Who's Your Author? discussion
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E-Reader Prices for books
I think it is absurd to charge more for e-books, I actually think the $9.99 is to much. I would think that compared to a hardcover or paperback an e-book would be mostly profit....but the question is profit to who...the author or the publisher.
From a few of the authors on here, I got the impression that they (the authors) profit more off of e-books.
Well, the author deserves to get paid, and I'm willing to pay the same as for a paperback. Actually it's worth a little more because I can make the print the size I need to be able to see it. AND it saves trees!
Actually ebooks aren't that much cheaper to produce. You have to consider that they still have to be treated like regular books, which involves editors, cover artists, typesetters, copyeditors, publicity, marketing, etc.
But in addition to all that, the original electronic file has to be converted in to each format separately and then edited again in each format to make sure everything converted correctly. All of that costs above and beyond the cost for producing the paperback or hardcover.
Also, ebook profit isn't considered separately from physical books. You have to consider that in general, for every ebook sold, they sell one less paperback or hardcover. If they print 1000 paperbacks and sell 999 ebooks and only 1 paperback, they still have to be able to cover the cost of printing those paperbacks.
Now once those costs are recovered, ebooks do cost less because there are no printing costs associated. That's why authors get a higher royalty on ebooks. Ebook retailers also get a higher cut of ebook sales.
As for Amazon selling ebooks for $9.99 or less, that is their prerogative, but they have to be willing to accept a lower cut of the sales to do that. They don't have any right to tell a publisher how much they can charge for a book. It's the equivalent of you selling something on Ebay, and them telling you what you have to charge for it. Amazon tried to bully Macmillan into lowering their ebook prices to Amazon's standards by removing not just the kindle versions of all Macmillain books, but also all paperback and hardcover versions. I wouldn't have a problem with that if they had just removed the kindle versions, because it's their right to not sell things if they don't agree with the pricing of it. But the removal of the paperbacks and hardcovers (which there was no conflict over) was a blatant attempt to bully Macmillan, and that's just not cool. When they saw Macmillan wasn't going to be bullied, they backed down, which is ultimately good for their customers.
I have to say that when I went to place an order and 4 of the 5 paperbacks I wanted to order weren't available to me because they were Macmillan books, I was pretty pissed. I'm an Amazon Prime member so I order all my books from there, and I think it should be my choice whether I'm willing to pay a certain amount for a book. If I'm not, then I won't. If enough people do that, then the publisher will rethink their pricing. But that's not Amazon's decision to make.
Ok, rant over. LOL
But in addition to all that, the original electronic file has to be converted in to each format separately and then edited again in each format to make sure everything converted correctly. All of that costs above and beyond the cost for producing the paperback or hardcover.
Also, ebook profit isn't considered separately from physical books. You have to consider that in general, for every ebook sold, they sell one less paperback or hardcover. If they print 1000 paperbacks and sell 999 ebooks and only 1 paperback, they still have to be able to cover the cost of printing those paperbacks.
Now once those costs are recovered, ebooks do cost less because there are no printing costs associated. That's why authors get a higher royalty on ebooks. Ebook retailers also get a higher cut of ebook sales.
As for Amazon selling ebooks for $9.99 or less, that is their prerogative, but they have to be willing to accept a lower cut of the sales to do that. They don't have any right to tell a publisher how much they can charge for a book. It's the equivalent of you selling something on Ebay, and them telling you what you have to charge for it. Amazon tried to bully Macmillan into lowering their ebook prices to Amazon's standards by removing not just the kindle versions of all Macmillain books, but also all paperback and hardcover versions. I wouldn't have a problem with that if they had just removed the kindle versions, because it's their right to not sell things if they don't agree with the pricing of it. But the removal of the paperbacks and hardcovers (which there was no conflict over) was a blatant attempt to bully Macmillan, and that's just not cool. When they saw Macmillan wasn't going to be bullied, they backed down, which is ultimately good for their customers.
