Does an ebook sale represent, to you, a lost print sale? - Page 3

JoeD · 09-15-2009, 01:15 PM

For fiction, I buy eBooks only now. If it's not available in eBook I'll wait until it is or until I lose interest in reading that book. There are so many books I want to read that are available as eBooks that it's no great loss if a few authors I'd like to read don't release their books digitally.

For reference books and other technical books, I still prefer paper books. Maybe when larger eInk displays become available I'll change my mind on that.

I do find it strange that some authors/publishers are hesitant to get into the eBook market for fear of piracy, yet their books are often already available _in_ eBook format for download illegally. Having a legal source to buy them from wouldn't stop the piracy but at least those who wish to purchase the books would actually have the option.

ilovejedd · 09-15-2009, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ficbot

I do not have the space to store physical copies of every book I might want to read.

Same here. I've reached critical mass when it comes to books. Instead of cost, shelf space (is that even the correct term to use when I've started storing books in boxes underneath the couch, bed, coffee table, etc?) has become the limiting commodity. The only time I buy a pbook nowadays is if it's a hard cover version of an absolute favorite author/series. Even then, I buy a DRM-free or "un-DRM-able" ebook copy if available. More often than not, the ebook version just means an extra sale for them, if I already have the title in pbook.

Since I've got tons of hard drive space, it's easy to stock up on a lot of ebooks. My impulse buying has gone up since I started reading ebooks, too. Titles I buy in ebook form, I would never have bought in pbook. I probably wouldn't have bothered looking for them in the library, either. Too much hassle finding parking...

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeD

I do find it strange that some authors/publishers are hesitant to get into the eBook market for fear of piracy, yet their books are often already available _in_ eBook format for download illegally. Having a legal source to buy them from wouldn't stop the piracy but at least those who wish to purchase the books would actually have the option.

Yep, my thoughts exactly.

Jack Tingle · 09-15-2009, 02:06 PM

Xenophon's decision table is very similar to mine. I prefer a non-DRMed ebook first, an MMPB (new or used) second, and a hardcover/TPB last. I have to really want the book in a hurry to buy a hardcover copy.

The only exception to this is technical reference books, which I like in hardcover for a variety of (to me) good reasons. Second choice for those is ebooks, with or without DRM.

WRT DRM, I won't buy DRMed fiction or popular non-fiction ebooks and strip them. That's wrong to me on a variety of complex levels. As a result, when a publisher applies DRM it's a lost sale for the ebook. I may or may not be interested enough to buy a MMPB or other format.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

Hellmark · 09-15-2009, 02:18 PM

See, for me, the first thing to turn me to eBooks, was tech manuals. The ability to search was great, not to mention the ability to print out a page and not worry about it getting grease covered. I have a PDF copy of a 1951 Studebaker shop book, noting all the procedures to pretty much fix anything on the car, and it has come in handy many times.

Ginwen · 09-15-2009, 02:26 PM

If I want to read it enough, I'll buy the print book. That's pretty rare, though, I think once in the last 3 months. Mostly due to space, but I also don't really like having to carry the book around--the Kindle I have the habit of just bringing with me in the morning, a regular book I have to think about (and I am all about routine in the morning).

More often, I just skip it until it comes out electronically, once in a great while I'll put a hold at the library.

bbusybookworm · 09-15-2009, 02:33 PM

I voted No, but thaere is one Caveat.

While Most of my book buying is in ebooks by choice as I travel a lot, and no longer have space to store as many books as I want, there are afew limited books I buy in Paper.

I'm only willing to get a paper book if I want it to complete a collection (Pratchett!) or If more people are going to be reading it. Still those books are few and far betwee, and even then I will usually look for the cheapest price I can get for it.

On the flip side, 70% of the books I've bought over the last couple of years I would never have bough in paper, as I would probably not have found them or ignored them.
The convinence of Ebooks, along with being able to browse and buy on impluse has led me to buying alot more books.

delphidb96 · 09-15-2009, 02:35 PM

For me, purchasing an ebook version is sometimes an "instead of" but other times it's an "along with" option for whether I buy a dead-tree version. So my answer is "it depends."

