Why e-books? - Page 10

Conan46 · 03-19-2016, 12:32 PM

When ebooks first became popular with the Kindle they did seem much less expensive compared to their print and hardcover counterparts, and I scarfed them up, building a library of necessary--to me--must have books. In the last couple of years my buying has dried up because of rising ebook costs from major publishers. Nowadays I'm getting my ebooks via Overdrive for the most part. But if you consider the cost of large print books, there is no comparison, ebooks are always less expensive and you control the font size, can tweak it as you wish. Also ebooks are pretty much forever, if you keep them backed up.

Barty · 03-19-2016, 06:38 PM

E-ink kindle made it possible for me to read a screen for extended periods of time.

bgalbrecht · 03-19-2016, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

This is absolutely contrary to my experience. I buy most of my books from Amazon UK, and typically an eBook will cost somewhere between half and two thirds the price of the equivalent paperback.

It may certainly be true that if you buy new releases, an eBook will cost more than a heavily-discounted hardback.

I picked The Game of Thrones series at random at Amazon US:
A Game of Thrones: Kindle $6.99, paperback $6.74
A Clash of Kings: Kindle $9.99, MMPB $5.98
A Storm of Swords: Kindle $9.99, MMPB $6.83
A Feast for Crows: Kindle $9.99, MMPB $6.40
A Dance with Dragons: Kindle $9.99, MMPB $7.49

5 Book set: Kindle $34.99 or $46.95, MMPB $29.74

Apparently you can buy a box set of all 5 at a discount, or buy them all separately but together at full price for $12 more, such a deal. All of these are sold by the Random Penguin, and I see some other GRRM books where the Kindle price is about 25 cents higher than the discounted TPB (at least by price I'm assuming trade and not mass market). That merger must have been expensive.

In looking at some other SF, I generally saw the Kindle edition at the same price as the MMPB, $0-$3 cheaper than a trade paperback and at least $3 cheaper than hardcover, although some Vonneguts were on sale at $1.99 in Kindle and over $10 in TP, and I saw at least one Kindle book that was $1 more than the MMPB, and the book was from 1998.

William Patterson's 2nd Heinlein biography looks like it was just released in TPB, but the Kindle edition is still priced against the HC, Kindle $16.99, TPB $14.09, HC $28.73. I was hoping that it would drop to $7.99 like volume 1, but I'm thinking that's not going to happen, might not even drop to match the discounted TPB.

darryl · 03-20-2016, 01:04 AM

Quote from a comment I left at Teleread (http://www.teleread.com/ready-player...-weirs-fanfic/):

“Ready Player One” on Amazon US is $15.57 for the hardcover, $9.99 for the Kindle and $8.37 for the Paperback. The Publisher, of course, is an imprint of Random House. I would have liked to support the author with a purchase but it looks like I’ll be borrowing from the library. Thanks to the wonderful library extension for Chrome/Chromium I can see there are copies in my library, though I will have to place a hold. Failing this, I would rather not read it than encourage Publisher’s bad behaviour. I wonder how many people will simply get a pirate copy?

Froide · 03-20-2016, 01:13 AM

All of the above, plus:

Ebooks are lighter-weight than tangible books (max. weight of entire ebook library, regardless of number of ebooks comprising it = the weight of whatever ereading device(s) one is carrying. If one is reading on stationary device, then the incremental weight of ebooks = 0.)
Much of my reading for work has been provided in digital form, years before I ever acquired my first PDA (I read it via computer). Some such work needed to be printed out, eventually, but a first perusal or initial copyediting round could usually be done in digital form, either at my desk or on the go. No paper, ink, or (physical) heavy lifting involved.

FizzyWater · 03-20-2016, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

Sorry for no explaining myself. I think the difference is the format. I'm talking about new releases which go directly to mass market. In this case, the ebooks is 7.99$ (or 6.99$ in some cases) and, usually, the paper book goes around 6$ (or even less).

This.

Especially given that most of the paperbacks I ever bought were on sale. I don't expect ebook pricing to match the used (usually half-price) MMPB. But for the books I want - unless the ebook has a special "1.99" price - the ebooks are more than the same paperbacks.

