# How much are you willing to pay?



## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

I know that many consider it sacrilege to pay more than $9.99 and most want to pay less for Kindle books.  I don't really mind most of the pricing that has come my way and have paid up to $18.00 for some books.  I believe that paying a higher price now is just part of our price for the technology as it gains popularity.  Sort of like the horrendous pricing on DVDs as that technology gained general and wide acceptance.  If a book is ONLY available in hardcover for $20, then I'm not squawk too much about paying anywhere from $14 to $18 in order to read it before paperback pricing is available.

I am sure that in a few years the industry will settle on a standard, especially since it looks like Amazon is pushing the $9.99 base price (currently for best sellers).  

I am interested to know what you all think.


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

There are certain authors that I bought as soon as they arrived. Mostly hard back and paid $24.00 or more, so I don't mind paying up to $15 to get it on the Kindle. I'm still saving money. The same with paperbacks, if it is cheaper than buying the DTB I don't mind the cost.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

$9.99 is an artificial ceiling since it was Amazon that said they would try to keep bestsellers at that price.  So that's the price that is stuck in my head as my top price.  I've paid $9.99 one time and $8 twice for a very favorite author.  

My actual top price is $7.99 because that's the price I would pay for a new paperback.  On the other hand, I rarely buy new paperbacks.  

I prefer to keep my purchases at $1.99 or less.  I've paid $6.39 for Jude Deveraux and Nora Roberts, and I've paid $7.99 for Stephanie Plum.  

As much as I love the Miss Julia books, I won't pay $14.82.  If the latest book comes down to $7.99 when the paperback comes out, I'll get it.  I doubt if it will, though.  And at the prices they're asking, I won't replace my DTVs.


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

I generally pay no more than used paperback pricing although I might pay new paperback pricing if I really wanted something. I wouldn't pay brand new prices. There's plenty to read while waiting for paperback pricing and that money wouldn't be wasted on overpriced immediacy but would go for a few assorted reasonably priced reads.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Ultimately, the prices will fall and level out. Look at what MP3s did to the music market. I remember paying ~$17 for a music CD, now the basic price of an MP3 album is $9.99. Apple and Amazon seem to have gotten the music industry to accept this pricing (despite their compaining), I think the publishers will likely follow suit.


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## Linda Cannon-Mott (Oct 28, 2008)

I attempt to keep all books at $6.69 or less. I have paid 9.99 for 5 books. There are so many great books available for less than 9.99 I can wait on the price to drop.

Linda


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## Wisteria Clematis (Oct 29, 2008)

I like to keep it no higher than $9.99 for novels, although once I paid more than that for a new Nora Roberts that came out the same day I had to leave on a long business trip. Being able to read it on the plane that day was worth the extra bucks to me. But I am willing to spend considerably more on scholarly books or reference books. I paid over $30 for an acupressure book that has been out of print for ages and suddenly became available in kindle format. I've also been willing to spend a lot more on yoga books. Pen and ink sketches in one of my favorite yoga manuals translate very well to the kindle version, and I love being able to use the search feature to find the postures I want immediately. 

It all depends on what floats your boat. If a certain book feels valuable to you or is something you really want than who is to say how much is too much to pay?


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Because i am so new at this, I haven't paid more than $3.99 for any book. I have more than 70 books ready for my kindle when it arrives, most of them free classics. I won't _need_ to buy anything for awhile. However, I would not consider paying $15 too excessive, as I have paid far more for hardbacks many times. I do hope that the prices stabilize somewhere between eight and twelve dollars eventually.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

I don't really have a problem with paying $9.99 or more for a Kindle book, if it's something I really want and want now.  That said, $9.99 is the highest I've paid so far, and not many of those.  I have so many books that I've already bought or downloaded for free, there are not many books over $5 that I'm even tempted to get right away - they go on my wishlist.


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2009)

In the end economics will prevail.  They will test the waters to see how much we will pay and we will respond by trying to pay as little as possible.

Eventually they will find their magic number.  The highest price they can charge and still make a good profit based on the profit margin and the number of units sold.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I paid $18 for the most recent Codex Alera novel.  I knew that it would come doen in price when it hit the best seller list but I wanted it the day it was released. I paid less then I would have if I had purchased the DTB and that was enough for me. 

Most of the time I am concerned with if I want to read the book and not worried about the price. I will check and see if the paperback is selling for less. It is rare that I see a paperback version for less then the Kindle version. 

I am downloading the free books that they offer if they look interesting. One of these days I will will download from the free book websites. For right now, the books I am reading are more recently released.


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2009)

I got lucky and I don't know how i did it but I got Princep's Fury for $9.99 for my Kindle.  I saw it went up in price after that.  Somehow I managed to get it set up as a preorder for that price.  I don't know how I did it and haven't been able to get a Kindle preorder since.

It was good but left me a bit unsatisfied.  I guess the next book will take care of that.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

heheh I have been avoiding using he titles, just in case anyone wants to read the books. The later ones are a bit spoilerish. (grins)

I rather enjoyed PF. It ended with a much larger cliff hanger then the first three but I expected that. 11 months before FLF is released.  I am posting at the Jim Butcher board about the books. Can't wait for the next Dresden book.


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2009)

Same here.  I enjoy the Dresden files to.


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## Knipfty (Jan 8, 2009)

I expect the price to be about 20% cheaper on the Kindle.  I also now read many classics at no cost.


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

Please excuse my comment, but you are all kidding yourselves. We are all suffering from sticker shock right now, so we bravely say we won't pay $X or $Y. I prefer reading books on a Kindle. While I, also, will not pay more than $9.99 RIGHT NOW, I know that eventually I will pay any amount up to the paperback price for a book I want. If the Kindle book and a paperback were the same price, and I enjoy reading the Kindle more, why would I buy the paperback. Maybe I would right now because I am angry at Amazon for the price increases, but I know in the long run I will pay the higher price. However it might not be good for them for selling more Kindles. 

Steve


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## hazeldazel (Oct 30, 2008)

for a brand-new hardback novel $9.99 is my limit

for a brand-new paperback novel $6.39 is my limit

if the books have been out for awhile, then I expect them to go down slightly.  if the books have been out for years, i expect the prices to go down a LOT.  

Note, there are few books/series that I would buy as soon as they come out.  It kills me when I see a book that's been out in paperback for two years and they want like 8 bucks for it.  Forget it!  ANY ebook should be cheaper than the DTB counterpart as they do not have the paper and shipping costs.


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2009)

Just like any drug, they lure us in with free books, free samples, then bargain book.  Just when we think life is sweet, BAM!  they have us hooked and the prices shoot sky high!