I have to say that when I went to place an order and 4 of the 5 paperbacks I wanted to order weren't available to me because they were Macmillan books, I was pretty pissed. I'm an Amazon Prime member so I order all my books from there, and I think it should be my choice whether I'm willing to pay a certain amount for a book. If I'm not, then I won't. If enough people do that, then the publisher will rethink their pricing. But that's not Amazon's decision to make.
Ok, rant over. LOL
That's really crazy! I haven't gotten an ereader yet, but I have purchased a few ebooks that I can read on my computer. If they don't have to pay for the paper, the printing, the shipping, etc, they should be able to pay the author as much if not more than what they are paid for regular books.
Jan ~Phaythe~ wrote: "Actually ebooks aren't that much cheaper to produce. You have to consider that they still have to be treated like regular books, which involves editors, cover artists, typesetters, copyeditors, pu..."Yeah I never thought about all the extra editing that would have to be done. I was thinking in terms of the fact that they didn't have to physically print onto pages, and bind them.
In terms of what Amazon did to Macmillon, that's pretty ridiculous. I think Amazon also had a thing going on about censorship. I don't remember the whole debate, but it seems that Amazon does what it wants until someone stands up to them.
I just don't think it's fair to go onto a marketing platform of 9.99 or less, and then change that later. Many people specifically bought the kindle (or other e-readers) because of the supposed cost reduction on books. Then to take that away, it's like trickery.
True, you spend so much on one of their e-readers because they say that in the long run you'll pay less and then they change things on you!
I totally agree Jess. Amazon never should have made that promise to its customers without having contracts with publishers that guaranteed they would sell their books for that cheap. As it is, if Macmillan prices an ebook at $12.99, then Amazon can still sell it for $9.99, but they will have to eat the loss. It's just like when a bookstore has a new release for 40% off. They still paid the publisher's price for it, but are choosing to sell it for less in hopes that you will buy other books while you are there.
Macmillan's pricing plan for ebooks is actually very similar to that of their print books. The ebook will be released at a higher price point ($12.99 or $14.99) at the time of hardback release, and when the paperback is released, the ebook price will go down. So it's actually basically the same pricing plan that we are used to.
Macmillan's pricing plan for ebooks is actually very similar to that of their print books. The ebook will be released at a higher price point ($12.99 or $14.99) at the time of hardback release, and when the paperback is released, the ebook price will go down. So it's actually basically the same pricing plan that we are used to.
I am sorry but I am not buying into the argument as to why an e-book should be priced the same as a normal book. Sorry I think that if a publishing house is saving money on actual printing those saving should be passed on to the consumer. I am not trying to rip off the author but there is no structure to their pricing. Not to mention you do not even have a tangible product (unless of course you decide to print the pages out yourself). With the exception of amazon can you even pre-read a chapter? If you decide you want to return it is that an option?Anyway I am sure many of you will disagree but I think that publishers should embrace their new market, if they dropped the price of e-readers and created a more consistent pricing strategy I think more people would buy into this system. Instead it is like price gouging, I mean my textbooks are still $80 for a digital format and 90 bucks for a book really a $10 difference that is crap. Furthermore I spend more money for a hardback book because I find value in the tangible style of book - the print is larger feels better in my hand, etc. For other books if I am not sure of the author or the story I wait for paperback because I do not want to make the investment. SO why should I pay the same for an e-book as I would for a hardback book?
I am not anti technology but I refuse to pay $200 or more for an e-reader and then pay the same price for an e-book as I would a regular book. So for now I choose to shop at my local bookstore and just buy the book.
And that's the beauty of consumerism. You decide what you are and aren't willing to pay for and where you will or won't shop.
The convenience of my ebook reader was worth the price I paid for it. I continue to buy books the way I always have. If it's a book I really want, I pay whatever price is charged for the ebook version. If it's one I'm not sure about, I try to get it from my library or find a used copy for cheaper.
