Why are ebooks so expensive?

[Faenad]

I don't think that they appreciate the in-depth understanding of computers that many of their elders have because those elders wrote in assembly language (and debugged binary dumps), and then in low-level compiled languages, where we had to optimize compilers ourselves to get that precious speedup, or wrote our own compilers to port those languages to different computers, and were even able to alter code on the fly by using the front panel switches to insert instructions (in binary). Nor is it easy to understand that we used to have to work hard to get it right the first time because computer time was so precious. Today it's just compile-run-edit-compile-run-edit, which is more likely to result in sloppy, unreadable code (though we had our share of sloppy coders).

I'm only in my mid-twenties, but I kindda agree.

The majority of the younger person outta here are not really that much computer literate.
Sure, they know how to use a mouse, but outside of youtube, MSN, Facebook, and downloading virus with limewire, they don't know much.

Using ebook is still not easy enough for most users. The Kinddle is probably the most consumer-friendly one (I suppose), but it's only available in the US.

[Xenophon]

Originally Posted by jj2me

61 here, and I agree wholeheartedly. Many (not all) of the younger generation think they are so tech savvy because they can operate devices. Back when I started in the punched cards era, the operator job was entry-level.
<SNIP>
And we often talk like old grumps. Like this post.

I'm only 46, but I've been on the 'net since there were three nodes (really!). And I've been wholeheartedly tech-geeky ever since. I was going to let Alfy's remark go, but after seeing various older folk (older than me, that is) comment... well...

How do you** think the "internet age" GOT here in the first place! A bunch of folks my Dad's age (70) and older built these computer-thingies*, and figured out how to network them, and moved on from there. And most of those folks are still alive and remain active in the Computer Science research community. Believe me, they are extremely tech-savvy! Now that I think about it, most of the Sun Fellows are over 50. Ditto IBM fellows. And HP, TI, etc. ad infinitum. There're PLENTY of over-50 techies for whom networks, ebooks, ecommerce, e-everything is old-hat. Stuff they worked on ages ago, and have moved on from.

Xenophon
professional curmudgeon

* I can use precise technical terms like "computer-thingies," because I have a shiny new Ph.D. from the world's top grad school in CS (3-or-4-way tie between Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, MIT & sometimes Berkeley).

** Not jj2me, but rather the "over-50s are tech-clueless" folks.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by Xenophon

Xenophon
professional curmudgeon

* I can use precise technical terms like "computer-thingies," because I have a shiny new Ph.D. from the world's top grad school in CS (3-or-4-way tie between Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, MIT & sometimes Berkeley).

That or you spent way too much time talking to Harold about Hydroelectric Magnetosphere Regulators in Fallout II.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Xenophon

I'm only 46, but I've been on the 'net since there were three nodes (really!). And I've been wholeheartedly tech-geeky ever since. I was going to let Alfy's remark go, but after seeing various older folk (older than me, that is) comment... well...

How do you** think the "internet age" GOT here in the first place! A bunch of folks my Dad's age (70) and older built these computer-thingies*, and figured out how to network them, and moved on from there. And most of those folks are still alive and remain active in the Computer Science research community. Believe me, they are extremely tech-savvy! Now that I think about it, most of the Sun Fellows are over 50. Ditto IBM fellows. And HP, TI, etc. ad infinitum. There're PLENTY of over-50 techies for whom networks, ebooks, ecommerce, e-everything is old-hat. Stuff they worked on ages ago, and have moved on from.

Xenophon
professional curmudgeon

* I can use precise technical terms like "computer-thingies," because I have a shiny new Ph.D. from the world's top grad school in CS (3-or-4-way tie between Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, MIT & sometimes Berkeley).

** Not jj2me, but rather the "over-50s are tech-clueless" folks.

Thank you. Its amazing how clueless we older generation are perceived to be.

I also remember how clueless I perceived the older generation to be when I was in my 20's....

I think each generation forgets how, what they currently have/know, is only because of the previous generations work.

[Daddyo]

The ereader itself is excellent. It is great when travelling, much easier than carying large numbers of books. After a few pages, it starts to feel perfectly natural..

However a typical bestseller costs 25% more as an ebook than as a paperback.

There are free ebooks around, and usually they are worth what you pay for them.

booksellers work on the basis that having sheeled out for the ereader, you have to pay a premium for the books. But they seem to have forgotten about eBay!

Ebooks cost less to produce and transport and there are no print overruns. So far as illegal sharing goes, when I buy a paperback it usually gets read by at least six people!



I have gone back to paperbacks

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Daddyo

There are free ebooks around, and usually they are worth what you pay for them.

You will find that this is something that MANY of use here disagree with.

BOb

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

You will find that this is something that MANY of use here disagree with.

BOb

Yah. Especially those who put up their books for free.

The question came up a little earlier of when Tor ebooks will become available. I made a discreet inquiry and was told, without being too specific, that we should expect major developments before spring. (You may want to take that with a grain of salt, as you would when the contractor says he'll be at your house on Tuesday.) They're working hard with the typesetters and distributors, and they have a lot of books that need converting. I asked them to please put mine at the head of the line...

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Daddyo

There are free ebooks around, and usually they are worth what you pay for them.

I have gone back to paperbacks

Wow. Have you ever read Conan-Doyle, H.G.Wells, Richard Kardrey, Aldous Huxley, Cory Doctorow, F.G. Fitzgerald, S.S. VanDine, Clifford Simak, just to name a few?

You think these aren't worth anything? Wow.

[Alisa]

I'm wondering if maybe he's referring to the scanned and OCR-ed pirate books rather PD and CC works.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by Daddyo

The ereader itself is excellent. It is great when travelling, much easier than carying large numbers of books. After a few pages, it starts to feel perfectly natural..