TGS · 03-20-2016, 07:05 AM

One of the great advantages is that you can steal ebooks and do some fancy ethical footwork about information wanting to be free and not depriving the author of anything since you wouldn't have bought the ebook anyway, and not feel quite so bad as you would if you went into a shop and stole a paper book...apparently

latepaul · 03-20-2016, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgalbrecht

I picked The Game of Thrones series at random at Amazon US:
A Game of Thrones: Kindle $6.99, paperback $6.74
A Clash of Kings: Kindle $9.99, MMPB $5.98
A Storm of Swords: Kindle $9.99, MMPB $6.83
A Feast for Crows: Kindle $9.99, MMPB $6.40
A Dance with Dragons: Kindle $9.99, MMPB $7.49

5 Book set: Kindle $34.99 or $46.95, MMPB $29.74

Amazon UK:

A Game of Thrones: Kindle £3.99, paperback £3.99
A Clash of Kings: Kindle £4.99, paperback £6.99
A Storm of Swords pt1: Kindle £4.99, paperback £6.99
A Storm of Swords pt2: Kindle £5.99, paperback £6.99
A Feast for Crows: Kindle £5.99, paperback £6.49
A Dance with Dragons pt1: Kindle £5.99, paperback £6.49
A Dance with Dragons pt2: Kindle £6.99, paperback £6.99

7 Book set: Kindle £29.99, paperback £42.25

I also checked through my recent purchase history and of the last 5 or so ebooks I bought all were cheaper than the paperback save one, and that was by a few pence (£3.83 v £3.99). However it's important to note that that's based on current price. Some of those I bought when they were on a deal. If you use sites like ereaderiq you can save a lot of money.

crane3 · 03-20-2016, 09:52 PM

The problem with stating that mmpb costs less than an ebook may be true; but some of us gave up getting/reading mmpb because of the eyesight. I stopped buying mmpb years ago & stopped going to a favorite used book store for books. The trade books & hardbacks do cost more with the exception that it can be lower if one doesn't "need" to read the latest releases; & can wait for BN sales or used bookstores or even some used CD stores that have lots of hardbacks at around $2.99.

What some others say, the real costs of pbooks vs ebooks is individualized on what one can actually read & whether the publishers wanted to save on ink so that the letters are very fine lines as one needed a magnifying glass to read.

Before cataract surgery, I had -14 dioptic corrections & even with reading glasses now, it is hard to read a pbook that has very thin lines & small print like my hardcopy of "The Sound & The Furry: the complete hoka stories" by Poul Anderson & Gordon R Dickson. And regretted I donated the "Hokas" to the library sales....

Doesn't matter how low a mmpb costs if one cannot read it comfortably.

bgalbrecht · 03-21-2016, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crane3

Doesn't matter how low a mmpb costs if one cannot read it comfortably.

The reason why we compare the ebook price to the MMPB is because the publishers' ebook pricing is usually based on the lowest priced book in print (i.e, the MMPB edition). However, I have seen some cases where the MMPB is not published by the ebook publisher (very rare), and then the ebook is priced against the ebook publisher's lowest priced print book, which could be TPB or hardcover. This was not the case for the GRRM books in the US, though.

For space reasons, I never buy hardcover books, but I don't expect the publishers to price their ebooks at MMPB prices when only the hardcover is available. In that case, the publishers usually set the ebook price to match what they expect the retailers to discount the hardcover edition. Sometimes the retailers give a larger discount on the print edition, and then the ebook ends up several dollars more expensive than print.

Cinisajoy · 03-21-2016, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgalbrecht

The reason why we compare the ebook price to the MMPB is because the publishers' ebook pricing is usually based on the lowest priced book in print (i.e, the MMPB edition). However, I have seen some cases where the MMPB is not published by the ebook publisher (very rare), and then the ebook is priced against the ebook publisher's lowest priced print book, which could be TPB or hardcover. This was not the case for the GRRM books in the US, though.

For space reasons, I never buy hardcover books, but I don't expect the publishers to price their ebooks at MMPB prices when only the hardcover is available. In that case, the publishers usually set the ebook price to match what they expect the retailers to discount the hardcover edition. Sometimes the retailers give a larger discount on the print edition, and then the ebook ends up several dollars more expensive than print.

I know several authors that their pbooks are by a big 5 publisher and the ebooks are under their imprint. A few have books with different publishers.

DiapDealer · 03-21-2016, 01:55 PM

I just don't bother comparing ebook prices to the prices of the same book in formats that I don't value anymore. The ebook holds more value for me than any of a book's other physical incarnations, so even though I'm rarely asked to, I guess I wouldn't mind paying a little bit more for the one I prefer (and don't have to wait on to be delivered via the mail). *shrug*

MikeB1972 · 03-22-2016, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

It would, I think, be more useful to discover the truth of the matter!

I think we can say that ebooks are generally cheaper than paper books in the UK.
US prices seem to be a bit more all over the place.

JSWolf · 03-22-2016, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

[Image violates Posting Guidelines for size - MODERATOR]

Doesn't seem to be restored.

JSWolf · 03-22-2016, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

There was a year or two (somewhere around 2007) when I didn't buy any DRMed ebooks, because The Dark Reverser and i♥cabbages hadn't yet published their splendid DRM removal scripts that Alf and friends continue to support and enhance to this day.

Thanks to all the people who've worked on those scripts. I wouldn't have bought the thousands of pounds worth of ebooks that I have over the past eight years with you!

