Should eBooks Only Cost a Penny?

[Arielle]

I don't think they should cost pennies. What do you think the average author makes from the sell of a paperback verses an e-book?

[Judith]

I have voted that No e.books should not cost pennies, I see the point that e.books don't cost as much as paper ones, however the authors have earned a decent commission from sales of both types and it cheapens the written word to make them "pennies"

[AngryGreyCat]

I think they should definitely not be pennies. Authors have to make a living, too.

[Odette]

Some e-books appear to me to be overpriced. Though, I do not think they should only cost pennies and feel that this statement is an exageration.

I am happy to pay up to AUS$10-$13 for a good recently released e-book and $7-$10 for older quality ones and of course enjoy the specials.

E-books should be cheaper than printed ones. For a printed book there is the cost of printing, logistics, freight and the booksellers' costs etc. I am sure these costs are quite substantial compared to the cost of selling an ebook online.

The difference between the online cost and cost of printed version should be passed on to the purchaser and do not think an e-book be sold for the same amount as a printed one. The author should received the same amount for either version. Maybe an author can sell more books online at a cheaper price and thus increase their sales.

[Lesley]

I agree with Odette's penultimate and final paragraphs. Authors should received due payment for their intellectual input, and the considered worth of that should not change between formats.

What I don't agree with is paying a higher price "for a good recently released e-book". I am also not happy to pay a reduced price for older quality e-books either. No matter the age the intellectual content remains consistent, so why the need for higher pricing on newly released?

Print books are priced to take into account the costs in manufacture - intellectual content, paper quality, ink, hard vs soft cover etc. None of this, other than intellectual content, is involved in the manufacture of e-books. A point to consider - most books begin life as an electronic file in today's publishing world.

When the price of print books drops it is normally the bookseller rather than the publisher who drops the price with the purpose of clearing stock, and occurs once the book has 'aged' and isn't moving as it did when new.

David makes another very valid point in regard to e-books, and that is the question of ownership. You can do nothing else with it than read it on your device. You may purchase an e-book, but you will never totally own it. If the publisher/author decides sometime in the future that they no longer want that content circulating, they can pull the files and your copy of that book is no longer able to be read. And, this has happened.

Therefore, I guess I agree with Germaine Greer in this instance. E-books should cost greatly less than their print equivalents.

[Odette]

Good point made by Ella's Gran in regard to the ownership of the content of the e-book and ability to be pulled, which could not happen with a printed copy.

Also agree with David about the ability to pass the printed copy of book onto someone else.

I purchase second hand books from the Canberra Lifeline Bookfair, which are much cheaper than e-books and at the same time supporting a good charity. Recently released large fiction paperbacks in excellent condition sell for around $5. The next bookfair is in a couple of weeks time. This is a very popular weekend event held in March and September in Canberra, Australia.

[Judith]

I agree, I think profit drives everything, to our loss and authors loss.

[Elaine]

I voted "no". I dont think they should be "pennies" but they should be considerably cheaper than paper copies. They have no printing, storage or distribution costs to cover.

[Maria]

I voted no, I think the e-book has to be less priced than the paper books, but not as cheap as a penny. Someone spend a time working on it, so it wouldn't be fair.

[Nikkiplans99]

I don't think ebooks should be a penny but I also do not understand how an etext book is $90 dollars. Since making the crazy decision to go back to school I am just shocked at the cost of ebooks and regular textbooks for that matter. I am a ebook reader I love the convenience but after reading The Storied Life of A.J Fikry I vowed to buy an actual book every month because I hate the thought of bookstores going away forever.

[Judith]

I'm with you there, I expect in the distant future this will happen, until then I shall carry on loving my paper books and enjoying my Kobo, the latter not so much.

[Nancy]

When I buy a paper book and it is also available as an ebook I would not mind paying the full price for the paper book and getting the ebook version free along with the purchase. I think that would be a good idea.

[Maria]

I always have my kindle with me, but every two months I always buy a paper book. Having a paper book in my hands it's always an amazing feeling!

[Lesley]

David wrote: "I like a paperback to read I always have but unfortunately I keep thinking back to when CD's came out to replace the old Vinyl and how people said "I'll always buy vinyl".

Now look at it Vinyl is ...
"

A similar uproar occurred at the time Penguin introduced paperbacks to the market. The publishing world and authors were totally against them because they would de-value the literary works. For quite a time only B grade 'populus' fiction was published in paperback, and paperback editions were only released a year after the hardback edition was published. Buyer resistance contributed to that gap being reduced, and in most countries today the paperback is released at the same time as the hardback. More books are published in paperback today, including textbooks.

Despite all the fears book sales not only continued, but readers created a demand for more affordable access to non-fiction and classics. This created a huge re-print market.

The next thing was to get publishers to release books in large print and audio format. Words like discriminating against potential readers with disabilities prompted them to come to that party.

Bookshops have already been reducing in number, and I believe those that can diversify to accommodate the electronic book will be the ones who survive. We have a small, privately owned bookshop here that has done just that and they are booming. They still have print books in all formats, but they have also created listening/reading booths in their store where people can preview e and audio books before purchasing through the shop's download facilities.

I still think, however, that the price of ebooks should reflect their true cost. Audio does - it is more expensive to account for the reader's time etc.

[Nikkiplans99]

I listen to a lot of Audiobooks due to my insanely long commute to and from work and the price is just crazy to me. I joined Audible and use my library for titles but it's around $22 a month for 2 credits which is only 2 books. I prefer reading but it's either audiobooks or go crazy listening to the radio everyday.

[Juliann]

I drive an old '99 Corolla with a cassette player and haunt the thrift stores looking for books on cassette.
Traffic here is awful and books on cassette have saved my sanity. Right now listening to "Hearts in Atlantis" by Stephen King, read by William Hurt and
Stephen King....cost $1.50 used. Agree, the radio makes me nuts.

[Lesley]

I regularly listen to audio books on my commute to work, but I download them from my library onto my iPad. Otherwise my car also only has a tape deck and books on cassette are all but impossible to get hold of.

[Maria]

I love my kindle but like Maria, I love the feel of a real book in my hands.