Derek

PennyPie · 09-15-2009, 02:38 PM

As we are currently downsizing, intending on living aboard a 42 foot sailboat, there will be NO room for paper books (other than cruising guides & other necessary 'boat related' paper books. So for us, it represents the only way we will be acquiring books.

rebarnmom · 09-15-2009, 02:41 PM

I love to go to bookstores, but I find it terribly hard these days to buy a print edition of a book, as I am most wanting it in ebook form. I've had to wait, but some titles I've wanted have eventually come out in ebook form. So, I'm willing to be patient. There are always exceptions, books for my daughter (she still prefers the actual pback, but I can see that changing in the future as well), workbooks for studies I'm doing and sometimes very small pocket-sized books that easily fit in my purse. But I have way too many print books taking up living space as it is.

shighfield · 09-15-2009, 02:46 PM

I don't buy Paper books anymore, like a lot of you I have no room in my house for them, and they end up lost before I get a chance to read. Both my wife and myself are 100% Ebook only and trust me when I say we're not saving any money! Darn fictionwise specials cost me a small fortune.

Daithi · 09-15-2009, 03:50 PM

In my case it certainly does -- just not all the time.

If I didn't have an ereader (I ain't saying liseuseuseuse) then I would buy a pbook. Therefore, of course it represents a lost paper book sell. However, this doesn't mean that every time I buy an ebook that I would have bought the paper book had the ebook not been available. In fact, I've bought a lot more books than I used to buy, now that I own an ereader.

junkml · 09-15-2009, 06:05 PM

I had to reply "other" an ebook sale is not necessarily a lost paper sale. If it turns out to be a book I absolutely love, I'll end up buying the hardback version. I've done this for 3 or 4 series so far. I bought the ebooks, absolutely loved the series, and ended up buying all the books in hardback.

If these books had not been available as ebooks, they would not have made money from me at all, as I would not have EVER bought the paper copies.

dmaul1114 · 09-15-2009, 06:16 PM

No, as I'd never buy a print book of most things I read on e-books. I'd pretty much quit buying fiction as I hated having books around I'd never read again (or have to hassle with selling them or giving them away).

Stuff I buy paper books of are things I just want a hardback of, or all my academic books since I want to be able to mark them up, write notes in the margins, be able to flip through them and find key passages when writing a paper etc. Plus space isn't an issue since those stay in my campus office where I have a couple large book shelves.

So e-books haven't effected those. Maybe when there's a nice tablet device out down the road.

fugazied · 09-15-2009, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeneS

Ditto for me. I no longer have storage space for more pbooks.

I agree, I have freed up a lot of space by using ebooks!

I would like to see the real figures though, I am sure publishers make a lot more on ebooks than printed books (profit per sale). When they get an ebook sale it is probably a higher profit for them so it's not a lost print sale in that regards (the publishers still make the money).

What I would like to see though, is bookshops embracing ebooks very quickly in a very strong way. For them to survive, they will need to have free internet access for customers, an integrated coffee shop, a huge range of print books (they no longer will need to stock 100 copies of a best seller), and the ability to buy ebooks on the spot from them.

So you walk into a book shop, have a coffee, flick through paper versions, then buy your ebook version and leave. They will need to make the bookshop a kind of communal spot, more like a library. Because my only concern with 'lost print sales' is losing bookshops, that would be a tradgedy.

goldilocks · 09-15-2009, 07:51 PM

I selected "other".

I have never been a “hard cover” buyer--too expensive (oh maybe at the Dollar Tree I have picked some up!). I have purchased and received many paperback books as gifts over the years and my house is overrun with books! Even though I have donated many after reading them.

After I received my reader for Christmas last year I have bought around 6 pbooks. But, I have bought more eBooks then I normally would have bought in paper. I can’t say the publishers are losing money from me. Especially since I used to buy a lot of second hand books which the publishers were not making any profit on anyway.

There are many eBooks I have purchased that I probably would not have purchased as pbooks. Not that I didn’t enjoy them, but no room for pbooks and searching in a book store for something that might catch my eye is not as easy as finding them on the internet.

Now, I do have some computer programming books and other non-fiction which are paper and I don’t think eBooks will take the place of them yet. I may need to flip back-and-forth in the manual which is not that convenient on a reader.

So, although pbook sells are probably down the upside for Publishers is people are still buying the books as eBooks. So what does it matter, they must be making a better profit. They just need to cut out printing so many pbooks and start concentrating on eBooks a bit more.

