Future Ebook Price Point - Page 2

xg4bx · 10-08-2011, 09:43 PM

i think myspace and youtube brought the price of music down more than anything. here you had talented bands giving away their music or selling it at a low cost and trying to build an audience. it was a revolution in music and people were no longer held hostage by what radio saw fit to play or sony saw fit to publish.

competition lowered the prices because the entertainment/publishing monopoly had its back broken by people who loved their art, not those simply in it for a paycheck. people finally had a choice.

the same thing will happen with books eventually. i've had my kindle for months, i have yet to purchase or read an "agency" book on it. i'm getting incredible fiction thats knocking my socks off for $5 and under, i don't need to be held hostage to what publishers think i should read nor their pricing structure. there isn't an author on earth i enjoy enough to pay $15 for an ebook.

mainstream consumers just need to break out of the low price=crap mindset.

elcreative · 10-08-2011, 10:19 PM

Just because there is plenty of cheap stuff around by authors I don't know doesn't provide a good enough reason to give up authors whose work I already love... don't mind finding new authors but certainly don't intend to throw away those I already like... I read for my enjoyment not to make points about pricing structures... each to their own but I'm not personally into cutting my nose off to spite my face...

taustin · 10-09-2011, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Lister

So your take is that the last possibility I mentioned in the OP was the most likely: that avid readers are above piracy. I'll put a tally in my register beside that choice. It will be a serious tally, even though my original suggestion of it was more sarcasm than anything else.

I don't know that's a given. Times, and people, and cultures, change, but I think that book readers do, in general, have more of an appreciation for the well being of the creators of their hobby than most fans.

Dopedangel · 10-09-2011, 02:10 AM

I expect the prices of each new ebook to start from $10~12 and go down over time to $3~1
Just like it happens with physical book from hardcover to paperback to used books.

rogue_librarian · 10-09-2011, 02:33 AM

Only it doesn't right now. On the contrary, I see ages-old stuff going for a price that is impossible to justify (except, perhaps, greed).

Also, what bothers me more than prices is market segmentation. You know, a version for this or that tiny island nation, at triple the price it costs in the US (even though it's the same bits), or not available at all, or months later. Yes, IP rights are complicated, but I really can't be bothered as a consumer. Don't want my money? I find other ways to keep myself entertained, no worries.

Also, I'm not willing to pay more for ebooks than pbooks, ever. My price point is what I'll pay for the same book plus shipping.

Fbone · 10-09-2011, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue_librarian

Also, what bothers me more than prices is market segmentation. You know, a version for this or that tiny island nation, at triple the price it costs in the US (even though it's the same bits), or not available at all, or months later.

It also works the other way. Many ebooks in the UK are less expensive than the US.

Jhary · 10-09-2011, 05:54 AM

In Germany is the so called Price Fixing Law. And many really interesting Ebooks are often moore expensive then Printed ones. There is even a Problem with copyright free books, it coud be that there is a loophole and some one claims Copyright.

rogue_librarian · 10-09-2011, 06:55 AM

The "Price Fixing Law" (Buchpreisbindung) is not (solely) responsible for high ebook prices. It just means that nobody must undersell "official" prices. It certainly doesn't mean that publishers must ask the same price for both ebooks and pbooks. Oh, and it doesn't apply to non-German books at all.

Kubizo · 10-09-2011, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Also, what bothers me more than prices is market segmentation. You know, a version for this or that tiny island nation, at triple the price it costs in the US (even though it's the same bits), or not available at all, or months later.

Especially the lack of availability drives me nuts. Why is a book available as e-book in a country and only as a p-book in another country? The temptation to google the book title + "free pdf" becomes really strong when I find an e-book that I can't buy... Fortunately I can get my hands on an American account through my friends from time to time.

Anyway, the price is often substantially lower than it is for p-books and this I like. For DVDs, it is disgusting to see how much e-rentals cost. I think there should be a tax on printed books and printed DVDs, and the revenues should be used to subsidize ebooks. A lot less pollution (printing, shipping, heating the stores, etc...)

Ciao!

Pinecone · 10-10-2011, 04:08 AM

But just because a book is old, does not mean the in print pbook version is cheaper. So why would the ebook version be cheaper?

rogue_librarian · 10-10-2011, 04:50 AM

It is, actually. Once the first-run hardcover editions are sold off there is usually a trade or even mass market paperback version available. Also, and that's what the ebooks are competing against, there is a substantial used-books market. Older books routinely go for a few cents + shipping at Amazon.

Dopedangel · 10-10-2011, 06:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue_librarian

Only it doesn't right now. On the contrary, I see ages-old stuff going for a price that is impossible to justify (except, perhaps, greed).

Also, what bothers me more than prices is market segmentation. You know, a version for this or that tiny island nation, at triple the price it costs in the US (even though it's the same bits), or not available at all, or months later. Yes, IP rights are complicated, but I really can't be bothered as a consumer. Don't want my money? I find other ways to keep myself entertained, no worries.

Also, I'm not willing to pay more for ebooks than pbooks, ever. My price point is what I'll pay for the same book plus shipping.

