Yet another thumb of the nose from publishers

jgaiser · 10-05-2010, 11:40 AM

From this morning's New York Times:

2 E-Books Cost More Than Amazon Hardcovers

HarryT · 10-05-2010, 11:46 AM

It's a bit misleading - they are talking specifically about US pricing, but don't actually say that in the article. Eg, in the UK, Amazon charge £8.55 for the Kindle eBook of "Fall of Giants" and £8.08 for "Don't Blink," both of which are cheaper than the discounted hardback price (the hardbacks cost £9.00 and £9.64 respectively).

MovieBird · 10-05-2010, 11:58 AM

The New York Times is an American publication. What is exactly misleading about an American publication assuming the majority of its readers are American, and focusing on American publishing without a strict disclaimer?

jgaiser · 10-05-2010, 12:02 PM

Come on Harry... It's a U.S. Newspaper talking about the impact of the publishers pricing policies on U.S. Kindle users. Doesn't seem to be too misleading to me.

HarryT · 10-05-2010, 12:02 PM

Because the US has this "agency agreement" business which completely distorts eBook prices. I really do think that the article should have mentioned that fact. No big deal, of course.

abookreader · 10-05-2010, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Sophie Cottrell, a spokeswoman for the Hachette Book Group, the parent of Little, Brown, which published “Don’t Blink” last week, pointed out that the e-book was steeply discounted from the suggested list price on the book. She said the e-book price would be $12.99 if the book made the New York Times best-seller list.

I love that quote and now I understand the Publisher Marketing Strategy completely.

Hatchette is the Kohls of books.

Translation: We put some God awful high price that we know no sane customer would ever pay on the price tag but then we immediately put it on sale for 60% off and customers should wiggle in delight over their bargain.

Now, would you like to apply for a Credit Card and receive an additional 10% off today's purchases?

L.J. Sellers · 10-05-2010, 03:16 PM

First rule of pricing: Make the customer think he's saving money. I'm surprised it took publishers this long to figure it out.

foghat · 10-05-2010, 05:54 PM

Only $9.99 for the Fall of Giants in the Canadian store.

astra · 10-06-2010, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's a bit misleading - they are talking specifically about US pricing, but don't actually say that in the article. Eg, in the UK, Amazon charge £8.55 for the Kindle eBook of "Fall of Giants" and £8.08 for "Don't Blink," both of which are cheaper than the discounted hardback price (the hardbacks cost £9.00 and £9.64 respectively).

WoW!
I don't follow UK Kindle prices but wow...at least you can sell h/b later for £5-6.

HarryT · 10-06-2010, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astra

WoW!
I don't follow UK Kindle prices but wow...at least you can sell h/b later for £5-6.

It's because both these books are newly released hardbacks, astra. The price will fall when the paperback is released. Amazon UK price all eBooks at below the cheapest paper price.

Purple Lady · 10-06-2010, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's a bit misleading - they are talking specifically about US pricing, but don't actually say that in the article. Eg, in the UK, Amazon charge £8.55 for the Kindle eBook of "Fall of Giants" and £8.08 for "Don't Blink," both of which are cheaper than the discounted hardback price (the hardbacks cost £9.00 and £9.64 respectively).

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Because the US has this "agency agreement" business which completely distorts eBook prices. I really do think that the article should have mentioned that fact. No big deal, of course.

I don't think it's misleading because it is a US publication, but including the UK prices would have shown that ebooks do not have to cost as much as they do and that the publishers are ripping off US customers.

rhadin · 10-06-2010, 03:58 PM

Also high priced here in the U.S. is the new biography George Washington by Ron Chernow. Agency pricing has the ebook at $19.99.

DMcCunney · 10-06-2010, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgaiser

From this morning's New York Times:

2 E-Books Cost More Than Amazon Hardcovers

<yawn>

The price differential is minimal - about a dollar - and the customer reaction is grimly amusing.

What's at play is that Amazon's deal with the publishers requires them to charge the stated price for the ebook, but they can discount the hardcover as they like, and chose to discount the hardcover to a price level below the ebook.

