Amazon/B&N/Kobo can once again discount ebooks from the 3 Publishers starting June 10 - Page 5

MikeB1972 · 06-14-2012, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I buy primarily "mid-range" books - old books by reasonably well-known authors, mostly in the mystery/detective genre. Eg, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Ruth Rendell, Dorothy L. Sayers, etc. I honestly haven't noticed agency pricing affecting the price of these; they're mostly in the £4-5 range, which I consider reasonable for an eBook.

Agency pricing seems to be better worked out here in the UK, I noticed a price drop in most stuff (especially backlist).

DiapDealer · 06-14-2012, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

I buy primarily "mid-range" books - old books by reasonably well-known authors, mostly in the mystery/detective genre. Eg, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Ruth Rendell, Dorothy L. Sayers, etc. I honestly haven't noticed agency pricing affecting the price of these; they're mostly in the £4-5 range, which I consider reasonable for an eBook.

As do I. But would you say the bulk of the book-buying public in general does the same?

Agency pricing cost the people who buy a lot of New Bestsellers more money. And people who buy New Bestsellers are the demographic that the industry butters its bread with. That's all I'm saying.

Heck, I was paying hardcover prices for best-seller ebooks before the $9.99 best-seller was a gleam in Amazon's eye. So frankly, I feel like I'm still getting a bit of a bargain compared to that. But that doesn't lead me to deceive myself into thinking that agency pricing hasn't resulted in a general price increase for the majority of the ebook buying public.

stonetools · 06-14-2012, 10:40 AM

BN's response includes a chart that shows that ebook prices in general FELL during agency.

LINK

Quote:

Under agency, “publishers have engaged in vigorous competition on price, which, contrary to the superficial pricing analysis in the complaints before the Court, has resulted in lower e-book prices,” B&N says, presenting a chart that shows “average e-book price (weighed by units sold)” between August 2009 and February 2012. Barnes & Noble previously shared this data with the DOJ but is revealing it to the public for the first time.

Furthermore, Barnes & Noble says that “hardback retail prices” have also declined under agency

Now that's most likely because folks shifted to buying bestsellers to buying indies-which was actually great for indie discovery. If prices fall for bestsellers again, its going to hurt indies.
If agency pricing goes away, folks will shift back to buying bestsellers- but then again, windowing might come back. Consumers here seem to hate windowing even more than agency pricing.

crossi · 06-14-2012, 10:47 AM

Not me. I'm fine with windowing. I always waited a year for the MM paperbacks anyway. I wouldn't even consider the trade version of paperbacks.

DiapDealer · 06-14-2012, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crossi

Not me. I'm fine with windowing. I always waited a year for the MM paperbacks anyway. I wouldn't even consider the trade version of paperbacks.

Windowing probably wouldn't technically affect my ebook buying habits either, but I'd still much rather have the option to purchase the new release in ebook form immediately... even if that meant I had to pay hardcover price for the privilege.

Quote:

Originally Posted by B&N

presenting a chart that shows “average e-book price (weighed by units sold)” between August 2009 and February 2012.

Saying "weighted by units sold" and then not including the data/methods used to actually "weight" the results is not very "in the interest of full disclosure" of B&N. Just sayin'.

AnemicOak · 06-14-2012, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhadin

The one thing that hasn't really been factually demonstrated is whether once you go past the heavily discounted bestsellers, which were few in number, did agency pricing really change the pricing dynamic? I know that anecdotally there has been a claim that pricing went up and that people can point to a few books where that was true, but I'm asking about pricing over the line of books.

I don't buy the "bestsellers" that were the subject of Amazon's $9.99 pricing scheme, and of the books that I do buy, my experience has been that some were up a little in price and others were down a little in price but that on average there was really no change. I wonder what the true pricing facts are.

I don't recall seeing any actual broad numbers on the subject, it would be interesting. All I can go off of is my own book buying.

I can say that I mainly buy books once they're mass market priced which now means $6.99-$9.99 and before Agency pricing the list price on those books was about the same $6.99-$9.99, but they were always discounted (usually 15-35%) so that their street price was often a bit less than the pbook. So for me there was definately an increase in book prices.

On the other hand for the small number of "hardcover priced' ebooks I buy that weren't $9.99 bestsellers the $12.99-$14.99 pricing now employed has been about the same, sometimes a bit more sometimes a bit less.

