Do Amazon and the Publishers want to Kill Digital Sales ?

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by MGlitch

Examine the hardcover prices

http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Light-Boo...=fall+of+light

ebook $14.99
pbook $20.25


So perhaps the issue is the ebooks aren't getting as big a price reduction once the pbook format changes to a less expensive one. Note the example I pulled is an as of yet unreleased book, it comes out tomorrow. I know at one point ebooks would release at around the $14 mark when the hardcover was released, and later when the trade paper or mass market editions were released the ebook price would typically drop. Perhaps that's changed.

I compare ebook prices to the lowest price pbook that is currently available. Why would I compare to the highest price available? This is what sends me to the library or if not available I just won't read over priced books.

Before the publishers price fixing I think prices used to drop, but I don't remember for sure. That could be what changed.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I compare ebook prices to the lowest price pbook that is currently available. Why would I compare to the highest price available? This is what sends me to the library or if not available I just won't read over priced books.

Before the publishers price fixing I think prices used to drop, but I don't remember for sure. That could be what changed.

Ok that could explain part of it. Is the lowest price you are looking at "new or used".
I also noticed all your choices were traditional bestsellers.
Let me look at your links to make sure we are comparing apples to apples. Not apples to hard cider.
I went and looked at the first 2 that you posted.
On the first one, the lowest new paperback price is now 9.98. Looks like the $7 sold out.
The thing is on the lowest price, you were looking at 3rd party sellers.

Therefore my conclusion is: yes you can sometimes get the paperback cheaper but it has nothing to do with the publishers. It has to do with the sellers.

My mom has an almost brand-new hardcover of Dan Brown's Inferno. I picked it up for her two weeks after it came out for 49.5 cents. Goodwill was having a 2 hardbacks for 99 cents sale.
I paid $1.99 for the ebook since the publishers put it on sale. Got the Da Vinci Code with excerpt from Inferno free shortly before Inferno came out.

So if we want to conclude that ebook prices are higher than pbook prices, we must compare with the publishers retailers not 3rd party sellers.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I compare ebook prices to the lowest price pbook that is currently available. Why would I compare to the highest price available? This is what sends me to the library or if not available I just won't read over priced books.

Before the publishers price fixing I think prices used to drop, but I don't remember for sure. That could be what changed.

I generally only compare the prices when I read a thread like this. When I'm looking to buy a book, it doesn't matter to me if the price of an edition I won't read is cheaper than an edition I will read. Of course, that doesn't mean that I will just buy any ebook no matter the price--I would have to have a pretty urgent need for a book to pay more than a certain amount for it. The meaning of "certain amount" changes based on how much discretionary income I have at the moment, and how new the book is. For a new release, I will pay more than for a backlist book, but I probably wouldn't pay more than $15. I can't think of any book that I've EVER paid more than $15 for. (not counting textbooks...those are a whole 'nother animal)

Shari

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Ok that could explain part of it. Is the lowest price you are looking at "new or used".
I also noticed all your choices were traditional bestsellers.
Let me look at your links to make sure we are comparing apples to apples. Not apples to hard cider.
I went and looked at the first 2 that you posted.
On the first one, the lowest new paperback price is now 9.98. Looks like the $7 sold out.
The thing is on the lowest price, you were looking at 3rd party sellers.

Therefore my conclusion is: yes you can sometimes get the paperback cheaper but it has nothing to do with the publishers. It has to do with the sellers.

My mom has an almost brand-new hardcover of Dan Brown's Inferno. I picked it up for her two weeks after it came out for 49.5 cents. Goodwill was having a 2 hardbacks for 99 cents sale.
I paid $1.99 for the ebook since the publishers put it on sale. Got the Da Vinci Code with excerpt from Inferno free shortly before Inferno came out.

So if we want to conclude that ebook prices are higher than pbook prices, we must compare with the publishers retailers not 3rd party sellers.

I did not look at third party. Here's a screenshot of the first book showing the mass market paper back price.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by shalym

I generally only compare the prices when I read a thread like this. When I'm looking to buy a book, it doesn't matter to me if the price of an edition I won't read is cheaper than an edition I will read. Of course, that doesn't mean that I will just buy any ebook no matter the price--I would have to have a pretty urgent need for a book to pay more than a certain amount for it. The meaning of "certain amount" changes based on how much discretionary income I have at the moment, and how new the book is. For a new release, I will pay more than for a backlist book, but I probably wouldn't pay more than $15. I can't think of any book that I've EVER paid more than $15 for. (not counting textbooks...those are a whole 'nother animal)

Shari

I have more books on my tbr list than I could read in my lifetime, so if a book is too expensive I have plenty to read instead. I didn't start to compare prices until the publishers price fixing. The increase in prices was shocking to me.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I did not look at third party. Here's a screenshot of the first book showing the mass market paper back price.
Attachment 148214

My apologies, I did not see the MMPB.
Yes, they are usually a bit cheaper because they are cheaply made.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I believe that publishers have been trying to get authors to sign up for 25% of the publisher's net.

The big difference, apart from the cost of the physical item, is the wholesale discount. For paperbacks, the discount is between 50 and 60%. For ebooks, it's around 30%.