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## ScottBooks (Oct 28, 2008)

Since I would buy two or more hardcovers every Tuesday 52 times a year...I don't really have a price point. They would cost me between $25 and $40 each so anything less than that seems OK with me. I imagine I'd balk at paying $30 for a Kindle book but I doubt that I'll ever be asked to.


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## katiekat1066 (Nov 19, 2008)

I've been thinking about this a lot.  Prior to getting the Kindle, I've paid as much as $15 for an electronic advanced readers copy (ARC) for Baen books that I couldn't wait to get, and then popped out the $25 for the hardback also and not thought about it.  In contrast, I feel guilty buying $9.99 books on Amazon for some obscure reason.  Part of this is that his just too easy to buy at Amazon, I think, and too easy for me to go over my budget without realizing it - one click is dangerous!  I'm thinking about letting myself have 2 $9.99 books a month and about $30 for other books on Amazon since we're still buying DTBs.  I'm sure something will come along that will cause me to spend $15 for a book from Amazon sooner or later, so I guess that $15 is my price point - still cheaper than the DTB.

Katiekat


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## Wells83 (Nov 19, 2008)

Unless it's a book I really want, I won't generally pay more than $5 or $6 for it.  And never will I pay over $9.99.  

I have so many books to read, that if I see a book on Kindle I really wants that's too high priced, I generally just wait to see if it goes down.  I also have a monthly plan at www.bookswim.com, so I'll get books from there that either aren't available for Kindle or are too expensive on Kindle.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

I paid $16.01 for Society's Child by Janis Ian back in July. It was at the same price for months. Just checking now, I see it is down to $14.82. I am not complaining about what I paid...I enjoyed the book and am glad I bought it. 

I have been on a tear reading books from small publishers. Most of them are in the $4 to $6 range. So, I figure that the money I save on those covers the occasional splurge on other books.

L


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## Boston (Nov 7, 2008)

I can't recall every paying full retail for a p book and I also enjoyed sharing them when I was done.  

So my mental barrier is that it should be less than the discounted price I would've paid for a new pbook and the price should not be significantly more than I could buy the book for used after shipping.  When I buy a book on the Kindle, I do look at the the p book price to compare. 

I only bought books in hardcover on rare occasions (and again discounted at least 40%) so I can't see paying more than $9.99.


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

I guess since the Kindle is so new, that keeps the prices all over the board. 

I hardly ever bought hardback books because I couldn't trade then in at the used book store. There used to be only one size of paperback book too. Then some genius figured out that if you make the book 1 inch bigger, you can charge more for it. I boycotted those books because I felt I was getting ripped off. Much the same as if a book has been out in paperback for a significant amount of time and the Kindle price is still over $9.99 I refuse to pay the high price.

I try to keep my Kindle book purchases under $5.oo but if I consider sales tax too, it's more like $4.00.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Okay, this may be a stupid question and I hope I stay coherent while commenting.  I'm not sure that I understand the strong feeling I'm getting that books should be really inexpensive on the Kindle.  I hope that I'm just of a different opinion, not missing something.

I have not been a library person for about 30 years, just after my 1st paycheck.  Prior to my Kindle, I purchased my 'Must Haves' and series in hardback and new authors in paperback, many times over $10 for those oversize jobs.  If its cheaper than the printed version, what does it matter how much it costs if you would be getting the DTV (at the higher cost) without the Kindle?  

And most of us paid around $350 for the privilege of utilizing the books in electronic format, why quibble about cost now that we've made a choice?


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

You made your point clearly. I can only respond from my pov. With the number of books available one could only read a tiny fraction of what's out there in a lifetime of reading. With that limitation I stick with the inexpensive books. I think prices should be whatever the author wants them to be although I understand it's more up to the publisher/distributor than the author at times. With a few used book stores near me I can stay stocked up on used paperbacks for $4 or less so that's my normal price point. I'll spend whatever a book costs if I really want it but usually I can wait till it's out in paperback as I have plenty of others to fill the time.


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

I usually don't pay more than 5-6 dollars and so far I've only bought one new release. Overall try to stick to free books these days


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

If I was used to buying hardback books, I guess I wouldn't have a problem paying over $10.00 for a kindle book. However, when the book has been out for long enough for it to go to paperback, and the kindle price is more than the paperback price, that's when I have a problem.  

Since ebooks don't have the overhead that the DTV's have, it stands to reason that they "should" be cheaper. That being said and since ebooks are such a relatively new media, I don't think anyone knows quite what the market will bear when it comes to pricing so we're kind of all scratching our heads over the wild differences in prices.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

In my opinion, it is not a quibble. I am saving the publisher and Amazon money. They don't have to pay for printing the book (no paper cost, no ink cost, no binding cost, no worker cost). They don't have to pay to transport the book (no gas cost, no trucking cost, no air fare cost). All they have to pay for is someone to format the book and post it on Amazon or whatever other book store they want to see it at.

I understand that hardback books are more expensive because the binding is more expensive, they weigh more so they are more expensive to ship, the paper is nicer and all that fun stuff. So the hardback version is going to be more expensive then the paper back version. 

There is no such logic for the e-book on the day the book is published. So I expect that the cost will be less because there is no extra cost for putting it on line to sell. I am willing to pay a bit more because I am impatient but I expect the ebook price to be less then the hardback price. 

I am saving them money. I would like those savings passed on to me. If the extra profit they might be pocketing was going to the author, I might be ok with it. But it is not. The extra profit is going to go to the company and their shareholders. I am not a shareholder so I make no money off of this.


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## Boston (Nov 7, 2008)

Jesslyn said:


> And most of us paid around $350 for the privilege of utilizing the books in electronic format, why quibble about cost now that we've made a choice?


The quibble is that Amazon seems to be playing with pricing to see what the market will bear. (And if you ask the publishers, it is Amazon that is setting the sell price, publishers just list a retail price and that hasn't changed).

It was long rumored that Amazon was not making a profit on e-books and if that's the case, they artificially lowered prices to build a customer base.

The reason I never bought a Sony eReader was because of book pricing. I would be paying more than I usually pay for p books. When the Kindle came out, I bought on primarily because of content and PRICING. Until Christmas, none of the books I looked at were over $9.99. Today, although its not the norm, I frequently come across books that are priced higher.

So to answer your question, I bought the Kindle based on the pricing (and was part of my justification in investing in a Kindle).


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

I purchased my Kindle for several different reasons.  One of the reasons was the $9.99 price, although I always considered that a tease.  Amazon wanted to know how well the Kindle would do and adjust the price for e-books accordingly.  It only makes sense.

However I was paying between $16 to $22 for hardbacks for certain authors because I had to have their books 'right now'.  So if the books are $10 to $13 I have still saved a little money plus I have this fabulous new gizmo!  

Right now I am waiting for Mari Sandoz books to be kindlized.  There are a couple I want to re-read.


