# Overpriced Kindle eBook Versions



## John Nelson (Jun 7, 2011)

I was going to download a copy of Atlas Shrugged because a professional book reviewer likened it to my book.

The problem is that on Amazon it's $12.99 for the Kindle eBook!  The book was published in 1957.... why $12.99 for the eBook? A new paperback was only $9.99.

The eBook should be less than $9.99. For a "classic" greater than 50 years old it should be ~ $4.99 or less for an eBook copy.  Where's the overhead? The price is crazy and I won't pay it!  I love my Kindle, but I'll read the paper copy.  Anytime an eBook is more than $9.99 we should object!  We should object if it is over $7.99.
I'll object by going to a used bookstore and picking up a copy.  Amazon and publishers' GREED will kill the eBook Revolution. I want to read it on my Kindle, but will not bow to corporate greed!!!

John Nelson


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## LaraAmber (Feb 24, 2009)

How is it Amazon's greed when the publisher sets the price?


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

As with any other purchase decision, don't buy a particular book if the price exceeds your perception of value.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

"Sold by: Penguin Publishing". 'Nough said.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I see that book available at my local Library as a ebook and I see it at a couple of other larger one across the Country. 

If you have ebook lending through your library, check if its there.


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## KayakerNC (Oct 7, 2009)

Yeah.
Imagine!  Paying $6.99 for a 1st time ebook by an unknown author. 
Oh...wait.


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## Lambert (Nov 12, 2010)

I can see where that particular book is over priced, but I think there are some ocasions where I would pay over 9.95 for a Kindle book. Just depends on the book, the value and how much I want it.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

There are many ebooks worth more than $9.99, or at least I think so.  Authors need to pay bills too and I going cheapskate and demand everything for less.

That said, some ebooks cost more than I'll pay.  Novels top out at $14.99: I bought 1Q84 at the price.  As for the Ayn Rand, it's a high demand novel so can fetch a high price and $12.99 the upper limit of what I'd pay for that kind of book.


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## wvpeach (Jul 12, 2010)

Obviously somebody still holding the copyright to Ayn Rand books is taking advantage.  But that somebody is most likely not Amazon. 

  Wonder if those sort of people really read those books or just like having them in the house? I suspect the later. I was made to read some Ayn Rand in college and not only do I find her writing dry, you have to swallow hard if your a Christian to keep reading because of her immorality. Considering that, I am surprised they don't have to give her book away.


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## John Nelson (Jun 7, 2011)

I think the beauty of the eBook is the low price. And reasonably so... no paper, binding, storage, etc.... very little overhead. I agree the publisher sets the price and maybe that's where the anger should be directed.

eReaders can be pricey, but the benefit is the eBook is cheaper. 

I'm just concerned that the publishers will try drive up the price of eBooks. If my publisher tried to up the price of my book, I would object. The beauty of the eReader is you can get a book for under 10 bucks.... and why not.... production costs are much lower for the publisher and if they try to charge us paper prices I think it's gouging and I will make a consumer choice.
You too are free to make that choice, I'm just stating my dissatisfaction.


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## kcrady (Dec 17, 2009)

John Nelson said:


> The problem is that on Amazon it's $12.99 for the Kindle eBook!


Atlas Shrugged has been on my wish list for some time... I was actually quite pleased to see the priced had DROPPED on this ebook; it used to be $19.99...

It's all relative


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

http://www.ereaderiq.com/

Here is a great site to add books you want to watch that are currently priced above your comfort level. Add a little bit of information and when the price drops you get an informative email. It's a great tool.
deb


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## Todd Young (May 2, 2011)

"Before I go to Sleep" was recommended to me. I had a look in the kindle store and it is listed at $14.87. I borrowed it from my library instead.


