# My take on these over priced e-books



## tiggeerrific (Jan 22, 2010)

I was thinking about these over priced e-books and it is ticking me off
1.when I buy a e-book I cannot loan it to someone or sell it
2.Why are some e- books more than the darn book
3. I would think that publishers would sell a lot more e-books if they where reasonable 
4.It seems people are going to libraries for books where they can get the latest for free
5.People in this economy arent buying books as much as they did before .Because the price of a hard back is crazy

I know it takes a lot of work to write a book and this is the writers bread and butter. 

Phew I feel better now!


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## Laurie (Jan 9, 2009)

tiggeerrific said:


> I was thinking about these over priced e-books and it is ticking me off
> 1.when I buy a e-book I cannot loan it to someone or sell it
> 2.Why are some e- books more than the darn book
> 3. I would think that publishers would sell a lot more e-books if they where reasonable
> ...


I agree. If they want pricing to be the same as a physical book, they should make ownership the same as a physical book - meaning I can give it to someone else when I'm done. I have no problem with the book being removed from my library if I give it away, but I should have that option. If there are restrictions on usage, then there should also be restrictions on price. Not to mention that the cost of creating an e-book has to be significantly less than pumping out hard copies.


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## angelad (Jun 19, 2009)

Laurie said:


> I agree. If they want pricing to be the same as a physical book, they should make ownership the same as a physical book - meaning I can give it to someone else when I'm done. I have no problem with the book being removed from my library if I give it away, but I should have that option. If there are restrictions on usage, then there should also be restrictions on price. Not to mention that the cost of creating an e-book has to be significantly less than pumping out hard copies.


Consumer is going to suffer regardless, as publishers are playing on their greedy instincts.


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## chipotle (Jan 1, 2010)

I was recently looking at books by Susan Wiggs on Amazon. I guess she currently is not with a big five publisher. Her new release ebooks and pre-orders are $9.99 and most other titles, such as the ones in her Lakeside Chronicles series are $5.76. (The mass market paperbacks are $7.99.)

BUT apparently she used to have a big five publisher - Hachette. So now her older titles like The You I Never Knew (9 years old) and Passing Through Paradise are priced several dollars higher than the MMPB. The Kindle version of those books is $6.99 and the MMPB is $4.99.

It is so weird that a publisher would price an author's older titles higher than the same author's current titles. I don't see how that would improve their sales. I am really starting to wonder if publishers are trying to reduce their ebook sales.


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## ElaineOK (Jun 5, 2009)

Check this out:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-a-stackpole/publishing-crashes-in-201_b_532795.html

Now, do I believe that the publishers are behaving either reasonably or prudently? No. Do I think ebooks are the future, and they had better learn to deal? Yes. Do I understand why they are running scared? Yes. However, it really is time that they put on their big boy MBA pants and got creative.

Elaine 
Norman, OK


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## Ostis (Feb 23, 2010)

The way I see it, free market forces will catch up with them. When consumers keep going for the cheaper books and ignoring the expensive ones, the publishers will catch on. It may take a little because of the tasty morsels of greed that Steve Jobs dangled before the publishers, but they will eventually realize they can make more sales and more money by offering e-books at prices consumers are willing to pay.


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## Shastastan (Oct 28, 2009)

chipotle said:


> .....snip.....
> It is so weird that a publisher would price an author's older titles higher than the same author's current titles. I don't see how that would improve their sales. I am really starting to wonder if publishers are trying to reduce their ebook sales.


You nailed it. That's what a lot of us are thinking. The question is, "Will they be successful?"


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## austenfiend (Nov 17, 2009)

It seems pretty obvious that publishers are trying to reduce their ebook sales.  And, unfortunately, as long as people are willing to go ahead and purchase the MMPB rather than the ebook if they are the same price, that's cowing to the publishers' plans.  That's why my new cause is 1) writing to the publishers with my thoughts on this; 2) purchasing used books from the UBS rather than buying new (so the publisher won't get any money from me); 3) buying more indie books; 4) getting back to the library to borrow books; and 5) writing to the publishers with a list of exactly what I've bought from the UBS so they know how much money they didn't make off of me.  Of course, if I am alone in this, it's just a hobby for me and something to keep me off the streets and out of the pool halls (as my daddy used to say), but I'm hoping that MANY, MANY other ebook readers will take up the cause as well.


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## Prazzie (Oct 25, 2009)

tiggeerrific said:


> I was thinking about these over priced e-books and it is ticking me off
> 1.when I buy a e-book I cannot loan it to someone or sell it
> 2.Why are some e- books more than the darn book
> 3. I would think that publishers would sell a lot more e-books if they where reasonable
> ...


I'm completely on the other side of the coin when it comes to ebook prices. Perhaps living in a third world country where education and books are extremely expensive has skewed my views considerably.

