Boycott all books over 9.99!!

[europas_ice]

Originally Posted by europas_ice

Library ebooks aren't necessarily as great as they sound. I can't read the ebooks that my library offers on my Sony because they have some sort of special software protections that only allow you to read the book for 2 weeks or whatever, like a regular library book. But Sony can't process it, so I can't read any of them on it.

Someone in another post just told me that the newer Sony models (505&700) can read library books. I've got the 500. Just FYI.

[fugazied]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

A boycott is unlikely to be effective. What might be effective is if everyone who didn't buy an ebook because of the high price (or the DRM) wrote a letter or sent an email to the publishers informing them of their decision.

That's exactly right. The most effective strategy would also include sending an email to the author if possible. It is obscene that a creative work which is usually done by 1 person and then distributed is what is essentially a 5 cents per copy medium (hardly any reproduction costs) should cost over $10. If you bought the kindle expecting books at sub $10 it seems like we've been jipped.

[lilac_jive]

So the bundle that I just got with 4 books (which are normally $5 or so a piece) for $13 is bad? Because I sure thought it was a good deal.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by fugazied

That's exactly right. The most effective strategy would also include sending an email to the author if possible. It is obscene that a creative work which is usually done by 1 person and then distributed is what is essentially a 5 cents per copy medium (hardly any reproduction costs) should cost over $10. If you bought the kindle expecting books at sub $10 it seems like we've been jipped.

I don't feel gypped. Amazon never promised all books would be $9.99 Here is what they said.

"Whether you prefer biographies, classics, investment guides, thrillers, or sci-fi, thousands of your favorite books are available, including 103 of 110 books currently found on the New York Times® Best Seller list. New York Times Best Sellers and most new releases are $9.99, and you'll find many books for less."



Once they fall off the best seller list, or never make it there, all bets are off.

[bwaldron]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

I don't feel gypped. Amazon never promised all books would be $9.99

I don't feel gypped, either. Quite the contrary -- Amazon has provided me with better pricing overall than other ebook sellers.

I'm not happy when a formerly $9.99 book goes up in price, or a niche book is originally priced higher than that -- but Amazon never promised me that all books would be $9.99 or would never go up in price.

[pghaworth]

I support the boycott completely.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by pghaworth

I support the boycott completely.

Why. How are you 'getting gypped'?

[brn_eyed_girl81]

So far, I haven't bought anything for 9.99 or above. I'm sure that when a book comes out that I have to have immediately comes out, I won't mind too much paying the $9.99 since the hardback would be over $20. Although there was a book a couple weeks ago that I really wanted that I did not buy specifically because it was $13.95. I decided to wait until it came down.

I especially wish some of this children's books were cheaper - they are much shorter and quicker reads. But I always felt that way in non-ebooks also.

[dirtylc]

I read that this morning and I believe that the older e book veterans are so excited about just having e books that they will fall for anything. The junior members are expecting and demand lower pricing, good for us. If we have to roll the companies, the sycophants, and anyone else in our way to accomplish this we will do so. In the great George Bush's words "Bring em on!"

[Alisa]

Pray tell, how do you intend to roll them? Specifically.

[pdurrant]

And it takes a very high book price for Amazon to make a loss on selling and eBook at £9.99. Amazon pays publishers 35% of the retail price. So they'd only actually lose money on books with a retail over $28.50

Originally Posted by HarryT

The prices are set by publishers. "Mega-corporations" like Amazon can afford to take the hit of selling best-sellers at a loss. Small eBook stores clearly cannot. The original poster is somewhat misguided, IMHO.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by fugazied

It is obscene that a creative work which is usually done by 1 person and then distributed is what is essentially a 5 cents per copy medium (hardly any reproduction costs) should cost over $10.

"Reproduction costs" are entirely irrelevent. If you spend 6 months writing a book, what is a fair rate of return for that work?

If I can reasonably expect to sell 5000 copies of a book, and I decide that my work is worth, say, $20,000 to me (hardly a high rate of pay for 6 months work), then I need to make $4 profit per copy. If Amazon pays me 35% of the book's selling price, that means that the book needs to sell for $11.50 to give me my $4.

[Barcey]

Originally Posted by HarryT

"Reproduction costs" are entirely irrelevent. If you spend 6 months writing a book, what is a fair rate of return for that work?

If I can reasonably expect to sell 5000 copies of a book, and I decide that my work is worth, say, $20,000 to me (hardly a high rate of pay for 6 months work), then I need to make $4 profit per copy. If Amazon pays me 35% of the book's selling price, that means that the book needs to sell for $11.50 to give me my $4.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that reproduction costs are totally irrelevant. If you only sell 500 copies because the consumer thinks your price is too high you don't make your $20K either. Who knows if you lower the price to $5 maybe you'll sell 20,000 copies.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Barcey

I wouldn't go so far as to say that reproduction costs are totally irrelevant. If you only sell 500 copies because the consumer thinks your price is too high you don't make your $20K either. Who knows if you lower the price to $5 maybe you'll sell 20,000 copies.

True. My basic point, however, still stands - that you need to do this type of calculation in determining the price for a book, and that the actual cost of delivering the book to the customer is generally not a significant factor.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by dirtylc

I read that this morning and I believe that the older e book veterans are so excited about just having e books that they will fall for anything. The junior members are expecting and demand lower pricing, good for us. If we have to roll the companies, the sycophants, and anyone else in our way to accomplish this we will do so. In the great George Bush's words "Bring em on!"

I'm a new adopter and am fairly happy with the pricing, for now. I will expect them to go down in a few years though.