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## Wells83 (Nov 19, 2008)

Jesslyn said:


> Okay, this may be a stupid question and I hope I stay coherent while commenting. I'm not sure that I understand the strong feeling I'm getting that books should be really inexpensive on the Kindle. I hope that I'm just of a different opinion, not missing something.
> 
> *I have not been a library person for about 30 years, just after my 1st paycheck. Prior to my Kindle, I purchased my 'Must Haves' and series in hardback and new authors in paperback, many times over $10 for those oversize jobs. If its cheaper than the printed version, what does it matter how much it costs if you would be getting the DTV (at the higher cost) without the Kindle? *
> 
> And most of us paid around $350 for the privilege of utilizing the books in electronic format, why quibble about cost now that we've made a choice?


In your situation, it makes sense that you will pay more for a Kindle book because you're still saving money regardless. But it looks like a lot of us weren't spending as much as you on DTBs. I rarely buy a new book at full price. If I do buy my books, it's usually at Half Priced books or at the discount table at barnes & Noble. If it's a book that's just been released, a lot of times I rent it. So the amount of money I'm willing or able to spend on books is a lot less than how much you spend.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

This seems to be a subjective question, at least for me.  I, like others, bought most of my pre-Kindle books at library sales, Half Price Books, and bargain bins at B&N and Books-A-Million, or Walden Books.  If there is a book I'm particularly anxious to read I'll pay more.  As far as my Kindle goes, I have been very lucky to have only paid 9.99 for one book, the One Year Bible.  I have paid 9.99 for a couple of others, but they were a set of 3 and a set of 5.  So technically not 9.99 for one book.  I have spent way too much time on Amazon searching for good cheap books, and I don't think I'm going to run out of things to read any time soon.  I have plenty of DTBs in my library that I haven't got a chance to get to, so I think I'm set for a while.  I believe that the sample feature has helped me quite a bit in curtailing any impulse buying.  A couple of the books I got I will wait till the price drops much lower than 9.99 before I purchase.  If it doesn't, oh well.  There's still the library.  So would I pay more than 9.99?  I haven't been tempted to so far, but probably because of so many other options.  
Great question.  Thanks for making me think about it.
debbie


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

As I see it, the pricing of Kindle or other ebooks should go something like this: Add up all costs to produce the book, less costs of producing the DTV, plus the costs of producing the ebook version, then tally the sum. That way everyone (authors, publishers) will be paid the same no matter which version you buy.

Some publishers claim the cost of producing the DTV and the ebook are roughly equivalent, hence, no dramatic reduction in the price of the ebook. While I can't say for sure, I think the ebook production costs are less, though probably not enough to _always_ justify a selling price of $9.99. You should expect to pay more now and then for new books. Publishers and authors do have a reasonable expectation to make a certain profit from selling DTV or ebooks.

A lot of people think $9.99 should be the ceiling, however, there are two books I'm currently thinking about buying that cost more, though I'm holding back until I'm actually ready to read them. I could buy them today at the higher price, have them sit in the TBR queue for a few months, only to discover when the time comes to read the book, the price has dropped. On the flip side, however, when a book is on deep discount, I'll buy it with only a vague notion of reading in the next year.

If you want to read the book right now and the cost is higher than $9.99, but not unreasonably so, I don't see an issue with paying the price asked.


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

Geemont said:


> That way everyone (authors, publishers) will be paid the same no matter which version you buy.


We seem to be living in Fantasy Land, don't we. Nothing in this economy works this way, but Kindle books will pioneer the way! 

Steve


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

I pay for what I want to read when I want to read it.  I'd love to say that all books should be $9.99, reality is that I know they won't be.  I used to spend way too much on DTBs at B&N, Borders, other bookstores and Amazon.  Now I spend it on books for my Kindle.  I try to stick to the $9.99 price point, but I also tried to buy books using my discounts at the stores before.  Did I spend full price when I was stuck at O'Hare for 8 hours and ran out of books? Yes.  So will I spend more for a book I want to read now rather then wait, yes. The same as when I bought hardback books I knew would be in paperback in a 6 months.  As long as the Kindle price is less then the current DTB price then I'll pay it.  If we force an artificial low price on Kindle editions then there are some books from some publishers that will never be Kindled.  I'd rather have various prices and have all the books available, then have to go back to DTBs for some because there is artificial ceiling on prices.

Climbs off soapbox and to go buy another Kindlebook.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

I still use the library for 90% of my reading materials.


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## Gables Girl (Oct 28, 2008)

Last library book I checked out was the year I graduated.  They may be cheaper but I don't like to wait to get a book and I'm never sure where they have been before I get them. Shudders thinking about it....


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I used the library a lot last year when I was unemployed. I was lucky, it was only three months, but the library was a god send. I could walk there and get plenty of reading material. It gave me exercise and something to do that I did not have to pay for.


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## Avalon3 (Dec 3, 2008)

Won't pay anything over $9.99.  I've put titles in My Favorites folder and hope they will come down in price.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

While we're not a "budget" per se, we still need to watch what we spend on the "extras". And one of the selling points to my husband was that books cost about the same as a paperback. So, I prefer to pay less than $9.99 but if its something I want right now, I won't hesitate. Although, I think I would still hesitate at anything over $15.


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## Mikuto (Oct 30, 2008)

Most of the books I've wanted seem to top out at 9.99, so I suppose that's my limit for now. 

Though, I paid a total of $37.00 for Scott Sigler's "Contagious" split between the signed hardcover and the kindle edition, so I guess it all depends on how you tally up the costs for one Kindle book...If I re-buy Stephen King novels that I already have, in the long run I'm paying more than the Kindle price, since I previously purchased the book. 

But I like to measure things by enjoyment, rather than monetary value. My kindle cost me 300 dollars, but it's invaluable if you measure it's worth in how much I enjoy it rather than how much I paid for it...


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## durphy (Nov 5, 2008)

I've found Amazon to be fair in its pricing. I bought my Kindle in order to receive books instantly. I definitely pushed the boundaries by buying Kindle in the first place, but I haven't been disappointed.

But that being said, I do have a budget. If Amazon can make a profit with $9.99 being the maximum, I'd be a happy reader.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

When I bought DTBs I always got the used ones, for one cent but then paid through the nose for shipping and handling.  Very rarely did I pay full price, the new paperbacks here in Mexico are horrendously expensive.  I used $10 per book for 30 books a year, which is a lesser amount of books that I buy, even cheap ones and justified buying my kindle that way.  I have so many free books now, and there are inexpensive good books.  I can usually wait for something new, I have to have it right now does not fit in my vocabulary.


