eBooks now cost more than paperback books?!

[Troy]

 

Amazon
Hardcover List $26.95 (Sale Price: $14.64):
Paperback List $16.00 (Sale Price:  $10.88)
Kindle (eBook) Price: $12.99

 

Amazon also offers books sales from 3rd part resellers who are selling the Hardcover new for as little as $13.57 and used copies for as low as $7.74. 
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B&N Nook (eBook) and hardcover prices are the same as Amazon's (3rd party reseller prices are the similar to those offered by Amazon).  Interestingly B&N Paperback price is $13.98 a full dollar more than their eBook version (I'm an Amazon Prime member so the difference my be due to my discount -- which also include free shipping).

 

Google's and Amazon's prices for their eBooks is also $12.99.  So it seems like the agency model is in full effect.  This is where the 5 big publishers colludes to set the price of product (in this case eBooks) artificially high and force retailers to sell the product at the predetermined price.  This is oligarchy engaging in monopolistic practices which one would think is illegal.  Apparently the Department of Justice does not.  But I have not kept up with the story...

 

It reminds me when we were all told how much money we would all save on the price of CD's compared to Albums. Even though CD's were were expensive to manufacture, store and ship than albums; the saving was never past on to the consumer even

 

All this did was encourage the pirating of music to the point we are today: very few musicians can make a living of the sale of their music.  I think ringtone sales are more lucrative.

 

If The Accidental Affair was a title I would want to keep in my Library I would buy the hard cover from a 3rd party reseller.  If it was just something I wanted to read and not keep it would still make financial sense to buy the hardcover, pass it along after I read it or resell the book (many places buy used book today).  If I was concerned about lugging the book around I would buy the eBook.
 

Personally I see no scenario where purchasing the paperback version of a previously released hardcover book makes financial sense. 

 

If this keeps up, start looking for mass market paperbacks to proliferate and for elimination of paperback versions of hardcover books to disappear.  That or books will skip the hardcover step altogether.

[LOVENJOY90]

To be honest I dont think Ebooks should cost more than 5 dollars because its a book that can be easily downloaded to the computer. I have a book out thats an ebook format and i'm only charging 4.99 because I only paid 300 dollars to get it published. Now I can understand why people set prices for a paperback and hardcover at 12 dollars or more because of how much money they had to put into it getting published. So i agree with you on this topic

[Troy]

The pricing for eBooks is a contentious topic.  Some argue that the same amount of work goes into publishing an eBook as a regular book.  You still need the agents, authors, editorial, publicists marketing, etc.

 

This of course ignores the physical production of paper, books, storage, transportation loss allowance and most importantly returns.  Really what is happening is that eBook have to subsidize the production cost of paper books.  There really is nothing inherently wrong with this.

 

However, common senses tell you an eBook costs less to produce than a physical book.  So when the sales price fails to reflect this fact it just looks fishy.  Certainly the consumer does not benefit,. nor does the publisher

 

Of course Amazon has no problem deeply discounting physical books -- selling them a a loss even to get business and to put pressure on competitors.  Since they are not allowed to discount eBooks sold by big 5/6 publisher we run into pricing anomalies like the one described.

 

Of course independents like yourself can price ebooks at any price they like, and certainly at a level that more accurately reflects production costs. 

 

The book business is a state of flux right now.