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## TerryS (Mar 29, 2011)

Personally, it's very hard for me to dish out $10 plus for an ebook. I've never done it and don't intend to. I would rather take that money and go buy the hard cover or paperback, which is what I have done on many occasions, but that's just me. Yes, either of them are more expensive but in this case, I have that physical feel that I still tend to love where as generally speaking looking at an ebook doesn't move me as much as having the physical copy especially a hardcover. I don't know how many of you can relate but think about when your favorite book came out and you went down to your local bookstore to get it. That's still a great feeling for me


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## LaraAmber (Feb 24, 2009)

Lambert said:


> I can see where that particular book is over priced, but I think there are some ocasions where I would pay over 9.95 for a Kindle book. Just depends on the book, the value and how much I want it.


I feel that non-fiction books can frequently be worth more then $10 a copy, especially books based on years of research. Those are usually going to sell fewer copies and the author definitely deserves compensation for that level of dedication to knowledge.


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## fuschiahedgehog (Feb 23, 2010)

What burns me up is when the print price is lower than the Kindle price.  I refuse to buy those.   And I know it's the publisher, and not Amazon, who sets the prices.


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## bjazman (Aug 1, 2009)

just a couple random points

1. if you check the ebook out from your library, good luck finishing in 3 weeks. this is a very looooooonnnnnnnggggg book
2. as for the theory that some of us are buying just to have, not read, i own Atlas in paperback & as an ebook. over the past 15 years or so, i've probably read it 5 times
3. this price apparently goes way up & way down. i bought the ebook from Amazon in Dec '09 for $8.99. had passed it up several times in the $12.99 range.
4. yes there are ebooks that i won't buy because of the price. while i can understand why an older book (available cheap in used paperback) might be priced "like new" for an ebook, it doesn't make it any easier to buy. agree with those who say if the ebook is not worth $xxxx to you, then buy another format. [whoever is selling the John Powers "Last Catholic in America" "trilogy," i hope you're listening]
5. yes, i know, that the people who are selling the Powers' books are not reading this board... 

b


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## ayuryogini (Jan 3, 2010)

kcrady said:


> Atlas Shrugged has been on my wish list for some time... I was actually quite pleased to see the priced had DROPPED on this ebook; it used to be $19.99...
> 
> It's all relative


My thought exactly.....


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## avivs (Oct 17, 2011)

If Ebooks won't be sold for a lower price, more and more people will get books in... other ways. It's as easy as getting free MP3, and getting easier as time goes by.

I think that paying for a small file the same amount as a paperback book is wrong, and it doesn't matter who's fault is it, I'm just going to get it for free.


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## John Nelson (Jun 7, 2011)

I planned to change banks if Wells Fargo started to charge $5 a month for me to use my debit card.... Bank of America tried it and had to back down due to consumer backlash and cancelled accounts.
I changed my subscription to Netflix when they decided to charge more.... many, many others also cancelled or changed their NetFlix subscription and the company's stock plunged. Justice!!
.....And I will not pay more than $9.99 for an eBook version of a fiction novel (or pay more for an e-version than a paper copy). 
In the case of Bank of America and NetFlix it was just money-grubbing greed..... and they paid the price. The same should be true for the publisher that tries to sell an e-novel for an inflated price.


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## davidestesbooks (Nov 4, 2011)

I have to disagree with those on this thread who have said authors are entitled to e-book prices above $5.  There are so many costs cut out by selling via e-book that pricing above $5 is a bit greedy in my mind.  Especially from the bestselling authors and celebrities who don't need the money.

I like Amanda Hocking's approach which is to price very reasonably and write for the love of writing, not for the money.  The fans will come.  It's like Google's approach, too.  Come up with a concept (or a story in this case) that will appeal to people and don't try to oversell it.

I make far more money off my e-books (and a way better margin) which I sell for a fraction of the price.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Interestingly, now that Amanda (a KB member, though she doesn't come around much anymore) has signed with a publisher, her books are mostly $8.99.  

My rule for ebooks has always been that I wouldn't pay more than I would have paid pre-ebook, which was the price of a paperback.  So I don't.  Mostly.

The price is the price is the price.  People have the right to charge what they want for something they are trying to sell.  Others have the right not to buy it.  Eventually, if the seller wants to sell badly enough, he or she will price it to sell.  It's the way it works.