When I first started buying eBooks, I bought MS Reader eBooks because I could strip the DRM. A lot of those eBooks have since become ePub due to Fictionwise/B&N.

I did buy some Mobi eBooks, but not many. Most that I got were of the free variety. Now it's mostly ePub with some KF8 (mostly free).

03-20-2016, 01:13 AM	#140
Froide Wizard Posts: 1,898 Karma: 9851695 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Noo Yawk Device: Samsung Galaxy and Windows devices. RIP: Palm & Nook devices.	All of the above, plus: Ebooks are lighter-weight than tangible books (max. weight of entire ebook library, regardless of number of ebooks comprising it = the weight of whatever ereading device(s) one is carrying. If one is reading on stationary device, then the incremental weight of ebooks = 0.) Much of my reading for work has been provided in digital form, years before I ever acquired my first PDA (I read it via computer). Some such work needed to be printed out, eventually, but a first perusal or initial copyediting round could usually be done in digital form, either at my desk or on the go. No paper, ink, or (physical) heavy lifting involved. Last edited by Froide; 03-20-2016 at 01:15 AM.

03-21-2016, 01:55 PM	#147
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,572 Karma: 204127028 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I just don't bother comparing ebook prices to the prices of the same book in formats that I don't value anymore. The ebook holds more value for me than any of a book's other physical incarnations, so even though I'm rarely asked to, I guess I wouldn't mind paying a little bit more for the one I prefer (and don't have to wait on to be delivered via the mail). shrug Last edited by DiapDealer; 03-21-2016 at 02:01 PM.

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03-19-2016, 12:32 PM	#136
Conan46 Fanatic Posts: 575 Karma: 3400000 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Paperwhite 3	When ebooks first became popular with the Kindle they did seem much less expensive compared to their print and hardcover counterparts, and I scarfed them up, building a library of necessary--to me--must have books. In the last couple of years my buying has dried up because of rising ebook costs from major publishers. Nowadays I'm getting my ebooks via Overdrive for the most part. But if you consider the cost of large print books, there is no comparison, ebooks are always less expensive and you control the font size, can tweak it as you wish. Also ebooks are pretty much forever, if you keep them backed up.

03-19-2016, 06:38 PM	#137
Barty doofus Posts: 2,549 Karma: 13089041 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle Voyage	E-ink kindle made it possible for me to read a screen for extended periods of time.

03-20-2016, 01:04 AM	#139
darryl Wizard Posts: 3,108 Karma: 60231510 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura H2O, Kindle Oasis, Huwei Ascend Mate 7	Quote from a comment I left at Teleread (http://www.teleread.com/ready-player...-weirs-fanfic/): “Ready Player One” on Amazon US is $15.57 for the hardcover, $9.99 for the Kindle and $8.37 for the Paperback. The Publisher, of course, is an imprint of Random House. I would have liked to support the author with a purchase but it looks like I’ll be borrowing from the library. Thanks to the wonderful library extension for Chrome/Chromium I can see there are copies in my library, though I will have to place a hold. Failing this, I would rather not read it than encourage Publisher’s bad behaviour. I wonder how many people will simply get a pirate copy?

03-20-2016, 07:05 AM	#142
TGS Country Member Posts: 9,058 Karma: 7676767 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Denmark Device: Liseuse: Irex DR800. PRS 505 in the house, and the missus has an iPad.	One of the great advantages is that you can steal ebooks and do some fancy ethical footwork about information wanting to be free and not depriving the author of anything since you wouldn't have bought the ebook anyway, and not feel quite so bad as you would if you went into a shop and stole a paper book...apparently

03-20-2016, 09:52 PM	#144
crane3 Guru Posts: 608 Karma: 5007204 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Calif Device: Fire hdx 8.9, Tab S2, Tab S5e, Aura ONE	The problem with stating that mmpb costs less than an ebook may be true; but some of us gave up getting/reading mmpb because of the eyesight. I stopped buying mmpb years ago & stopped going to a favorite used book store for books. The trade books & hardbacks do cost more with the exception that it can be lower if one doesn't "need" to read the latest releases; & can wait for BN sales or used bookstores or even some used CD stores that have lots of hardbacks at around $2.99. What some others say, the real costs of pbooks vs ebooks is individualized on what one can actually read & whether the publishers wanted to save on ink so that the letters are very fine lines as one needed a magnifying glass to read. Before cataract surgery, I had -14 dioptic corrections & even with reading glasses now, it is hard to read a pbook that has very thin lines & small print like my hardcopy of "The Sound & The Furry: the complete hoka stories" by Poul Anderson & Gordon R Dickson. And regretted I donated the "Hokas" to the library sales.... Doesn't matter how low a mmpb costs if one cannot read it comfortably.