1. When I buy an ebook, I can read it along with several of my friends/family members, without losing my copy of the book. My father has Kindle for PC with my account details, so he can read my books as well. This is the ebook version of lending. I've never sold a book I've owned in my life, so not being able to sell doesn't affect me.
2. Whether I'm reading a 20-page book or a 10 000 page book, it weighs the same.
3. I can take my ebooks - all of them - with me wherever I go.
4. I can read outdoors, on the beach or next to the pool without wind turning my pages or sand and water damaging my paper pages.
5. I can obtain an ebook within a minute at any time of the night or day without leaving my house.

If someone had told me about the above benefits twenty years ago and asked me whether I would be willing to pay slightly more for this type of access, I would have said yes, definitely. Today, I feel the same. I think ebooks are amazing and I'm only too happy that they are generally so affordable, because to me they are 10 times as awesome as paper books.

I understand frugality and of course, as a student, I need to turn every penny over twice, but don't forget how lucky you are. Kindle and ebooks are amazing space-age technology! (Well, seems that way to me. It's magical!)

Just as you needed to vent, I need to get this off my chest. I see the "boycott books over $9.99" and I haven't gotten involved (of course, internationally, the $9.99 books are $11.99...), but sometimes I just want to shake some of you and say hey, in my country we don't even have enough water or a steady supply of electricity and you're moaning about paying a few dollars more for luxury items!

I feel like I'm alone in thinking it's amazing that we're not paying through our noses for what Kindle offers us. When I showed mine to someone recently, she asked me how much I have to pay for the permanent internet access and I was able to say "nothing, it's free". I guess what I'm saying is yes, it sucks that prices in this new market are fluctuating so much, but that's the price we have to pay for being so incredibly privileged.


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## LisaW. (Jun 1, 2009)

I've already emailed 2 of the 'Big 5' publishers and listed all their books that I've removed from my 'to be bought' list because of the new prices. I had a list of 20 books for Macmillan, and I plan on emailing them in the future whenever more books are released at (what I deem) unreasonable prices.

In my email to Macmillan, (and I didn't rant at them, I just told them the facts), I listed the books, and then wrote 'Now don't get excited... because I won't be buying these in paper format either.' This one slightly snarky line made me feel a bit better.


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## Laurie (Jan 9, 2009)

austenfiend said:


> It seems pretty obvious that publishers are trying to reduce their ebook sales. And, unfortunately, as long as people are willing to go ahead and purchase the MMPB rather than the ebook if they are the same price, that's cowing to the publishers' plans. That's why my new cause is 1) writing to the publishers with my thoughts on this; 2) purchasing used books from the UBS rather than buying new (so the publisher won't get any money from me); 3) buying more indie books; 4) getting back to the library to borrow books; and 5) writing to the publishers with a list of exactly what I've bought from the UBS so they know how much money they didn't make off of me. Of course, if I am alone in this, it's just a hobby for me and something to keep me off the streets and out of the pool halls (as my daddy used to say), but I'm hoping that MANY, MANY other ebook readers will take up the cause as well.


What does UBS mean?


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I did a search last night on Amazon for some books by Bill Sloan about WWII in Pacific that were recommended by someone on the facebook "The Pacific" page.  They were 12.99 in e-book format, 10.88 in paperback and they are not new books!  So I didn't buy, and I added tags on those pages that it was too expensive, added to my wish list with note that I will only buy if price goes to $10 or less.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Laurie said:


> What does UBS mean?


used book store


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## jesscscott (Aug 5, 2009)

ElaineOK said:


> Check this out:
> 
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-a-stackpole/publishing-crashes-in-201_b_532795.html
> 
> ...


Cool link. I'm always checking out The Huffington Post for articles on the publishing industry, heh. There is no reason why an ebook should cost more than a hardcopy. Publishers are just doing themselves in...


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Prazzie said:


> I'm completely on the other side of the coin when it comes to ebook prices. Perhaps living in a third world country where education and books are extremely expensive has skewed my views considerably.
> 
> 1. When I buy an ebook, I can read it along with several of my friends/family members, without losing my copy of the book. My father has Kindle for PC with my account details, so he can read my books as well. This is the ebook version of lending. I've never sold a book I've owned in my life, so not being able to sell doesn't affect me.
> 2. Whether I'm reading a 20-page book or a 10 000 page book, it weighs the same.
> ...


Thank you for a completely different perspective on this. . .what you say makes a TON of sense.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Thank you for a completely different perspective on this. . .what you say makes a TON of sense.


I completely agree.

I like my ebooks because they are convenient. Now that I can read them on more than one device, they are even more-so. Prior to getting my Kindle, I hadn't purchased a novel in at least a decade, I picked up all of my books from the public library. This changed because I am willing to pay for the convenience of not having to travel to pick up/return books, I can easily share books with my husband, and I don't have the clutter of paper books. I buy books when I want them *and* they are in my price range, and I now have an ample selection to choose from in my catalog until the prices of other books I would like comes down.


