Joe Abercrombie's Books Now Available as Ebooks

[mklynds]

Pleased to note that Best Served Cold, and the First Law Trilogy, are now available on e-book via Waterstones.com:

The Blade Itself
Before They Are Hanged
Last Argument of Kings
Best Served Cold

The prices are a tad disappointing - £10 and change for Best Served Cold when a hardback is selling at £8.50, and around £6 for the First Law books when mass-market paperbacks are available for a mere £4.

My own feeling about e-piracy and so forth is that it's virtually impossible to put a stop to - the more popular you are the more torrents will endlessly spring up, and most of them in places where folks don't respond to a polite email. The only effective way to combat it is to provide people with a higher quality service than pirates do, more easily available and at a price that seems reasonable. Then I think most will be happy to pay.

One problem is that a lot of users somehow think that e-books, since they don't have to be printed, are pure profit for the publisher and should therefore be virtually free whereas, of course, the great majority of the costs that go into making a paper book (commissioning, editing, artwork, marketing, repping, promoting and, erm, paying the author) still apply with an ebook. Champions of a revolutionary future of free-love filesharing where writers and readers will all be liberated from the shackles of publishers tend to forget the vital role they play as gatekeepers and ensurers of a certain level of quality (you may think some books that are published are rubbish but believe me, until you've seen a slush pile you really have no idea).

Even so, selling ebooks at more than the cost of the paper books is going to look just a wee bit like taking the piss to some buyers, I suspect. I'd like to see them retail at most at the same price as the paper equivalents, and ideally somewhat lower. At the moment most publishers and booksellers are still focused on the paper market where heavy discounts are applying more and more widely, making ebooks something of a speciality item and hence relatively more expensive. Hopefully in due course that will change, and I'll certainly be pressing them to lower the price as soon and as much as possible but, hey, it's a start.

Taken From Joe's face book page.


I think that he has a well grounded view of the ebook marketplace and find his opinions on ebook pricing to be of a good sense variety. I know their are alot of fans of his work here and also I highly recommend his novels to any grown up fantasy readers.

[Elsi]

One problem is that a lot of users somehow think that e-books, since they don't have to be printed, are pure profit for the publisher and should therefore be virtually free whereas, of course, the great majority of the costs that go into making a paper book (commissioning, editing, artwork, marketing, repping, promoting and, erm, paying the author) still apply with an ebook. Champions of a revolutionary future of free-love filesharing where writers and readers will all be liberated from the shackles of publishers tend to forget the vital role they play as gatekeepers and ensurers of a certain level of quality (you may think some books that are published are rubbish but believe me, until you've seen a slush pile you really have no idea).

I agree with everything that he says -- particularly the value of the publisher's editorial input. But you also have to consider that when I spend $18.00 for a discounted hardback book, I have a physical copy that I can sell, trade, or lend to someone else. Why would I spend $15.00 for an electronic copy that is locked not only to me, but to a specific device that I currently own? The price for the eBook needs to be high enough to provide a reasonable return to the author and publisher without gouging the consumer.

[mklynds]

Originally Posted by Elsi

But you also have to consider that when I spend $18.00 for a discounted hardback book, I have a physical copy that I can sell, trade, or lend to someone else. Why would I spend $15.00 for an electronic copy that is locked not only to me, but to a specific device that I currently own? The price for the eBook needs to be high enough to provide a reasonable return to the author and publisher without gouging the consumer.

That's a very well spoken/typed opinion Elsi. I agree completely and it is good to see that some authors agree with us. I think Joe was saying that he'd like to see ebooks priced lower than there physical brothers and sisters.

The way I see it is this. When there is a book I want I am going to buy it. To a point. If I don't want to spend a lot of money on a book I wait for paperback rather than splurging on the hardcover. So why not give us a third price point. When the book is in hard cover, sell the ebook for 50%-70% of the hard cover price. And then when you release the paperback drop the ebook to 50%-70% of that price. That way you still make a little extra on the ebooks if people can't wait the 9-12 months for the cheaper version.

deposit .02

Mike

[ErwinOtten]

Even so, selling ebooks at more than the cost of the paper books is going to look just a wee bit like taking the piss to some buyers, I suspect.

The author shows more sense than the publishing company does....

I will buy his ' Best Served Cold' eventually. I liked his three other books and those I got from the dark-net. So I feel obliged to buy this one now it's legally available as an eBook.

I only hope the price will drop a little before I 'have' to buy this one.. I don't want to give the publisher the message they can ask anything for an eBook.

Luckily my 'to read' list is long enough to get me through the summer