Where I've seen the biggest problem, for me, is with 'trade paperback' priced books. Those used to always be discounted into the $8.99-$9.99 range and while some are still $9.99, I've run into quite a few at $10.99-$12.99 and with those books we don't ususally see a price drop after a year or two (like we do with hardcovers) as they often don't see a mass market paper release. Unfortunately trade releases are on the increase.

stonetools · 06-14-2012, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Windowing probably wouldn't technically affect my ebook buying habits either, but I'd still much rather have the option to purchase the new release in ebook form immediately... even if that meant I had to pay hardcover price for the privilege.

Agreed. I really hope windowing doesn't come back, and I doubt it will- but its a possibility.

ProfCrash · 06-14-2012, 11:12 AM

Windowing would anger me and cause me not to buy those books.

murraypaul · 06-14-2012, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Windowing would anger me and cause me not to buy those books.

Shrug. It doesn't anger me that hardbacks come out before paperbacks, if I see a title I'm interested in, but it is only available in hardback, I just put it on a mental list to check back on in six months or so.

ProfCrash · 06-14-2012, 02:09 PM

It annoyed me because I could not afford the book in hardback so I borrowed it from the library. Which means they never got my money. There are very few books that I will buy at hardback price. I don't bother putting things on check lists to read later. If I am reading a series I want to read it as it comes out. If they want me to buy the book they will sell it at a reasonable price when it is released. Hardback prices are not reasonable and making me wait to buy it is not reasonable.

But that is me. I know that the universe is centered around me and have always been a bit confused that other people do not seem to understand that.

whitearrow · 06-14-2012, 02:57 PM

My biggest annoyance was the consistent, persistent (to this day) prevalence of ebooks priced higher than the lowest paperback price. And I know that's because of discounting... and I don't care. All I know is that I don't feel charging more for an ebook than a printed book is warranted. Ever.

RDaneel54 · 06-14-2012, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

But that is me. I know that the universe is centered around me and have always been a bit confused that other people do not seem to understand that.

I always wondered who the center was.

ProfCrash · 06-14-2012, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RDaneel54

I always wondered who the center was.

Now you know. I really like chocolate covered potato chips. Please have some delivered to the center of the universe. I'll get them as soon as they arrive. (winks)

5thWiggle · 06-14-2012, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Now you know. I really like chocolate covered potato chips. Please have some delivered to the center of the universe. I'll get them as soon as they arrive. (winks)

That may change when the baby is born. When my twins were born, the centre of my universe split, and now I orbit two foci in an ellipse (Damn I'm dizzy). Perhap the new baby could be named Copernicus?

ProfCrash · 06-14-2012, 04:06 PM

Nah, the baby knows that I am the center of the universe and that he will sleep and eat on a schedule that works for me. Plus he is only going to poop roses.

I have also decided that he is going to be born using a transporter so I can avoid all pain.

I going to blame the hormones for strange thoughts as I get closer to my due date....

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06-14-2012, 10:47 AM	#64
crossi Guru Posts: 997 Karma: 12000001 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Seattle Wahington U.S. Device: kindle	Not me. I'm fine with windowing. I always waited a year for the MM paperbacks anyway. I wouldn't even consider the trade version of paperbacks.

06-14-2012, 11:12 AM	#68
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Windowing would anger me and cause me not to buy those books.

06-14-2012, 02:09 PM	#70
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	It annoyed me because I could not afford the book in hardback so I borrowed it from the library. Which means they never got my money. There are very few books that I will buy at hardback price. I don't bother putting things on check lists to read later. If I am reading a series I want to read it as it comes out. If they want me to buy the book they will sell it at a reasonable price when it is released. Hardback prices are not reasonable and making me wait to buy it is not reasonable. But that is me. I know that the universe is centered around me and have always been a bit confused that other people do not seem to understand that.

06-14-2012, 02:57 PM	#71
whitearrow Guru Posts: 808 Karma: 2260766 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Kindle Oasis 2	My biggest annoyance was the consistent, persistent (to this day) prevalence of ebooks priced higher than the lowest paperback price. And I know that's because of discounting... and I don't care. All I know is that I don't feel charging more for an ebook than a printed book is warranted. Ever.

06-14-2012, 04:06 PM	#75
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	Nah, the baby knows that I am the center of the universe and that he will sleep and eat on a schedule that works for me. Plus he is only going to poop roses. I have also decided that he is going to be born using a transporter so I can avoid all pain. I going to blame the hormones for strange thoughts as I get closer to my due date....

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