View Poll Results: Doea an ebook sale to you represent a lost print sale?
Yes- if there was no ebook version, I would buy a paper copy	29	17.16%
No- I would not buy a print copy even if there was no e-version	93	55.03%
No- I only read from the library and would not buy a print copy OR an ebook copy	7	4.14%
Other- explain	40	23.67%
Voters: 169. You may not vote on this poll

09-15-2009, 01:15 PM	#31
JoeD Guru Posts: 895 Karma: 4383958 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: na	For fiction, I buy eBooks only now. If it's not available in eBook I'll wait until it is or until I lose interest in reading that book. There are so many books I want to read that are available as eBooks that it's no great loss if a few authors I'd like to read don't release their books digitally. For reference books and other technical books, I still prefer paper books. Maybe when larger eInk displays become available I'll change my mind on that. I do find it strange that some authors/publishers are hesitant to get into the eBook market for fear of piracy, yet their books are often already available _in_ eBook format for download illegally. Having a legal source to buy them from wouldn't stop the piracy but at least those who wish to purchase the books would actually have the option. Last edited by JoeD; 09-15-2009 at 01:22 PM.

09-15-2009, 06:16 PM	#43
dmaul1114 Wizard Posts: 2,300 Karma: 1121709 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Amazon Kindle 1	No, as I'd never buy a print book of most things I read on e-books. I'd pretty much quit buying fiction as I hated having books around I'd never read again (or have to hassle with selling them or giving them away). Stuff I buy paper books of are things I just want a hardback of, or all my academic books since I want to be able to mark them up, write notes in the margins, be able to flip through them and find key passages when writing a paper etc. Plus space isn't an issue since those stay in my campus office where I have a couple large book shelves. So e-books haven't effected those. Maybe when there's a nice tablet device out down the road. Last edited by dmaul1114; 09-15-2009 at 06:32 PM.

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09-15-2009, 02:06 PM	#33
Jack Tingle Punctuation Fetishist Posts: 557 Karma: 1070000 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The Bluest Commonwealth In East America Device: Kindle PW, Nexus 7 (2013), Galaxy S5 phone, Galaxy Tab 4 8.0	Xenophon's decision table is very similar to mine. I prefer a non-DRMed ebook first, an MMPB (new or used) second, and a hardcover/TPB last. I have to really want the book in a hurry to buy a hardcover copy. The only exception to this is technical reference books, which I like in hardcover for a variety of (to me) good reasons. Second choice for those is ebooks, with or without DRM. WRT DRM, I won't buy DRMed fiction or popular non-fiction ebooks and strip them. That's wrong to me on a variety of complex levels. As a result, when a publisher applies DRM it's a lost sale for the ebook. I may or may not be interested enough to buy a MMPB or other format. Regards, Jack Tingle

09-15-2009, 02:18 PM	#34
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,592 Karma: 4290425 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Foristell, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3, Kobo Libra 2	See, for me, the first thing to turn me to eBooks, was tech manuals. The ability to search was great, not to mention the ability to print out a page and not worry about it getting grease covered. I have a PDF copy of a 1951 Studebaker shop book, noting all the procedures to pretty much fix anything on the car, and it has come in handy many times.

09-15-2009, 02:26 PM	#35
Ginwen Addict Posts: 261 Karma: 777376 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kent, WA Device: Kindle Touch/IPad	If I want to read it enough, I'll buy the print book. That's pretty rare, though, I think once in the last 3 months. Mostly due to space, but I also don't really like having to carry the book around--the Kindle I have the habit of just bringing with me in the morning, a regular book I have to think about (and I am all about routine in the morning). More often, I just skip it until it comes out electronically, once in a great while I'll put a hold at the library.

09-15-2009, 02:33 PM	#36
bbusybookworm Tech Junkie Posts: 1,027 Karma: 10080 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Earth Device: iPad, MotoXStyle, OnePlusOne	I voted No, but thaere is one Caveat. While Most of my book buying is in ebooks by choice as I travel a lot, and no longer have space to store as many books as I want, there are afew limited books I buy in Paper. I'm only willing to get a paper book if I want it to complete a collection (Pratchett!) or If more people are going to be reading it. Still those books are few and far betwee, and even then I will usually look for the cheapest price I can get for it. On the flip side, 70% of the books I've bought over the last couple of years I would never have bough in paper, as I would probably not have found them or ignored them. The convinence of Ebooks, along with being able to browse and buy on impluse has led me to buying alot more books.