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

Ostis said:


> ...they will eventually realize they can make more sales and more money by offering e-books at prices consumers are willing to pay.


Because the music and film industry groups learned this so well! /eyeroll

I just can't believe that NO ONE in the publishing industry seems to have paid the slightest bit of attention to the RIAA/MPAA's troubles in the past few years. Did they somehow think their [media product] was going to escape the digital revolution? Why weren't they prepared for this?


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## akw4572 (Nov 3, 2008)

If it's too much for me to pay, I go to the library.  No way am I paying over $9.99 for a new book, or over paperback price for an older book.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Interesting debate.  What SHOULD ebooks cost?

Personally, I don't like seeing ebooks for over $10.  I'd happily pay $10 for a great ebook, but not much more.

Ebooks need to be cheaper than print.  You're not buying a physical object, which was printed, glued together, and shipped.  You're downloading a file.  Overhead is lower with ebooks, so the price should match this.

And if prices become too high -- if ebooks cost $20 or $30, like hardcovers -- reading becomes out of reach for many people.  EVERYBODY deserves to read great books -- even those without much spare cash lying around.  Ebooks should be priced so that everyone who WANTS to read them should be able to comfortably afford them.  If you go over $10, that's not the case.  I don't like the thought of a world where reading great novels is like going to the opera -- a privilege for the upper class.

I think $10 is a great price for ebooks, which is good for both sides -- readers can download affordable books, and publishers/authors can make a living.

If ebooks became TOO cheap, and people only bought the $1 ones, we'd see many great authors unable to make a living.  And really -- do we, as a society that respects literature, WANT our books to cost less than a cup of coffee?  I also don't like the thought of a world where a great piece of literature costs as much as a donut.

So $10 makes sense to me.  I figure... if a two-hour movie costs $14 (at least in my town), why not pay $10 for a novel that provides hours of reading?

Me, I'm selling my own ebook (the fantasy novel "Firefly Island") for only $1.99.  Why?  Because at this point in my career, I'm more interested in exposure, and sharing my stories, than in profit.  What will my next book cost?  I don't know -- but it will probably be cheaper than a night at the opera, and more expensive than a donut.  

Daniel
www.DanielArenson.com


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

<And if prices become too high -- if ebooks cost $20 or $30, like hardcovers -- reading becomes out of reach for many people.>

The reason libraries were established was to make sure reading isn't out of reach for anyone at any income level, and because they exist, it isn't. Reading on EBOOKS, however, may become a different story if the Big Five get their way. So like many others I'm not playing their game. I'm getting books for my Kindle that are reasonably priced, and I'm continuing to read those authors I like who are published by the Big Five, but am getting those books from the library. All it means is putting a hold on the book and picking it up when I'm notified it's ready, and I'm quite willing to do that.

I'm not sure any of us need to go through all the reasons an ebook isn't worth as much as a physical book. The fact is somewhere in our guts we know that a digital file isn't worth as much as a physical item. Arguments about cost to produce, etc., don't mean that much when in the end it boils down to the customer's perception, and most of us just KNOW that an ebook should cost less. So long as we feel that way and so long as we act on our belief, in the end the pubs are going to have to start acting more sensibly. All we can do is hope there aren't so many instant gratification, I don't care what it costs ebook buyers that the Big Five get their way.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

ellenoc said:


> I'm getting books for my Kindle that are reasonably priced, and I'm continuing to read those authors I like who are published by the Big Five, but am getting those books from the library.


If the Big Five get their way, and ebook prices go above $10, my guess is you'll see some of their authors self-publishing their future books. Or you'll see smaller publishers with less overhead, run by devoted, talented bookworms -- and they'll discover great new talent and sell affordable ebooks. The big publishers dominate physical bookstores, but there's room for competition online.


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## crca56 (Dec 20, 2008)

personally. if i want a book enough to pay for it at at the book store, i have no problem paying the same for it on kindle. i don't loan my dtbs out to many people because it infuriates me to get them back dogeared, spines broken, pages torn or corners turned down, and the few people i do loan to are on my kindle account.....in the immortal words of sly and the family stone...different strokes for different folks.  the great thing about buying for kindle is, i'm not adding to my existing collection of over 10,000 dtbs stacked around my house or in storage.


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## Masonity (Oct 20, 2009)

Personally, I'm happy to pay anything up to the current cheapest print edition cover price for a book, but not a penny more. A $20 hardback? Anything up to $20 is fine, as that's what I'll pay in the local book shop. The loss of a physical version balances against the benefits of a digital version. The day it comes out as a $10 paperback though, it better also be available as a $10 ebook, or I'll probably just not buy it at all. 

