Ebook market "taking off" in Norway..

Bikeridr · 11-26-2010, 09:33 AM

NOT!

Yesterday it was all over the Norwegian news that "Cappelen-Damm" had opened the eBook-marked "for full".
Cappelen-Damm is one of the (if not *the*) largest publishing companies in Norway.

Anyway, their "List Price" (RRP) has been set to NOK 249,- (abt US$41,-) per new book. With the backlist and "older" books "slightly lower priced".

You guys nag about Agency5 pricing of abt US$12-14 and we have our "Agency" pricing at least trifold tostart with..

But that is not the whole story as the other publishers complain that Cappelen-Damm are starting their prices *TOO LOW*..!!

OK, so here's why I'll boycott Norwegian books:
* - Insane price
* - Only option is ePub (DRM) and PDF (DRM on newer books)
(I'm sure the list will grow)

Sad thing is, though, with the rigid and stupid policy of the pricing, DRM and also the georestriction, I think that the eBook and its readers will turn out as the Ephemera of the "modern times".

Well, one good thing comes out of this. (Must have positive thoughts too

)
Thanks to Smashwords and other free/cheap English eBook providers, my second language skills do continously improve

Belfaborac · 11-26-2010, 02:52 PM

Can't remember when I last bought a book in Norwegian... Back in the late nineties maybe? In another 10 years I'm convinced the Norwegian publishing industry will be more or less gone, with the exception of the textbook/professional side of things. More and more people read English (mainly, but of course not exclusively) and internet shopping has now penetrated all areas and ages of society. Another decade and there will be no reason to spend $20-40 just because you want to read a book.

tompe · 11-26-2010, 03:14 PM

Everything is more expansive in Norway it seems...

In Sweden they did the DRM thing right at least since they use a social DRM (watermark). Unfortunately last I checked they only had new books and I like to start a new author with the first book.

Russell Brooks · 11-27-2010, 12:57 PM

I've read about readers living outside of the the US and Canada having trouble downloading ebooks from US sites. Is it the same thing in Sweden and in Norway?

roseprose · 11-27-2010, 03:46 PM

Wow! Those price are terribly high! I guess I'll never read Jo Nesbo in his native language (as if I could). I'll stick with his novels in tranlation, from English and American e-sources. Obviously, some countries's publishers have a death wish.

Bikeridr · 11-28-2010, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell Brooks

I've read about readers living outside of the the US and Canada having trouble downloading ebooks from US sites. Is it the same thing in Sweden and in Norway?

Not really. There are of course the dreaded georestrictions applied to certain books, however, most ebookstores (that I buy from) are located in the US. Norwegian ebooks are either .pdf (not interested) or DRM'ed epub (not interested and not Kindle compatible).

Quote:

Originally Posted by roseprose

Wow! Those price are terribly high! I guess I'll never read Jo Nesbo in his native language (as if I could). I'll stick with his novels in tranlation, from English and American e-sources. Obviously, some countries's publishers have a death wish.

They claim it is "small market" and that US/English market is 100 times bigger. Funny though, Iceland has 6% the population of Norway, a very isolated language and 20% lower cost (paper)books..

Belfaborac · 11-28-2010, 03:35 AM

Well, it is a small market, which admittedly is part of the reason books (along with everything else) are so expensive in Norway, but mostly they charge what they charge because they can. After all we're one of the wealthiest countries in the world and like the rest of the developed world have adopted consumerism as our chief religion.

As far as Iceland goes, part of the reason their books are cheaper is that they have always had a deliberate policy of promoting and protecting their language, precisely because they are so few and so isolated. Encouraging people to read more is, of course, the best way of doing so.

Russell Brooks · 12-02-2010, 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bikeridr

Not really. There are of course the dreaded georestrictions applied to certain books, however, most ebookstores (that I buy from) are located in the US. Norwegian ebooks are either .pdf (not interested) or DRM'ed epub (not interested and not Kindle compatible).

They claim it is "small market" and that US/English market is 100 times bigger. Funny though, Iceland has 6% the population of Norway, a very isolated language and 20% lower cost (paper)books..

I'm all thumbs when it comes to marketing and pricing in different countries. I'm still learning as I go.

Notre Dame · 12-15-2010, 01:40 PM

The prices you have quoted in Norway for books are truly frightening. We in the UK complain about high prices compared to the USA - it just about works out £ for $, meaning if something costs £10 in the UK, it probably costs about $10 in the USA, and the exchange rate is currently approx $1.47 to £1. But there are vast differences too. I also read today people were complaining in West Virginia the price for unleaded petrol has hit $3 a gallon. In the UK today it's over $8 a gallon. That may be something to do with the amount of tax on petrol here, but still, sometimes you feel you're just being exploited, because the prices they set are what the market will stand. The beauty of ebooks is you can buy them anywhere, from the comfort of your chair. You've got the whole world to shop in!
http://chrisscottwilson.co.uk

John Carroll · 12-15-2010, 03:12 PM

I think companies like Smashwords and indie authors will really help in the future. $41 a book is insane! An international marketplace will help to create better prices worldwide. The nice thing about the internet is that it's not confined to one country. I hope prices go down soon and quickly.

Belfaborac · 12-16-2010, 04:04 AM

If $40 books are scary, how does $12-15 for a pint grab ya? Or close to $2 for a litres of petrol (I'm not really up on gallons, but my universal converter tells me that a UK Gallon is 4.54 litres, while a US Gallon equals 3.78 litres)?

Personally I thank...eh...someone (I'm an atheist...) for the internet and the global marketplace everyday. Pretty much the only things I buy here are milk and bread, everything else arrives in the mail from abroad. And since I don't drive, I have no need of petrol either.

