We have heard a lot about how publishers are not satisfied with how much money they are making from their e-books on Amazon, and how they want to have more control over their e-books’ prices on Amazon and other e-book stores. Amazon did make $9.99 e-books a big part of its campaign to sell more Kindles, so it’s not a surprise that some are not happy with how things have turned out with some publishers. According to NY Times, some readers have even gone out of their way to leave negative feedback for authors whose books are getting a price hike or are selling for more than $9.99. While that’s not exactly productive, it goes on to show that consumers want to get a fair deal with e-books.
So what’s the fair price for e-books? I have tabled this question to many of my colleagues and our readers in the past. There doesn’t seem to be a definitive answer to that question. What is clear is the fact that book buyers are not ready to pay the same price for e-books and paper books.
I want to pay what it’s worth. If it costs them nothing to print the paper book, which I can’t believe, then they should be the same price. But I just don’t see how it can be the same price.
I have to admit that not all of understand what it takes to write a book. The notion that all authors make a decent living from their books couldn’t be further from the truth. If you are a bestseller author, you have obviously made it. But many authors don’t get that status, which means low e-book prices won’t go down too well with them. But even top authors are not happy with e-book prices. Douglas Peterson, the author of Impact, seems to be baffled by all the talk:
The sense of entitlement of the American consumer is absolutely astonishing… It’s the Wal-Mart mentality, which in my view is very unhealthy for our country. It’s this notion of not wanting to pay the real price of something.
So what is the “real” price of an e-book? Who would determine that? What’s not healthy for this country is consumers accepting that they have no choice other than paying any price asked by product makers. If consumers determine that an e-book is worth $100, I am sure they will have no issue paying for it if they can afford it. Consumers are also not too happy with companies making too much profit these days. So they consider paying the same price for paper books and e-books as a rip off. Unfortunately, this debate won’t go away as authors don’t mind getting paid more for their work, and consumers are not ready to accept price hikes. That’s what makes the e-book reader market so interesting to watch.
Your take: how would you solve this dilemma?
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3 comments
#1KaiFebruary 22, 2010, 3:02 pm
If a book exists in two versions (e-book and printed) there should not be any difference in what the author is getting out of every sale. But since the e-book is for sure cheaper to produce than the printed version, the price for the consumer has to reflect that. Will the author get more out of the electronic version? I doubt that.
#2ZekeFebruary 22, 2010, 3:38 pm
Some publishers currently think that many digital editions are worth more than their paper counterparts. Some publishers have made comments clearly showing that neither authors nor consumers are their greatest concern. Therefore, the only way forward is for publishers to make the first effort to restore the balance of respect.
How should they do this? Show openly what methods of cutting costs are to be employed. Provide some transparency in how book prices are set. Provide complete transparency in the prices booksellers pay. Allow booksellers to set their own prices. Without many of these contingencies, we, the customers, will find fault in their policies.
#3D.HarrisFebruary 23, 2010, 11:41 pm
The sense of entitlement is NOT that of the American consumer, but that of the major Corporations, who despite an economic downturn, insist on turning a bigger and better profit every year! … It’s not the Wal-Mart mentality Mr. Peterson, but the Wall-Street mentality that’s killing this nation. And finally, when the entire plan blows up in their faces, then we’ll have to hear a song and dance about how the publishers are losing money, much like we hear today from the airlines.
While I truly respect what the authors do and firmly believe that they should be paid the same for their work despite the format, no one is going to convince me that the electronic delivery of a product is as costly as that of the physical one. Case-in-point; When’s the last time you paid the same amount for a paperback as you did for a hardcover? And why is that? Because although the content may be the same, the format is not.
I rest my case…
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