Pricing the e-books from the "Big 3"

VaporPunk · 04-22-2012, 05:57 AM

Two books that I've been thinking about getting...

The Magic of Recluce - L.E. Modesitt

Amazon $5.75 (E4.35)
Kobo E5.55
Sony $7.99 (E6.04)

Ilium - Dan Simmons

Amazon $6.49 (E4.91)
Kobo E5.99
Sony $7.99 (E6.04)

Obviously not a scientific or all encompassing comparison, but in general I find that Amazon is at least a Euro cheaper per book. The other 2 stores have the more "open" epub format but Calibre takes care of most conversions/DRM sans problem.

Is this other peoples experiences as well? Am I missing something?

HarryT · 04-22-2012, 05:59 AM

Amazon's eBook division is based in Luxembourg, and they only charge 3% VAT. I suspect that the other retailers are charging the local Belgian VAT rate, which I'd guess is higher?

VaporPunk · 04-22-2012, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Amazon's eBook division is based in Luxembourg, and they only charge 3% VAT. I suspect that the other retailers are charging the local Belgian VAT rate, which I'd guess is higher?

Yup. 20 or 21%, can't remember exactly. Makes more sense now. You're in GB, right? Do you have similar prices/differences?

HarryT · 04-22-2012, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaporPunk

Yup. 20 or 21%, can't remember exactly. Makes more sense now. You're in GB, right? Do you have similar prices/differences?

For many books, yes. The UK's VAT rate is 20%.

silasgreenback · 04-22-2012, 02:30 PM

With all the recent BPH drama, I'm beginning to wonder what Amazon has to crow about. I bought four books yesterday, three from BPHs. The one title that wasn't priced at agency and came from Amazon tax free is the one I got the worst deal on. Two weeks ago it was ten cents cheaper and I'm wondering if this isn't a sign of things to come.

Edit: While Amazon isn't the most expensive for the Rendell title, it isn't the cheapest.

Google: $9.99
Sony: $11.99

All others fall in between, with Kobo being priced equivalently.

Fbone · 04-22-2012, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silasgreenback

With all the recent BPH drama, I'm beginning to wonder what Amazon has to crow about. I bought four books yesterday, three from BPHs. The one title that wasn't priced at agency and came from Amazon tax free is the one I got the worst deal on. Two weeks ago it was ten cents cheaper and I'm wondering if this isn't a sign of things to come.

Edit: While Amazon isn't the most expensive for the Rendell title, it isn't the cheapest.

Google: $9.99
Sony: $11.99

All others fall in between, with Kobo being priced equivalently.

Did you see the Kobo coupons in the Deals section. You could have picked up Rendell for 9 cents.

silasgreenback · 04-22-2012, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fbone

Did you sell the Kobo coupons in the Deals section. You could have picked up Rendell for 9 cents.

Wish I had've known. Poking around earlier did make buying from Kobo seem like an attractive option and with so many promotions, will be one worth considering in the future.

emellaich · 04-22-2012, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaporPunk

Two books that I've been thinking about getting...

The Magic of Recluce - L.E. Modesitt

A little off topic, but regarding the Magic of Recluce -- its the start to an excellent series, and I highly recommend it.

It is about sixteen books long, sort of. It's really a set of duologies (two book series) that are all placed in the same universe/timeline. The stories are really standalone sets of two. Yes, you will find reference to past stories, but they really aren't relevant to the plots.

As an analogy, its like the movie Independence Day. If you know the about the July 4th holiday in the U.S. then it deepens the meaning of one minor speech in the movie, but it really doesn't affect the plot.

Furthermore, the point-of-view skips around so that in some books you are on the Order side of the struggle and in some on the Chaos side. As a result of this I don't think there is any clear reading order.

You can really jump in with any duology in the Recluce series and you won't feel any advantage/disadvantage over any other. In fact, since the books are not written in chronological order, and since references to other books are somewhat oblique, it can be difficult to exactly string together the books if you are just a casual reader.

VaporPunk · 04-23-2012, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emellaich

A little off topic, but regarding the Magic of Recluce -- its the start to an excellent series, and I highly recommend it.

It is about sixteen books long, sort of. It's really a set of duologies (two book series) that are all placed in the same universe/timeline. The stories are really standalone sets of two. Yes, you will find reference to past stories, but they really aren't relevant to the plots.

As an analogy, its like the movie Independence Day. If you know the about the July 4th holiday in the U.S. then it deepens the meaning of one minor speech in the movie, but it really doesn't affect the plot.

Furthermore, the point-of-view skips around so that in some books you are on the Order side of the struggle and in some on the Chaos side. As a result of this I don't think there is any clear reading order.

You can really jump in with any duology in the Recluce series and you won't feel any advantage/disadvantage over any other. In fact, since the books are not written in chronological order, and since references to other books are somewhat oblique, it can be difficult to exactly string together the books if you are just a casual reader.