I've read Atlas Shrugged countless times, most recently as an ebook.  Love it, as a work of fiction.  Don't much care about the rest.

Betsy


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

John Nelson said:


> I'll object by going to a used bookstore and picking up a copy. Amazon and publishers' GREED will kill the eBook Revolution. I want to read it on my Kindle, but will not bow to corporate greed!!!
> 
> John Nelson


It's not Amazon's greed. If you look below the 12.99 price you see, "This price is set by the publisher." Amazon has no choice and can't sell below the price the publisher sets. It's called Agency Agreement which big publishers imposed on Amazon. You can get a used trade paperback for $3.00.

As far as prices--if you think the price is unfair--don't buy it.


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## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

There has been a discussion on this before. What you're looking at is converting a DTB to digital. Just remember that correcting OCR errors encountered during the conversion is not trivial. Someone has to read that book properly *and* compare it to the original. That is way more effort than just proofreading a new book.

I've just finished reading Blood Music and the OCR errors made it really tricky to read (and that cost $6).


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Just to play Devil's Advocate, if (or back when) you went into a bookstore and found a copy of _Atlas Shrugged_ and the price was higher than you wanted to pay, who would you blame and would it be a matter of corporate greed?

I don't have a papercopy of that particular book - it was donated away as something I'm not interested in re-reading - but I have a 1888 paperback copy of _Sarum_ by Edward Rutherfurd which is about the same physical size as my old copy of AS. It is priced at $7.99 - which in 2011 dollars is $14.93 (I love this site). By today's standards and by 1988 standards, that's A LOT for a paperback. Was I a victim of corporate greed or did I make a decision to spend additional money for something I felt worth that cost?


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

When someone figures out how, when the price is set by the publisher but you can blame Amazon, let me know. I wonder why they never talk about their greed, union greed, worker greed, or government greed? No, those don't exist in some alternate universes.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

This is a friendly reminder:  We play nice on Kindleboards.

This topic can often raise hackles on many sides of the conversation.  So long as we remain civil, then the conversation is fine.  But, no personal attacks are permitted nor should we bring politics into the conversation.  

Geoffrey
Book Corner Moderator


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

As mentioned, in many cases, the publishers are setting the prices. . . .and as many have observed. . . .each person gets to decide for themselves whether a given price is worth paying for the specified book or not. What Betsy feels is fair may or may not be what I feel is fair -- or Geoffrey, or Atunah, or Elk. But I have no right to say they're wrong.

And, Geoffrey, I'll buy the


> 1888 paperback copy of _Sarum_


 from you. That's quite a collector's item.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

Ann in Arlington said:


> And, Geoffrey, I'll buy the from you. That's quite a collector's item.


Time travel is no big deal for Geoffrey.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I've said it on other threads, but the cost of a paperback book, even if it's free, has no relevance to me because I don't enjoy reading paperbacks now.  That would be especially true of a thick paperback like Atlas Shrugged.  I'll pay more to read it in the format I prefer, which is digital format.  Lots of folks used to pay a premium for a hardback because they preferred that over paperbacks.  Same thing for me.  When I bought my first Kindle in 2008, the fact that most books were less than a new hardback, and sometimes less than a new paperback, helped push me over the edge since at $359 the Kindle was a significant expense for something I wasn't sure I'd like (loved the idea, wasn't sure about the reality).  

If I were most concerned about the price of my books, I'd sell my readers and hang out at the used book store that's less than a mile from me.  Hardbacks and paperbacks galore for $1.  But enjoying the format is more important for me.  That's not true of everyone, but it's why lots of folks don't get their knickers in a bunch about the cost of eBooks.  (Which is not to say I don't have my limits, I do, and that's one reason I love library lending.)

And I agree that before someone slams Amazon over book pricing, they need to check to see who has set the price.  Penguin (as someone pointed out) is notorious for high prices on eBooks.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

There's some recent history about _Atlas Shrugged_ on Kindle which might explain the high price. When the Kindle was first introduced, the Ayn Rand Institute was bombarded with requests to release her books on Kindle. For a time they resisted, but they _are_ capitalists after all. Nuff said.