Ideally, I like it to be around 10-20% cheaper than the paperback price. This way it's at the sort of price I'd pay someone like amazon for a new version, occasional huge discounts excepted. 

So, price it at the same price as the current cheapest cover price for it and I'll consider buying. Price it at 10% below that and I'll almost certainly buy. Try to charge more than the RRP on the currently cheapest option (hardback, large sized semi hardback style paperback or small paperback) and I'll ignore the book.

I don't buy real books either now, so it will simply be a lost sale.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Prazzie said:


> I feel like I'm alone in thinking it's amazing that we're not paying through our noses for what Kindle offers us. When I showed mine to someone recently, she asked me how much I have to pay for the permanent internet access and I was able to say "nothing, it's free". I guess what I'm saying is yes, it sucks that prices in this new market are fluctuating so much, but that's the price we have to pay for being so incredibly privileged.


Thank you for a well written perspective from the other side of the coin. I agree completely.

My favorite question to ask people is "what would you have considered a fair prices for an ebook if Amazon hadn't arbitrarily picked $9.99 for NYTimes Bestsellers as their base price?" I mean, really, people were paying from $16 to $25 for a brand new hardcover, depending on where they bought it! And conversion doesn't seem to me to be a trivial matter, based on what I'm reading in the author's Book Bazaar.

I knew that I would never be buying many $9.99 books, just as I've always known I wouldn't be buying many hardcovers, they are above MY price point, not some arbitrary number. Everyone has to decide for themselves.

(And, BTW, I have to say it annoys me when someone uses tags to declare a book too expensive or adds "boycott" to the tags. The tags, as I understand it, are for searching; is anyone really going to "search" for "too expensive?" And when I download the book into my Readerware database, the tags come with it, making it more work for me to have to remove the ones that aren't usable. It's a PITA, to be frank. Just my .02 worth.)

I wholeheartedly agree with letting the publishers know directly if you are boycotting, both via letters and with your purchasing decisions. It's all about the marketplace.


Betsy


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## Ilovetoread (Apr 4, 2010)

tiggeerrific said:


> I was thinking about these over priced e-books and it is ticking me off
> 
> 4.It seems people are going to libraries for books where they can get the latest for free
> I know it takes a lot of work to write a book and this is the writers bread and butter.
> ...


I agree with this one. I don't do boycotts or tags, but I will only pay what I want to pay. And I'll read a book in whatever form I choose to read it, not giving any thought to the publisher. I have owned ereaders long before Kindle, but I read paper too. I know I've been wanting to read the latest Christopher Moore book, Bite Me . It is on the New York Times best seller list, but is still $10.99 on Kindle. It is the third in a series, the first of which was published 5 years ago. They raised the price of the other two (kindle version) books by between $2-4 each a few days ago. The first is now $9.99 on kindle. My local library is mailing me the 1st and 2nd of the series. If the price on the 3rd comes down in price I'll buy it. If not I'm on a waitng list of 20! for it. Which is fine, because after I read 1 +2 I'll probably want to read another author then come back to it. If I want it before I rise to the top of the waiting list I might buy the latest on Kindle. But, they could have gotten the money for all three if they hadn't been (either) so short sighted or greedy.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

We've all been going on about the high price of books. I think the major impediment to putting ebooks into mainstream reading is the cost of the readers. The cost of the average eReader is what? Somewhere around $250? I think that until the price comes down to the point where everyone can afford it, eReaders, and consequently book purchases, will remain a luxury.


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## angelad (Jun 19, 2009)

FearNot said:


> We've all been going on about the high price of books. I think the major impediment to putting ebooks into mainstream reading is the cost of the readers. The cost of the average eReader is what? Somewhere around $250? I think that until the price comes down to the point where everyone can afford it, eReaders, and consequently book purchases, will remain a luxury.


Well, there is always, you buy an ereader so you don't have to pay as much for the book issue....


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

IMHO, a "fair" price for an ebook would be about 20% less than the current lowest price for a brand new paper copy.  It's an acknowledgment by the publishers and book sellers that they are saving on the cost of printing/shipping/potential loss due to unsold copies, etc., and passing along some of the savings to the consumer.  

However, I realize this price may be hard to determine in practice, as one can usually buy new paper books for less than the retail price, from Amazon, Costco, Walmart, etc.

N


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

Neekeebee said:


> IMHO, a "fair" price for an ebook would be about 20% less than the current lowest price for a brand new paper copy. It's an acknowledgment by the publishers and book sellers that they are saving on the cost of printing/shipping/potential loss due to unsold copies, etc., and passing along some of the savings to the consumer.
> 
> However, I realize this price may be hard to determine in practice, as one can usually buy new paper books for less than the retail price, from Amazon, Costco, Walmart, etc.
> 
> N


If you do the math, assuming publishers get 50% of the MSRP for print, and 70% for an eBook, they should set ebook prices at 5/7 the MSRP of the current paper version. That brings them the exact same revenue. If you believe Motoko Rich's article in the NY Times recently, it costs publishers $3.25 to print, store, and ship a typical hardcover. So, drop the ebook cost by a further $3.25. Net result?