The convenience of my ebook reader was worth the price I paid for it. I continue to buy books the way I always have. If it's a book I really want, I pay whatever price is charged for the ebook version. If it's one I'm not sure about, I try to get it from my library or find a used copy for cheaper.
I might accept that there are addition editorial costs for ebooks if I saw even the tiniest evidence that publishers are spending money on properly formatting ebooks. As it is, I've seen books that split words, clump words together without spaces, break lines up in strange places, and even stuff that looks like it was poorly xeroxed and scanned. These aren't pirate copies- these are legitimate copies that I either purchased from Amazon or downloaded from the library.The real problem that publishers have with ebooks is that they've been making huge profits off of hardback books for years, and they're afraid that ebooks will cut into that profit margin. The current business practice of shipping books and then stripping the unsold copies is incredibly wasteful. They could preserve lost hardback profits by pursing ebook business over paperback, and saving the money in production and back end accounting costs. But if they want to see those savings publishers are going to have to accept that ebooks are here to stay, and start providing a properly formatted product at a reasonable cost. And IMO "reasonable" is usually not above $9.99.
Dawn wrote: "I am sorry but I am not buying into the argument as to why an e-book should be priced the same as a normal book. Sorry I think that if a publishing house is saving money on actual printing those sa..."I agree with Dawn on the price matter. I mean, for me it's just ridiculous to ask the same money for a digital version, than for a phisical book.
I don't mind reading ebooks, and I'd love to buy an ebook reader (when the price goes down), but with prices like the ones they'r making, I won't even go through the trouble. That's why people read pirate copies. With prices like that, what did they expect?
But that's my opinion, and even though I don't mind digital, I still like the book in my hands better.
I think that if you buy a digital copy, it should be less than the book. You shouldn't still have to pay for it to be printed and shipped, when it won't be. If I'm buying digital I shouldn't have to cover the cost of a paperback that could have been sold. "I am sorry but I am not buying into the argument as to why an e-book should be priced the same as a normal book. Sorry I think that if a publishing house is saving money on actual printing those saving should be passed on to the consumer" - DAWN. I completely agree with you and I'm not an e-book reader. I buy in paperback or hardback. But if I do buy an e-book, I shouldn't spend the same as a solid copy.
The author Ilona Andrews has a good post on her blog, breaking down everyone's cuts from her book sales. Authors get almost double (if not more) from e-books!
Tina wrote: "I think that if you buy a digital copy, it should be less than the book. You shouldn't still have to pay for it to be printed and shipped, when it won't be. If I'm buying digital I shouldn't have t..."I have to check out that post by Andrews.. I would love to see the breakdown of what everyone gets off different book sales.
It's just the fact that people spend ALOT of money on digital readers for the benefit of not only convenience but of lesser prices. The companies shouldn't have made these statements if they were unsure they could keep them. I have yet to buy a book that's been 9.99 or higher from Amazon. It's a matter of principle.
Ok who new that Andrews has posted free short stories about Curran POV. http://www.ilona-andrews.com/2009/12/...I go looking for ebook stuff and get a short story. Loving life here!
Dawn wrote: "Ok who new that Andrews has posted free short stories about Curran POV. http://www.ilona-andrews.com/2009/12/...I go looking for ebook..."
OK, so she writes good books, she posts free short stories, and she knits, too? Sweet.
Jess wrote: "Yeah I read that one already lol!"Did you read the second one? I love how Curran tries to con Julie into letting him out but she kind of cons him instead.
This shorts from Curran's pov are just a big TEASE!!!!!
Back to price. . I got a Sony e-reader for Christmas. Buying from the Canadian sites isn't much cheaper than going online and ordering a hard copy in. I have found its cheaper, even with the exchange rate, to purchase from the Sony site itself. One thing I have noticed is that the electronic versions are shorter number of pages than the paper version counts that I see when I do my update. Most recently I noticed that on Flirt by Laurell K Hamilton and Iceby Linda Howard. They are both in hardcover right now, but the eversion I have is shorter number of pages, but still includes previews, copyrights etc. Makes me feel like I'm getting an abridgement of sorts. Maybe because of font size the difference???