Thanks for the tip emellaich!

Thats now three recs I've received for this series for MR members. I've moved it from "probable" to "almost certain" buy.

Apache · 04-23-2012, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emellaich

A little off topic, but regarding the Magic of Recluce -- its the start to an excellent series, and I highly recommend it.

It is about sixteen books long, sort of. It's really a set of duologies (two book series) that are all placed in the same universe/timeline. The stories are really standalone sets of two. Yes, you will find reference to past stories, but they really aren't relevant to the plots.

As an analogy, its like the movie Independence Day. If you know the about the July 4th holiday in the U.S. then it deepens the meaning of one minor speech in the movie, but it really doesn't affect the plot.

Furthermore, the point-of-view skips around so that in some books you are on the Order side of the struggle and in some on the Chaos side. As a result of this I don't think there is any clear reading order.

You can really jump in with any duology in the Recluce series and you won't feel any advantage/disadvantage over any other. In fact, since the books are not written in chronological order, and since references to other books are somewhat oblique, it can be difficult to exactly string together the books if you are just a casual reader.

This is a great series and emellaich nailed it with the description.
I have read the series 4 times over the years. Highly recommended.
Apache

DrNefario · 04-23-2012, 09:06 AM

I'm another Modesitt Jr fan.

For a long time, most of his ebooks were just over my £5 upper limit, but - possibly when amazon switched over to Luxembourg taxes - they all dropped to a more reasonable price a while ago.

VaporPunk · 04-24-2012, 01:32 AM

Alright, alright. I'll buy it already!

to all for the tips.

HarryT · 04-24-2012, 05:37 AM

Last time I looked, this was one of those annoying cases where only about half the series was available in the form of eBooks. Are they all available now?

DrNefario · 04-24-2012, 08:52 AM

I'm not sure. I had already read all but the last few in paper. The list seemed fairly complete. I found out yesterday that most of his stuff was eligible for the kobo coupons, but I couldn't remember which ones I already owned.

I think the early books of the Corean series are still missing.

04-22-2012, 05:57 AM	#1
VaporPunk Evangelist Posts: 409 Karma: 49204386 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Belgium Device: Kindle 4 + Asus Transformer	Pricing the e-books from the "Big 3" Two books that I've been thinking about getting... The Magic of Recluce - L.E. Modesitt Amazon $5.75 (E4.35) Kobo E5.55 Sony $7.99 (E6.04) Ilium - Dan Simmons Amazon $6.49 (E4.91) Kobo E5.99 Sony $7.99 (E6.04) Obviously not a scientific or all encompassing comparison, but in general I find that Amazon is at least a Euro cheaper per book. The other 2 stores have the more "open" epub format but Calibre takes care of most conversions/DRM sans problem. Is this other peoples experiences as well? Am I missing something?

04-22-2012, 02:30 PM	#5
silasgreenback New Leaf Turner Posts: 260 Karma: 1026664 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Hadestown Device: Kobo Glo	With all the recent BPH drama, I'm beginning to wonder what Amazon has to crow about. I bought four books yesterday, three from BPHs. The one title that wasn't priced at agency and came from Amazon tax free is the one I got the worst deal on. Two weeks ago it was ten cents cheaper and I'm wondering if this isn't a sign of things to come. Edit: While Amazon isn't the most expensive for the Rendell title, it isn't the cheapest. Google: $9.99 Sony: $11.99 All others fall in between, with Kobo being priced equivalently. Last edited by silasgreenback; 04-22-2012 at 02:38 PM.

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04-22-2012, 05:59 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Amazon's eBook division is based in Luxembourg, and they only charge 3% VAT. I suspect that the other retailers are charging the local Belgian VAT rate, which I'd guess is higher?

04-23-2012, 09:06 AM	#11
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,189 Karma: 12000000 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	I'm another Modesitt Jr fan. For a long time, most of his ebooks were just over my £5 upper limit, but - possibly when amazon switched over to Luxembourg taxes - they all dropped to a more reasonable price a while ago.

04-24-2012, 01:32 AM	#12
VaporPunk Evangelist Posts: 409 Karma: 49204386 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Belgium Device: Kindle 4 + Asus Transformer	Alright, alright. I'll buy it already! to all for the tips.

04-24-2012, 05:37 AM	#13
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Last time I looked, this was one of those annoying cases where only about half the series was available in the form of eBooks. Are they all available now?

04-24-2012, 08:52 AM	#14
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,189 Karma: 12000000 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	I'm not sure. I had already read all but the last few in paper. The list seemed fairly complete. I found out yesterday that most of his stuff was eligible for the kobo coupons, but I couldn't remember which ones I already owned. I think the early books of the Corean series are still missing.