Your typical $25.99 MSRP hardback book should sell for $15.31 as an ebook. This gets the publishers the same net revenue after factoring out print/store/ship reductions. That $15.31 price is likely about the same or higher than Amazon asks for most $25.99 hardbacks. In revers, for Amazon to make the same money on the hardback that they make on the ebook, they should sell the hardback for about $17.60.

If you believe the leaked contract that circulated around the net recently, Apple capped the ebook cost of a $25.99 hardback at $12.99. Publishers will make $2.32 less per ebook in that scenario.

Surely the publishers have accountants. I can't believe they want this system to succeed.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

_Still Life with Crows_, by Preston & Child (published in 2003 in hardcover), went from $6.59 last week to $19.99 this week. The paperback is $7.99.

This is just crazy.  

I sent the distributor an email.

Mike


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

angelad said:


> Consumer is going to suffer regardless, as publishers are playing on their greedy instincts.


Actually long-term they are going to hurt themselves by playing on their greedy instincts. If the publishers overprice or delay ebooks they are going to start converting what would otherwise be paying customers into pirates.


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## Ilovetoread (Apr 4, 2010)

Basilius said:


> If you do the math, assuming publishers get 50% of the MSRP for print, and 70% for an eBook, they should set ebook prices at 5/7 the MSRP of the current paper version. That brings them the exact same revenue. If you believe Motoko Rich's article in the NY Times recently, it costs publishers $3.25 to print, store, and ship
> If you believe the leaked contract that circulated around the net recently, Apple capped the ebook cost of a $25.99 hardback at $12.99. Publishers will make $2.32 less per ebook in that scenario.
> 
> Surely the publishers have accountants. I can't believe they want this system to succeed.


Then why, do you think, they carried it ove to Amazon?


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## PCBsmith (Apr 16, 2010)

You know, I haven't worried too much about overpriced books until today.  Usually they were new releases, and were under the Amazon hardback price.
This morning, looking for new mystery authors, I found a book that looked promising:  Death of a Hired Man by Eric Wright, published in 2001, very few review, but good ones.
There are 41 used hardbacks and 100 used paperbacks available for $.01.  The Kindle price?  $10.99.
Of course, it's a Minotaur/MacMillan book.


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## ElaineOK (Jun 5, 2009)

I just got an email from Amazon, New in Biography.  The one I was most interested in is not available for Kindle  There were three others that looked interesting, the one that is $9.99 I downloaded a sample.  For the others, I think it will be interesting if I remember to look for them in a few months when the price might have come down. 

Elaine
Norman, Ok


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

I read around 30 books per month so I couldn't really afford to up my book budget to account for the new, higher ebook prices. We are now two weeks into the new pricing scheme, and my records show that I've spent $35 to buy 7 ebooks from various publishers, but I've also reacquainted myself with my local used book stores and thrift stores and have picked up about 20 DTBs for a total of $35 or so. Conversely, last year in April, I spent $155 to purchase 26 ebooks from Amazon and the publishers and I had purchased 0 DTBs.

So, the publishers have turned me from a customer that was routinely generating $150-$200/mo in ebook revenue into a customer that will probably spend $50/mo on their ebooks and $50/mo on used books that they get no revenue for. 

This is the business model that they fought for Seems to me that somebody needs to go back to Business school.


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## austenfiend (Nov 17, 2009)

worktolive:  I would suggest that you write to the publishers and let them know this.  I wrote to three different publishers this week with exactly what books I was trying to purchase, how much they were trying to sell them for as Kindle books, and ultimately how much I actually paid from the used book store.  I also stressed that this is in no way intimating that I will no longer be buying e-books. I will purchase e-books that are priced reasonably and below the cost of the DTB, and I will be trying out more indie authors.  Otherwise, it's the library and/or the used book store for me.  I'm just hoping that everyone that feels strongly about this issue is contacting the publishers - silence tends to make people think that you are in agreement with what they are trying to do.


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

Ilovetoread said:


> Then why, do you think, they carried it ove to Amazon?


Good question. Some of the buzz around what the publisher motivations were for this Agency model involved Amazon having too much control. So, what happens to Amazon's cash flow in the scenario I described above?

That $25.99 hardback whose eBook Amazon used to sell for $9.99 caused Amazon to _lose_ $3 per sale. Now, with the new Agency Model eBook price at $12.99, Amazon _makes_ $3.90 per sale. Amazon's credo has always been to do what's right for the customer. While it obviously pains them to have to charge 30% more for some of their product, their bottom line is certainly improved.