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

There are several trade offs I need to consider:

1. Do I eat, or do I get my new books
2. DO I pay my taxes, or do I get my new books
3. Do I get that heart operation I need, or do I get my new books
4. Do I feed the dogs, or do I get the new books.
5. Do I continue to pay my utility bills so I can get heat in the winter, or do I get new books (there are always blankets)

These are very important considerations that I must carefully weigh.   

Steve


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

Your post is a humorous way to make an important point. Life's necessities have to come first and if there is money remaining it can be spent on books or whatever one chooses to spend it on. Hopefully budgeting and sensible spending are more common among Kindlers than the general public.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

stevene9 said:


> There are several trade offs I need to consider:
> 
> 1. Do I eat, or do I get my new books - *need to diet*
> 2. DO I pay my taxes, or do I get my new books - *retired without enough money to have to pay taxes*
> ...


my answers in bold LOL LOL LOL


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## Guest (Jan 12, 2009)

> Life's necessities have to come first


They do?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

"When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes" - Erasmus 

Ann


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

LDB said:


> Life's necessities have to come first


For me, life's necessities are books, books and more books.

I might go for the heart operation first, because if I die, I won't be able to read, which would kill me anyway.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

Geemont said:


> As I see it, the pricing of Kindle or other ebooks should go something like this: Add up all costs to produce the book, less costs of producing the DTV, plus the costs of producing the ebook version, then tally the sum. That way everyone (authors, publishers) will be paid the same no matter which version you buy.
> 
> *Some publishers claim the cost of producing the DTV and the ebook are roughly equivalent, hence, no dramatic reduction in the price of the ebook. While I can't say for sure, I think the ebook production costs are less, though probably not enough to always justify a selling price of $9.99. You should expect to pay more now and then for new books. Publishers and authors do have a reasonable expectation to make a certain profit from selling DTV or ebooks. *
> A lot of people think $9.99 should be the ceiling, however, there are two books I'm currently thinking about buying that cost more, though I'm holding back until I'm actually ready to read them. I could buy them today at the higher price, have them sit in the TBR queue for a few months, only to discover when the time comes to read the book, the price has dropped. On the flip side, however, when a book is on deep discount, I'll buy it with only a vague notion of reading in the next year.
> ...


I would find that hard to believe. In this day, there HAS to be an electronic format prior to publishing so the costs for ebooks are incurred AFTER proofing, but cease prior to physical printing. Thus I can see why many folks feel that the ebook should be less.

As a gadget-head that always has the 'newest' toy, I guess I have become inured to paying for the latest technology as part of the 'support' cost. Mainly, for me--the cost of a book is the cost. Unless ebooks disappear, I ain't goin' back, and in fact am looking for the day when my reference books and business documents are on a 8"x11" Kindle/Kindle-like device. When I pay more for a book, I try to consider it a vote for the technology. Remember when VHS-es were too expensive to buy? Also, if a book is only in hardback, I never consider the price--I do the same grit-my-teeth-and-bear-it that I did when going to the bookstore the day something came out.



mom133d said:


> While we're not a "budget" per se, we still need to watch what we spend on the "extras". *And one of the selling points to my husband was that books cost about the same as a paperback.* So, I prefer to pay less than $9.99 but if its something I want right now, I won't hesitate. Although, I think I would still hesitate at anything over $15.


I justifed the cost to my husband by taking his hand and leading him to all the overflowing bookshelves in the garage, overflowing closets and boxes in the garage. He offered to pay for it


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## Jamjar (Nov 22, 2008)

*I justifed the cost to my husband by taking his hand and leading him to all the overflowing bookshelves in the garage, overflowing closets and boxes in the garage. He offered to pay for it Grin*

This was the main reason for my buying a Kindle. I was tired of my bed becoming an island from overflowing book shelves. I considered the $9.99 price cheap compared to the hardback price which I would never have bought because I waited until they all became paperbacks. For a few books, I did pay $9.99 for recent best sellers and I appreciated not waiting for a paperback but most books I buy are under $7.00. What has surprised me the most is that I would prefer reading on the Kindle to reading books. It is all personal preference as to why we have Kindles and the prices we are willing to pay. There are so many classics that are free that we really never need to pay for books if money is an issue.


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

It turns out that I'll pay $11 and change for a book. Yeah, I started on the Twilight series, and book 4 was $11. Of course, by then I had read the other three, and was completely hooked, and actually felt like getting Bella and Edward and Jacob sorted out was a matter of life and death. I know: prioritize much?

But, there are some things I take into consideration, such as
1. What would I pay for it if Amazon shipped it to the house, or if I got my lazy butt into the car and drove to a bookstore?
2. Just how much do I need to find out what happens to people that don't exist?
3. (anyone starting to think of the Spanish Inquisition sketch from Monty Python?) Is there anything on those 400 cable channels I'm paying for? That I haven't seen? That I'm not too lazy to retrieve from the dvd shelf and just watch?
4. I have no husband. So his opinion on what I should be spending on books barely rates my full attention, much less my thoughtful consideration.
5. If I bought it from the book club (also one click), how much would shipping cost, and when would it get here? I mean, b/c whispernet can have it here now, no delays, and no being attacked by homicidal sparrows while retrieving packages from my own front porch.

And, to be completely fair, Twilight and New Moon were both $6.04, and Eclipse was $9.99, so I didn't feel like the extra $2 was out of line for the last book. In fact, it's the behavior I would expect from Amazon. It still comes out to less than $9 per book, and I'm okay with that.


Spoiler



If I'd known how little Edward was in New Moon, Jacob could have sat his furry ass in La Push by himself, and I would have skipped that one entirely. I am not on Team Jacob.


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## theresa57 (Nov 23, 2008)

So far I have paid no more than $9.99 for a Kindle book. I found out very quickly that 1-click is a dangerous thing, and have since slowed way down on my purchases! I have about 5 pages of books to read, and yet I keep finding more that look sooo good. 
Manybooks has saved me from myself at times. lol


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I've found so many books at $4 or less, it's a very rare book indeed that I spend more on...  I need to let the Kindle pay for itself by spending less for books than I would otherwise.  I figure in about a year, unless I keep buying more cool electronic stuff, I can start spending more on books.  Probably $9.99 would be my top; $8 or less my norm at that point.  Fortunately, there's a lot of good stuff for $4 or less, and I have Kindleboards members scouting them out for me!

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm willing to pay what the book is worth.  How do I know what it is worth?  Well, it's worth what I'm willing to pay.

Yeah, it's a vicious circle and fairly nebulous to define.   

Ann


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## Guest (Jan 14, 2009)

I have paid up to $25.00 plus shipping for a hard back book and now I find I feel 10.00 is the max I want to pay?  Why?


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## Beth A (Jan 2, 2009)

It all depends on how badly I want to read it, and if I wish to start reading it right away. Some I would not pay more then $10 for, but those are usually the same ones that I would wait for the paperback version.