EowynCarter · 12-16-2010, 05:01 AM

40$ for a book ?
outch.
I thing the "worse" price i've seen in france 17$. (unless your talking text book and other stuff, there it can go to 30-40 euros)

11-26-2010, 09:33 AM	#1
Bikeridr Information Acquirer Posts: 436 Karma: 4265156 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Latvia, Rigas Rajons Device: Kindle 3 International, Pocketbook Color	Ebook market "taking off" in Norway.. NOT! Yesterday it was all over the Norwegian news that "Cappelen-Damm" had opened the eBook-marked "for full". Cappelen-Damm is one of the (if not the) largest publishing companies in Norway. Anyway, their "List Price" (RRP) has been set to NOK 249,- (abt US$41,-) per new book. With the backlist and "older" books "slightly lower priced". You guys nag about Agency5 pricing of abt US$12-14 and we have our "Agency" pricing at least trifold tostart with.. But that is not the whole story as the other publishers complain that Cappelen-Damm are starting their prices TOO LOW..!! OK, so here's why I'll boycott Norwegian books: * - Insane price * - Only option is ePub (DRM) and PDF (DRM on newer books) (I'm sure the list will grow) Sad thing is, though, with the rigid and stupid policy of the pricing, DRM and also the georestriction, I think that the eBook and its readers will turn out as the Ephemera of the "modern times". Well, one good thing comes out of this. (Must have positive thoughts too ) Thanks to Smashwords and other free/cheap English eBook providers, my second language skills do continously improve

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11-26-2010, 02:52 PM	#2
Belfaborac Wizard Posts: 1,498 Karma: 5199835 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Norway Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-950	Can't remember when I last bought a book in Norwegian... Back in the late nineties maybe? In another 10 years I'm convinced the Norwegian publishing industry will be more or less gone, with the exception of the textbook/professional side of things. More and more people read English (mainly, but of course not exclusively) and internet shopping has now penetrated all areas and ages of society. Another decade and there will be no reason to spend $20-40 just because you want to read a book.

11-26-2010, 03:14 PM	#3
tompe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,452 Karma: 7185064 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Linköpng, Sweden Device: Kindle Voyage, Nexus 5, Kindle PW	Everything is more expansive in Norway it seems... In Sweden they did the DRM thing right at least since they use a social DRM (watermark). Unfortunately last I checked they only had new books and I like to start a new author with the first book.

11-27-2010, 12:57 PM	#4
Russell Brooks Fanatic Posts: 538 Karma: 569642 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Montreal, Quebec Device: none	I've read about readers living outside of the the US and Canada having trouble downloading ebooks from US sites. Is it the same thing in Sweden and in Norway?

11-27-2010, 03:46 PM	#5
roseprose Member Posts: 18 Karma: 9084 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Sony prs-950 daily edition	Wow! Those price are terribly high! I guess I'll never read Jo Nesbo in his native language (as if I could). I'll stick with his novels in tranlation, from English and American e-sources. Obviously, some countries's publishers have a death wish.

11-28-2010, 03:35 AM	#7
Belfaborac Wizard Posts: 1,498 Karma: 5199835 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Norway Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-950	Well, it is a small market, which admittedly is part of the reason books (along with everything else) are so expensive in Norway, but mostly they charge what they charge because they can. After all we're one of the wealthiest countries in the world and like the rest of the developed world have adopted consumerism as our chief religion. As far as Iceland goes, part of the reason their books are cheaper is that they have always had a deliberate policy of promoting and protecting their language, precisely because they are so few and so isolated. Encouraging people to read more is, of course, the best way of doing so.

12-15-2010, 01:40 PM	#9
Notre Dame Magus Posts: 46 Karma: 530322 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: UK Device: Kindle	The prices you have quoted in Norway for books are truly frightening. We in the UK complain about high prices compared to the USA - it just about works out £ for $, meaning if something costs £10 in the UK, it probably costs about $10 in the USA, and the exchange rate is currently approx $1.47 to £1. But there are vast differences too. I also read today people were complaining in West Virginia the price for unleaded petrol has hit $3 a gallon. In the UK today it's over $8 a gallon. That may be something to do with the amount of tax on petrol here, but still, sometimes you feel you're just being exploited, because the prices they set are what the market will stand. The beauty of ebooks is you can buy them anywhere, from the comfort of your chair. You've got the whole world to shop in! http://chrisscottwilson.co.uk

12-15-2010, 03:12 PM	#10
John Carroll kookoo Posts: 1,461 Karma: 7772454 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Colorado Springs Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Nook, LG4	I think companies like Smashwords and indie authors will really help in the future. $41 a book is insane! An international marketplace will help to create better prices worldwide. The nice thing about the internet is that it's not confined to one country. I hope prices go down soon and quickly.

12-16-2010, 04:04 AM	#11
Belfaborac Wizard Posts: 1,498 Karma: 5199835 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Norway Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-950	If $40 books are scary, how does $12-15 for a pint grab ya? Or close to $2 for a litres of petrol (I'm not really up on gallons, but my universal converter tells me that a UK Gallon is 4.54 litres, while a US Gallon equals 3.78 litres)? Personally I thank...eh...someone (I'm an atheist...) for the internet and the global marketplace everyday. Pretty much the only things I buy here are milk and bread, everything else arrives in the mail from abroad. And since I don't drive, I have no need of petrol either.

12-16-2010, 05:01 AM	#12
EowynCarter Wizard Posts: 4,338 Karma: 4000000 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Paris Device: Cybooks; Sony PRS-T1	40$ for a book ? outch. I thing the "worse" price i've seen in france 17$. (unless your talking text book and other stuff, there it can go to 30-40 euros)