Why are Sony Ebooks more expensive? - Page 2

doreenjoy · 07-12-2009, 07:43 PM

Part of the issue is that the market for e-books is so tiny. A publisher has to earn back the costs of production on far fewer sold copies of an e-book.

coase · 07-12-2009, 10:15 PM

That's part of the problem. Nobody's thinking ahead. This is like the debacle with Sony's SACD. They were so busy trying to squeeze every last penny out of it, they neglected to make it popular first. One thing you can say for Amazon is that they understand the need to subsidize the book prices if necessary to get the critical mass for a viable long term ebook market. I think the people in charge of book publishing don't know how to deal with either digital or the internet and wish it would just go away, in the same way that newspapers have till recently ignored blogs and the internet.

doreenjoy · 07-13-2009, 01:31 AM

I can sympathize with the print publishers because their profit margins are slipping to 14% and below if the figures I've heard are accurate. Maybe they can't *afford* to be pioneers at this point. I think some will go the way of the dinosaurs, or the American railroad industry at the very least.

JSWolf · 07-13-2009, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

Part of the issue is that the market for e-books is so tiny. A publisher has to earn back the costs of production on far fewer sold copies of an e-book.

Not really. Most eBooks also have a paper copy sold in bookstores. So the eBooks do not have to make up the cost of production as when you add in the sales of thee Book and pBook(s), you'll make up the costs if it sells well enough overall.

coase · 07-13-2009, 07:43 PM

As for me, I bought the 505 for what it could do for me today. I have no long term confidence in Sony nor in these particular formats. My assumption is that we are in the Wordstar phase of ebook readers. Trying to guess the final configuration of the market and what Readers and standards will emerge is like trying to guess the outcome of the word processor market in early 1982. At some point if this market is to solidify, it will be possible to buy lots of ebooks cheaply and conveniently, and things like color and diagrams will be easily handled. But that will come a bit further down the road and publishers also must realize it's better to sell lots of books at $5 or a few at $25. Or someone will force them to.

Of course if really good laptop screens emerge (good for reading novels) and battery life stretches to days, then the standalone Reader might die but the ebook market will only grow and evolve whether the leading publishers like it or not. They couldn't stop MP3s and they won't stop digital books from eating their core business.

narbeauchamp · 07-13-2009, 08:18 PM

Whenever I am buying books I always try to compare the various sites,plus the usual retailers-and also balancing the fact that some books I know I want to read,but not keep (I may want to donate,sell ,give away etc). Really glad to hear about the ebookprice.info site,I've bookmarked it,thanks for sharing it !!!!

chaznsc · 07-13-2009, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuna

It depends a lot on the magazine of course, but most mainstream magazines are heavily subsidised by the advertising they carry. Digital versions rarey match that level of advertising revenue, and still have to be edited and formatted for e-readers - so they cost more to produce over the price of the original magazine, and bring in less revenue.

Read this:

Publishers typically earn about $2.15 per digital book versus 26 cents for a print copy, according to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. While publishers see digital books as the future, the market is dominated by the Kindle, leaving them vulnerable to Amazon.com’s bargaining power.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=aWhjmdVFcC2Q

advocate2 · 07-14-2009, 09:55 AM

Chaznsc,

Thanks for the great article. It explained much about the ebook battles a'brewing. It is an interesting pricing strategy by Amazon. They must do a breakeven analysis. If they get enough Kindles in the world, they will be able to start hitting the Publshers with price reductions based upon volume. I wonder what Amazon makes per Kindle? It would be crazy if they are selling the Kindles at a loss as well.

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07-12-2009, 07:43 PM	#16
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	Part of the issue is that the market for e-books is so tiny. A publisher has to earn back the costs of production on far fewer sold copies of an e-book.

07-12-2009, 10:15 PM	#17
coase Enthusiast Posts: 41 Karma: 500 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: Nook Color	That's part of the problem. Nobody's thinking ahead. This is like the debacle with Sony's SACD. They were so busy trying to squeeze every last penny out of it, they neglected to make it popular first. One thing you can say for Amazon is that they understand the need to subsidize the book prices if necessary to get the critical mass for a viable long term ebook market. I think the people in charge of book publishing don't know how to deal with either digital or the internet and wish it would just go away, in the same way that newspapers have till recently ignored blogs and the internet.

07-13-2009, 01:31 AM	#18
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	I can sympathize with the print publishers because their profit margins are slipping to 14% and below if the figures I've heard are accurate. Maybe they can't afford to be pioneers at this point. I think some will go the way of the dinosaurs, or the American railroad industry at the very least.

07-13-2009, 07:43 PM	#20
coase Enthusiast Posts: 41 Karma: 500 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: Nook Color	As for me, I bought the 505 for what it could do for me today. I have no long term confidence in Sony nor in these particular formats. My assumption is that we are in the Wordstar phase of ebook readers. Trying to guess the final configuration of the market and what Readers and standards will emerge is like trying to guess the outcome of the word processor market in early 1982. At some point if this market is to solidify, it will be possible to buy lots of ebooks cheaply and conveniently, and things like color and diagrams will be easily handled. But that will come a bit further down the road and publishers also must realize it's better to sell lots of books at $5 or a few at $25. Or someone will force them to. Of course if really good laptop screens emerge (good for reading novels) and battery life stretches to days, then the standalone Reader might die but the ebook market will only grow and evolve whether the leading publishers like it or not. They couldn't stop MP3s and they won't stop digital books from eating their core business.

07-13-2009, 08:18 PM	#21
narbeauchamp Groupie Posts: 170 Karma: 98 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New York,NY Device: PRS700BC/PRS505/TZ350N/MacBook/Aspire One/iPad/iPhone/BB 9630	Whenever I am buying books I always try to compare the various sites,plus the usual retailers-and also balancing the fact that some books I know I want to read,but not keep (I may want to donate,sell ,give away etc). Really glad to hear about the ebookprice.info site,I've bookmarked it,thanks for sharing it !!!!

07-14-2009, 09:55 AM	#23
advocate2 My Kingdom for Karma Posts: 430 Karma: 7125 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Las Vegas Device: Sony 350, 650, 950, Nook Color	Chaznsc, Thanks for the great article. It explained much about the ebook battles a'brewing. It is an interesting pricing strategy by Amazon. They must do a breakeven analysis. If they get enough Kindles in the world, they will be able to start hitting the Publshers with price reductions based upon volume. I wonder what Amazon makes per Kindle? It would be crazy if they are selling the Kindles at a loss as well.

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