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## Guest (Nov 5, 2011)

This is what happens when publishers aren't paying attention/thinking. It's a shame. I keep thinking that surely, any day now, they will "get with the program". But it hasn't happened yet. I'll be curious to see how things play out for them. I think they are trying to keep print alive, as they seem to keep pricing print books lower than ebooks. It's a manipulative idea and not nearly as clever as they think, as the real result is people just start buying different books.I wonder if they will repair the ship or sink with it.


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## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

Buy the paperback. Or (with apologies to Betsy the Q), don't bother. I hated that book.


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## samanthawarren (May 1, 2011)

One thing to keep in mind is that traditional publishers have a higher overhead than indies in most cases, so they have to take those costs into account when pricing a book. Indies outsource most of the work to other indies or do a lot of it themselves. That saves money and allows them to price much lower. I've heard that the printing costs are minimal when taking the rest into account (I don't have any proof of that. Just heard it elsewhere). I'm actually kind of excited to see how things shake themselves out in the next few years.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Jon Olson said:


> Buy the paperback. Or (with apologies to Betsy the Q), don't bother. I hated that book.


No apologies necessary. We can't all like the same books. 

Betsy


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## Mark Young (Dec 13, 2010)

I just can't see paying over $9.99 (which I think is still too high) for an eBook. Major publishers are trying to protect their earnings from investment in print and audio versions, so they believe readers will pay the higher prices if the author is a big enough draw. They may be right, but I think they will be proved wrong in the long run. The price of preparing and distributing an eBook in today's market just does not warrant the same price as print books. As an indie author/publisher, I hope these traditional publishers continue down this same path. It will give other unknown authors an opportunity to attract new readers with quality, well-edited, novels at a more reasonable price.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Here is my beef with the ebooks ending up costing more than the paperbacks. I don't always get a complete book. Now I prefer to read ebooks too, I have issues with the print of paperbacks. So I can see that the value for some is higher because of that. But here is the problem, the ebooks need to be up to the standard of the print books. 

That means, I want the cover every time, I also want the back cover in the back so I can check the blurb just like a paperback.
If I am to replicate my bookshelf in the virtual realm, I have to be able to pull a book from its bookshelf and refresh my memory what the heck it is about without having to fire up my computer each time.  

If there are pretty little squiggles at the beginning of each chapter in the print book, I darn well want them in my ebook. If I am to pay the same money than the print, I better get exactly the same book .Don't take shortcuts on the presentation just because its a file and not a tree. Respect the reader. 
I also don't like to be treated like a potential criminal and have DRM limitations.  I can loan out a paperback/Hardcover to anyone I want. 

I can't tell you how many times I have bought a book and I get no Cover. Its like I go to the store and at the register the clerk rips off the cover and I still have to pay the full price. And any price that is charged is a full price. No shortcuts on sales either. This is a problem for both Indy's and traditional. 

Once those things are corrected, then I don't mind paying the same for a ebook than I do a paperback, for new re-releases that is. Maybe even a tad more for instant gratification on a brand new release. 

But, this isn't the situation yet. Once publishers and Indy's start treating ebook releases with the same respect than any paper book out there, than we are on the right track.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

John Nelson said:


> I think the beauty of the eBook is the low price. And reasonably so... no paper, binding, storage, etc.... very little overhead. I agree the publisher sets the price and maybe that's where the anger should be directed.
> 
> eReaders can be pricey, but the benefit is the eBook is cheaper.
> 
> ...


it is not a matter of TRYING to drive up the price of eBooks. Many publishers totally control the price and deliberately set them high in order to support the sales of more profitable print books.

Add to that fact that most PUBLISHERS (and darn FEW indies are guilty of this in my experience) don't even bother to check the formatting on their eBooks when they change the digital format so you end up with books like the Jobs biography going out with egregious formatting errors. And we are obviously talking about MAJOR publishers here. They won't even pay a copyeditor for two hours to check for errors!

Unconscionable.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

With so many formerly out-of-print books coming back via Kindle, and all of the free public domain titles, and all of the indies, the only way ebook prices can go is down!


