Ebook prices

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I was thrilled to discover that three Victoria Holt titles are now available as e-books: Mistress of Mellyn (1960), Bride of Pendorric (1963), and On the Night of the Seventh Moon (1972). And the price for these books from 39, 48, and 51 years ago? A whopping $9.99 apiece.

I love these old Victoria Holt books; I'd love for her whole backlist to be made available. I'd buy them all again for my e-reader at, say $5 apiece. But at $10 a pop? For books that have been continuously in print for so many years? The publisher needs a reality check.

The price may also be due to the Eleanor Hibbert Estate. Many times the estates can negotiate higher royalty fees than living authors since the publisher has less work involved with no risk. They can shop around to see who will give them the best terms. I've heard that royalties can be over 50% of net.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by tompe

I would think that being continuously in print indicates new customers that pay the new book price so it seems rational to me to match the price to the paper edition. I do not believe that the market for replacing paper books are big at all.

Yes, they'll sell to new customers at $9.99--new customers who are willing to buy a 40- to 50-year-old rather dated and quaint genre book which is competing with every other current and backlist book for the consumer's dollar. But how many potential customers are like me--read the book years ago, would happily buy a digital version at a reasonable price, just to have it, but would not be willing to pay $10.

I said I'd happily pay $5. I'd probably pay even $7.50, though less happily. I won't pay $10. Victoria Holt wrote more than 30 books under that name. If they're all published in e-book form, that's over $300 I won't be spending.

[wyndslash]

yes, it all adds up. i've already been considering that i may not have a budget for ebooks next year. was considering just reading public domain books like classics :P

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Yes, they'll sell to new customers at $9.99--new customers who are willing to buy a 40- to 50-year-old rather dated and quaint genre book which is competing with every other current and backlist book for the consumer's dollar. But how many potential customers are like me--read the book years ago, would happily buy a digital version at a reasonable price, just to have it, but would not be willing to pay $10.

Very few I think. Most people would just download them from somewhere since they own the paper version and then it fells kind of morally OK to download it.

[JeremyR]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Yes, they'll sell to new customers at $9.99--new customers who are willing to buy a 40- to 50-year-old rather dated and quaint genre book which is competing with every other current and backlist book for the consumer's dollar. But how many potential customers are like me--read the book years ago, would happily buy a digital version at a reasonable price, just to have it, but would not be willing to pay $10.

I said I'd happily pay $5. I'd probably pay even $7.50, though less happily. I won't pay $10. Victoria Holt wrote more than 30 books under that name. If they're all published in e-book form, that's over $300 I won't be spending.

Yeah, the same thing just happened to L. Sprague de Camp's backlist.

$9.99 each for books that are 40-50 years old. Heck, when they were in print, you could get them for $3 or less sticker price. (And looking at ebay, there isn't any great demand for them these days).

I mean, if an author is still living, I don't mind paying that much. Or even their spouse. But their estate, probably some nephew they didn't even like much? Pffffft.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by smithno

Is it me or have ebook prices been inching up over the past few months. I stocked up right before Agency pricing went into effect and have bought only a handful of books since from favorite authors. At the beginning of Agency, most books interest me were $6.99 or $7.99. The latest releases from these same authors is either $9.99 or $12.99. I have yet to give in to the urge to buy anything over $7.99. Has anybody else notice ebook price increases??

Yes. More (agency) price-gouging.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by tompe

Very few I think. Most people would just download them from somewhere since they own the paper version and then it fells kind of morally OK to download it.

That's how I personally feel.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I'm sure most self-publishers, like myself, are hoping that the higher agency prices will drive more buyers to check out new authors at significantly lower prices. It's one of the few positive ways we can get noticed through all the noise made by the big publishers.

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by Catlady

For books that have been continuously in print for so many years? The publisher needs a reality check.

And what do the pbooks cost now? New for a current printing?

[mldavis2]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

I'm sure most self-publishers, like myself, are hoping that the higher agency prices will drive more buyers to check out new authors at significantly lower prices. It's one of the few positive ways we can get noticed through all the noise made by the big publishers.

