"If you can afford an ebook reader, you can afford ebook prices"

[Greg Anos]

I can sum up my opinion in an old Volkswagon commercial from the early 1980's.

(Affluent German gentleman extolls the virtues of a Volkswagon.)

(Announcer) "But Mein Herr, you can afford to buy a Mecedes!

(Affluent German Gentleman) "I can also afford not to."


I don't buy Mercedes-Benzes and I don't buy $25 e-books.

I can afford not to...

[Elfwreck]

"People who can afford an ereading device can afford all proposed ebook prices."

Um. No. I can afford an ebook reader because that was my one big tech-toy present of the year--I can no more afford their proposed ebook prices than I can afford their new pbook prices.

I buy pbooks from secondhand stores and borrow them from friends; I only buy a very tiny range of pbooks new. (RPG gaming books, and religious books that don't have ebook editions.) I spend less than $100/year on new books. Sometimes less than $50/year.

I'm willing to spend more than that on new ebooks... without DRM, and reasonably priced. I'm willing to wait for the paperback to come out to buy at paperback prices--or willing to wait another couple of months for the thrift-store price. And if the ebook isn't ever going to hit the thrift store price? Shrug. There's no shortage of free ebooks, low-price ebooks at Smashwords, and fanfic. That $100/year is not going to mean "10 novels, and that's all I read for the year."

If mainstream publishers want my ebook dollars, they'll put out editions in a price I'm willing to pay. If they're under the impression that they own the ebook market the way they own the physical book market, they're very mistaken. Many brick-and-mortar stores won't carry self-published or tiny-publisher books... but plenty of online ebook stores will.

They're facing a lot more competition than they want to acknowledge. All their marketing strategies are based on the assumption that big-name publishers' only real competition is other big-name publishers--not small indie companies, and certainly not individual authors scattered around the web.

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by Dusty

My mantra has always been...
"Cut the price in half and I will buy twice as much"

The music industry never understood this till Apple sold it for less than a dollar and made millions.

My same rule for "diet" foods...ya gotta double up on them...

[fugazied]

Well there is truth to it.. The publishers know that if we are hardcore enough about books to buy a dedicated reading device for hundreds, then we can afford $15 e-books.

Those prices aren't enough to justify piracy though imo. However, DRM is reason enough to justify piracy (and DRM removal). If they coat books with DRM so that I cannot share it with my friends and relatives like I do traditional books, I will get the pirated version and I will share it. There really needs to be better DRM which gives me every right I would get with a printed book.

[Pardoz]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Something being priced to high doesn't justify stealing a copy.

Agreed.

You wouldn't do it with a physical copy would you?

Of course not. I would (and do) buy a used copy if I feel the price is too high. The author and publisher receive exactly the same payment ($0.00) as they would if I downloaded a copy, too. They aren't under any obligation to sell to me at a price I consider reasonable, and I'm under no obligation to pay prices I find unreasonable.

[DawnFalcon]

Originally Posted by Pardoz

would (and do) buy a used copy if I feel the price is too high. The author and publisher receive exactly the same payment ($0.00) as they would if I downloaded a copy, too. They aren't under any obligation to sell to me at a price I consider reasonable, and I'm under no obligation to pay prices I find unreasonable.

I do as well. And versus downloading one copy, it's actually more destructive to the publishers, since it's providing money to the second hand shops...

[LDBoblo]

Yeah, we need a second-hand ebook store.

[paulckennedy]

Over,

That Bug is REALLY ANNOYING. Now my screen is FULL of Finger Prints!

[jamesbeat]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

I don't think the prices justify piracy.

The appropriate response is to not buy the book, and write the publishers saying why you're not purchasing their product.

Something being priced to high doesn't justify stealing a copy. You wouldn't do it with a physical copy would you? Walk into borders and shoplift a book you want to read but feel it's too high? So why is it ok to steal the digital copy because the e-book is priced to high?

I'm always amazed how the move to digital content, and the ease of illegal obtaining digital content vs. physical products, seems to shift peoples moral judgments on right and wrong.

Bad analogy. Stealing a physical book from Borders would be depriving them of a physical object, and thus prevent them from selling it to someone else.
Downloading a pirated ebook, while it is still wrong, does not permanently deprive the publisher of it, and thus does not meet the definition of stealing.

[Amalthia]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

If mainstream publishers want my ebook dollars, they'll put out editions in a price I'm willing to pay. If they're under the impression that they own the ebook market the way they own the physical book market, they're very mistaken. Many brick-and-mortar stores won't carry self-published or tiny-publisher books... but plenty of online ebook stores will.

They're facing a lot more competition than they want to acknowledge. All their marketing strategies are based on the assumption that big-name publishers' only real competition is other big-name publishers--not small indie companies, and certainly not individual authors scattered around the web.

I rarely read published books let alone published ebooks. Honestly, I bought my device to read the 100 - 200k word fan fiction stories I keep running across. I see no reason to spend more than 6 dollars on an ebook when there is free fiction online as well as affordable independent publishers like you mentioned.

But yes, for most people the ebook reader was their birthday and x-mas gift for the year.

[thename]

Originally Posted by Amalthia

I rarely read published books let alone published ebooks. Honestly, I bought my device to read the 100 - 200k word fan fiction stories I keep running across. I see no reason to spend more than 6 dollars on an ebook when there is free fiction online as well as affordable independent publishers like you mentioned.

I see you're aware that many publishers/copyright holders would love to come after your beloved fanfic too!

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by jamesbeat

Bad analogy. Stealing a physical book from Borders would be depriving them of a physical object, and thus prevent them from selling it to someone else.
Downloading a pirated ebook, while it is still wrong, does not permanently deprive the publisher of it, and thus does not meet the definition of stealing.

It's the same thing to me.

As we move to digital products in certain industries, the definition of theft has to change.

In 50 years you probably won't be able to buy a physical album, copy of a movie and maybe not even books as it all goes digital as broad band spreads and industries move that way as a route to kill off second hand sales of movies, video games, books etc.

So stealing will no longer be depriving someone of a physical copy, it will be getting the digital copy (which is the only version) without paying for it.

[Amalthia]

Originally Posted by thename

I see you're aware that many publishers/copyright holders would love to come after your beloved fanfic too!

Well there's a good case for fair use when the story completely subverts the original.

But yeah, the corporations would love to bleed people dry if they could.

[DawnFalcon]

No, it does not "need to change". Unauthorised Copying is still an offence. What is important is that taking a book out of a store without paying is always theft - and there are legitimate, fair use, reasons to make copies which do not need to be authorised.

So no, not the same, not the same name and stop giving the darknet communities free ammunition.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

It's the same thing to me.

As we move to digital products in certain industries, the definition of theft has to change.

In 50 years you probably won't be able to buy a physical album, copy of a movie and maybe not even books as it all goes digital as broad band spreads and industries move that way as a route to kill off second hand sales of movies, video games, books etc.

So stealing will no longer be depriving someone of a physical copy, it will be getting the digital copy (which is the only version) without paying for it.

Indeed.