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## tamborine (May 16, 2009)

I have a (paper) book on my wishlist, A History of the World in 100 Objects. The hardcover is 25.95. And the ebook is $29.95!! Publisher is Penguin, but even so, that's really out of this world.


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## davidestesbooks (Nov 4, 2011)

Wow, a lot of really good discussion has been happening on this thread as I was sleeping (I am living in Australia at the moment .  For those of you who are in the US, I just want to say that you are all spoiled a bit as to prices for print books, here in Sydney prices are crazy town!  E-book readers are really taking off here though, as I think people are sick of paying $50 (I'm not kidding) for the new Grisham book in hardcover.  Or $19.99 for the new Lee Child book in softback.  Anyway, my view is that e-books should be priced $5 or less, but I certainly have no problem if authors or publishers choose to price higher.  I'll probably buy my favorite authors' new books regardless.  They make me happy, after all, and it's only money


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

Atunah said:


> If I am to replicate my bookshelf in the virtual realm, I have to be able to pull a book from its bookshelf and refresh my memory what the heck it is about without having to fire up my computer each time.


I don't feel like you, Atunah, about covers, but I sure agree about Story Summary. It should be included in every ebook and the Go To feature ought to take you to it the same as other important places in the book. Until Amazon does that with the Go To feature, there ought to be a T/C that takes you there.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

Bigal-sa said:


> There has been a discussion on this before. What you're looking at is converting a DTB to digital. Just remember that correcting OCR errors encountered during the conversion is not trivial. Someone has to read that book properly *and* compare it to the original. That is way more effort than just proofreading a new book.
> 
> I've just finished reading Blood Music and the OCR errors made it really tricky to read (and that cost $6).


There's software for that. There are several things that can lead to errors in books.

And in any case, e-books and hard copy books still end up with typos.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

The other thing to take into account for price is the length of the book. On the one hand, a long book delivers more content, so it is natural that it cost more; and at the same time, it's more valuable (to my mind) to have the e-version of a big heavy book rather than lug it around. So I am more willing to pay more for a long book.

I also agree with Atunah that the covers and interior squiggles ought to be in the ebook. But unlike length, it's hard to tell the beauty of the formatting from the Amazon landing page. The sample should help with that.


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## Alicia Dean (Jul 11, 2011)

I agree that ebooks should be priced lower than paper backs. The publisher is the one who sets the price, but there is hardly any overhead (There is some with cover art, marketing dept, editing, etc, but it's a one time fee, unlike print copies, for which you have to pay for the printing of each, the warehousing, book store cuts, and so forth). 

The more well-known authors can get by with it, but it's my personal opinion that no ebook is worth more than $10 and most are not worth more than $5. But, as someone stated, it's an individual choice if a reader wants to pay an outrageous price for an ebook.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Alicia Dean said:


> it's an individual choice if a reader wants to pay an outrageous price for an ebook.


 

Perhaps I'm just well off, but I don't consider over $5 an outrageous price for an ebook.


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## Alicia Dean (Jul 11, 2011)

LOL, Krista. "Outrageous" was a rather strong word. I meant 'more than they should have to pay' - Good point.


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## Alicia Dean (Jul 11, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> Perhaps I'm just well off, but I don't consider over $5 an outrageous price for an ebook.


And...just to clarify. I really meant that much more than $10 bucks is kind of outrageous for an ebook.


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

Alicia Dean said:


> I agree that ebooks should be priced lower than paper backs. The publisher is the one who sets the price, but there is hardly any overhead (There is some with cover art, marketing dept, editing, etc, but it's a one time fee, unlike print copies, for which you have to pay for the printing of each, the warehousing, book store cuts, and so forth).
> 
> The more well-known authors can get by with it, but it's my personal opinion that no ebook is worth more than $10 and most are not worth more than $5. But, as someone stated, it's an individual choice if a reader wants to pay an outrageous price for an ebook.


Selling price is rarely directly related to cost of production. I worked for a manufacturing company for 40 years, and the discussion around the table in Marketing wasn't "what would be a fair price for this?", but "what is the most the customer would pay for this?".

