break even at 24

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I rather suspect that a very small percentage of book buyers account for a huge percentage of sales. They are the people that you need to target eBook readers at, not the "read 1 book a year on their summer holiday" crowd.

Spot on, it is the "heavy readers" (which can even mean 1 book a month reader) are the ones that will buy an eBook device. So, most of them will break even.

Also, even at 1 book a month, 24 books is two years. I plan to read for another 30 years... fates willing.

BOb

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Also, even at 1 book a month, 24 books is two years. I plan to read for another 30 years... fates willing.

But not on the same device, I bet.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Jellby

But not on the same device, I bet.

No, but certainly for more than 2 years (or 24 books.) I hope to get 5 years out of this device. I am also pretty sure that in 5 years a similar and better device will be much cheaper. That's how technology rolls.

BOb

BTW: I read about 1 book a week these days. So, 24 books for me is about 24 weeks. Which mean I could replace my device every 6 months and spend the same as I would buying books. Works for me.

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Spot on, it is the "heavy readers" (which can even mean 1 book a month reader) are the ones that will buy an eBook device. So, most of them will break even.

Also, even at 1 book a month, 24 books is two years. I plan to read for another 30 years... fates willing.

BOb

These kind of calculations are fallacious because for example they assume the Kindle/PRS lasting indefinitely, while I would estimate 2-3 years average burn rate per device.

A device costs xxx$ once every 2-3 years - whatever xxx is, now for eink is 350-500$ including taxes, and extended warranty which are necessary if you do not want to gamble -

If you *buy* ebooks at your pbook buying rate you ain't going to save that much. But I do not think that many people are doing that, so yes devices save money, though not in the way put there.

[pdurrant]

Hear, hear.

Abbreviated from "hear him, hear him", with 'hear' in this case being used in the imperative, i.e. as a command.

In use in the British Houses of Parliament for the past 300 years or so.

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Here here (or is it hear hear) I was going to say the same thing.

[Alisa]

Personally, my biggest savings has come from the free samples. I'm reading more than I used to but buying fewer books and buying them for less. Still, I didn't buy a reader to save money. I bought it for my own convenience and to cut down on the space devoted to book storage in my house. Heck, $350 isn't a whole lot to pay for a bookshelf.

[NormHart]

Ha! Ha, I say!

24 ain't in it. I buy Baen eBooks at an average price of about $4.00. If I had bought them in the local bookstore as paperbacks they would have been around $8.00

so... 350/4=87.5 or about 88 books.

I got payback before I even ordered the Kindle2

(Shipped today! Yea!)

[Elfwreck]

I got my reader to read fanfic, which isn't available as pbooks (nor, for the most part, as ebooks; I have to convert them, except for the selection at Amalthia's site), and despite Charbax's insistence, probably won't be covered by the "world-wide author subsidy for ebooks." So it wasn't "to save me money," but to give me a way to read content away from the web that isn't available on paper. (I suppose it was to save me the hideous cost of printing out multiple 90,000-word fanfic novels.)

Reading other books is great; I'm having much fun with Feedbooks & the books here, and have bought a few from Baen. But I got it mostly for digital content that doesn't have a paper form.

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by Alisa

Personally, my biggest savings has come from the free samples. I'm reading more than I used to but buying fewer books and buying them for less. Still, I didn't buy a reader to save money. I bought it for my own convenience and to cut down on the space devoted to book storage in my house. Heck, $350 isn't a whole lot to pay for a bookshelf.

I mostly agree with the above - though I buy more books than before since having the options to explore tons of authors in e made me buy quite a few of their books, both print and e, books that otherwise I would not have discovered

Selling an ebook device on savings based on purchases of ebooks vs similar print books is disingenuous though and to my mind it is exactly the kind of argument that makes one shy away from them.

[Lemurion]

It's an interesting way to look at things, but I also wonder if the bookshelf analogy isn't just as appropriate. I've got a Palm T|X and am getting either a Kindle2 or a Sony 505 in the relatively near future. The big advantage for me is that I don't have enough room for all the books I have in paper.

We've got stacks of books all over the house, and an eBook reader is just one way to cut down the clutter by converting at least some of those purchases to electronic format.

[Sydney's Mom]

Book buying used to be a separate hobby for me. Everytime I went into a book store, I dropped $60 - $70, and all of those books are still on the shelves. Several years ago, my tastes changed, so all the murder mysteries are still sitting there waiting for their day. Since I paid so much for my kindle, I now feel a bit guilty going into a bookstore. I paid so much, I should be reading ebooks. And I have found enough books to keep me busy. I have over 250 books on my kindle, and I only paid for a dozen or so. Also, I used to knit on the train, and was spending a fair bit on yarn. Now, I only take my kindle - no knitting bag. I have saved way more than I paid, and I have only had it since Thanksgiving.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

Book buying used to be a separate hobby for me. Everytime I went into a book store, I dropped $60 - $70, and all of those books are still on the shelves. Several years ago, my tastes changed, so all the murder mysteries are still sitting there waiting for their day. Since I paid so much for my kindle, I now feel a bit guilty going into a bookstore. I paid so much, I should be reading ebooks. And I have found enough books to keep me busy. I have over 250 books on my kindle, and I only paid for a dozen or so. Also, I used to knit on the train, and was spending a fair bit on yarn. Now, I only take my kindle - no knitting bag. I have saved way more than I paid, and I have only had it since Thanksgiving.

I have to say, I knit a lot less now. I'd rather be reading (now that so many books are at my fingertips instantly).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Here here (or is it hear hear) I was going to say the same thing.

Since you ask, it's "hear hear" .

[sassanik]

Seriously, I think that most people who buy an ereader go through more than 24 books in a year.

I know that I don't go to a regular bookstore to buy books these days. I am still trying to get through my little pile of books from last used bookstore run. Its so much easier to carry around a little ereader than a bunch of pbacks. It also takes up alot less space in the terms of bookshelves holding books. I only have 2 shelves with books actually on them now.

I go through several books a week so for me 24 books? it would not take that long.

Amy

[Format C:]

Here you can buy PD pbooks for around 5€ each.
This summer I downloaded the PG DVD with 17.000 ebooks.

So, my 600€ iLiad paid for all my books, my Vespa, my holydays, all my clothes and a good number of dinners....

:lol:

Seriously: I bought the last Jeffery Deaver's mystery for less than 6€ on BoB. The same novel (paperback UK edition) was on the shelves of my favourite bookstore for 13€.
I need 100 books to break even with my iLiad. And now I spent another 200€ for a Sony...

I also thought about piracy: I even downloaded a few books (not legally available as ebooks). But it didn't save me money. I still bought the same amount of books (p or e) each month. So, piracy it's not a money saver for me.

Bottom line: ebook readers are just another way to spend more money.