Are you prepared to pay the same price for an ebook as for the print book?

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by darryl

PS2: Clarification. The questions relate to new books, since used print books are often available at a nominal price. By all means indicate in the comments that you prefer these used print books.

Unless the print book is in terrible condition (missing pages, or lots of underlining), I have no preference for used vs. new print books. What difference does it make?

I do have a preference for the eBook due to font, weight, and convenience of having the book I'm reading, and the newspaper, on the same gadget.

My real preference is free from the library, or even not quite free from the library (Brooklyn $50/year). But I will, when I buy, pay a little more for the eBook. I'd also pay a bit more for the eBook newspaper over print, but don't let newspaper publishers know this

When I'm done reading, I delete the eBook or trash the paper book, just as with a newspaper. So ownership doesn't have much of an attraction to me.

Unlike (I think) everyone else here, Mobile Reading has always, going back to the Palm/AvantGo era, been as much, for me, about the New York Times and Washington Post as books.

[sydmalicious]

I chose Yes, I would though I really don't buy many ebooks. I subscribe to KU and get most of my books that way. John Somnez, a developer and author I really can't stand but can't get enough of released a new book. I really hoped it'd be on KU because I couldn't see myself plopping down $10 for his book. It was on KU and I immediately downloaded it.

I think the last book I bought from Amazon was Real Artists Don't Starve by Jeff Goins because I heard good things about it on podcasts and really wanted to read it. Buying it outright was the only way I could read it so I bought it. He refused KU, and I understand why.

[sydmalicious]

Originally Posted by Wearever

I voted the last option. I always wait till a new e book comes down in price, or I'll borrow it. I have not purchased a print book in years for myself. So I don't look at the print price unless I'm buying as a gift for someone who wants a print book instead.

I only purchase programming/reference books in print. I find that medium much better for returning to to look something up.

I was listening to a lot of non-fiction through Audible but ended up not doing much of that, as I couldn't remember the most important details.

I bought the Paperbacks of the books I had on Audible, tried to read them that way, but ended up buying the ebooks anyway.

Weird, I know. I just prefer ebooks. There was a time I was dead-set against them.

[John F]

Originally Posted by HarryT

In Britain it's an entirely moot point given that, as has been said, ebooks are very, very rarely as expensive as pbooks. ...

Do you have a link showing some data? Looking at the Amazon UK best sellers:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsell...oks/ref=sv_b_1

and looking at the first 10 books, 7 out of 10 ebooks are as expensive (or more expensive) than the pbook.

... I typically pay between half and two thirds the price of the paperback for an ebook, and that's even with the fact that ebooks are subject to 20% VAT, while pbooks are zero-rated (i.e. no VAT is charged on them.)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by John F

Do you have a link showing some data? Looking at the Amazon UK best sellers:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsell...oks/ref=sv_b_1

and looking at the first 10 books, 7 out of 10 ebooks are as expensive (or more expensive) than the pbook.

The paperbacks of "best sellers" are generally heavily discounted, John. They're the type of books that supermarkets sell at ludicrously low prices as a loss-leader, and Amazon match those prices. I'm referring to "normal" books, rather than those you'll find on best-seller lists.

I buy quite a few books (at least 10 a month) and I honestly can't remember the last time I paid more than two thirds the price of the paperback for an ebook. At the moment, for example, I'm reading Dick Francis' books. The eBooks cost £3.99, the paperbacks £7.99. Ie the ebook is half the price of the paperback.

[John F]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The paperbacks of "best sellers" are generally heavily discounted, John. They're the type of books that supermarkets sell at ludicrously low prices as a loss-leader, and Amazon match those prices. I'm referring to "normal" books, rather than those you'll find on best-seller lists.

I buy quite a few books (at least 10 a month) and I honestly can't remember the last time I paid more than two thirds the price of the paperback for an ebook. At the moment, for example, I'm reading Dick Francis' books. The eBooks cost £3.99, the paperbacks £7.99. Ie the ebook is half the price of the paperback.

The list I looked at wasn't "paperback best sellers", it was "best sellers" (although most on the list do have paperbacks). Since it is "best sellers", doesn't that tend to indicate "what is selling more"?

Your anecdotal data is very interesting, but it is your data. Looking at the Harry Potter books for example (something a little more mainstream), it looks like most of the ebooks are more expensive than the paperbacks. The Harry Potter books are in the top 10 and the Dick Francis books are in the top 3000s, which is more relevant?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by John F

The list I looked at wasn't "paperback best sellers", it was "best sellers" (although most on the list do have paperbacks). Since it is "best sellers", doesn't that tend to indicate "what is selling more"?

It does indeed, and as I said at the start of this thread, those are the books that are heavily discounted. They are the exception, not the rule.