But I admit to being baffled when I see someone pay a scandalous price for a bottle of water when you can get it for less than a penny a gallon out of your kitchen tap. 

Mike


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## Sherlock (Dec 17, 2008)

As Samantha mentioned earlier, the big publishers have overhead costs that I don't imagine the indies have (or at least not as much).  They are still producing paper books, which for a long time has been their bread and butter.  With the shift to ebooks it has reduced paper sales but they still have to keep the lights on and the $$ has to come from somewhere.  I don't imagine they separate the ebooks from the paper when considering paying for overhead items.

With that in mind, I agree that it's not right when an ebook costs more than the paper book.  Makes no sense to me.  If the pricing for the ebook is due to overall costs for the publisher, then it should be no more than the paper equivalent.  I have my limits for what I will pay.  However, if it is a book that I really want to read and don't want to borrow the paper or electronic version, I will bite the bullet and pay the price.  That doesn't happen frequently though.  There are so many indie books available at a great price that I am usually happy with them.  I hope the indie authors keep up the good work and I wish them the best of luck.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

I'm no fan of Ayn Rand, but why shouldn't the price of the books be set as high as the market can bear? It's not a necessity, after all, and there are tens of thousands of other books to read. The e-book may be cheaper to produce and distribute, but cost reductions are only passed along to the consumer if the company is forced to do so by competition. The issue isn't of greed (Ayn Rand was one of the original "greed is good" people, after all), but whether the publisher is being rational: do they make more money selling the e-book at a higher price than the paperback? If it is true, that means that people are willing to pay more for the e-book than they were for the paper book. But if it isn't true, if people are not willing to pay more for the e-book than for the paper book, then they are losing money, and therefore are irrational. 

All that the publisher cares about is whether or not you will buy the book at a given price. If you grumble about it, but pay it anyway, all they notice is that you paid it. If you think the price is too high, don't buy it, a purchase is a vote for that price. Get a used paperback instead.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

The only way that we can make our voices heard with the big publishers is to vote with our wallets...
They WANT us to purchase the print version.  And my decision-making is similar to most people here:
(price = what Amazon is selling it for - not the list price)
1.  Is the print price more than the e-book?  no purchase
2.  Is the print price equal to the e-book?  maybe - usually yes if it's a favorite author whose books I am collecting to get on my Kindles or if it's a new release
3.  Do I personally think the e-book is worth X dollars? 

And I agree that e-books should be at least as error-free as the print versions.  I will say that corrections are being made more quickly for new releases.  The last Rick Riordan and Terry Pratchett books I purchased electronically all had new versions available the day after the title was released.  I'm not sure about the Riordan one because I had already read it and didn't find anything major that was distracting.  But the Pratchett was cleaned up significantly from the original release.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

There is a way to register why you don't buy an eBook and choose a different format. Go to http://lostbooksales.com/ and register the book you didn't buy and why.

"Submit Your Lost Sale Story

Fed up with digital book pricing, books not digitized, or geographical restrictions? Frustrated with the formats the books you want are published in? Want to make your voice heard? Submit your Lost Sale Story. We are compiling the stories and making authors, agents and publishers know that we have money and we want to spend it but they aren't making it easy."


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

There's a couple of things that I'd like to point out.

*When you buy an ebook on release day (i.e. same day as hardcover), you are buying the convenience of getting a new book immediately. Generally speaking, people who want the pocketbook have to wait months before they can get it. It made complete sense for me to buy Ghost Story by Jim Butcher @ $14.99 (ebook, Kobo Books) within 16 second after it was posted to their website. For one thing, I was paying for the convenience of buying it after the stores closed and getting to read it that night, as opposed to my friends who had to wait until they got off work the next day to get it at the store.

If I didn't want to pay that price, I could wait for the trade paperback or the mass media pocket - when the ebook price often comes down. There's really no difference between now and five years ago.