The irony in all of this is that if the publishers were actually trying to lessen Amazon's control, they improve Amazon's bottom line and partnered up with one of the biggest control freaks in the corporate world in Steve Jobs. I just don't see how all this can end well.

There's an cynical saying "never attribute to malice that which can be ascribed to stupidity." Which is actually worse here? Are they truly clueless about the finances of this shift, or are they actively trying to sabotage eBooks?

I just don't get it.


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## Forster (Mar 9, 2009)

Basilius said:


> Good question. Some of the buzz around what the publisher motivations were for this Agency model involved Amazon having too much control. So, what happens to Amazon's cash flow in the scenario I described above?
> 
> That $25.99 hardback whose eBook Amazon used to sell for $9.99 caused Amazon to _lose_ $3 per sale. Now, with the new Agency Model eBook price at $12.99, Amazon _makes_ $3.90 per sale. Amazon's credo has always been to do what's right for the customer. While it obviously pains them to have to charge 30% more for some of their product, their bottom line is certainly improved.
> 
> ...


IMO the publishers are running scared. They are terrified of the control Amazon has in the book arena and it is only going to get more so. IMO Borders is toast, there will be no white knight, they will be gone. I also doubt Barnes and Nobel will be around past 10-15 years from now. The DTB sellers to the masses will be Walmart, Target, Costco and of course Amazon. The big bricks & mortar booksellers will not be able to sustain themselves and the Nook is too little to late to save B&N.


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## Ilovetoread (Apr 4, 2010)

worktolive said:


> So, the publishers have turned me from a customer that was routinely generating $150-$200/mo in ebook revenue into a customer that will probably spend $50/mo on their ebooks and $50/mo on used books that they get no revenue for.
> 
> This is the business model that they fought for Seems to me that somebody needs to go back to Business school.


I get where you're coming from. I have a limited book budget as well. I load a gift card monthly and that is all I get. I really wanted to read the new Christopher Moore book, Bite Me, but realized even though I've read a lot of his books, this one is third in a series. The other two were still on my wish list. When I put them on there they were between $6.99-$8.49 each. But last week they went up to $9.99 and $10.99 (the $10.99 had been in paper back more than 5 years  ) . So I went to the library and checked out the first and second of the series. I would have purchased them on kindle for $7-9, but not $10-11 a piece . I know that sounds cheap, but I have to make compromises and a few dollars a book adds up over the month to another book  . So I read the first two for free, and bought the third (Bite Me) for kindle for $10.49. That means I (averaged) spent about $3.50 a book. But is the price hadn't changed on 1 and 2 I would have spent over $8 a book average. As it is they didn't make much money from me on the series because I went to the library and got the 1st two on paper for free. Both of which had been read many times before. Good books, BTW, if you like his style of writing, which obviously I do.


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

I love Christopher Moore. I read the first two of his vampire books when they came out and have Bite Me on my wish list, but now that the price is higher, I'll probably wait to get it from the UBS or from paperback swap. 

If you haven't read any of his others, I highly recommend A Dirty Job - it's about a normal, slightly inept guy who gets drafted into being a Death Merchant (a reaper). People were giving me some pretty strange looks on public transit when I read that one - I just couldn't stop laughing.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

FearNot said:


> We've all been going on about the high price of books. I think the major impediment to putting ebooks into mainstream reading is the cost of the readers. The cost of the average eReader is what? Somewhere around $250? I think that until the price comes down to the point where everyone can afford it, eReaders, and consequently book purchases, will remain a luxury.


The Kobo ereader is coming out next month. It looks GREAT (might be the best ereader yet), and costs only $150. Other ereaders will have to match their price. I think within a year, the average ereader will cost $150 or less.

Perhaps the main advantage of ereaders is that they're GADGETS. For the kids these days, reading isn't cool. But they love gadgets, and might be convinced to read more if it's on a gadget.


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## lorezskyline (Apr 19, 2010)

One big problem with the pricing I think that no one has touched on is the sheer competition in E-books when an author releases a new print book he is only competing with the other recent releases but in E-books all the old back catalogues are becoming available in the new format at the sametime.  So one of the big problems is paying more for an e-book that has just been released but has been in print for sometime the print value has fallen but the e-book value has not.  Part of this could be if all old e-books were released at cut prices compared to new then any new crime writer would be up against a whole back catalogue of cheaper books that are already regarded as classics.  It's not been such a big issue in music as the time invesment in albums is not the same you can listen to several albums a day but may only read one or two books a week some people less than that.  Hopefully that makes sense.


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## Moosh (Dec 22, 2009)

Please forgive me if I've missed it (some of this is going over my head) but WHY would publishers not want to sell e-books?? Money is money right?