Having recently retired and devoted far more time to reading, I am spending more time investigating independent authors and small publishers. One way that I am reducing my dependence on the big publishers is to subscribe to avid reader sites. Some of these sites have lists of pre-release books with a few free copies given to readers in exchange for reviews. While your chances of "winning" a free copy are not great with hundreds of applicants for a handful of copies, nevertheless, you can snag a free one on occasion.

The upside for monitoring these sites is that the reviews are usually made by avid and experienced (and sometimes professional) readers and the reviews can tip you off to some great books at extremely low or reasonable prices. It's a great way to find good (and avoid poor) indie writers with little out of pocket cost. Most books are available as eBooks to reviewers.

Another similar method is to bookmark several of your favorite web sites such as Smashwords, Baen and others that handle books in your preferred genres. Get on their e-mail lists and you'll find more than you can read at very reasonable pricing, many even free.

Big-name, pop fiction writers may make the headlines and sell huge numbers of "me-too" titles to the public by using profits to subsidize large advertising budgets, but there are nuggets of gold in the indies and it doesn't take much to find them, nor does it cost a fraction of buying the very latest Stephen King or Brown or Cussler books at inflated prices. Find a few good friends who share your tastes and share reviews as you used to share pBooks. Serious readers know there is gold in them thar hills.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

And what do the pbooks cost now? New for a current printing?

Publishers who believe that backlist ebooks are competing with new-printing pbooks are delusional. They're competing with penny-plus-shipping Amazon used books, with Bookmooch.com, and with local yard sales. Publishers never got royalties from those sales; it shouldn't surprise them or affect their bottom line when those would-be buyers turn to torrents and file-exchange sites for a copy that's within their price range. The publishers still have the same level of profit: zero.

They have an opportunity to get profit from those readers--by competing with used book prices, not new ones. Otherwise, they can continue to fail to get income from 3/4 of the readers of any particular book.

[mldavis2]

It should be fairly obvious that this forum is on a somewhat different level (up or down, your pick) than the general public at large, and as such is perhaps not as attuned to snatching up the latest pop author releases. There is money here, otherwise we wouldn't be seeing members with multiple eReaders and thousand-book libraries.

But many of us are also surprisingly cost-conscience. Perhaps that's due to the world economic instability, perhaps it's simply the sheer number of books read. Advertising by the big publishing houses is arguably less effective here than it is in the entry way at the brick and mortar stores. Personally, I seldom if ever buy the latest hardback release, and don't often buy first season releases at all. I am not an impulse buyer, so I'm less affected by the big, colorful ads than most readers, judging from the number and size of the ads I see. My last impulse buy was a paperback, Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes which I picked up by chance on the new arrival shelf, and it cost me about three eBooks.

Walk into any used pBook store and you'll find shelves full of used copies of yesterday's popular $15 paperbacks and $30 hardbacks for $3 each if that's your passion. Those books are almost always as relevant today as they were 5 years ago.

My point is that the money is available today for readers to pay high prices for tomorrow's used book bargain. The goal of big publishers is to take that money away from the impulse buyer. Advertising is often intentionally deceptive. Stop and think of the number of new releases you bought because of rave advertising, only to find the book worth a 2 or 3-star rating. It doesn't matter what the format might be, pBook or eBook. If they can sell it to enough people, the prices will remain as high as the market will allow. Only general market pressures will change it, not complaints from a sub-market of avid readers.

[JD Gumby]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

And what do the pbooks cost now? New for a current printing?

$9.99-$12.99 for most end mass-market paperback (ie, normal ones, not trade paperbacks as big as hardcovers) here in Canada. (exceptions apply, of course, for the publishers like Harlequin that throw out a LOT of books in a short time)

[mr ploppy]

I can't say that I've noticed, to be honest, but the few big-publisher owned writers I still read I buy the paperback versions instead. Usually second hand, especially if they're not new releases. I think that's probably what the publishers want when they price them that high.

[BeccaAnn]

Before Agency pricing, I was buying several new releases from my favorites authors, at $9.99. Now, with the exception of one author, I wait a year or so for the price to drop to $7.99 or lower.