If it is a favorite author, the story looks great and I am not currently in the middle of a book. I'd go to 20.


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## idolguy (Dec 31, 2008)

Jesslyn said:


> I know that many consider it sacrilege to pay more than $9.99 and most want to pay less for Kindle books. I don't really mind most of the pricing that has come my way and have paid up to $18.00 for some books. I believe that paying a higher price now is just part of our price for the technology as it gains popularity. Sort of like the horrendous pricing on DVDs as that technology gained general and wide acceptance. If a book is ONLY available in hardcover for $20, then I'm not squawk too much about paying anywhere from $14 to $18 in order to read it before paperback pricing is available.


Yes, this is exactly right. I'm willing to pay as much as I would pay for an equivalent paperback book. Since reading it on the Kindle is so much easier and enjoyable, I'll pay a little more if I want to read the book. Most of the books I've bought have been $9.99 or less.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

I'm not sure.  It really depends on how bad I want to read the book.  I do feel pretty strongly about not paying over $9.99 for a novel since that is a figure Amazon put out there.  For a reference book, I would probably go more.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

There are two books which I have paid more then $9.99 for, Princeps' Fury and Ender in Exile. Both I bought the day they were released because I am a huge fan of the author/series. I could get both now for $9.99 but I am impatient. The vast majority of the books I have purchased in the $7 range. I have downloaded7 books for free, which reduces the amount of money I spent on all of my books, probably making the two books I paid more then $9.99 cost less then $9.99.

I guess I am not worried about the price point. I want to read what I want to read.


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## KindleMom (Dec 11, 2008)

In addition to wanting a K because it just seems like the coolest idea, I wanted a K for convenience.  I live 30 minutes from my nearest bookstore and libraray - and the libraray is $120 a year because I don't live in the city that pays taxes for it.  Most of my books I read come from Amazon so I would wait to order to get my $25 so I could get free shipping and then I'd place an order and wait for my books.  I never purchased new/hardback books, always paperback and usually older ones that were less expensive than the new releases.

I must admit I'm a little disappointed at the prices of the K version older paperbacks.  It seems like the K version should be less expensive than the DTB version and if it's not, I put the DTB version on my wish list and when I reach my $25 total I again place my order through Amazon.  I refuse to pay the same price for no paper.  I know, insane because I'm missing the convenience of instant download, but for some reason it really bothers me.  So I don't have those books on my K but I do have a book that I can pass along to a friend or donate to the library and then more people get something out of my $$$ so it feels like I'm getting more for my $$$.

In short, I won't pay the same price for a K version as a DTB version.  It won't happen, ever.  So I'm not sure what my price point is exactly, but if the K version is the same or more than the DTB version, it's not going on my Kindle.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

It makes sense to me. I think that is going to be the tricky part of dealing with the emergence of the e-book. They are trying to figure out what price point will lead people to buy the e-book version instead of the DTB. 

I wonder if they are able to look at ITunes and see how the transition from cd to mps (or whatever ITunes ar classified as). 

A new book being released as a DTB and a e-book will cost less because the people with e-book readers will buy the e-book and the folks without the e-book reader will buy the DTB. So there is more incentive for the publishers to put out the electronic version of the book at the same time as the DTB. It should be easier to prepare the e-book because publishers are thining of that format as the book is coming out.

The cost of putting older books in e-book format is going to be high initially because many people already own the DTB and are less likely to want to buy them in e-book form. So the price point for the e-book is going to be high. Additionally, the books were never prepared for e-book because the format was not popular. Publishers have to go back and scan the books, format the books, and then put out the e-book. It is more time and labor intensive, hence more expensive. As DTB decrease in popularity, people will want the older books on the e-book reader (much like people bought the MP3 version of the CDs they already own). It will be more difficult for people to rip their own e-books so people will be eventually buy the older DTB in e-book form.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

After my 'oh so superior' assertion that I have paid more than the $9.99 for Kindle Kopies, I went back over my my account and the average that I have paid in 9 months was $7.48.  Since I buy a mix of new releases and older books, perhaps Amazon really does have the price point worked out--at least to my satisfaction.  I can only see that average going down, not up.


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

9.99 is my self imposed limit on books... there have been a few exceptions and will probably be more exceptions in the future. Sometimes I may see one for 9.99 and think its priced too high... guess it really depends on the book. I would pay a higher price for LOTR books in a heartbeat if they ever showed up for the Kindle!


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## CS (Nov 3, 2008)

$9.99 is the most I'll pay, and that's really only for series I'm majorly into (i.e. the "In Death" books by J.D. Robb - I just pre-ordered the latest one, which arrives later this month).


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## k_reader (Feb 7, 2009)

If there is only a $2 price difference between a paper HARDCOVER book and the kindle price, I'll buy the hardcover and donate to the library when I'm finished.  I am willing to pay the same price of a paperback as the kindle price (6.99), but I think they SHOULD be priced lower.  Especially since alot of times the paperbacks are buy 3 get 1 free so they average to less than 6.99 each.  But, I don't have a hard stance on that one.....  My artificial ceiling on a new release (hardcover) is 9.99.


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

It turns out I'll pay pretty much whatever they're asking, especially if it's an older book that I really really want.  I got a sample of "Fool" by Christopher Moore this weekend.  The sample was funny, but last time I checked, the kindle version was $14something.  And I didn't pay that.  I'll wait til it hits best seller status and buy it for $9.99.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm willing to pay up for an older book I love, whereas I'll easily hesitate for days over a new book.  I mean, I love Lamb, but I didn't finish Bloodsucking Fiends or You Suck by Christopher Moore.  For me, it depends on the work and the author more than anything.

But then, Amazon will be the first to tell you that I have no discernible spending limits.

(What?  I live alone.  My Christmas card pictures are me sleeping late with more money.)


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## Mikuto (Oct 30, 2008)

I have yet to pay more than 9.99 for a Kindle book. I don't know if that means I'd NEVER pay more than 9.99 for a book, or if the ones I've "really" wanted haven't been more expensive than that.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Like many, I mostly won't pay over $9.99 and that's mostly for new books by "gotta have" authors.  Before Kindle, I was a member of Book of the Month Club 2 (formerly known as Zooba), where I could get new releases in hardback for $9.99 plus tax with no shipping, so I could get those "gotta haves" when first released without the huge hardback price found at a regular bookstore, and better than even the Amazon discount. No library handy to get them there.  So I'm hard-pressed to pay higher now, even for Kindle-immediate-satisfaction.  It's tough sometimes waiting for the price to go down though, I'm still waiting for an Anne McCaffrey November release that is stubbornly sitting at $14.xx. 

