Prices

Conor · 11-14-2011, 09:03 AM

The first book I was thinking of buying from WHSmith/Kobo.

Quote:

The House of Silk: The New Sherlock Holmes Novel [eBook]
Anthony Horowitz £9.99
House of Silk: The New Sherlock Holmes Novel [Hardback]
Anthony Horowitz
£8.48 RRP £18.99 Saving £10.51 (55%)

taming · 11-14-2011, 11:17 AM

You will find that prices can be more or less or the same as pBooks. Right now there are some discount codes available that save folks who use the kobobooks.com website 25% on non-Agency books. See the discount code thread.

If WHSmith operates its own branded store, you will have to choose one or the other to use for books with Kobo's DRM (kepubs) that you want to sync. You can buy the Adobe Adept ePUB formats from any place that sells them, so it pays to shop around.

Latch · 11-14-2011, 12:15 PM

It's a scam and they really should be ashamed of their greed, if they had the capacity to feel shame. The price of manufacture and distribution has gone down tremendously, but the industry is happy to artificially keep prices high and pocket the difference. When people complain at the disparity, they trot out some spokesmuppet to tell us all that lowering prices would somehow 'devalue' the work, as if they cared one whit for the authors or works, other than as a vehicle to generate profit.

danskmacabre · 11-14-2011, 01:23 PM

Agreed, it's a big con.
If you bought an ereader expecting to pay less for books, you were wrong.

Eventually the prices will drop , but not until Piracy is rife and people will have got used to pirating books. Then they'll have to drop prices to get their customers back.
Much like what has happened with music.

treadlightly · 11-14-2011, 01:43 PM

It's a huge con. What I don't understand is why publisher-fixed prices vary between stores. Doesn't this expose their scam even more?

Latch · 11-14-2011, 02:12 PM

I doubt they care about being 'exposed'. As long as they have the slimmest of pretexts to fall back on to brush aside complaints, they'll do as they please. You'd think they would have learned the lessons of the RIAA/MPAA in that the genie can't be put back into the bottle. Gouge enough people and they will start to pirate content in protest, and once that happens it's game over. People will realize that pirated content is easier to work with, and not encumbered with DRM that can render their purchase void with the flick of a bit.

Conor · 11-14-2011, 03:44 PM

I don't expect to pay less for an ebook, but I don't expect to pay more from the same supplier.

Latch · 11-14-2011, 09:20 PM

This article seems to explain it in simple English such that even I could understand it:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2011...more-than.html

And this one seems to have a handle on pricing breakdowns. It turns out printed hardcovers are not very expensive at all:

http://www.davidderrico.com/cost-bre...printed-books/

robko · 11-14-2011, 10:20 PM

Very interesting links. Thanks for sharing them.

TonyToews · 11-14-2011, 11:58 PM

Latch, thanks for those links. I had no idea that hard covers were so cheap to print compared to their price, etc.

Note that Baen books, in my opinion, are doing things right. I regularly buy their monthly specials and other books as well.

taming · 11-15-2011, 09:48 AM

Prices for eBooks very often drop after they have been out for awhile, for example, when the paperback is released or when an author has a newer book for sale. I've done well keeping a book or two behind on some authors. I look around at prices--for example, I bought the Steve Jobs biography (using my Australian address and my Canadian credit card

) for 9.99 AUD from Angus and Robinson.

11-14-2011, 09:20 PM	#8
Latch Porcupine Tree fan Posts: 139 Karma: 357322 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa, Canada Device: Kobo Touch	This article seems to explain it in simple English such that even I could understand it: http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2011...more-than.html And this one seems to have a handle on pricing breakdowns. It turns out printed hardcovers are not very expensive at all: http://www.davidderrico.com/cost-bre...printed-books/ Last edited by Latch; 11-15-2011 at 10:43 AM.

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11-14-2011, 11:17 AM	#2
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	You will find that prices can be more or less or the same as pBooks. Right now there are some discount codes available that save folks who use the kobobooks.com website 25% on non-Agency books. See the discount code thread. If WHSmith operates its own branded store, you will have to choose one or the other to use for books with Kobo's DRM (kepubs) that you want to sync. You can buy the Adobe Adept ePUB formats from any place that sells them, so it pays to shop around.

11-14-2011, 12:15 PM	#3
Latch Porcupine Tree fan Posts: 139 Karma: 357322 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa, Canada Device: Kobo Touch	It's a scam and they really should be ashamed of their greed, if they had the capacity to feel shame. The price of manufacture and distribution has gone down tremendously, but the industry is happy to artificially keep prices high and pocket the difference. When people complain at the disparity, they trot out some spokesmuppet to tell us all that lowering prices would somehow 'devalue' the work, as if they cared one whit for the authors or works, other than as a vehicle to generate profit.

11-14-2011, 01:23 PM	#4
danskmacabre Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 3593438 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Glo. Galaxy Tab S 8.4	Agreed, it's a big con. If you bought an ereader expecting to pay less for books, you were wrong. Eventually the prices will drop , but not until Piracy is rife and people will have got used to pirating books. Then they'll have to drop prices to get their customers back. Much like what has happened with music.

11-14-2011, 01:43 PM	#5
treadlightly Wizard Posts: 1,370 Karma: 6957792 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ottawa, ON Device: Kobo H2O	It's a huge con. What I don't understand is why publisher-fixed prices vary between stores. Doesn't this expose their scam even more?

11-14-2011, 02:12 PM	#6
Latch Porcupine Tree fan Posts: 139 Karma: 357322 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ottawa, Canada Device: Kobo Touch	I doubt they care about being 'exposed'. As long as they have the slimmest of pretexts to fall back on to brush aside complaints, they'll do as they please. You'd think they would have learned the lessons of the RIAA/MPAA in that the genie can't be put back into the bottle. Gouge enough people and they will start to pirate content in protest, and once that happens it's game over. People will realize that pirated content is easier to work with, and not encumbered with DRM that can render their purchase void with the flick of a bit.

11-14-2011, 03:44 PM	#7
Conor Groupie Posts: 153 Karma: 1011234 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Kindle Kobo Touch	I don't expect to pay less for an ebook, but I don't expect to pay more from the same supplier.

11-14-2011, 10:20 PM	#9
robko Wizard Posts: 2,454 Karma: 5469320 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo	Very interesting links. Thanks for sharing them.

11-14-2011, 11:58 PM	#10
TonyToews Evangelist Posts: 490 Karma: 351398 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kobo Vox and Glo	Latch, thanks for those links. I had no idea that hard covers were so cheap to print compared to their price, etc. Note that Baen books, in my opinion, are doing things right. I regularly buy their monthly specials and other books as well.

11-15-2011, 09:48 AM	#11
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	Prices for eBooks very often drop after they have been out for awhile, for example, when the paperback is released or when an author has a newer book for sale. I've done well keeping a book or two behind on some authors. I look around at prices--for example, I bought the Steve Jobs biography (using my Australian address and my Canadian credit card ) for 9.99 AUD from Angus and Robinson.

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