Dawn wrote: "Jess wrote: "Yeah I read that one already lol!"Did you read the second one? I love how Curran tries to con Julie into letting him out but she kind of cons him instead."
Yes.. oh it was great. But Sam is right, what a tease!
Sam wrote: "Back to price. . I got a Sony e-reader for Christmas. Buying from the Canadian sites isn't much cheaper than going online and ordering a hard copy in. I have found its cheaper, even with the exch..."I read the hardback of Flirt, and it really wasn't very long. So I don't think you got an abridged version... maybe it's the formatting that's different?
Back to the e-reader I looked a long time at the sony because I could read library books and then I liked the kindle because of the free books and the cheap books with self publishing. In the end I decided neither mostly due to cost.However I am considering purchasing the Ipad when it comes out this summer. For me I think it will be a great way to blend my newspapers/magazines, books, entertainment, work and e-mail. Plus you can get the kindle app :-)But as a consumer I am still not willing to pay the same amount for an e-book as a regular book and that my friend is the great thing about choice.
Dawn - I wonder how the iPad will do as an e-reader with the bright shiny screen. I've read short stories off my iphone. The glare tired me out. I like how the other e-readers have a matte screen to simulate paper.
Tina wrote: "Dawn - I wonder how the iPad will do as an e-reader with the bright shiny screen. I've read short stories off my iphone. The glare tired me out. I like how the other e-readers have a matte screen t..."That is a pertinent question and I've wondered about that as well.
Plus, the iPad just looks too big to carry around. At least compared to the other ebook readers, and I seriously don't see what all the fuss is about, but I guess we'll know more when it finally goes on sale.
I was under the impression that the itouch that came out but this one is also a reader. But since I already have a kindle I wasn't really paying all that much attention to the reports.
Both Kindle and Nook have versions availabel that you can download to your computer or your iphone, blackberry, etc. I just now found a book available on Kindle but not on Nook, so I will buy it for my computer. It is MUCH cheaper than the book.
I think if you buy the iPad as just an e-reader you would be really disappointed. I think the best e-reader really is the kindle and to me the only thing it lacks is the ability to borrow library books. Personally the iPad works for me because it has a lot of functions that would make my life easier and while it is big the size is not a problems because it fits my other needs.@Tina I am not sure about the screen, my son has an iphone and he can manipulate the brightness so perhaps that will be a feature.
@Sandra what is nook?
I used to have an Ebookwise which had a backlit LED screen and I hated it. I could really only read for an hour or so at a time without getting a headache. That's why I switched to a Sony reader.
The best thing about the Sony reader to me is that I can read EPUBs and PDFs, which means I can buy from Fictionwise, Books on Board, or wherever. The Nook is also EPUB and PDF compatible.
The best thing about the Sony reader to me is that I can read EPUBs and PDFs, which means I can buy from Fictionwise, Books on Board, or wherever. The Nook is also EPUB and PDF compatible.
DAWN - The Nook is Barnes and Nobles' e-reader. I'd like to check that one out. It's touch screen. I luv touch screens. I have an iPhone. Yes, you can adjust the brightness, but the dimmer you make it, the less visible the screen is.
Thanks good to know.
Tina - only the small menu screen on the bottom is a touchscreen. The main part isn't.
