Publishers Agonize(?) Over Ebook Release Dates

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Not quite, or at least not yet. E-book purchase are still a fraction of the overall picture right now (1-2%) so I don't think they are losing huge chunks of income at this time; they are primarily trying to protect the existing pricing structures.

If anything, now is the time to experiment, before e-books become a significant and/or dominant part of sales.

The reason behind delaying the eBook release is so people will purchase the hardcover instead of the cheaper less profitable eBook. I don't understand their logic. I don't buy hardcovers because I have a reader. I buy eBooks or MMBPs or I use the library for eBooks or books. So to treat me like I dont matter means I won't be supporting their product with my money. I may still end up reading the book, but none of my money will pay for it. Had they released the eBook at the same time or maybe a week later (I can live with that). Then if the price was reasonable, I'd maybe buy it. People who buy eBooks readers are not hardcover buyers. So all those Kindle/Sony/Bookeen/Cool-er/Astek/etc... users out there are not going for the hardcover and won't just because the eBook is not released. We'll just find something else to read. Treat us like we don't matter and we won't support your product.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by fugazied

If you don't provide an electronic version, avid ebook readers will mostly just not buy the book

What percentage of North American readership is that? More than a tenth of a percent?

I'm asking seriously--I've nothing to base my guess on.

Also, personally I think that if they insist on a bonehead sort of model like they currently use, the best way to go about it would be to include eBook download in the purchase of the hardcover, and release the eBook separately once the soft cover comes out.

- Ahi

[ahi]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

E-book purchase are still a fraction of the overall picture right now (1-2%)

That seems very high.

According to this, Sony claims only 300,000 units sold worldwide in over 2 years:

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/72...der-sales.html

Given that, even 1 million people with eBook reader devices spread out between US and Canada seems unlikely.

By all means, please correct me if I am wrong, or if this statistic is flawed or outdated.

- Ahi

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ahi

What percentage of North American readership is that? More than a tenth of a percent?

My guess is that between Amazon and Sony, more then 1 millions readers have been sold and that does not include any other brands. I cannot say what percentage of readers that makes up. But that is a lot of people to piss off. One of the reason to have a reader is to be able to get the latest books and not have to have the big bulky hardcovers. So even if they delay the eBook, we still aren't buying the hardcover. So you've lost nothing from Hardcover sales but plenty from eBook sales.

One thing I can easily see is because the eBook is not available, I can see eBook readers getting the hardcover from the library to read if they want to read it ASAP.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by ahi

What percentage of North American readership is that? More than a tenth of a percent?

Or rather "what percentage of the purchases are made by those readers?", which should be more.

[pdurrant]

Amazon have said that, of those titles available in both paper and for the Kindle, the Kindle sales are about 35% of the total sales.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/0...-from-the-few/

This is an astonishingly high figure, but might be because those most likely to buy books are also those most likely to have a Kindle.

Originally Posted by ahi

What percentage of North American readership is that? More than a tenth of a percent?

I'm asking seriously--I've nothing to base my guess on.

Also, personally I think that if they insist on a bonehead sort of model like they currently use, the best way to go about it would be to include eBook download in the purchase of the hardcover, and release the eBook separately once the soft cover comes out.

- Ahi

[kazbates]

I'm one of those people who buy hardcover books by authors who's work I really like, although there are only a few of them on that list. I've always been impatient when their books came out and didn't want to wait for the paperback edition. I still do it, even though I absolutely love my reader, because I am still impatient and don't want to wait. I don't eventually buy the ebook, I figure I don't need it since I have the hard copy. I will not, however, pay the full price of the hardcover; I purchase the book at my local warehouse club at half the price. Having said all that, if the ebook edition came out for the same price that I pay at the warehouse club, I would buy the ebook. It just makes sense for me and seems fair to me.

Frankly, I think the ebook market is still small enough that releasing the ebook with the hardcover and for a reduced price would only make a marginal impact on publishers' profits. The majority of ebook buyers are not going to pay the full hardcover price when they feel the price should be less because there is no physical book.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

My guess is that between Amazon and Sony, more then 1 millions readers have been sold and that does not include any other brands. I cannot say what percentage of readers that makes up. But that is a lot of people to piss off.

A lot in absolute terms... I don't think necessary a lot in relative terms. Particularly not for large publishers with international distribution and publicity campaigns.

Not to mention that judging by Mobileread members (many of whom own 2, 3, or more devices), those 1 million ebook reader devices might well be owned by less than 500,000 people (or not quite 0.15% of the US's + Canada's population together).

And I assume you'd agree that eBook reader devices other than Amazon and Sony would probably be dwarfed in number of sales by these big two.

Originally Posted by Jellby

Or rather "what percentage of the purchases are made by those readers?", which should be more.

Really? Why? Particularly since the prices are often on par with paperbacks.

If you mean online purchases, sure. But I can't see eBook purchases being (in terms of purchases-per-person) statistically significantly higher than regular book purchases (both online and offline). Particularly with the incredible amount of free (and much of it legal) content available.

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Amazon have said that, of those titles available in both paper and for the Kindle, the Kindle sales are about 35% of the total sales.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/0...-from-the-few/

This is an astonishingly high figure, but might be because those most likely to buy books are also those most likely to have a Kindle.

Now that, I don't know what to make of.

Weird, even with your reasonable explanation.

- Ahi

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Amazon have said that, of those titles available in both paper and for the Kindle, the Kindle sales are about 35% of the total sales.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/0...-from-the-few/

This is an astonishingly high figure, but might be because those most likely to buy books are also those most likely to have a Kindle.