For paperback equivalents, I've noticed the "new release" equivalent has seemed to creep up to about $7.99 or $8.99 instead of the roughly $5.49-$6.49 it had been sitting at. But there are still a lot of good books I haven't read in the lower range so there's still a lot I can find to spend my money on. LOL


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

I've decided to draw the line at $9.99. This is really testing my willpower, as I've read the first 5 Southern Vampire books and am dying to read 6, 7, and 8, however just as I finished 5, I looked ahead and saw that 8 is currently at $11.99. They've just announced the paperback release for sometime in March so I assume the ebook version is going to come down then, but right now, I'm on hold. I'm not going any farther until I can get 8 for a reasonable price. 

Then there's 9 being released in May - gotta whip up the willpower again to hold off on buying that one unless it is released at $9.99. 

Don't even get me started on the subject of publishers' obscene profits on these ebooks......


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I figure that the books that were hardback and no longer on the best seller list are above $9.99 and when the paperback version comes out they should drop in proce. That is what I am hoping for. I am not picking up the latest Dresden Files book because it is above $9.99 and I am going to force myself to wait for the latest release to hit the best sellers before I buy it. (sigh)


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## TM (Nov 25, 2008)

The only printed books I buy are ones that I eiether want to complete a collection or ones not available on the kindle. I much perfer reading the kindle... 

When i was buying more paper books, I often bought hardbacks becuase i didn't want to wait for the paperback version...

Those are probably the reason why i do not really have an amount I won't pay more than. If i want it, then i buy it. Now there are a couple I have not bught yet hoping they go down in price, but that is usually books that I would have waited for the paperback 9and i am hoping that when a paperback does come out, the kindle price will lower) or books i have already read/own in a paper format and I am just wanting the Kindle version.


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

Everyone says $9.99 because that's the price for the best sellers. However, if Amazon raised the price to 12.99, after bitching and moaning and swearing you'll buy the DTB first, eventually you'd pay $12.99. If the best sellers were priced at $7.99 you would swear that you would never pay above that price. So I think everyone is just kidding themselves. It's easy for all of us to boldly state we will not pay over xxx price, but the reality is that if the prices were raised some, but not up to the DTB price, we would all fold like a house of cards.

Steve


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

stevene9 said:


> Everyone says $9.99 because that's the price for the best sellers. However, if Amazon raised the price to 12.99, after bitching and moaning and swearing you'll buy the DTB first, eventually you'd pay $12.99. If the best sellers were priced at $7.99 you would swear that you would never pay above that price. So I think everyone is just kidding themselves. It's easy for all of us to boldly state we will not pay over xxx price, but the reality is that if the prices were raised some, but not up to the DTB price, we would all fold like a house of cards.
> 
> Steve


Maybe some would. Others wouldn't. People will pay what they feel is fair. If I am impatient and want the book the day it comes out then I will pay more for it. If I feel that I can wait for it to come down in price, then I will wait. If I were to lose my job tomorrow, I would go get a library card and check books out or I would be looking at the free book websites. I would not be buying books for my Kindle no matter what the price.


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## DawnOfChaos (Nov 12, 2008)

For me it has to be less than what I can get it from Border's for with a coupon.  I've haven't paid more than 9.99, but I'm open to the idea if I really want it.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

In the (almost) year I've had a Kindle, I haven't paid more than $9.99 for a book. Generally, I buy books in the $6-$7 range, unless it's one I REALLY want. There are a few that are out there that I'm hoping the price comes down, but they're not on my MUST read list and if the prices come down, I'll buy them, if not, I'll keep waiting.


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## Mycroft (Jan 10, 2009)

I tend to spend less on fiction than I do on non-fiction books. I don't think I've paid as much as $9.99 for any work of fiction in the 13 months I've had my Kindle. I've spent $9.99 on a number of non-fiction books, mainly historical works.


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## standaman (Feb 11, 2009)

For all but a very few exceptions, I'm not willing to pay more than 9.99 for an ebook. Just as it'll take some rather harsh convincing to get me to pay more than 0.99 for a song.


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

The absolute max is also $9.99 for me. Unless it's a book I REALLY love.


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

ProfCrash said:


> If I were to lose my job tomorrow, I would go get a library card and check books out or I would be looking at the free book websites. I would not be buying books for my Kindle no matter what the price.


Yes but that has nothing to do with what we are talking about. If one loses a job, that will drastically change all you buying habits. I have never paid more than $9.99 for a book and my average price is probably under $6.00 (ignoring free books), because I buy a lot of $2 to $3 old sci fi ebooks. But I still say that all of the "I'll never pay $11 for a book" talk is bluster (which the people actually believe). When the reality is really here and they either pay $11 for a Kindle book or $18 for a Hardcover, or wait a year to get it in paperback, most of the folks will pay the $11. You can protest all you want about how you are different, and a few of you really will be different, but most of you are not, despite what you may think.

Steve


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## ELDogStar (Dec 19, 2008)

I don't really know yet.
I get lots of hard copies (hardback, I prefer not to use paperback) for well under $9.99

We shall see...


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

My entire post that you responded to 


> Maybe some would. Others wouldn't. People will pay what they feel is fair. If I am impatient and want the book the day it comes out then I will pay more for it. If I feel that I can wait for it to come down in price, then I will wait. If I were to lose my job tomorrow, I would go get a library card and check books out or I would be looking at the free book websites. I would not be buying books for my Kindle no matter what the price.





stevene9 said:


> Yes but that has nothing to do with what we are talking about. If one loses a job, that will drastically change all you buying habits. I have never paid more than $9.99 for a book and my average price is probably under $6.00 (ignoring free books), because I buy a lot of $2 to $3 old sci fi ebooks. But I still say that all of the "I'll never pay $11 for a book" talk is bluster (which the people actually believe). When the reality is really here and they either pay $11 for a Kindle book or $18 for a Hardcover, or wait a year to get it in paperback, most of the folks will pay the $11. You can protest all you want about how you are different, and a few of you really will be different, but most of you are not, despite what you may think.
> 
> Steve


I believe I said what you did. People will pay what they feel is fair. Which means some people will pay more then others. If some folks feel that anything over $9.99 is unfair, then they will not buy books at that price. If people like myself are too anxious to wait for the book to hit the best seller list and drop in price, then they will buy a book at $15 (Princeps Fury was worth every penny).

My point on the library is relevent. E-books are still a small percentage of book sales. If the e-book prices are above what people are willing to pay, they will go to the library or buy the paper back that is less then the e-book.

Publishers are in a interesting place right now. They would love to be able to get e-book users to pay the same price as a physical copy of the book. It makes the Publisher more money. Publishers have commented that they don't want the KInlde to become the predominate e-book reader because they do not want Amazon to be able to dictate pricing like Apple has been able to with ITunes. I heard this on NPR and I have read several articles were this has been said. So Publishers know that they are likely to have to decrease the cost of e-books and they don't want to do that.