We can expect to see conversations between Amazon and the publisher. We can also see future such efforts taking care to not discount the hardcover price below the book price.

But two titles doesn't constitute a trend, and the only thing significant about this is the hysterical response it generated.
______
Dennis

vaughnmr · 10-06-2010, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

<yawn>

The price differential is minimal - about a dollar - and the customer reaction is grimly amusing.

What's at play is that Amazon's deal with the publishers requires them to charge the stated price for the ebook, but they can discount the hardcover as they like, and chose to discount the hardcover to a price level below the ebook.

We can expect to see conversations between Amazon and the publisher. We can also see future such efforts taking care to not discount the hardcover price below the book price.

But two titles doesn't constitute a trend, and the only thing significant about this is the hysterical response it generated.
______
Dennis

Doesn't the Agency Crook (err, Publisher) rules apply to all, not just Amazon? Why are you saying that it's an "Amazon" thing?

mrscoach · 10-06-2010, 06:17 PM

[QUOTE=DMcCunney;1149347
But two titles doesn't constitute a trend, and the only thing significant about this is the hysterical response it generated.
______
Dennis[/QUOTE]

The two titles REPRESENT a trend. Just because they only used two titles doesn't negate the facts. There are other books that could have been used as well, but the list is too long and would make the article unbearable to slog through. No one wants to sift through a long list of books to read an article.

What the Agency 5 are doing to ebooks is wrong, and should be pointed out as much as possible. Maybe shame will change their ways, but I think they have none.

10-05-2010, 11:40 AM	#1
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,283 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	Yet another thumb of the nose from publishers From this morning's New York Times: 2 E-Books Cost More Than Amazon Hardcovers

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10-05-2010, 11:46 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	It's a bit misleading - they are talking specifically about US pricing, but don't actually say that in the article. Eg, in the UK, Amazon charge £8.55 for the Kindle eBook of "Fall of Giants" and £8.08 for "Don't Blink," both of which are cheaper than the discounted hardback price (the hardbacks cost £9.00 and £9.64 respectively).

10-05-2010, 11:58 AM	#3
MovieBird TuxSlash Posts: 392 Karma: 2436547 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: GlowNook	The New York Times is an American publication. What is exactly misleading about an American publication assuming the majority of its readers are American, and focusing on American publishing without a strict disclaimer?

10-05-2010, 12:02 PM	#4
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,283 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	Come on Harry... It's a U.S. Newspaper talking about the impact of the publishers pricing policies on U.S. Kindle users. Doesn't seem to be too misleading to me.

10-05-2010, 03:16 PM	#7
L.J. Sellers Novelist Posts: 287 Karma: 387979 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Eugene, Oregon Device: Kindle	First rule of pricing: Make the customer think he's saving money. I'm surprised it took publishers this long to figure it out.

10-05-2010, 05:54 PM	#8
foghat Evangelist Posts: 464 Karma: 1006520 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Alberta, Canada Device: Kindle PW3	Only $9.99 for the Fall of Giants in the Canadian store.

10-06-2010, 03:58 PM	#12
rhadin Literacy = Understanding Posts: 4,833 Karma: 59674358 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The World of Books Device: Nook, Nook Tablet	Also high priced here in the U.S. is the new biography George Washington by Ron Chernow. Agency pricing has the ebook at $19.99.

10-06-2010, 06:17 PM	#15
mrscoach Guru Posts: 767 Karma: 4837659 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: San Angelo Texas Device: Samsung Galaxy tab	[QUOTE=DMcCunney;1149347 But two titles doesn't constitute a trend, and the only thing significant about this is the hysterical response it generated. ______ Dennis[/QUOTE] The two titles REPRESENT a trend. Just because they only used two titles doesn't negate the facts. There are other books that could have been used as well, but the list is too long and would make the article unbearable to slog through. No one wants to sift through a long list of books to read an article. What the Agency 5 are doing to ebooks is wrong, and should be pointed out as much as possible. Maybe shame will change their ways, but I think they have none.