2011, 04:16 PM

Figure out how much buying new copies is versus, say, picking up used copies at a used book store (or, in my case, the library sales room where paperbacks are $0.35 each). If the money you save is equal to a new scanner (flat bed for ~$60? at Staples), consider buying a scanner and investing the time to dismantle the old books and scan them and pdf or ocr then make rtfs (to epub with Calibre) and you'll get what you want with out DRM

If you can afford a two-side sheet-feed scanner, even better. Just a thought. I have a sheet-feed scanner at work and I'm scanning a lot of old books that simply are not available as ebooks but that I don't want to lug around any more. It's worth me spending the time to put boxes of books on a digital card for my JBL.

kennyc · 10-05-2011, 04:43 PM

Oh it's by far cheaper to buy used via Amazon and pay shipping than to buy the ebooks. That is true for almost every book.

I have no desire to spend my time scanning and ocr correcting etc.

But yeah, that's an option. Still I'd rather pay the asking price and get the ebook directly than DIY.

HomeInMyShoes · 10-05-2011, 05:44 PM

^Time is money. I'd personally never scan a book for my own use. It's just a waste of my time.

Daithi · 10-05-2011, 09:35 PM

The Steinbeck prices really tick me off as well. Of Mice and Men is $9 and so is The Pearl. These books are only 100 pages each.

The publishers and Amazon are really missing the boat on the older classics. When people get an eReader one of the first things they do is start looking at acquiring some of the classics. It may be classic sci-fi, or fantasy, or mystery, or literature, but they should provide bundles of these classics. If they had all of Steinbeck's books, or Asimov's books, or Agatha Christie's books available as package deals they would sell a ton. But, nooooo. Instead they charge $9 for a 50+ year old book that is only 100 pages.

kennyc · 10-05-2011, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daithi

The Steinbeck prices really tick me off as well. Of Mice and Men is $9 and so is The Pearl. These book are only 100 pages each.

The publishers and Amazon are really missing the boat on the older classics. When people get an eReader one of the first things they do is starting looking at acquiring some of the classics. It may be classic sci-fi, or fantasy, or mystery, or literature, but these classics all bundled together should be made available. If they had all of Steinbeck's books, or Asimov's books, or Agatha Christie's books available as package deals they would sell a ton. But, nooooo. Instead they charge $9 for a 50+ year old book that is only 100 pages.

Agreed. Delphi Classics are doing some interesting things like that but only with public domain books and things like Steinbeck are still tied up with constant copyright extensions...

xg4bx · 10-05-2011, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daithi

The Steinbeck prices really tick me off as well. Of Mice and Men is $9 and so is The Pearl. These books are only 100 pages each.

The publishers and Amazon are really missing the boat on the older classics. When people get an eReader one of the first things they do is starting looking at acquiring some of the classics. It may be classic sci-fi, or fantasy, or mystery, or literature, but they should provide bundles of these classics. If they had all of Steinbeck's books, or Asimov's books, or Agatha Christie's books available as package deals they would sell a ton. But, nooooo. Instead they charge $9 for a 50+ year old book that is only 100 pages.

i just looked at asimov's foundation books. $8 each. theres no excuse why the whole series couldn't be bundled for $15, $20.

i also see the only way to even get hardcopies now is in $15 trades. really? they used to practically give them away.

prices on new stuff are what they are but continually jacking up the price of old books whose authors are long dead is just despicable because its obviously just for pure profit, nobody but the publisher is seeing any reward..

elemenoP · 10-05-2011, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daithi

The publishers and Amazon are really missing the boat on the older classics.

Just to be clear, it's the publisher, not Amazon. It's agency pricing, where the publisher sets the price and Amazon is not allowed to discount it. That's how you end up with an ebook costing more than the paperback. Grapes of Wrath, for example: the ebook is $12.99, price set by the publisher. For the paperback, the price set by the publisher is $16.00 but Amazon is offering a 41% discount, so it's $9.46.

eP

10-05-2011, 07:48 AM	#1
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,891 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	I wanna buy all of Steinbeck, but man the prices! I went looking for East of Eden and found it at various places but for $13.99... and most of his others are priced the same. Damn Penguins anyway!

10-05-2011, 09:35 PM	#12
Daithi Publishers are evil! Posts: 2,418 Karma: 36205264 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Rhode Island Device: Various Kindles	The Steinbeck prices really tick me off as well. Of Mice and Men is $9 and so is The Pearl. These books are only 100 pages each. The publishers and Amazon are really missing the boat on the older classics. When people get an eReader one of the first things they do is start looking at acquiring some of the classics. It may be classic sci-fi, or fantasy, or mystery, or literature, but they should provide bundles of these classics. If they had all of Steinbeck's books, or Asimov's books, or Agatha Christie's books available as package deals they would sell a ton. But, nooooo. Instead they charge $9 for a 50+ year old book that is only 100 pages. Last edited by Daithi; 10-05-2011 at 09:59 PM. Reason: My grammar sucked.

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10-05-2011, 07:57 AM	#2
Ron. Evangelist Posts: 448 Karma: 864744 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle 3, LookBook, Nook Simple Touch	I don't in general have a problem with prices but penguin pushes it.

10-05-2011, 08:34 AM	#3
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,415 Karma: 52613881 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I hear ya. I would buy Steinbeck e-books even though I have paper copies, but the prices are way too high. I did buy Winter of Our Discontent , but that's all.

10-05-2011, 08:47 AM	#4
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	Agreed that the ebook prices are too high, but their hardcover reissues are quite handsome. Luckily my library has pretty much all of Steinbeck in ebook form. eP

10-05-2011, 09:08 AM	#5
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	Yep, most of my close to classics reading is definitely in the borrow from the library form. I've been wanting to read some Hemingway, but the e-books are all $20+. Seriously? Is anyone buying these things at that price?

10-05-2011, 09:13 AM	#6
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,592 Karma: 4290425 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Foristell, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3, Kobo Libra 2	East of Eden paperback, brand new, sells for $11.56. Why would I pay $2.43 more for the ebook?

10-05-2011, 09:20 AM	#7
abookreader Wizard Posts: 1,516 Karma: 2567610 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindles - Keyboard, Fire, 2-US, iPhone, iPAD	I agree. My kid has had to pick up one or two for English classes and those prices always make me wince. I always suspect they know they're holding the educational crowd hostage with those. I know our Overdrive has a couple of them though.

10-05-2011, 04:16 PM	#9
DebbyS Zealot Posts: 115 Karma: 1472692 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Device: Jetbook Lite; Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0)	Figure out how much buying new copies is versus, say, picking up used copies at a used book store (or, in my case, the library sales room where paperbacks are $0.35 each). If the money you save is equal to a new scanner (flat bed for ~$60? at Staples), consider buying a scanner and investing the time to dismantle the old books and scan them and pdf or ocr then make rtfs (to epub with Calibre) and you'll get what you want with out DRM If you can afford a two-side sheet-feed scanner, even better. Just a thought. I have a sheet-feed scanner at work and I'm scanning a lot of old books that simply are not available as ebooks but that I don't want to lug around any more. It's worth me spending the time to put boxes of books on a digital card for my JBL.

10-05-2011, 04:43 PM	#10
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,891 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Oh it's by far cheaper to buy used via Amazon and pay shipping than to buy the ebooks. That is true for almost every book. I have no desire to spend my time scanning and ocr correcting etc. But yeah, that's an option. Still I'd rather pay the asking price and get the ebook directly than DIY.

10-05-2011, 05:44 PM	#11
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	^Time is money. I'd personally never scan a book for my own use. It's just a waste of my time.

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