Kindle readers Unite!

[Anyse]

Amazon is now being forced to sell the bestsellers for more than the most attractive $9.95. I heard on CBS that the new prices will be from $13.99-$15.99 per book on the bestseller list. What gets me is the hew and cry of the publishing industry that, all of a sudden, they are not getting enough money for Kindle book sales. Well, given that in December (2009), Amazon sold more electronic books than they sold physical books, it seems to me that the publishing industry is getting greedy and are licking their lips in the quest for greater profits! Their overhead on and Kindlebook is practically nil! They don't have to pay to publish the book in paaper form, Amazon does a heck of a lot of the sales pitch on the Amazon sales site, and the publihers only need to send ONE digital copy to Amazon for distribution! So, what gives?

I am suggesting that maybe it is time for BOTH Amazon and all Kindle users to totally boycott the purchase of any more bestseller books from here on until the publishing industry relinquishes in their unreasonable demand to make more money because, of a sudden, they aren't making “enough” money per book. They took a chance on this new industry and, now that it is proven, want to change the rules of the game wih Kindle users paying the price!

So, I elicit your responses in the hope that, together, in the long run, we can force the publishing industry to retain bestseller book prices at the “agreed”upon price of $9.99!

Thank you.

[Sydney's Mom]

The only way to affect ebook prices is with our wallets. I think the Game Change campaign was noticed, but who knows if it will effect any change. If we refuse to buy ebooks at $15.99, it could mean no ebooks. Unfortunately, the publishers did not object to $9.99 books because of the revenue, but because they thought it would "devalue" their hardback books.

I find most ebooks I want to read are available at the library. I can wait a few weeks, to get the format I want, at a price that I like.

[Dulin's Books]

i think everyone should stop buying kindles and buy PocketBook and Onyx EBRs

[Ervserver]

like any purchase I'll buy when the price is right, meaning a sale or competition forces prices down. If I have to wait months after a new title comes out for the price to go down I can wait, i do the same thing with dvd titles

[CopperTrail]

I won't pay more than $9.99 for an eBook. I'm done with eReaders until a standard emerges such as MP3 where books can be read across multiple devices. It's like having to buy new copies of all your CDs when you get a new stereo. Now enter the iPad, with it's iBook store and you have the potential for more confusion/frustration.

[sianon]

I'll continue to do what I currently do. Buy form whatever source is cheapest and stripo the DRM before converting to Mobie.

[zacheryjensen]

Originally Posted by Anyse

Amazon is now being forced to sell the bestsellers for more than the most attractive $9.95. I heard on CBS that the new prices will be from $13.99-$15.99 per book on the bestseller list. What gets me is the hew and cry of the publishing industry that, all of a sudden, they are not getting enough money for Kindle book sales. Well, given that in December (2009), Amazon sold more electronic books than they sold physical books, it seems to me that the publishing industry is getting greedy and are licking their lips in the quest for greater profits! Their overhead on and Kindlebook is practically nil! They don't have to pay to publish the book in paaper form, Amazon does a heck of a lot of the sales pitch on the Amazon sales site, and the publihers only need to send ONE digital copy to Amazon for distribution! So, what gives?

I am suggesting that maybe it is time for BOTH Amazon and all Kindle users to totally boycott the purchase of any more bestseller books from here on until the publishing industry relinquishes in their unreasonable demand to make more money because, of a sudden, they aren't making “enough” money per book. They took a chance on this new industry and, now that it is proven, want to change the rules of the game wih Kindle users paying the price!

So, I elicit your responses in the hope that, together, in the long run, we can force the publishing industry to retain bestseller book prices at the “agreed”upon price of $9.99!

Thank you.

It is 12.99 to 14.99 with day on date release of eBooks with hardcovers, with the intent to drop as low as $5.99 over time. Exactly the same way paper books work.

Second, it's actually BETTER for Amazon because with 9.99 NYT Best Sellers Amazon is taking a major loss on sales. In the agency model, amazon will take 30% of the sale price, regardless of how high or low and therefore their margins on sales of books will be better.

You're letting Amazon fool you into thinking this is bad because it's only bad for them and their kindle sales. They use 9.99 NYT best sellers to push hardware sales, which they profit greatly on. The fact that publishers intend to put a time delay after new releases of HB before the eBook makes this whole issue moot to us eBook readers anyway. Just wait til they drop the price to what you prefer and buy then. It's quite simple.

