Publishers still missing the point on e-book prices

[GlennD]

Originally Posted by Fbone

In the US full list price is $25-$30. This is what you may pay in an independent "mom & pop" bookstore as they usually don't discount. B&N may give you a slight discount in their physical stores.

We've all become accustomed to Amazon's big discounts on HCs which bring the cost down to $14-$18.

For a current bestseller, B&N will discount the price by 30%. The front tables as you walk in are full of bestsellers and new releases, all with the "30% off" sticker. Borders used to do the same thing, but limited it to their "Rewards" members. If you were a member of the premium Rewards club (it had a yearly fee instead of being free) the discount went to 40%, if I remember correctly.

Bottom line, there's rarely a reason to pay full retail price for a hardback.

[MrsJoseph]

Originally Posted by GlennD

Bottom line, there's rarely a reason to pay full retail price for a hardback.

I can only think of special occasions in which I have. Most included signings and the like - purchases for specialty occasions.

[stonetools]

I think the big problem people have with ebook prices is that on the Amazon book page, you always see the prices of used and remaindered books alongside the price of ebooks. Ebooks, of course, are never used or remaindered, so you often don't get that big discount on ebooks.
Its frustrating to see an Ebook price of 9.99 on a book that came out 17 years ago and where you can get the used paperback for as low as $2.47. I guess you console yourself that you are paying for convenience. I'm trying to keep those books on my Wishlist and hope for some kind of sale. I do think that publishers should be more flexible on backlist prices.

Originally Posted by stonetools

I do think that publishers should be more flexible on backlist prices.

Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully they will figure that out. I could care less if the latest releases have steep prices. That's simply the price for instant gratification and some people, like myself, can live without instant gratification. Yet I am hugely concerned that publishers will keep the prices for backlist titles inflated. Some of us cannot afford that.

I think the big problem people have with ebook prices is that on the Amazon book page, you always see the prices of used and remaindered books alongside the price of ebooks.

Yes and no. It is painful to see an ebook priced like a hardcover. On the other hand, anyone who searches for book deals would know about the different prices anyhow.

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by stonetools

FWIW, UKL also opposes over long copyright terms -as do I. We all agree there.

Funny, I haven't seen any authors revert their copyrights to the public upon their deaths...

I think of that Robber Baron, Andrew Carnegie, who said "he who dies rich, dies disgraced" and backed it up. You'd think at least some authors would donate to the public that supported them when they no longer needed it, but I guess that too much to expect...

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by Fbone

In the US full list price is $25-$30. This is what you may pay in an independent "mom & pop" bookstore as they usually don't discount. B&N may give you a slight discount in their physical stores.

We've all become accustomed to Amazon's big discounts on HCs which bring the cost down to $14-$18.

If you are a member of B&N, you get a 20% discount on every adult hardcover, fiction or nonfiction, when bought in the store. If the hardcover is already on 20% or 30% discount, you get an additional 10%. And if you use a B&N credit card to pay for the books, you get a 5% rebate on the credit card. I don't consider 20% to be a slight discount, although I would love a higher one.

You can get a lower price by buying at B&N.com rather than at the store.

I've not grown accustomed to Amazon's discounts as I do not buy at Amazon and can't tell you whether the discount is much greater or not from what I get at B&N.

When I shop at the local mom & pop bookstore, I find that many books have at least a 10% discount and some as much as 50%. I think they are somewhat competitive pricewise; the biggest failing is one they cannot easily overcome -- small selection.

[Tom Swift]

Just looked at the Kindle version of the new Tom Clancy novel. $12.99. Ok, not bad. Hit one-click and it asked me to log in. After I logged in, the price jumped to $18.06 for the Kindle version. Although I am in China, my Amazon is registered in Canada. They just lost a sale.

[Blue Tyson]

Originally Posted by Tom Swift

Just looked at the Kindle version of the new Tom Clancy novel. $12.99. Ok, not bad. Hit one-click and it asked me to log in. After I logged in, the price jumped to $18.06 for the Kindle version. Although I am in China, my Amazon is registered in Canada. They just lost a sale.