*I often see comments about "A hardcover is only $4.99! Why would I pay more for an ebook?" If those are remainders (at that price, they almost always are), then the author and publisher aren't making any money off them. That's fine - many authors and publishers see them as loss leaders. Those were copies bought next to nothing. You cannot compare a sale item of a 5 year old book with a brand new ebook.

*I refuse to pay more than X amount of money. Ok. Great for you. There's always been folks who wouldn't buy new books. They'd go to libraries, yard sales, flea markets, whatever. I've known mostly romance readers who do this, since they tend to go through so many books; it was difficult keeping up with the cost of new books.


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## Mark Lord (Jun 29, 2011)

Most of the discussion here is about the prices of books published by the big publishers. I was wondering what people thought was a fair price for self-published titles.

Would you pay the same as you would for a book published by a well-known publisher? Or do you think that self-published books should always be below a certain threshold? And if so how much is that?

Also wondering if there's any opinion about the fair price for a short story eBook.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

jmiked said:


> But I admit to being baffled when I see someone pay a scandalous price for a bottle of water when you can get it for less than a penny a gallon out of your kitchen tap.
> Mike


this doesn't follow. Some people live in places where the water is nasty. My FIL has water that is strongly sulfanated. He has tried tap filters, Brita filters, boiling the water, pouring and letting it set for up to 24 hours.. It's still NASTY water. Our home has water that has a high amount of minerals in it. HIGH to the point that it destroyed the dishwasher that was in this house when we moved in 7 years ago. Sh has had 3 Kindey stones since we moved here, despite being completely clear and free when they run tests after the passing of each one. The dco said it's due to the water here.. He said he has seen more kidney stones per capita since moving here than he ever did anywhere else.

All of which has no correlation to publishers charging outrageous prices for books. Often more than the books originally sold for. Take a look at the Star Trek books. Some came out more than 30 years ago. They have definitely paid off ALL associated publishing costs, paid off the cost of reprints, and are PURE profit at this point. Originally they were, say, less than $4. (I think about $2.99 but I'm not 100% positive.) On Kindle? Pre-Agency pricing, about $4 each, I bought about 10 before Agency pricing kicked in and they rocketed to $8.99+ each.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

I wouldn't pay more for the convenience of not having to go to the store. It is a mistake to assume that businesses are always making the most pragmatic decision. Businesses do make mistakes, and it would well be that pricing e-books higher than the paper back is just such a mistake.

I understand having a higher price initially for a book, the people who buy the hardcover are those who just can't wait for the paperback. But once the paperback is published, the price of the paperback is the new standard. So you'll pay any price for an e-book, good for you. But there are a lot of people who won't pay more for an e-book than they would for the paperback. There are simply too many other books to choose from.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

QuantumIguana said:


> I wouldn't pay more for the convenience of not having to go to the store.


I happily would pay more. It means I can shop at 3am.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

For me to go to a non-Walmart bookstore, it is a 45 minute drive each way. Say $15 worth of gas. Now I know I would buy more than 1 book, but still, that's over 2 hours of my time (including browsing time) and an extra outlay of $15, just to get even a paperback.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

BTackitt said:


> For me to go to a non-Walmart bookstore, it is a 45 minute drive each way. Say $15 worth of gas. Now I know I would buy more than 1 book, but still, that's over 2 hours of my time (including browsing time) and an extra outlay of $15, just to get even a paperback.


I always manage to get Amazon's free shipping ($25 or more). It's just a matter of having a Wish List and buying $25 worth of books at a time. It only takes a little patience. (Like NO patience anymore with my Wish List!)


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I have Amazon Prime Lursa. It's free for students the first year, and $39 for the next 3 years. Last year was my freebie, I'm at the $39 and it's well worth the $79 I will pay in a few years.. we use the heck out of it.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

In the town where I grew up, it was a 60 mile drive to get to any bookstore. That is a very good reason to choose e-books over paper books, but as a matter of principle, I'm still not paying more for the e-book than I  would for the paperback. This assumes that the paperback is out, until the paperback is out, the hardcover price is the standard of comparison. I have plenty of other books to read, and I probably would have had to go on that hour long trip anyway for some other shopping, so I would just make my book purchases when I was already going to go there anyway.

