Are Attitudes About E-Book Prices Changing?

[Caublestone]

I think (notice I) that this is showing the many different preferences that we as consumers have in how we access our books! People that make conclusive statements such as "EBooks will kill print" are just like those who said "TV will kill reading"! Sure, eventually there will probably be a day when we stop using paper (either when all the generations are adapted to digital media or when we eat all the trees). Not that anyone is saying that specifically, but I give the example as a reference. We all have so many preferences.

We have:

1. The classic book a day reader that loves to show off their book collection
2. The "I kind of read but still love to show off my book collection"
3. The new I read an ebook a day with little concern for rationing book consumption" on my reading device
4. The new "I kind of read but only something someone convinces me to read on my reading device"
5. The "I wish I could read an ebook a day" (legally)
6. The "Reading? What be reading?"

There are many more, but the conclusion is that publishers must offer ways to attract all of these readers. Pirating costs the industry an estimated $3 Billion a year (http://www.mediabistro.com/ebooknews...ributor_b11678) . A simple Google search gets you 500 bestsellers for free (~ $5,000 value). Clearly these are people that are, for whatever reason, just not willing to put up the $50 a month to fill their reading habits. AND THATS OK. It's up to authors and publishers to meet the demands of the consumer through different pricing models.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by Fbone

And when the used book is not locally available?

Then it's a penny on Amazon + 3.99 shipping.

[wyndslash]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Then it's a penny on Amazon + 3.99 shipping.

the most recent used book i bought from amazon costs more than a penny, lol. it was actually rather expensive, but i try to tell myself that it's already been out of print for some 20-something years or so...so yeah i don't think it would get a reissue, either

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Fbone

And when the used book is not locally available?

Murder on the Orient Express is available on abebooks for $3.64 including shipping.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Then it's a penny on Amazon + 3.99 shipping.

Or ABE.COM (American Booksellers Exchange)

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by wyndslash

the most recent used book i bought from amazon costs more than a penny, lol. it was actually rather expensive, but i try to tell myself that it's already been out of print for some 20-something years or so...so yeah i don't think it would get a reissue, either

LOL. Well, in that case, "competing with the used price" should be nicely lucrative.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Then it's a penny on Amazon + 3.99 shipping.

So, all ebooks need to be priced at $.01 or less to compete with the used printed market?

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by Fbone

So, all ebooks need to be priced at $.01 or less to compete with the used printed market?

No.

See also: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...&postcount=120

The "penny on Amazon" was just in response to your "what if the book isn't available locally" question. "Local" isn't an issue in the world we live in. Or, rather, it's less so.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by Fbone

So, all ebooks need to be priced at $.01 or less to compete with the used printed market?

Only if they are sold locally, otherwise they would only be competing with real books priced at $4 or more total cost. Everyone knows that with those $0.01 sales all of the profit is on the shipping cost.

$2 for the writer, $1 each for the publisher and distributor. Seems a fair enough split to me, and accurately reflects each party's contribution.

[HarryT]

It seems like a rather low price to me for what may represent a year's work for the author. I think that £4-5 is a sensible price.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It seems like a rather low price to me for what may represent a year's work for the author. I think that £4-5 is a sensible price.

By the time it ends up competing with $4 used books I would hope they would have made whatever income they are ever likely to make from it. So after that anything is a bonus. And it is still more than they would get if the buyer went for the $4 used book that Amazon pimps right next to their shiny new ebook version.

[leebase]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

Amazon.

So does Exxon and Wal-Mart. But who, in the publishing world, is making more money from the business of publishing than the Big 6?

Lee

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by leebase

So does Exxon and Wal-Mart. But who, in the publishing world, is making more money from the business of publishing than the Big 6?

Lee

If the Big 6 is currently making more money than any other entity on the market, it doesn't therefore correlate that they're making the most money they could be or that their tactics aren't progressively shrinking their consumer base (AND their author base, for that matter). They've started out with a very hefty advantage and eBooks are still relatively new to the scene, all things considered.

Ten years ago, pretty much everything I bought was Big 6 published because that's what was available to me. Now, I only buy Big 6 books to replace my paperbacks that I can't live without. Once that's done... who can say? I may never buy another Big 6 book again, just because I don't see the need to pay (Y + B) for a book when I can buy another, equally good (to me) book for (Y + a) by a different author/publisher combo.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by leebase

So does Exxon and Wal-Mart. But who, in the publishing world, is making more money from the business of publishing than the Big 6?

Lee

Amazon.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

Amazon.

It would be interesting to know how much money Amazon are making from digital publishing, as opposed to retailing, of books. I doubt that information is available, though. My suspicion is that Amazon are not yet in the "big league" when it comes to publishing, although I'm sure that will change over the next few years.