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## larryb52 (Nov 18, 2009)

I'm just totally fed up of the publishers price war. I'm still fairly new to the e readers but I'm sorta sorry I ever went here, sorry to rant but why can't they just get it together...it's just frustrating to see books you want to read but can't because of greed & or stupidity , right now I feel like I never want to read a book real or ebook...sorry


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Hey, don't feel sorry.  We've all been there.  And this is a safe place to blow off steam ..... I hope you find an ebook treasure to brighten your mood.


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

Moosh said:


> Please forgive me if I've missed it (some of this is going over my head) but WHY would publishers not want to sell e-books?? Money is money right?


Why didn't the music publishers want to sell downloads a decade ago? It all comes down to one thing: fear.

Fear of change, fear of piracy, fear of losing control.

Companies, by and large, fight like anything to keep a currently-existing, successful model in place. In publishing, you could certainly argue the "successful" bit, but as a whole publishers simply don't know how to deal with the upcoming changes in book delivery. So, they act in ways that promote the status quo. Intentionally or not, it really doesn't matter in the end.

From the outside, it's very easy to see that they're going through the exact same issues the music industry dealt with a decade ago. It's just going to take a bit longer as fewer people read books vs. listen to music, and fewer people have the devices required to properly use ebooks.


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## JenniferNaylor (Dec 27, 2009)

I am feeling the exact same way. I got my Kindle for Christmas, convinced my Mom to get one right after that and now this. So far, 5 books have been removed from my wish list. I understand that there are other books available for me to read but I don't like not being able to pick from all books. I feel like we are being punished for wanting to read on the Kindle. Also, the pricing going up is not making me happy. I can buy a DTB cheaper in some cases. It just doesn't seem fair and wish that we could be heard. Clicking over and over on I want to read this on Kindle just doesn't seem to be making any difference.


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## larryb52 (Nov 18, 2009)

I called customer care & they don't have a clue about the publisher issue, I realize Amazon is big and could care less but something has to give...


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I'm going to merge this with one of the other threads on this subject.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

I just can't seem to get riled up over the ebook pricing. Perhaps I've become overly patient in my old age, but I just wait until a book on my wishlist is in my price range, and buy it then.

I picked up the bunch of Lemony Snicket books when they were free on Amazon. However, I was too cheap to drop the $8.99 on book One. My patience was rewarded.... When I looked again a few days ago, the price was down to $6.99, so I grabbed it.


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## Cardinal (Feb 24, 2010)

JenniferNaylor said:


> Clicking over and over on I want to read this on Kindle just doesn't seem to be making any difference.


I think it does; some of the books I have been clicking on have become available, and others have commented the same about other books.

With so many out of print books to do, I think it gives publishers an idea of what order to do them in.


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## lorezskyline (Apr 19, 2010)

I may be being a bit slow here but where do you click on amazon to request a kindle version of a book, im new to Kindle and although most of the books i want are available some of my favorites are not.  I really want a kindle version of William Gibsons Neuromancer which does not seem to be available.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

My main concern is that publishers, with their war against Amazon, are going to turn off even more people from reading.

People today don't read as much.  When I was a kid, I loved books.  The library was my favourite place.  Books excited me just as much as movies or video games, probably even more so.  But how many kids -- or adults -- read today?  And if they are reading, it's the occasional fluff like Twilight.  Books have been losing readers for years, so much that without fostering readers, literature might become a niche interest (like, say, opera or sculpture).  

Ebooks promised to change that -- to make books popular again.  To make books accessible and affordable.  To make books "cool".  But if the big publishers are going to raise prices, or delay the release of ebooks, literature will suffer.  Fewer people will read.  And literature isn't just about money; it's about our cultural heritage.  Literature is NOT just another business.  We're not selling tires or napkins here.  We're creating the art of our generation.

Most readers know, instinctively, that ebooks should cost less than print books.  Looking at the numbers publishers show us won't make a difference.  To the average reader, overpriced ebooks just don't FEEL right.  And delaying ebooks is just as bad.  Authors promote their books when they're first released.  If no ebooks are available during the initial promotional blitz, they'll miss millions of devoted readers.  And ebook readers are the biggest bookworms on the planet, the ones you really want as fans, the ones you want to serve first.

If the big publishers drop the ball on this one, they'll lose it.  Smaller, indie publishers (or even indie authors) will take it from them. 

I understand the publishers' point of view, and I understand why it can be frustrating to find ebooks in the Kindle store now.  Hopefully soon the "war" will end, and we'll have an easy way to find all the affordable ebooks we want.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

lorezskyline said:


> I may be being a bit slow here but where do you click on amazon to request a kindle version of a book, im new to Kindle and although most of the books i want are available some of my favorites are not. I really want a kindle version of William Gibsons Neuromancer which does not seem to be available.


