04-15-2013, 08:26 PM | #31 | |
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Charging what people will pay for the value they get is completely valid. Publishers are not charities or public utilities required to pass on their product at absolute cost. |
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04-15-2013, 09:25 PM | #32 |
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If someone expects me to pay more for an e-book than for a paper copy, I move on. Plenty of books other books to choose from. Just because a publisher charges more for the e-book than for the paper book doesn't mean they have actually set the price at the level which gives them the maximum return. Publishers can make mistakes.
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04-15-2013, 09:39 PM | #33 | |
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You are of course free to 'move on' for any reason you like. You can move on because the cover image clashes with your living room decor. To me, that would be just as valid a reason as arbitrarily and presumptive deciding that a product is priced too high, not because of the value that product offers you, but only by comparing the price to a different product. If you wanted to see a movie in a theater, would you refuse to buy a movie ticket if the ticket price was higher than the paperback price for the novel? |
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04-15-2013, 11:18 PM | #34 | ||
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04-16-2013, 12:07 AM | #35 | ||
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04-16-2013, 12:18 AM | #36 |
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Changes Kindle price=$9.99; Hardcover=$4.79
Cold Days Kindle Price=$14.99; Hardcover=$16.06 And Another Thing... (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) Kindle Price=$12.82; Hardcover=$10.40 Just a few I've been looking at recently. These are pretty popular books by the way. |
04-16-2013, 08:30 AM | #37 | |
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Ebooks and pbooks have different properties, offering different value. Can the hardcover be delivered instantly on demand? Replaced for free if forgotten and read in multiple locations at once? Carried among hundreds or thousands of others with no additional weight or volume consumed? Have it's font changed on instant whim? If those properties don't offer value to you, then it would certainly be dumb to pay for them, but to claim they are the same product is...what word would be allowed here...disingenuous, I think. And what does Amazon's not setting of the prices have to do with their success and growth reports being an indicator of market behavior? ApK Last edited by ApK; 04-16-2013 at 08:42 AM. |
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04-16-2013, 09:21 AM | #38 | |
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Most of my purchases were from Kobo or, alas, BOB so I never saw the paper price. I also never look at the price of a CD when getting an mp3. I suspect I am not alone in this, or even in the minority, many people buy it depending on if the price is right for them - not if they can get it in a different format for less. There is probably a discussion going on at TreeRead Forums (made up name) how people refuse to buy a paperback if the ebook is cheaper. |
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04-16-2013, 09:33 AM | #39 | |
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If it is worthwhile to you to pay more for an e-book than for the same book in a paper format, by all means, feel free to do so.
A hardcover book costs more to produce than a paperback, so I expect the hardcover to cost more. An e-book costs to produce than a paper book, so I expect it to cost no more than for a paper book. I realize it isn't tremendously cheaper to produce, but it is Quote:
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04-16-2013, 09:42 AM | #40 | |
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04-16-2013, 10:13 AM | #41 | |
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Are you buying a book to moderate the financials workings of the publisher, or are you buying a book because you want a book? For myself, I'd pay more for a hardcover only if the better paper, better binding, better cover, etc, is worth it to me. I am not concerned at all by the publishers/authors/retailers/distributors margins unless they result in requiring me to pay too much for the value I'm getting. That a format exists elsewhere that costs less doesn't not effect my value at all if that format doesn't deliver what I want. If a cheaper paperback meets your needs, then buy the paperback. If you want the ebook for it's benefits over the paperback, what is the valid reason for not being willing to pay for that added value? It reminds me of the old joke: "How much is hamburger?" "50 cents a pound." "Lou's across the street sells it for 30 cents." "So go buy it from Lou's." "He doesn't have any." "If I didn't have any, I'd sell it to you for 30 cents, too." Last edited by ApK; 04-16-2013 at 11:25 AM. |
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04-16-2013, 10:37 AM | #42 |
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You make your own purchasing decisions, and I'll make mine.
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04-16-2013, 10:38 AM | #43 |
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That was the opener. Not a great public forum discussion contribution, though.
Last edited by ApK; 04-16-2013 at 10:46 AM. |
04-16-2013, 11:02 AM | #44 |
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You are obviously very upset that I don't make the same purchasing decisions that you make. If people are willing to pay more for the e-book than for the paper book, then publishers will continue to charge more for the e-book. Conversely, if people are not willing to pay more for the e-book than for the paper book, publishers will not charge more. By declining to pay more for the e-book, I am casting a vote for lower prices. Given that the majority of e-books cost less than the paper copy, a lot of other people are making similar purchasing decisions. I have many books to choose from when I am considering a purchase. I've given you my reasons, and if you don't find them satisfactory, that doesn't indicate a flaw in my reasoning. By all means, use your own criteria, I am not attempting to tell you how to make your purchasing decisions.
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04-16-2013, 11:16 AM | #45 | |||||
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But I've been pointing out the flaws in your reasoning for making that judgement based on price of a paperback. Not trying to say at all that you can't make a decision based on flawed reasoning. Nothing personal. |
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