The publishing industry is going through a huge adjustment. The music industry had to do it too. Right now we are seeing the adjustment period. I was not bothered by Amazon's deal with Macmillon at all. I think the publishing companies are being ridiculous, trying to hold on to old school ways of publishing when the world is changing. Most publishing companies announced they are sticking by amazon's pricing. I read on my Kindle b/c it is a superior method of reading in my opinion. I prefer to hold it, marking pages, carrying it with me. I just prefer it. And I would be willing to pay more than 9.99 to get a new release during the first week or so -- b/c I am paying for the timeliness of it. However, the majority of books that I get on my kindle are zero (I read quite a bit of domain books that are classics) to $6.39. No taxes, no prime membership fees, no shipping, so still less than buying books typically. But everyone has different ways that they read.But bottomline, in a few years I beleive the publishing industry will have adjusted, just like the music industry did. The reality is that things in life are going digital and electronic. And the prices will have to adjust. Thank goodness for competition right now. :) That will only help with pricing and spurring on the change. I love my Kindle so much I cannot wait to see what the future brings for reading.
I'm also a huge reader, and I've been debating on a Kindle or Nook for a while now, unsure which direction to take. It does make me quite nervous, though, the issue that happened with Amazon and the Kindle (last year possibly?). A book was illegally listed as available on the kindle, a ton of users bought it, then when it was discovered, Amazon deleted it from every users Kindle automatically with their "whispersync" technology. This makes me incredibly nervous. What if you invest in a kindle, or nook, buy ebooks and and something goes wrong similar to last time and they just delete your content? Scary! Not to mention a pain! I also agree that price points for ebooks MUST be smaller than for physical books and it's one of the reasons I believe that ebooks/ereaders haven't been as successful as they could be. I also have an iPhone and do have many ebook apps, I would say I've read a little, but still prefer a physical book. But I have enjoyed it when I want to read in the dark, if I put my iPhone screen on the least bright setting, I can still read the book and not feel strain. When I travel, I like to take a ton of books with me, and having an ereader would be nice. I'm not sure about the iPad. I have an iPhone and a laptop already. I don't see needing another device that does the same things. Either way, though I'm usually an early-adopter for new gadgets (totally a gadget girl!), I feel like I need to wait a bit for all involved to get used to the new system. Hopefully ereader devices will be priced lower by that time!
FWIW, I have a Kindle and an iPhone and the Kindle is such a more pleasurable reading experience, although I do like the versatility of being able to access my books on my iPhone. Amazon reimbursed the purchasers of that book (I believe it was $3.99 was the purchase price). But I do know what you mean, if you bought an illegal book in hard copy -- it wouldn't be demanded back.
I do think ebook vendors are sort of tied right now by the publishing industry. The publishers are setting the limits of pricing right now. I am really hoping that with Applie coming into the mix -- now with the 4 big players (Applie, Sony, B&N and Amazon) there is enough demand, competition and pressure being put on the publishers to lower prices. Publishers need to start thinking about the future and realizing ebooks are the future.
I do think that ebooks are getting more and more popular. Literally everyday on my train commuting to work I see more people with them! It is hard to tell from a slight distance (without ogling them uncomfortably lol) if they are nooks are kindles though.
I can't wait to hear about the iPad. If you do get one Ashley please share!
I've been hearing a lot about the Ipad, but I don't know all that much about it. I agree, if you get it Ashley let us know how it is.@Regina - I hope that with all the big companies starting to get into e-publishing there will also be more competition which will reduce prices. '
There's no point in having the e-reader if prices are the same as paper books. Then people have just spent 300 plus dollars when they could have easily just continued buying regular books. If prices don't lower on the e-books, there's no way for people to recoup their money.
On a side note, I was searching around for some new kindle books and it looks like the kindle has actually decreased in price a bit. It was up for 250 I think. Wasn't it 300 a few months ago?
Yes that is correct. I believe the price dropped last summer or early fall?
I've been using the eReader.com application on my Droid phone and I quite like it so far. I've been ordering from B&N when available (they're cheaper in most cases), but I like that I can get files from anywhere as long as they're in the pdb format.Question: With the Kindle, are you limited to purchases made through Amazon?