You're not being slow. If you're new to Kindle then you've missed all of the drama that has been going on for a few weeks. Some of the books have previously been available and are now unavailable as Amazon and the publishers try to work out their disagreements. It's to the point of annoying, IMO. As countless others have stated, publishers need to look to the music industry as an example and just skip to the end where e-books are available for a reasonable price. 
deb


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

lorezskyline said:


> I may be being a bit slow here but where do you click on amazon to request a kindle version of a book, im new to Kindle and although most of the books i want are available some of my favorites are not. I really want a kindle version of William Gibsons Neuromancer which does not seem to be available.


When you go to the page for the Amazon book, there should be a little box under the picture of the book that says, "Tell the Publisher! I'd like to read this book on Kindle." Click the "I'd like to read this book on Kindle."


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## loca (Jan 3, 2010)

dnagirl said:


> When you go to the page for the Amazon book, there should be a little box under the picture of the book that says, "Tell the Publisher! I'd like to read this book on Kindle." Click the "I'd like to read this book on Kindle."


this tidbit is useful for a lot of people. this has been asked many times.


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

DArenson said:


> Most readers know, instinctively, that ebooks should cost less than print books. Looking at the numbers publishers show us won't make a difference. To the average reader, overpriced ebooks just don't FEEL right. And delaying ebooks is just as bad. Authors promote their books when they're first released. If no ebooks are available during the initial promotional blitz, they'll miss millions of devoted readers. And ebook readers are the biggest bookworms on the planet, the ones you really want as fans, the ones you want to serve first.


Well said.

N


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

DArenson said:


> My main concern is that publishers, with their war against Amazon, are going to turn off even more people from reading.
> 
> People today don't read as much. When I was a kid, I loved books. The library was my favourite place. Books excited me just as much as movies or video games, probably even more so. But how many kids -- or adults -- read today? And if they are reading, it's the occasional fluff like Twilight. Books have been losing readers for years, so much that without fostering readers, literature might become a niche interest (like, say, opera or sculpture).
> 
> ...


Amen, sister.men!


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

pidgeon92 said:


> I just can't seem to get riled up over the ebook pricing. Perhaps I've become overly patient in my old age, but I just wait until a book on my wishlist is in my price range, and buy it then.


I agree. I bought my Kindle so that I could take all of the books I wanted when traveling. If a book is to much I just wait it out until it is cheaper.


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## poo (May 19, 2009)

tiggeerrific said:


> I was thinking about these over priced e-books and it is ticking me off
> 1.when I buy a e-book I cannot loan it to someone or sell it
> 2.Why are some e- books more than the darn book
> 3. I would think that publishers would sell a lot more e-books if they where reasonable
> ...


I TOTALLY AGREE!








we should at least be able to resell the books.


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## mnscootergal (May 1, 2010)

Ostis said:


> The way I see it, free market forces will catch up with them. When consumers keep going for the cheaper books and ignoring the expensive ones, the publishers will catch on. It may take a little because of the tasty morsels of greed that Steve Jobs dangled before the publishers, but they will eventually realize they can make more sales and more money by offering e-books at prices consumers are willing to pay.


Agreed - we're at the front end of this wave and it's just going to take time to find equilibrium. Similar to music downloads vs cds.


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## k2reader (May 5, 2010)

Wow, this site is a refreshing change from others where any negative comment regarding Amazon, Kindle, or the price of its material is regarded as heresy worthy of no less than 50 lashes.

I’m a new Kindle owner (gifted) who’s been exclusively a library reader for 4-5 years now. I wholeheartedly agree with the pervading sentiment that Kindle books are too expense. I’m not an expert on the publishing industry but doesn’t the normal flow go something like…	

1. Publisher releases HC by Big Time Author for $30. Yeah it’s expensive but you don’t have to wait until it comes out in paperback or sit on a waiting list at the library with everyone else. 

2. Several months later Publisher discounts HC and it goes on sale at the brick & mortars. Those of us who waited suppress our glee when we see it on sale. 

3. Six months to a year later same book comes out in paperback for $7.99. The rest of us frugally minded folks flood to the stores to pick up a copy.

Now maybe it’s just me, but if I’m faced with a HC or paperback, I’m going for the cheaper version. Isn’t the content the same? So I agree with the idea that the Kindle price should be something less than the cheapest price. After all, that e-book I buy can’t be loaned, donated, or sold. And it kind of makes you wonder, if they can drop the price of that HC to MMPB levels, what did that HC REALLY cost to produce? And don’t get me started on periodicals!!!

When I see the Kindle price equal to the MMPB price for a midlist author “what do I look like…?” leaps to mind, immediately followed by “what time does the library open?” I guess the Publisher would rather get 100% of nothing than anything less than full price.


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