09-15-2009, 02:35 PM	#37
delphidb96 Wizard Posts: 2,999 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Citrus Heights, California Device: TWO Kindle 2s, one each Bookeen Cybook Gen3, Sony PRS-500, Axim X51V	For me, purchasing an ebook version is sometimes an "instead of" but other times it's an "along with" option for whether I buy a dead-tree version. So my answer is "it depends." Derek

09-15-2009, 02:38 PM	#38
PennyPie Cocoa & Toast...mmmmmm... Posts: 275 Karma: 1000 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Ohio Device: Sony PRS-700, iPhone	As we are currently downsizing, intending on living aboard a 42 foot sailboat, there will be NO room for paper books (other than cruising guides & other necessary 'boat related' paper books. So for us, it represents the only way we will be acquiring books.

09-15-2009, 02:41 PM	#39
rebarnmom Wizard Posts: 1,289 Karma: 4525055 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: rural Illinois, USA Device: Sony PRS-700 (traded in), Sony PRS-650	I love to go to bookstores, but I find it terribly hard these days to buy a print edition of a book, as I am most wanting it in ebook form. I've had to wait, but some titles I've wanted have eventually come out in ebook form. So, I'm willing to be patient. There are always exceptions, books for my daughter (she still prefers the actual pback, but I can see that changing in the future as well), workbooks for studies I'm doing and sometimes very small pocket-sized books that easily fit in my purse. But I have way too many print books taking up living space as it is.

09-15-2009, 02:46 PM	#40
shighfield Groupie!? GROUPIE!?!? Posts: 319 Karma: 649 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: The Dirty Shwa Device: EBW 1150, Libra Color	I don't buy Paper books anymore, like a lot of you I have no room in my house for them, and they end up lost before I get a chance to read. Both my wife and myself are 100% Ebook only and trust me when I say we're not saving any money! Darn fictionwise specials cost me a small fortune.

09-15-2009, 03:50 PM	#41
Daithi Publishers are evil! Posts: 2,418 Karma: 36205264 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Rhode Island Device: Various Kindles	In my case it certainly does -- just not all the time. If I didn't have an ereader (I ain't saying liseuseuseuse) then I would buy a pbook. Therefore, of course it represents a lost paper book sell. However, this doesn't mean that every time I buy an ebook that I would have bought the paper book had the ebook not been available. In fact, I've bought a lot more books than I used to buy, now that I own an ereader.

09-15-2009, 06:05 PM	#42
junkml Addict Posts: 277 Karma: 1004969 Join Date: Mar 2007 Device: Sony Reader	I had to reply "other" an ebook sale is not necessarily a lost paper sale. If it turns out to be a book I absolutely love, I'll end up buying the hardback version. I've done this for 3 or 4 series so far. I bought the ebooks, absolutely loved the series, and ended up buying all the books in hardback. If these books had not been available as ebooks, they would not have made money from me at all, as I would not have EVER bought the paper copies.

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09-15-2009, 07:51 PM	#45
goldilocks Addict Posts: 344 Karma: 1222222 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Florida Device: Sony PRS-505	I selected "other". I have never been a “hard cover” buyer--too expensive (oh maybe at the Dollar Tree I have picked some up!). I have purchased and received many paperback books as gifts over the years and my house is overrun with books! Even though I have donated many after reading them. After I received my reader for Christmas last year I have bought around 6 pbooks. But, I have bought more eBooks then I normally would have bought in paper. I can’t say the publishers are losing money from me. Especially since I used to buy a lot of second hand books which the publishers were not making any profit on anyway. There are many eBooks I have purchased that I probably would not have purchased as pbooks. Not that I didn’t enjoy them, but no room for pbooks and searching in a book store for something that might catch my eye is not as easy as finding them on the internet. Now, I do have some computer programming books and other non-fiction which are paper and I don’t think eBooks will take the place of them yet. I may need to flip back-and-forth in the manual which is not that convenient on a reader. So, although pbook sells are probably down the upside for Publishers is people are still buying the books as eBooks. So what does it matter, they must be making a better profit. They just need to cut out printing so many pbooks and start concentrating on eBooks a bit more.