12-15-2011, 08:42 AM | #1 |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 7,195
Karma: 70314280
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Atlanta, GA
Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2
|
Sticker Shock for E-Book Readers
There is an interesting article in the WSJ today entitled "Sticker Shock for E-Book Readers" (just google the title, it might be behind a paywall). The article discusses how the higher prices for e-books may be hurting e-book sales and the reason for the higher prices. All in all, it seems to reflect the discussion here. Most interesting to me is that the price for some e-books is actually more than the dead tree price since the retailer can discount the dead tree price, but not the e-book price.
I wonder if, assuming that what is in the article is true, the publishers will back off the current pricing model and go back to letting the retailer set the price. |
12-15-2011, 08:46 AM | #2 |
Feral Underclass
Posts: 3,622
Karma: 26821535
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Yorkshire, tha noz
Device: 2nd hand paperback
|
Call me a cynical old git, but I think a lot of the decision makers in publishers are coming close to retirement so they won't want any major shift in business model in case it affects their pension.
|
Advert | |
|
12-15-2011, 09:19 AM | #3 |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 7,342
Karma: 52398889
Join Date: Oct 2010
Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip
|
I have not seen any new e-books priced higher than the corresponding new hardcover book. Paperbacks and/or backlist books, yes, but brand-new books? No. In my experience, the e-books are always cheaper, and often substantially so. E.g., I bought Anne Perry's latest book earlier this year for myself in e-book form, for $12.99. I bought it as a gift for a friend in hardcover just yesterday, for $16.35.
|
12-15-2011, 09:41 AM | #4 | ||
Storm Surge'n
Posts: 5,773
Karma: 8213195
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Lobster Capital
Device: S0ny PRS-300/350/505/700/T1
|
Quote:
Examples: The Race ~ Cussler and How Firm a Foundation ~ Weber. Quote:
|
||
12-15-2011, 10:01 AM | #5 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,717
Karma: 3790058
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: NYC
Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650
|
If the high prices are hurting ebook sales, how come Amazon's ebook sales keep going up and up, and have now surpassed print book sales?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_864387.html I can't read the article, so I don't know if they address that or not. eP |
Advert | |
|
12-15-2011, 10:50 AM | #6 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 7,342
Karma: 52398889
Join Date: Oct 2010
Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip
|
Quote:
The Cussler book at Amazon is $17.78 in hardcover, $14.99 in digital edition. The Weber book at Amazon is $13.99 in hardcover, $12.99 in digital edition. The e-book version is cheaper than the hardcover. |
|
12-15-2011, 10:59 AM | #7 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,370
Karma: 6957792
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Ottawa, ON
Device: Kobo H2O
|
In the Canadian amazon.com store, the Cussler ebook is $18.04. We get dinged with the border crossing byte tax.
|
12-15-2011, 11:31 AM | #8 | |
Literacy = Understanding
Posts: 4,833
Karma: 59674358
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The World of Books
Device: Nook, Nook Tablet
|
Quote:
|
|
12-15-2011, 11:36 AM | #9 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 7,342
Karma: 52398889
Join Date: Oct 2010
Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip
|
Quote:
I'm not disputing that there may indeed be newly published e-books that cost more than the corresponding hardcovers, but I have not seen any in my browsing and purchasing. |
|
12-15-2011, 12:29 PM | #10 |
Enthusiast
Posts: 27
Karma: 574
Join Date: Nov 2010
Device: kindle
|
Just for interest, here are the current prices on Amazon UK for the top 10 bestselling hardback fiction books (according to the Times weekly bestseller lists)
Code:
HB Kindle % Difference Title 6.00 10.99 83 The Faithless/Marina Cole 6.00 8.99 50 Red Mist/Patricia Cornwell 8.99 5.99 -33 Snuff/Terry Pratchett 8.55 6.64 -22 Death Comes to Pemberley/PD James 8.20 9.99 22 11.22.63/Stephen King 7.00 10.99 57 The Litigators/John Grisham 8.30 9.99 20 The House of Silk/Anthony Horowitz 6.49 5.59 -14 The Sense of an Ending/Julian Barnes 9.41 9.99 6 The Thread/Victora Hislop 8.49 4.99 -41 The Time of my Life/Cecelia Ahern 77.43 84.15 9 TOTAL Last edited by peegee; 12-15-2011 at 12:38 PM. |
12-15-2011, 12:57 PM | #11 |
Groupie
Posts: 164
Karma: 302432
Join Date: Jan 2011
Device: pocketbook iq 701
|
I think they're still way too high. They have no printing costs. ebooks should max out at 4.99 in my opinion. I just won't buy them when I can get free books from unknown authors that are really good.............not all of them but a lot of them. I'm a big sci-fi fan and i've found several that should be made into movies or series............they really are that good.
|
12-15-2011, 01:13 PM | #12 |
Zealot
Posts: 131
Karma: 150390
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Pacific NorthWest
Device: Kindle Fire
|
Because we're buying four times more $3 ebooks than we previously bought $9 paper books. There's a lower barrier to purchase, it's more of an impulse buy. I've bought quite a few sub-$3 books that I would not have tried at $10 in any form.
|
12-15-2011, 01:14 PM | #13 |
Professional Contrarian
Posts: 2,045
Karma: 3289631
Join Date: Mar 2009
Device: Kindle 4 No Touchie
|
|
12-15-2011, 01:45 PM | #14 |
Is that a sandwich?
Posts: 8,187
Karma: 100500000
Join Date: Jun 2010
Device: Nook Glowlight Plus
|
I'm unable to read the article. It's behind a pay wall.
|
12-15-2011, 02:34 PM | #15 |
Wizard
Posts: 2,549
Karma: 3799999
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: O'Fallon, Missouri, USA
Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3
|
John Green's The Fault in Our Stars.. $9.42 for (autographed!) hard cover vs $10.99 for kindle.
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Does anyone use those sticker skins on their Kindle? | FauxTaimer | Amazon Kindle | 60 | 11-23-2011 07:43 AM |
Amazon backs down on gay porn ebook burning, shock horror probe! | mr ploppy | News | 18 | 01-17-2011 05:51 AM |
PRS-650 Remove Serial No. Sticker? | CandyDane | Sony Reader | 18 | 12-26-2010 07:41 PM |
iPad iPad and Future Shock | poohbear_nc | Apple Devices | 34 | 09-09-2010 01:41 PM |
slight electric shock when using ac adaptor | Dave Berk | Sony Reader | 39 | 03-23-2007 08:42 PM |