Amazon's $9.99 eBook Attacked as "Predatory Pricing"

[jasonkchapman]

Originally Posted by =X=

It is when authors/publishers/retailers are more concerned about $ than writing that is the true attack on literature.

I assume I'm misreading this. Are you saying that any writer who wants to get paid is attacking literature?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Slite

Ok, so the bussiness-model is based on the fact that you sell paperbacks at a loss because you have already "brought home the bacon" with hardbacks?

No - you can sell paperbacks at a profit because the hardback sales have already paid the up-front costs of producing the book. What people seem to want are eBooks released simultaneously with the hardback, but at paperback prices. That's a pricing model that just doesn't work.

[captcrouton]

Has anyone done the math to figure out the cost of printing a single book? I know that Print on Demand exists because they were able to bring that price down. And if they can print a vanity book for me? It must be alot cheaper for a publishing company.

I'm looking at the price of paperbacks and saying, "Why are they charging so much?" There's many entries on Amazon where the paperback is actually cheaper. That doesn't make any sense at all to the consumer (not to mention the environment).

[Penforhire]

I'm glad someone buys hardcovers because of the thousands of books I bought over the years maybe five were hardcover. I hate 'em.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No - you can sell paperbacks at a profit because the hardback sales have already paid the up-front costs of producing the book. What people seem to want are eBooks released simultaneously with the hardback, but at paperback prices. That's a pricing model that just doesn't work.

I agree.

The real issue is that for every industry, going digital is requiring a complete rethinking of "business as usual".Trying to fit it into the existing models is what is causing all the friction for creators, producers, and consumers.

[charleski]

Originally Posted by captcrouton

Has anyone done the math to figure out the cost of printing a single book?

http://uk.cpibooks.com/short-run-and...od-calculator/

Costs for a run of 5000 paperbacks on the cheapest paper without any cover finishing is £7000.

[WillAdams]

It all depends on the size of the print run.

There're certain fixed costs (editorial, design, typesetting, plates, paper, ink, &c.) for getting a book ready to print --- then how much each copy costs depends on how long one keeps the presses running.

Print 1,000 copies of a gallery catalogue? Say $6,000 for the fixed costs, so $6 per copy. Print 10,000 copies of it? Your fixed costs are pretty much the same, tack on a pittance for the 10-fold increase in paper and ink usage (even polyester plates will hold up for a print run of ~20,000 or so) and you're at something like $0.65 per copy.

People at publishing houses get paid big bucks to determine what size print run will yield the greatest possible profit --- it's an art and black magic and very risky.

William

[jasonkchapman]

Originally Posted by kjk

I agree.

The real issue is that for every industry, going digital is requiring a complete rethinking of "business as usual".Trying to fit it into the existing models is what is causing all the friction for creators, producers, and consumers.

True. The problem is that there's no great big switch to change the market over from paper to bits. In some way--and for some time--the old and new are going to have to coexist. That means finding a way for everyone to meet in the middle somewhere to exchange money for goods.

[TallMomof2]

I won't even buy the bestsellers at $9.99. I'd rather wait a couple of months and borrow it for free from the library. Most of the new ebooks are coming out in DRMed ePub which makes it a snap to liberate and convert for my Kindle. Sure the library pays some kind of licensing fee but there is no additional cost to me.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No - you can sell paperbacks at a profit because the hardback sales have already paid the up-front costs of producing the book. What people seem to want are eBooks released simultaneously with the hardback, but at paperback prices. That's a pricing model that just doesn't work.

That is exactly what I want. I won't be buying the hardcover anyway. So high eBook pricing is just going to get me not to spend.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by Tom2112

Typical corporate BS.

How are they supposed to rip people off if someone is undercutting them? Competition is great for the consumer, but not for the greedy corporation.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by jasonkchapman

I assume I'm misreading this. Are you saying that any writer who wants to get paid is attacking literature?

No that is not what I am everybody has the right to make money.

My statement is more geared toward those entitles whoms primary focus is about payment.

There are those who write for money and those that write for literature. A person who writes for lit would rather give their work away for fee and have a million readers. A person writting for money would rather sell one book and make a million.

Now you tell me who is most likely going to write a better book

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by jasonkchapman

I assume I'm misreading this. Are you saying that any writer who wants to get paid is attacking literature?

"more concerned about $ then writing" is a lot different than "wants to get paid".

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by captcrouton

Has anyone done the math to figure out the cost of printing a single book? I know that Print on Demand exists because they were able to bring that price down. And if they can print a vanity book for me? It must be alot cheaper for a publishing company.

There are a lot more additional costs to a paper book than just the printing. Shipping, storing, returning/destroying unsold stock... basically any of the costs due to it being a physical product.

[calvin-c]

Originally Posted by =X=

No that is not what I am everybody has the right to make money.

My statement is more geared toward those entitles whoms primary focus is about payment.

There are those who write for money and those that write for literature. A person who writes for lit would rather give their work away for fee and have a million readers. A person writting for money would rather sell one book and make a million.

Now you tell me who is most likely going to write a better book

Define 'better'. IMO the person writing for money is more likely to write the better book-because they're the ones who will pay attention to their customers. The person 'writing for literature' is more likely to pay attention only to their own opinion of what's 'best'.

I, obviously, define 'better' as 'more popular' rather than as 'satisfying esoteric critics'.