No trying about it.
They forced it back in 2009-2010.

http://www.teleread.com/authors-guil...renegotiation/

The way it works is *nominal* hardcover royalties run around 15% of cover (give or take a couple percent) and paperbacks run 8-9% of cover, give or take a self-dealing scam or two. With typical hardcover list prices of $25-30 that works out to $4-5 per book, regardless of retail price, and the publisher gets maybe $12 gross (on an honest 45% wholesale discount) and $5-6 net after shipping, pulping, and warehousing costs.

With a typical BPH ebook at $12.99 under agency, the author gets $2.25, the retailer gets $4 and the publisher nets $6.75. Under wholesale, the retailer usually got anywhere from $7-9 and the author about $3 per ebook. With Agency, the publishers earn less, but they happily watch consumers pay more.

Originally, ebook rights were considered derivative rights, like audio, and authors earned 50% royalties which is why the publishers changed the rules once ebooks started bringing in real money.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

http://www.amazon.com/Voyager-Outlan.../dp/B000FC2L1E
Ebook $9.99
Pbook $7.04

http://www.amazon.com/11-22-63-Steph.../dp/B005K0HDGE
Ebook $8.99
Pbook $7.81

http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Son-Ris.../dp/B00I765ZEU
Ebook $9.99
Pbook, $8.92

http://www.amazon.com/Drums-Autumn-O.../dp/B000FC2L1Y
Ebook $9.99
Pbook $6.09

http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-S.../dp/B0192CTMYG
Ebook $8.99
Pbook $7.34

I'm not showing the same prices, perhaps, they sold out. In any case, for me it doesn't matter. Since I only read ebooks, I am not interested in the cost of paperbacks and don't compare the two. To be honest, with used copies and public libraries almost every paperback will be less expensive than the digital. I don't think we can expect every ebook to be priced below 99 cents.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I believe that publishers have been trying to get authors to sign up for 25% of the publisher's net.

And some authors have been able to get significantly more than 25%.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I did not look at third party. Here's a screenshot of the first book showing the mass market paper back price.
Attachment 148214

Originally Posted by Fbone

I'm not showing the same prices, perhaps, they sold out. In any case, for me it doesn't matter. Since I only read ebooks, I am not interested in the cost of paperbacks and don't compare the two. To be honest, with used copies and public libraries almost every paperback will be less expensive than the digital. I don't think we can expect every ebook to be priced below 99 cents.

I compared against a new mass market paperback sold by Amazon for each example. See screenshot above. You need to tap on see other formats - see screenshot below.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I compared against a new mass market paperback sold by Amazon for each example. See screenshot above. You need to tap on see other formats - see screenshot below.
Attachment 148215

I see that but it adds $3.99 for shipping since I don't have Prime.

[MGlitch]

It may be better to select a different retailer to compare the pbook price with the ebook price, Amazon lists prices for -anyone- selling the book, and will list it as 'new' if the seller marks it as new when they set it up.

This doesn't reflect what the publishers are asking for the book, but what a retailer is asking for a secondhand book. And as noted earlier in the thread, this can happen with brand new books. People buy them, read them, and sell them off for less. Or buy them in bulk and get discounts that way.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

I thought royalty rates on ebooks were higher? I read somewhere that the industry standard was about 25% (7-12% for paperbacks).
That probably wipes out any difference in cost from the publishers point of view.

As I recall the royalty on eBooks is % of Net while the royalty on pBooks is % of list/cover price.

[whismerhill]

It's interesting that in the end, it all falls down to a different perceived notion of price & book selections.

I almost never buy hardcover books, because :
1 - it's more expensive
2 - it's heavier & bigger
3 - too much shelves' space used
4 - it's less easy to transport around

so for me when I think pbook I think "pocket" format (or "softcover" I think it's called ??)

Anyway it seems, depending on which books you go for, some are cheaper in ebook, some are cheaper as a pbook (softcover)

when they are on the market they usually get out at exactly the same price, EXCEPT all retail stores have a discount on them (pbooks) (usually)

But yeah I'll agree that the majority of hardcover pbooks are more expensive than ebooks, but that was expected and it didn't even cross my mind to mention it

[shalym]

Originally Posted by whismerhill

It's interesting that in the end, it all falls down to a different perceived notion of price & book selections.

I almost never buy hardcover books, because :
1 - it's more expensive
2 - it's heavier & bigger
3 - too much shelves' space used
4 - it's less easy to transport around

so for me when I think pbook I think "pocket" format (or "softcover" I think it's called ??)

Anyway it seems, depending on which books you go for, some are cheaper in ebook, some are cheaper as a pbook (softcover)

when they are on the market they usually get out at exactly the same price, EXCEPT all retail stores have a discount on them (pbooks) (usually)

But yeah I'll agree that the majority of hardcover pbooks are more expensive than ebooks, but that was expected and it didn't even cross my mind to mention it

It's very interesting, for sure.
I almost never buy paper books, because :
1 - I can't adjust the size of the text
2 - it's heavier & bigger
3 - too much shelves' space used
4 - it's less easy to transport around

As you can see, I use almost the same reasons as you to justify why I don't buy paper books anymore. The only difference is number one - where your number one concern is price, mine is readability.

Shari