There might be legitimate reasons for that, I don't pretend to know know the business. As long as there are alternatives to e-books that are cheap, or free, people have an easy way of getting their reading materials without paying above the price point that they deem to be fair.


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## ScottBooks (Oct 28, 2008)

I bought two hardcover fiction books yesterday for a total of $54. If they had been on Kindle I would have been able to pay less. Probably not $34 less but it still would have been cheaper. I don't regret a penny of it though.


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

Having to maintain 2 households and only having the one income (I took an early retirement to move here to help my aging parents while DH lives and works in Houston), we are on a pretty tight budget. I have to set limits on what I spend on my books. If I can get my books at bargain prices or for free then I can get more books. If I have to pay a higher price for a book, then that may be the only one I get for a while. This has been the case for me even before buying a Kindle. I can only spend what I have budgeted to spend. I just have to decide which books to buy or pass over until a later time.


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## Guest (Jun 18, 2012)

So I've been looking around at these authors who have special sales of their kindle version for .99. It seems like it persuades me a little more to purchase the book just because in my head its like (hey its 1/3 of the price buy! buy! buy!). I was just curious if you guys are the same way because I usually tend to purchase books under 2.99 especially when a lot of the books I read I finish in 2-3 days at a leisurely pace.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Most of the stuff I buy on sale was initially more than that though. I am talking about books that are usually 6.99-7.99 an they go on sale for .99-2.99. If they are from authors/genres to my tastes, I usually jump on them. 

For the lower priced stuff, it depends. I do a lot of vetting, so if it happens to be on my list, I might go for it. 2.99 is on the low end for me though too. But only if I can do vetting on the author.


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## etexlady (May 27, 2009)

The lure for me to buy a Kindle in October 2008 was the idea that I could buy an  ebook on the day it first published in hardback format for typically less than $10 and not have to wait a year or so for the title to be available in paperback.  Then the darn "agency model" came along and here I am again having to wait until the ebook prices come down to what I consider a level I am willing to spend.  History repeating itself.  To answer the question, I suppose I'm willing to pay up to $10 but I'd like it to be less and I think it should be.


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## Tristan Higbee (Jun 16, 2012)

For me it's all about the availability of other options. I just bought a history ebook last week for $10 because there were no other alternatives to it. Would I pay $10 for a novel? No way.


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## Neoreloaded313 (Jul 30, 2010)

$3.99 is the max I will spend on a Kindle book. There are many great books in that price range so I dont even miss not being able to buy the big name authors.


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## luvshihtzu (Dec 19, 2008)

I am probably in the minority, but I only buy a book from the Kindle Store if I can't find it in my library sources through Overdrive or if I can't get it free through the lending sites.  I did buy a one year subscription to Audible, but again I only get books that I can't get through Overdrive.  I will drop the subscription at the end of the year.  I do make use of the free books listed on Pixel of Ink and on Kindle Nation.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

For most of the books, it depends on the author.


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## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

sherylb said:


> I guess since the Kindle is so new, that keeps the prices all over the board.


In technology terms, Kindle is an old man. The first one was released in November 2007, nearly 5 years ago. For reference, this was 5 months after the first iPhone was released, and nearly a year BEFORE the first Android phone came to market. The HD DVD/Blu-Ray format war was still going on. YouTube had just been bought by Google. This is all ancient history in the world of tech.

Prices have had plenty of time to settle--and unfortunately, they've settled, by contract, at high fixed prices set by the publishers to protect their paper book market. This is what we refer to in economics as a market failure. I had some hope that the lawsuit the FTC filed against Apple and 5 of the big 6 publishers would change this, but it did not.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Yet. The settlement is under judicial review. Once that is done we will see some changes.


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## Canklefish (Jun 24, 2012)

Right now, $5 is as high as I've gone, but as with others on this thread... if I find something I've been waiting for or just 'gotta have,' then the sky's the limit...


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## JuliMonroe (Apr 25, 2011)

I actually don't worry too much about price. With the library, I've usually got plenty of books to read, so I don't have to buy that many. When I do buy, I decide based on how much I like the author and how badly I want to read the book.

Last book I bought was $11.99 (latest President's Vampire book), and I didn't blink. I'm currently replacing my hardback Wheel of Time series (one book a month), and I'll pay what they cost.

But I buy all my books with Swagbucks Amazon credit, so it doesn't feel like I'm spending "real" money, which makes it easier for me to be less price conscious.


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## DidEverythingButThink (Jun 25, 2012)

The most I would spend for a kindle book is $9.99. I would really need to be motivated to spend more.


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## Kate (Dec 2, 2008)

Not that I want to spend a lot on an e-book, but I did just spend $12.99 for the latest James Rollins Sigma Force novel that was released yesterday. Cuz...I wanted it RIGHT NOW! However, I recently looked at Larry McMurtry's book,  "Lonesome Dove" for Kindle and saw it was $12.99 (for a nearly 30 year old book). Oddly enough, the brand new paperback book at my independent bookstore was $7.99, full price. As in... not discounted in any way. Still, I bought it used for $2.00 in my independent bookseller's gently used book shop, where, I suspect, they got more from the used sale than from the pristine sale of the new paperback. I'd prefer to read on my Kindle, but I'm not fiscally irresponsible nor wedded to my e-reader, either. The publishers seem to not believe this about committed readers. They seem to live in a binary world where shooting themselves in the feet is SOP.


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## kindler99 (Jul 9, 2012)

Publishers make more money on ebook sales, even at lower prices, so there's no reason for an ebook to ever cost as much as a print version.  If a paperback is $9, the ebook should be $3-$4.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Except that there is a segment of the population that would value an ebook HIGHER than a print book for a variety of reasons -- the ability to adjust the font to a size that works well, to comfortably read a big book that would otherwise be cumbersome, or just because they have extremely limited space and the idea of having multiple books in one small format device is fantastic. THAT person might very possibly be willing to pay more to get the book in the format that they prefer.  

For instance, I'm pretty sure I pay more for the Washington Post daily via Kindle than I'd pay if I subscribed in paper.  But I don't like to handle newsprint and I'm happy to not have to get sections I have no interest in, like the classifieds and other advertisement content.  The Kindle subscription is lower than single copy price, but not lower than the 'special' subscription rates.  But that's o.k. with me, because if I got it in paper, I wouldn't read it at all so the money would be completely wasted.  On Kindle, I read it every day.

Bottom line -- there's no 'rule', except what each individual makes for himself or herself.


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## kindler99 (Jul 9, 2012)

IMO, many of those features (font size, less shelf space, etc.) are a part of the e-reader and not the books themselves, meaning a person has already paid for them when they bought the reader.  For time-sensitive material, like your newspaper example, I agree that's different, because old newspapers quickly pile up and have to be taken to the recyclers, and newpapers have to work to put out a whole new edition every day/week.