However a typical bestseller costs 25% more as an ebook than as a paperback.

There are free ebooks around, and usually they are worth what you pay for them.

booksellers work on the basis that having sheeled out for the ereader, you have to pay a premium for the books. But they seem to have forgotten about eBay!

Ebooks cost less to produce and transport and there are no print overruns. So far as illegal sharing goes, when I buy a paperback it usually gets read by at least six people!



I have gone back to paperbacks

I see that people have already picked on the free books sucking, so I'll work on another point.

It's very rare I find the ebook for more than the actual book. When I do, it is something that has been released in the past year or so and has recently gone into paperbacks.

[FizzyWater]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

It's very rare I find the ebook for more than the actual book. When I do, it is something that has been released in the past year or so and has recently gone into paperbacks.

I would agree with you in general, but I think publishers are still experimenting with pricing.

Last year (or maybe it's two now?), Penguin started charging at least $2 more for each ebook than it was charging for the same print books (and these were books being released in mass market paperback). The ebook reading community caught on, wrote letters, and Penguin backed off.

Right now, it's Macmillan/St Martins and HarperCollins, although it's not every book. But in the last year, I've seen more and more of their ebook releases priced at $14 and $14.99, when the print books are still the $5.99, $6.99, or $7.99 mass market paperback prices. I have wondered if they are in some kind of special deal with Amazon, because the Kindle versions are priced the same as Amazon's other Kindle-released MMPB prices.

For examples, check Fictionwise or BooksOnBoard for some of the following:

Sherrilyn Kenyon: Unleash the Night, Seize the Night, Dark Side of the Moon, Dream Hunter, Devil May Cry, Upon the Midnight Clear (which is really a glorified novella, and shouldn't be at the $7.99 price!), Dream Chase

Christine Warren: Walk on the Wild Side

Cheyenne McCray: Moving Target, Shadow Music

Kristine Smith: Imminent Contact, Endgame, Law of Survival, Rules of Conflict, Code of Conduct

Robert W Walker: City for Ransom, City of the Absent, Shadows in the White

Laura Durham: For Better or Hearse

Kayla Perrin: Give Me an O!, Say You Need Me

Suzanne Enoch: By Love Undone

There are more, but I'm having trouble getting into Fictionwise (I have many of them on my Wish List). I'll bet they've gone down to deal with the Hachette Publishing fiasco.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I would agree with you in general, but I think publishers are still experimenting with pricing.

Last year (or maybe it's two now?), Penguin started charging at least $2 more for each ebook than it was charging for the same print books (and these were books being released in mass market paperback). The ebook reading community caught on, wrote letters, and Penguin backed off.

Right now, it's Macmillan/St Martins and HarperCollins, although it's not every book. But in the last year, I've seen more and more of their ebook releases priced at $14 and $14.99, when the print books are still the $5.99, $6.99, or $7.99 mass market paperback prices. I have wondered if they are in some kind of special deal with Amazon, because the Kindle versions are priced the same as Amazon's other Kindle-released MMPB prices.

For examples, check Fictionwise or BooksOnBoard for some of the following:

Sherrilyn Kenyon: Unleash the Night, Seize the Night, Dark Side of the Moon, Dream Hunter, Devil May Cry, Upon the Midnight Clear (which is really a glorified novella, and shouldn't be at the $7.99 price!), Dream Chase

Christine Warren: Walk on the Wild Side

Cheyenne McCray: Moving Target, Shadow Music

Kristine Smith: Imminent Contact, Endgame, Law of Survival, Rules of Conflict, Code of Conduct

Robert W Walker: City for Ransom, City of the Absent, Shadows in the White

Laura Durham: For Better or Hearse

Kayla Perrin: Give Me an O!, Say You Need Me

Suzanne Enoch: By Love Undone

There are more, but I'm having trouble getting into Fictionwise (I have many of them on my Wish List). I'll bet they've gone down to deal with the Hachette Publishing fiasco.

I think the difference is I'm using the ebookstore.
By Love undone: 6.64 on Sony's store
That's the only one I know for a fact is in mm, too lazy to find out if the others are.

Just peeked, looks like a lot of the Sherrilyn Kenyon books you mentioned are 4.74.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Daddyo

There are free ebooks around, and usually they are worth what you pay for them.

You realise that, by saying that, you have insulted some of the most active contributors to the board?

I, for example, have spend literally thousands of hours hand-formatting and proofing the complete works of Charles Dickens, which you can download from here free. I'd like to think that they might be considered "worth something" in terms of quality .

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You realise that, by saying that, you have insulted some of the most active contributors to the board?

I, for example, have spend literally thousands of hours hand-formatting and proofing the complete works of Charles Dickens, which you can download from here free. I'd like to think that they might be considered "worth something" in terms of quality .

Maybe free ebooks was a reference to new books that was free and then I agree that self published free ebooks usually are not worth reading. It feels a bit wrong to me to call old public domain books for free ebooks.

If I am not going to read an ebook it is not worth anything for me. The quality of an unread ebook does not give me anything of worth.

[Barcey]

You do have to change your purchasing pattern with the current state of ebook pricing and it's frustrating for new adopters. I used to just decide if I wanted to pay new release hard cover price or wait a year for paperback price. Now I put the books on my wish list and wait until the price gets reasonable. I've had instances when it hasn't changed and I've just deleted it from my wish list. My desire to read the book just keeps going down. It's just insulting to try to charge more for an ebook then a paper book.

Everything is relative though. I've joked with friends that when I take someone to a live theater performance I try to enjoy it but all that I can think of is, "I could have bought 20 books for the price of this. I could have rented 40 movies for the price of this. I could have bought 5 beers and 10 lap dances for the price of this."