This is potentially not considering the used sales of the same books. Since a book will list "used: $4" right on the same page with "new: $27; Kindle $10"... the fact that new copies outsell Kindles only by 2 to 1 would not not be amazing.

I want to know if Amazon is considering the used markets as well when they say that 1/3 of a title's sales are Kindlebooks if it's available.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

This is potentially not considering the used sales of the same books. Since a book will list "used: $4" right on the same page with "new: $27; Kindle $10"... the fact that new copies outsell Kindles only by 2 to 1 would not not be amazing.

I want to know if Amazon is considering the used markets as well when they say that 1/3 of a title's sales are Kindlebooks if it's available.

It also occurs to me that the average kindle owner's eBook purchases are restricted to amazon's list of eBooks.

This means that while those people may spend the same amount of money on books as those who buy pBooks, they have a smaller set of books to spread those purchases between... thereby inflating the eBook purchase percentages for those books.

A more useful statistic would be: how many eBooks do eBook purchases buy in a year vs. how many pBooks to pBook purchasers buy in a year? I really doubt there ought to be a big discrepancy.

I think there is little doubt that eBook device owners read more--but do they really buy more? Do people on Mobileread find that they started spending more money on books since they got their eBook reader?

- Ahi

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by ahi

It also occurs to me that the average kindle owner's eBook purchases are restricted to amazon's list of eBooks.

This means that while those people may spend the same amount of money on books as those who buy pBooks, they have a smaller set of books to spread those purchases between... thereby inflating the eBook purchase percentages for those books.

A more useful statistic would be: how many eBooks do eBook purchases buy in a year vs. how many pBooks to pBook purchasers buy in a year? I really doubt there ought to be a big discrepancy.

I think there is little doubt that eBook device owners read more--but do they really buy more? Do people on Mobileread find that they started spending more money on books since they got their eBook reader?

- Ahi

I spend less (through direct sales anyway). I've found there's a lot more classic literature that I might not have bought in pbook but now willlingly download and read for free (a big portion of my reading list is classics at the moment). I also actively seek out 'independent' authors who are taking risks or are more open to the new world of digital book distribution - Doctorow, of course, and Kelly Link being prime examples.

I'd say my reading has gone through the roof, whereas my actual book buying has been dramatically reduced (this could also be because I'm tired of what the major publishers have to offer me, and popular fiction seems too ridiculous to consider at the moment.)

[GlennD]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

People who buy eBooks readers are not hardcover buyers.

I'm not sure I'd agree with this statement....I'm a well-entrenched ebook reader (probably 7 or 8 years, since I had a Palm III) but I'll still buy a hardback from the right author. Even if it were available as an ebook.

Personally, I think Baen (as usual) has it right - package the eBook on a CD and put it in the hardcover. The hardcover price is the cost of being one of the first people to read a book, just like there's a price of being an 'early adopter' with new technology. Packaging the eBook with the hardback until the paperback release gives almost everyone what they want. The value of being one of the first readers of a book (and the associated cost) is debatable - if you're someone who partcipates in some sort of water-cooler conversation (either online or literally) then you're probably the target market for a higher-priced hardback.

[griffonwing]

Originally Posted by ahi

I think there is little doubt that eBook device owners read more--but do they really buy more? Do people on Mobileread find that they started spending more money on books since they got their eBook reader?

- Ahi

I, for one, have not bought a book in years. Main reason is that I moved back to my hometown, and we have no bookshop. I don't have an Amazon account, so I've never purchased books or anything else form them.

The last book I bought was a hardback "The Canterbury Papers" which I only bought because I was waiting for 6 hours for Pirates of the Caribbean 3. (Yes, I was dressed in my pirate regalia for the opening night)

With an ebook reader, it'll be so much easier for me to hop online, purchase/download a book and start reading immediately. Not only will my reading increase, but my book-spending will increase as well.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

I spend less (through direct sales anyway).

...

I'd say my reading has gone through the roof, whereas my actual book buying has been dramatically reduced (this could also be because I'm tired of what the major publishers have to offer me, and popular fiction seems too ridiculous to consider at the moment.)

Originally Posted by griffonwing

I, for one, have not bought a book in years. Main reason is that I moved back to my hometown, and we have no bookshop.

...

With an ebook reader, it'll be so much easier for me to hop online, purchase/download a book and start reading immediately. Not only will my reading increase, but my book-spending will increase as well.

My personal suspicion is that Moejoe's case is more common than your own, griffonwing.

eBook readers should definitely make noise when they are maligned. But it does seem to me we fairly often over-estimate our community's size and significance in comparison to the overall book-purchasing community.

I'd be surprised if eBook reader owners made up as much as half a percent of book buyers. And--for better or worse--that isn't much.

- Ahi

[zelda_pinwheel]

for me, yes and no. before getting a liseuse, i purchased mostly used books, but the vast majority of my reading came from the library. partly because of a lack of space to store all my books, partly because books are expensive, and if i had to pay for every single one i read, i'd have gone broke. and i would say the majority of my paperbooks i bought used.

now that i've got a liseuse, i fall a bit too easily prey to the facility and convenience of buying books online, particularly when the books are very cheap or on sale (fictionwise is really not good for my budget) but on the other hand i've been reading a lot of free classics from here, feedbooks, ebooks libres et gratuits, etc.

i never was a hardcover buyer, and i certainly won't pay a hardcover price for an ebook either ; however, if i'm really impatient to read it, i might get it from the library rather than waiting, in which case the chances of me ever buying the book at any price are drasticaclly decreased. so keeping the ebook edition back and pricing it too high are both practices which will result in losing my (potential) custom, anyway.

edit : sorry, i was referring to your previous question, whether i buy more or less than before.