There is a service that scans your books for you. It is cheaper to get used book and pay them to scan it for you. One such services get mainstream publishers and authors will have to price their old titles accordingly.

rogue_librarian · 10-10-2011, 07:11 AM

You know, that's actually not a a bad idea. Perhaps these scanning services could add an option to acquire books in your name so there'd be no double shipping. It's still PDF, I understand, and not epub, but I still think that could help with the extortionist prices for backlist ebooks.

Dopedangel · 10-10-2011, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue_librarian

You know, that's actually not a a bad idea. Perhaps these scanning services could add an option to acquire books in your name so there'd be no double shipping. It's still PDF, I understand, and not epub, but I still think that could help with the extortionist prices for backlist ebooks.

From what I have read the scans are very high quality and ABBYY FineReader gives good results. Maybe someone can introduce a service where they produce epubs from your book instead of Pdf

kennyc · 10-10-2011, 08:02 AM

Maybe for some poetry or short stories, articles, essays, etc. (some already there on Amazon and others).

I don't think full-length books will drop that low other than for "close-out" or "archive" kinds of things....

10-08-2011, 09:43 PM	#16
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	i think myspace and youtube brought the price of music down more than anything. here you had talented bands giving away their music or selling it at a low cost and trying to build an audience. it was a revolution in music and people were no longer held hostage by what radio saw fit to play or sony saw fit to publish. competition lowered the prices because the entertainment/publishing monopoly had its back broken by people who loved their art, not those simply in it for a paycheck. people finally had a choice. the same thing will happen with books eventually. i've had my kindle for months, i have yet to purchase or read an "agency" book on it. i'm getting incredible fiction thats knocking my socks off for $5 and under, i don't need to be held hostage to what publishers think i should read nor their pricing structure. there isn't an author on earth i enjoy enough to pay $15 for an ebook. mainstream consumers just need to break out of the low price=crap mindset. Last edited by xg4bx; 10-08-2011 at 09:45 PM.

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10-08-2011, 10:19 PM	#17
elcreative Wizard Posts: 2,888 Karma: 5875940 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: PRS505, 600, 350, 650, Nexus 7, Note III, iPad 4 etc	Just because there is plenty of cheap stuff around by authors I don't know doesn't provide a good enough reason to give up authors whose work I already love... don't mind finding new authors but certainly don't intend to throw away those I already like... I read for my enjoyment not to make points about pricing structures... each to their own but I'm not personally into cutting my nose off to spite my face...

10-09-2011, 02:10 AM	#19
Dopedangel Wizard Posts: 1,793 Karma: 30548723 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Singapore Device: Boyue	I expect the prices of each new ebook to start from $10~12 and go down over time to $3~1 Just like it happens with physical book from hardcover to paperback to used books.

10-09-2011, 02:33 AM	#20
rogue_librarian Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 4269175 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Europe Device: Pocketbook Basic 613	Only it doesn't right now. On the contrary, I see ages-old stuff going for a price that is impossible to justify (except, perhaps, greed). Also, what bothers me more than prices is market segmentation. You know, a version for this or that tiny island nation, at triple the price it costs in the US (even though it's the same bits), or not available at all, or months later. Yes, IP rights are complicated, but I really can't be bothered as a consumer. Don't want my money? I find other ways to keep myself entertained, no worries. Also, I'm not willing to pay more for ebooks than pbooks, ever. My price point is what I'll pay for the same book plus shipping.

10-09-2011, 05:54 AM	#22
Jhary Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 3302 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: Pocketbook 360°	In Germany is the so called Price Fixing Law. And many really interesting Ebooks are often moore expensive then Printed ones. There is even a Problem with copyright free books, it coud be that there is a loophole and some one claims Copyright.

10-09-2011, 06:55 AM	#23
rogue_librarian Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 4269175 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Europe Device: Pocketbook Basic 613	The "Price Fixing Law" (Buchpreisbindung) is not (solely) responsible for high ebook prices. It just means that nobody must undersell "official" prices. It certainly doesn't mean that publishers must ask the same price for both ebooks and pbooks. Oh, and it doesn't apply to non-German books at all.

10-10-2011, 04:08 AM	#25
Pinecone Guru Posts: 902 Karma: 1660722 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Maryland Device: PRS-650, PRS-600, PRS-350	But just because a book is old, does not mean the in print pbook version is cheaper. So why would the ebook version be cheaper?

10-10-2011, 04:50 AM	#26
rogue_librarian Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 4269175 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Europe Device: Pocketbook Basic 613	It is, actually. Once the first-run hardcover editions are sold off there is usually a trade or even mass market paperback version available. Also, and that's what the ebooks are competing against, there is a substantial used-books market. Older books routinely go for a few cents + shipping at Amazon.

10-10-2011, 07:11 AM	#28
rogue_librarian Guru Posts: 973 Karma: 4269175 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Europe Device: Pocketbook Basic 613	You know, that's actually not a a bad idea. Perhaps these scanning services could add an option to acquire books in your name so there'd be no double shipping. It's still PDF, I understand, and not epub, but I still think that could help with the extortionist prices for backlist ebooks.

10-10-2011, 08:02 AM	#30
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,901 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Maybe for some poetry or short stories, articles, essays, etc. (some already there on Amazon and others). I don't think full-length books will drop that low other than for "close-out" or "archive" kinds of things....

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