Locked On? 14.25 here apparently. More than the hardback is definitely a stupid price.

[CyGuy]

Originally Posted by stonetools

I think the big problem people have with ebook prices is that on the Amazon book page, you always see the prices of used and remaindered books alongside the price of ebooks. Ebooks, of course, are never used or remaindered, so you often don't get that big discount on ebooks.
Its frustrating to see an Ebook price of 9.99 on a book that came out 17 years ago and where you can get the used paperback for as low as $2.47. I guess you console yourself that you are paying for convenience. I'm trying to keep those books on my Wishlist and hope for some kind of sale. I do think that publishers should be more flexible on backlist prices.

But here is the thing: You are paying for the story, the content. The story does not change depending on your preferred reading method: Paper, ebook, hardcover. Since this is the case the story should always be obtained via the least expensive method. If you want to stay legit just purchase the least expensive paperback version and get the ebook elsewhere, this way you have your "license" for the book but you can read it how you want. You can always just keep the back cover of the paperback and throw the rest of the book away so you only have a single copy.

[Pinecone]

I have always wondered about besst seller lists.

Since I have see things on a besst seller list BEFORE THEY WERE RELEASED. Huh???

And just because the same books are on the pbook and ebook best seller lists, doesn't mean the ebooks are selling that well, it is only that those particular books are selling better than any one individual books. It could be by 1 copy.

[gweeks]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Funny, I haven't seen any authors revert their copyrights to the public upon their deaths...

I think of that Robber Baron, Andrew Carnegie, who said "he who dies rich, dies disgraced" and backed it up. You'd think at least some authors would donate to the public that supported them when they no longer needed it, but I guess that too much to expect...

I know of at least one author that has his will set up that way. I'd prefer him to stay alive a good while longer.

Greg Weeks

[pdurrant]

The Amazon ebook bestseller lists are interesting, since they're automatically calculated based on recent sales. And books can appear on them before release, because of pre-release orders.

From my own publishing efforts, I can say that any ebook on Amazon.com that has a "Paid in Kindle Store" rank of 7,000 or better is selling at least nine copies a day. if something's in the top 100, it's selling LOTS.

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by CyGuy

But here is the thing: You are paying for the story, the content. The story does not change depending on your preferred reading method: Paper, ebook, hardcover. Since this is the case the story should always be obtained via the least expensive method. If you want to stay legit just purchase the least expensive paperback version and get the ebook elsewhere, this way you have your "license" for the book but you can read it how you want. You can always just keep the back cover of the paperback and throw the rest of the book away so you only have a single copy.

Of course, the least expensive legit method would be the public library.
Thanks for your suggestion though. My TBR list is long enough that I can wait for price declines and sales, and if all else fails, I live 10 minutes walk from a good public library.

[stonetools]

Originally Posted by Tom Swift

Just looked at the Kindle version of the new Tom Clancy novel. $12.99. Ok, not bad. Hit one-click and it asked me to log in. After I logged in, the price jumped to $18.06 for the Kindle version. Although I am in China, my Amazon is registered in Canada. They just lost a sale.

WEll, what's the Canadian hardcover price- list price or discounted? You're comparing apples and oranges if you are going to insist that the Kindle price should always be lower ACROSS COUNTRIES AND EXCHANGE RATES. At that point, you're stacking the deck al absurdum, TBH.

[bgalbrecht]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The point about agency pricing is that the publishers DON'T allow the seller to discount the book; they themselves set the price, and the seller can't touch it. The publisher themselves may choose to discount the book, and in the vast majority of cases they actually do discount it, but the seller has no say in the matter.

I believe the pattern is that when the only print edition is hardcover or trade paperback, the publishers set the ebook price to be around the expected discounted print edition price, and at parity with a mass market paperback. Unfortunately, this means that the ebook is usually more expensive than the MMPB at B&N if you are a member of their rewards program. For non-A6 ebooks, Amazon often sets the price to be less than the MMPB.