[stustaff]

Originally Posted by CopperTrail

It's like having to buy new copies of all your CDs when you get a new stereo. Now enter the iPad, with it's iBook store and you have the potential for more confusion/frustration.

Erm yeh we all did pretty much
I bought records and tapes- CDs came out so had to rebuy favourite music - MP3 came out new stereo doens have cd player but an iPod dock and aux in - so had to buy MP3 versions of favourite songs.

Think how much the music industry made every thime new technologhy came out, thats why they dont really care that we have to rebuy things because they know we will do it.

[zacheryjensen]

Originally Posted by stustaff

MP3 came out new stereo doens have cd player but an iPod dock and aux in - so had to buy MP3 versions of favourite songs.

Well that was pretty stupid considering there is no copy protection on CDs and ripping them with even a very weak modern computer is a trivial task that requires little overall time. In fact, the number one online music sales outlet, iTunes, has a rather convenient CD ripping functionality built right in. How's that for you? A company that thrives on music sales makes it easy as pie to import your own existing CD collection.

You can't blame the industry this time around. It was your own gaffe.

[amjbrown]

$15.99 works out at £10 in the UK. For a good, well written, hot off the "press" new relaese that is fine for me. I used to wait for hardbacks to turn into paperbacks before I had a reader - partly because HBs are bulky, partly money. For books I can live without straight after publication, I expect to pay about half that in twelve months time.

Writing is a skill - very few people are brilliant writers, and I am prepared to support them.

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by sianon

I'll continue to do what I currently do. Buy form whatever source is cheapest and stripo the DRM before converting to Mobie.

I think this is the simplest method of dealing with the whole mess. It is free markets/capitalism/competition in action. The consumer decides and thus rewards the companies/publishers/authors that work to get their business, and punishes the ones that don't. If everyone would do this simple act, it would not take long for the errant ones to see the light.

The only thing I would add.... if if they all band together and do the "Price fix". Then go to the darknets and punish them all.

[zacheryjensen]

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

I think this is the simplest method of dealing with the whole mess. It is free markets/capitalism/competition in action. The consumer decides and thus rewards the companies/publishers/authors that work to get their business, and punishes the ones that don't. If everyone would do this simple act, it would not take long for the errant ones to see the light.

The only thing I would add.... if if they all band together and do the "Price fix". Then go to the darknets and punish them all.

Or go to the DoJ and get them sued. There is no crime that the FTC enjoys exposing more than a price fix scheme.

Also, I generally agree on the rewarding companies that price how you like, the only flaw here is the DRM part. In theory if you buy DRM files but remove the DRM, the seller thinks you were okay with the DRM. So they don't see how many people really hate DRM.

[Sweetpea]

I don't see a problem with a publisher telling the price of a book, personally... Naturally, if Amazon wants to (re)sell it for a lower price than they've bought the book, they're fine to do so.

And naturally, you're free to not buy a book for the given price as well...

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by zacheryjensen

Or go to the DoJ and get them sued. There is no crime that the FTC enjoys exposing more than a price fix scheme.

Also, I generally agree on the rewarding companies that price how you like, the only flaw here is the DRM part. In theory if you buy DRM files but remove the DRM, the seller thinks you were okay with the DRM. So they don't see how many people really hate DRM.

And I agree with you about the DRM issue. But, like most things in life, there is a bit a compromise to make it all work. In principle I would refuse to buy anything with DRM. And if it was not removable I certainly would never purchase it. Imagine a paper book with a 6 foot chain attached to your couch, to me it's the same thing. However, since it is really pretty easy (to me) to do, that is my compromise......

[zacheryjensen]

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

And I agree with you about the DRM issue. But, like most things in life, there is a bit a compromise to make it all work. In principle I would refuse to buy anything with DRM. And if it was not removable I certainly would never purchase it. Imagine a paper book with a 6 foot chain attached to your couch, to me it's the same thing. However, since it is really pretty easy (to me) to do, that is my compromise......

Yeah, I make the same compromise It just occasionally keeps me up at night, so I try to make up for it by promoting authors, to my circle of friends, that appreciate and support open formats and no DRM, like Doctorow or Steve Jordan.

I'm also happy about the adoption of ADEPT ePub in so many stores now because it's so easy to crack, and leaves the original file intact, unlike the only eReader crack I know about... *sigh*