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## Richardcrasta (Jul 29, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Except that there is a segment of the population that would value an ebook HIGHER than a print book for a variety of reasons -- the ability to adjust the font to a size that works well, to comfortably read a big book that would otherwise be cumbersome, or just because they have extremely limited space and the idea of having multiple books in one small format device is fantastic. THAT person might very possibly be willing to pay more to get the book in the format that they prefer.
> 
> For instance, I'm pretty sure I pay more for the Washington Post daily via Kindle than I'd pay if I subscribed in paper. But I don't like to handle newsprint and I'm happy to not have to get sections I have no interest in, like the classifieds and other advertisement content. The Kindle subscription is lower than single copy price, but not lower than the 'special' subscription rates. But that's o.k. with me, because if I got it in paper, I wouldn't read it at all so the money would be completely wasted. On Kindle, I read it every day.
> 
> Bottom line -- there's no 'rule', except what each individual makes for himself or herself.


Interesting perspective . . . thank you.

I have a really tight budget at the moment, but I know that when money ceases to be a consideration, I would buy the best books, and the price would be a very minor consideration compared to the time I was investing reading a book--time being far more precious to me than money. I am not yet familiar with my Kindle (just ten days old), but I have already started looking for the delete button for some of the free books I have downloaded, which turned out to be far worse than I expected.


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## Snorkledorf (Oct 18, 2009)

I feel that $9.99 is a "generic" price. Anything less is "inexpensive" so I'm more likely to impulse-buy, while more is "not particularly cheap," so I'll tend to debate it in my head more before making a purchase. That said, I find I have no resistance to paying more than $9.99, no price ceiling or anything like that. I'm perfectly willing to pay more, if the book seems to rate it. I think the most expensive Kindle book I've bought was about $30, though that was pretty much an anomaly.


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## thegateflonga (Jul 13, 2012)

I usually pay about $10. Depends on the book.


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## Riverrun (Nov 29, 2011)

> I have already started looking for the delete button for some of the free books I have downloaded, which turned out to be far worse than I expected.


I'm with Richardcrasta on this. I have finally started to treat free books as 'samples' - many of which go on too long  it must be said - so that I read only the first ten per cent or so. If I haven't deleted it by then, I go on to read the rest or as much of it as I like. It only takes a few pages to find out if the author can write well, has viable characters, a reasonable plot, and is non-insulting to whatever politics, belief system, lifestyle, etc., one may have. I keep a folder of 'Keepers' for freebies, not so much to read them again but to remind myself easily of those previously unknown (to me) authors I have enjoyed and might look for again. The rest of them - including many I read all the way through - I delete forever.

River


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

kindler99 said:


> IMO, many of those features (font size, less shelf space, etc.) are a part of the e-reader and not the books themselves, meaning a person has already paid for them when they bought the reader. For time-sensitive material, like your newspaper example, I agree that's different, because old newspapers quickly pile up and have to be taken to the recyclers, and newpapers have to work to put out a whole new edition every day/week.


That's true, but it still doesn't mean the buyer isn't right to be willing to pay more to read the book on their preferred medium. You clearly aren't, and that's okay, too.

In my case, I'm willing to pay a bit of a premium in some cases to be able to buy a book at midnight, or whenever I'm in the mood. Others appreciate having the text-to-speech enabled, or lending enabled. Different strokes for different folks.

While the ability to change fonts, take up less shelf space, etc., might be a feature of the medium, those features are only of any use if the book is available on Kindle, and in the case of text-to-speech and lending, those value-added features have to be turned on by the publisher.

Betsy


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## bevie125 (Feb 12, 2010)

Personally I really don't have too much of a cap on the purchase price of an ebook. I live in a rural town, so when I consider how much I'd pay for traveling expenses, tax and time to buy the book, in most cases I come out better. I enjoy the convenience of being able to download a book when I want to at any hour of the day or night and the thought of not having to find a place to store the book is nice too. I do however try and take advantage of using overdrive at my local library when the book I want is available, otherwise if I really want to read a best seller or new release I will buy it


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## ladyknight33 (Feb 2, 2009)

I try to keep unknown authors to under $2.99 favorite authors to $9.99 although JD Robb is running$12.99-14.99 but I'm addicted to Dallas and Roarke


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## RosalieJamesWrites (Aug 18, 2012)

You know, I think it also has to do with the sample. Maybe even more than the price. If the book you're reading contains valuable information, a thrilling story, or a definitive solution to a problem, then the price will be worth it to you. Quite frankly, it's the $45 books that I feel would be better in my hands than digitized. But, technology only moves forward and that means that we have to - maybe not at the same pace, but we have to. 

Rosalie James


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## HeatherG (Aug 6, 2011)

I read 1-3 books a day.  Most of the books I have received free from sites like Kogrid, Pixels of Ink, and Books on the Knob.  I have found many good authors of free books and have purchased books from those authors if I find their books at a reasonable price.  I very rarely will spend more than ten dollars for a book.  A lot of the books I read are older books.  Unfortunately, I am on a budget with limited income so I have to be selective.  Spending over fifteen dollars on a book would be a real luxury that probably would only happen a couple of times a year.  It looks like I am in the minority here.


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## RosalieJamesWrites (Aug 18, 2012)

HeatherG said:


> I read 1-3 books a day. Most of the books I have received free from sites like Kogrid, Pixels of Ink, and Books on the Knob. I have found many good authors of free books and have purchased books from those authors if I find their books at a reasonable price. I very rarely will spend more than ten dollars for a book. A lot of the books I read are older books. Unfortunately, I am on a budget with limited income so I have to be selective. Spending over fifteen dollars on a book would be a real luxury that probably would only happen a couple of times a year. It looks like I am in the minority here.


I'm with you on this. More than ten dollars for me is pretty rare, as well.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

It's _rare_ for me to spend more than $10. . . .but that doesn't mean I have a rule against it. There are some authors I've read for years and if their books are relased at $12 or $13, I buy 'em. Same As I would have bought the hard back. in pre "e" time -- probably at $15 or $16 even with discounts!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

And it's rare for me to buy a book over $9.99, just as it was in my paper book days.  I almost always waited for the paperback version.  Most hardbacks I own were either gifts from my brother or from the remainder tables.  I shop on Amazon the same way; I wait for books to come down in price--the JD Robbs eventually come down to under $10 when new ones come out.  Or I use a gift card balance to gift the book to myself. 

Betsy


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## rmcclannen (May 19, 2012)

I haven't read every message in this thread, so please excuse me if this is a repeat, but there are several web sites that you can list the books that you're interested in and they'll email you if the price drops on any of them. The site that I use is ereaderiq.com, and I'm sure there are others.


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