[GeoffR]

Here is an interesting exercise: If you were a publisher, and the numbers in this poll were represenative of your customers' buying behaviour, how would you price your ebooks to maximise earnings?

My guess would be to set the normal ebook price about the same as the paper book price, and then ocassionally run short-duration sales at a lower price.

Then most of the customers in groups 1 and 2 would buy the ebook at the normal price, those in group 3 would buy the paper version instead at a similar price, and those in group 5 would wait and get the ebook when it is on sale at the lower price. Only the revenue from the 15% or so in group 4 would be lost, but the higher price paid by the 35% or so in groups 1,2,3 would more than make up for them if the normal price was more than double the sale price.

Perhaps the big publishers' pricing strategy is not too unreasonable after all? I know MobileRead members are not typical, but if anything I would have thought we were more price sensitive than typical readers rather than less.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

Perhaps the big publishers' pricing strategy is not too unreasonable after all? I know MobileRead members are not typical, but if anything I would have thought we were more price sensitive than typical readers rather than less.

Remember that when you buy a cheap paperback in a supermarket or at Amazon, it's nearly always the retailer who's discounting it, not the publisher. The publisher sells the book at a fixed price: they get their money no matter what the retailer subsequently sells it for.

[John F]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It does indeed, and as I said at the start of this thread, those are the books that are heavily discounted. They are the exception, not the rule.

I think most people care about books that they buy and since the best sellers are more expensive, your books are the exception.

IMO, YMMV.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by John F

I think most people care about books that they buy and since the best sellers are more expensive, your books are the exception.

I really think it's a different market, John, to that of the average MR member.

The "best sellers" are the type of books you find heavily discounted at supermarket checkouts, etc. They're priced to be loss-leaders: to encourage people to come to the supermarkets and buy other stuff while they're there. They sell more numerically (which is why they're best-sellers, of course), but I doubt that the typical buyer of such books is a big ebook buyer.

[darryl]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

Here is an interesting exercise: If you were a publisher, and the numbers in this poll were represenative of your customers' buying behaviour, how would you price your ebooks to maximise earnings?

My guess would be to set the normal ebook price about the same as the paper book price, and then ocassionally run short-duration sales at a lower price.

Then most of the customers in groups 1 and 2 would buy the ebook at the normal price, those in group 3 would buy the paper version instead at a similar price, and those in group 5 would wait and get the ebook when it is on sale at the lower price. Only the revenue from the 15% or so in group 4 would be lost, but the higher price paid by the 35% or so in groups 1,2,3 would more than make up for them if the normal price was more than double the sale price.

Perhaps the big publishers' pricing strategy is not too unreasonable after all? I know MobileRead members are not typical, but if anything I would have thought we were more price sensitive than typical readers rather than less.

Good post. As a publisher you would pick up roughly 40% of the potential market initially. It then becomes a matter of how much leakage there will be from the remaining 60%. This is something that publishers would need to experiment with and the survey gives no real assistance. I'm sure some proportion of Group 4 could still be tempted by a good sale, whilst some in group 5 would lose interest or fail to purchase for some other reason.

I am, as I mentioned, surprised by the number of people prepared to pay the same or more for an ebook. There may well be enough to validate the present pricing strategy. Given my bias against the large traditional publishers, it is not what I either wanted or expected. However, it is doubtful that this strategy works well for new and less established authors, though this of course could be allowed for.

Interesting.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by darryl

I am, as I mentioned, surprised by the number of people prepared to pay the same or more for an ebook.

I think it's a fallacy to assume that people who are big ebook buyers actually compare ebook prices with paperback prices. I don't want to buy paperbacks, so it's of no relevance to me what a paperback costs. I decide whether or not to buy an ebook based on what the ebook costs, not on how the price compares to that of a different product I have no interest in buying.

[darryl]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I think it's a fallacy to assume that people who are big ebook buyers actually compare ebook prices with paperback prices. I don't want to buy paperbacks, so it's of no relevance to me what a paperback costs. I decide whether or not to buy an ebook based on what the ebook costs, not on how the price compares to that of a different product I have no interest in buying.

Evidently so Harry. You are in the minority on this, but a vary significant minority. Far more significant than I would have thought.

[John F]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I really think it's a different market, John, to that of the average MR member.

The "best sellers" are the type of books you find heavily discounted at supermarket checkouts, etc. They're priced to be loss-leaders: to encourage people to come to the supermarkets and buy other stuff while they're there. They sell more numerically (which is why they're best-sellers, of course), but I doubt that the typical buyer of such books is a big ebook buyer.

We just don't have the numbers.

Heavy discounted or not, they are what is selling the most. Rowlings vs Francis: 300 to 1. Although MR buying/reading habits are interesting, so is the average reader, to me.