I have the kindle and while I really enjoy it, I almost wish I held out for the nook or a sony.....I have a ton of e-books that are PDF's (given to me after I had the kindle for some time), while I can now transfer PDF's to the kindle you cannot control the size of the text....I have to put the book into landscape format and the text is still pretty small..other then that I do really enjoy my kindle.Michelle - while you can only get the AZW file books from amazon you can still put PDF file books on the reader or if it is in wordfile you can e-mail it to your kindle and it will be converted into the AZW format
Ahhh, so you can get other books to work on there. Thanks, Nichole!
This is an email I got from Sony Reader Store the other day:Dear Reader Store Customer,
The publishing industry is turning a page and so are we.
Beginning April 1st some major publishers will be instituting a change in the pricing of eBooks, which puts decisions on eBook pricing firmly in their hands. As a result, prices of bestsellers and new releases from these publishers will be changing on the Reader Store, and during the transition time, some titles may be unavailable. Although most of these eBooks will be priced from about $12.99 to 14.99, there will not be a broad pricing change across the Reader Store. In fact, new releases and bestsellers from other publishers will still be priced at $9.99.
Starting a new chapter can be a good thing. With this change, you may see more of your favorite books available in eBook format at the same time they’re released in print. Book lovers like you are driving a revolution in digital reading and the Reader Store is committed to providing you access to the widest selection of digital reading content. Since its inception in September 2006, Sony’s Reader Store has introduced a wide offering of new releases, bestselling eBook titles and newspapers. Today it features access to more than one million titles and links to borrow eBooks from local libraries nationwide.
For more information please visit the Reader Store FAQ: http://ebooks.custhelp.com
Thank you,
The Reader Store
So only some publishers have decided to try and gouge us with higher prices... well I say F''k them. I'm not buying anything that's priced more than 9.99.Ridiculous.
I wonder if this is because of the release of the ipad? I recall either reading or hearing that the apple bookstore was going to have their books start at $14.99.....I still think that a digital book should be less then the paperback version and hopefully someday that will happen.
I fear Apple is to blame with this one. They came to the publishers preposing a new plan to get them into the iTunesi Bookstore. Then the publishers requested the same deal from the other sellers (amazon, Sony). We may not see list prices across the board like this because in the past, amazon has paid 2-3 dollars on each sale and listed them at 9.99 away (so amazon pays for the increase not the consumer). Not sure if it will continue this way...we'll see...either way I don't agree with the system. 9.99 is even pushing it, I only pay 5-7 when I buy, if it's listed more, I'd rather put the money towards a tangible book.
I was just on amazon looking to purchase another book for my kindle, (Gena Showalter) and to my horror the Kindle price is higher than the paperback! WHAT is that all about? http://www.amazon.com/Enslave-Sweetly...
I think the increase for e-books is criminal! There is no production cost, no storage, nothing to purchase in materials, why are they charging so much?
I noticed yesterday that they have added the line below the price that lists the publisher and the fact that the price was set by the publishers.....Not that I expect it to do any good but I have e-mailed some of the publishers with the complaint that while I think the e-books should be less then paperbacks they should not cost more then them.....
Michele wrote: "I was just on amazon looking to purchase another book for my kindle, (Gena Showalter) and to my horror the Kindle price is higher than the paperback! WHAT is that all about? http://www.amazon.c..."
That's crazy!!! I think that book is still a trade paperback though.
I have to say that right now, I'm really glad to not have a Kindle. A bunch of books that are releaseing soon aren't listed for preorder in Kindle format. They used to be listed but are now missing. Books like Lover Mine and Spirit Bound - so really popular books. If I had a Kindle, I would be beyond pissed right now.
Who's Your Author?
Books mentioned in this topic
Ice (other topics)Flirt (other topics)
I know the reason I bought the kindle was because of the claim that books would never be over 9.99. And now news reports are saying that it might change and authors are feeling cheated.
But I was under the impression that since it's cheaper to make the e-version, that the lower prices were justified.
What does everyone else think?