Of course, if that convenience is enough to get you to pay more, then my all means feel free, I won't stop you. I'm just stating my purchasing preferences.


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

BTackitt said:


> this doesn't follow.


I think that in the context of my post saying that cost of production isn't necessarily a good indicator of selling price, it does. 

Mike


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## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

A friend brought up an interesting point. Big publishers may price the Kindle versions higher than the paperback versions in order to make you want to buy paperbacks instead of going digital. They are trying to keep the paperback industry alive because they know that's pretty much their lifeblood.


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

BTackitt said:


> I have Amazon Prime Lursa. It's free for students the first year, and $39 for the next 3 years. Last year was my freebie, I'm at the $39 and it's well worth the $79 I will pay in a few years.. we use the heck out of it.


Guess I missed your point then. If Prime is so great and has free shipping...why is driving to a bookstore an issue?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

BTackitt was explaining to an earlier poster why having a Prime membership is worth it to hher, Lursa.

Betsy


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

RM Prioleau said:


> A friend brought up an interesting point. Big publishers may price the Kindle versions higher than the paperback versions in order to make you want to buy paperbacks instead of going digital. They are trying to keep the paperback industry alive because they know that's pretty much their lifeblood.


That makes no sense, since all of the big publishers just reported increase in ebook sales. It's more like they are going with the marketing notion that a) internet = impulse and convenience and b) prime pricing for a prime book (i.e. Ghost Story or GRRM's latest)


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## Lursa (aka 9MMare) (Jun 23, 2011)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> BTackitt was explaining to an earlier poster why having a Prime membership is worth it to hher, Lursa.
> 
> Betsy


Sorry. Now I get it. The original post I quoted had nothing about Prime, so I read it out of context.

Seems, that kinda _WAS _ the point!


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

When I'm perplexed by ebook pricing, I tell myself, "Movie theater popcorn."

Most of us agree that $6.00 is too much for popcorn, but enough people pay the high rate that it more than makes up for customers who are price-sensitive and do not buy.

Still, movie theaters don't have a popcorn-alternative (paperback) sitting right next to the counter, at a lesser price.


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## StephenEngland (Nov 2, 2011)

For what it's worth, Atlas Shrugged is worth the money. But I would get a hard copy.


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## robertk328 (Jul 8, 2011)

I bought 11/22/63 for 16.99 for my Kindle but the hard cover is at Costco for 19.99. The size/weight ratio of the Kindle version makes up for it, but I won't be in the habit of spending that much for an ebook except in rare cases.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

If you'll pay it, its worth it to you. I thought it was the worst book I ever finished, but each tastes vary.


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## swpubl (Nov 3, 2011)

When you consider the work an author went through its cheap. You don't really know the worth of a book till you have read it. My two cents.


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## W.W. (Jun 27, 2011)

John Nelson said:


> I think the beauty of the eBook is the low price. And reasonably so... no paper, binding, storage, etc.... very little overhead. I agree the publisher sets the price and maybe that's where the anger should be directed.
> 
> eReaders can be pricey, but the benefit is the eBook is cheaper.
> 
> ...


Authors who are traditionally published don't control the prices of their books. I have yet to meet one who has ANY say as to pricing. It's out of their control. And many are not happy about the prices of their e-books.


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## GerrieFerrisFinger (Jun 1, 2011)

Many are overpriced including one of mine by a NY publisher, but I can't do anything about it. 
I say if it's worth it to you buy it, and if it's not, don't. 
I think indie novels under 100,000 words should go for no more than 2.99. Cookbooks could go more with art, etc.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

The other day I so wanted to buy a Kindle book about Katherine the Great but didn't because the price was a whopping $17. At first I was really indignant but then I realized it was the sort of non-fiction research book likely to be required reading for history students. I've certainly paid huge enough amounts for text books in the past, so it made the $17 seem reasonable by comparison. Just another way to look at some of these expensive ebooks, especially anything that might be assigned reading for students but have an otherwise small potential readership.


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