E-book pricing

[MariaESchneider]

Quite awhile back there was a thread on the discussion forum about hanging tough and not buying any ebook for more than $9.99.  Very soon the publishers forced Amazon to raise prices above that.  I'm sure many held to "the no more than $9.99", but others, me included, purchased a few books that cost more if we wanted to read one of our favorite authors.  Hanging tough hasn't changed any publishers' minds and they have forced the prices to remain higher. 

I had started to download a number of free and bargain books, but over time, found myself slowly creeping back to my preferred authors whose books were over $9.99.  In the process, I did discover some additional authors I liked and started reading various series of their books that had earlier books now priced at $6 - $9.  IMO, I don't think that any of us can accurately categorize a free or bargain-priced book as not being worth reading just because of it's price.  I say this because some of the "most popular" authors put a book on sale once in awhile, including James Patterson as an example.  No matter how much we wring our hands and complain that ebooks should cost less, the publishers aren't budging and seem to be hanging tougher than we are.   For me the advantages of ebooks over dtbs are worth it.   Just my 4 cents worth.....

In the last year I have still been reading about half indies for the prices (this is down from the previous two years where it was almost all indies.)   I went back to a huge number of my fav authors--but sadly for them, due to pricing, I buy used almost always.  I'd rather read it on Kindle and have it instantly, but I can't afford 9 dollars a book.   I will GRAB them happily when I see them on sale, but for a recent Trad author I'd been wanting to try...I waited and waited...and then came across a used copy for 4 dollars shipped.  I snapped it up.   I bought more new paperbacks this year in Amazon's four for three than in the past two years, but I did not buy ANY new paperbacks at full price.   I bought ONE ebook at full price...no, make that two ebooks.  Both were such HUGE disappointments that it turned me back off the 8.99 price (I think one was 7.99, but the more expensive book was a DNF for me.)

I would prefer to buy books for my kindle, but Amazon can still price a number of authors I love in their four for three with free shipping--that's pretty much the only time I buy close to full retail pricing.   

My library has been a disappointment in finding books by my favorite authors too.

[jaimee83]

A couple years ago I could wait a few months and prices would drop to $9.99, now books on my wish list at $14.99 a year ago are still $14.99.  I bitch & moan and ultimately buy the books.  Its hard after walking through a drugstore and seeing that $14.99 kindle book on sale as a $9.00 paperback.  In the end I actually possess nothing for $14.99, with >1000 books in the basement I'm no longer accumulating and storing books but every book is a memory.
     The current prices are just theft with no justification other than greed, once the books are in the Kindle format there is no more cost, these books could sell for $5.00 and the publishers would still make buckets of money.  More e readers would sell and more e books would sell, just greed.

[ElaineOK]

Not greed -- FEAR.

If it were greed, they would set the price lower to sell lots.  Instead, they are setting the price high, because they are afraid of life in an ebook world. 

Elaine
Norman, OK

[DH_Sayer]

I'd love to say that I will only buy books less than $10--and there's no doubt I'd prefer that--but when one of my favorite authors comes out with a new book, what am I gonna do, not get it? I'm currently reading DeLillo's Angel Esmeralda which is 10.99 on the kindle...just had to do it. I guess the plus for me is that I don't read a tremendous amount of contemporary fiction, and those that I do read don't put out books too often.

[TLM]

I can see why someone might dismiss a free or 99cent book as not worth reading.  But I have actually read some that I liked enough to search out and purchase at full price other works by the same author.  Looks like those free books ended up costing me a pretty dollar or 5 or 8.  But as long as I am entertained and happy it is all good.

[NightGoat]

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57332366-285/how-to-get-notified-when-prices-drop-on-amazon/?tag=mncol;1n
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/apcjfffnnlfkhfilnooghekpobiadgmd

This is one for Chrome, there certainly must be similar apps for other online browsers

Thank you for this, I use Chrome so this works out nicely. 

[jbcohen]

I'd love to say that I will only buy books less than $10--and there's no doubt I'd prefer that--but when one of my favorite authors comes out with a new book, what am I gonna do, not get it? I'm currently reading DeLillo's Angel Esmeralda which is 10.99 on the kindle...just had to do it. I guess the plus for me is that I don't read a tremendous amount of contemporary fiction, and those that I do read don't put out books too often.

Im with you on this matter to a point.  I am simply not willing to pay the premium paperback prices that you seem to be willing to pay.  I still preferr to pay less than $4 however I am willing to go as high as $8, no premium paperbacks for me ever, no one is worth that or above I don't care what it is or how good or bad it is.

[Meemo]

Not greed -- FEAR.

If it were greed, they would set the price lower to sell lots.  Instead, they are setting the price high, because they are afraid of life in an ebook world. 

Elaine
Norman, OK

My thoughts exactly.  And I suspect their fear will be their undoing - it's a self-fulfilling prophecy if they continue on their current path. 

[RedGolum]

Not greed -- FEAR.

If it were greed, they would set the price lower to sell lots.  Instead, they are setting the price high, because they are afraid of life in an ebook world. 

Elaine
Norman, OK

The publishers loose a lot of control with e books.  Look at those on this very site who self publish books to Kindle.  Now, you don't always have the benefit of editors, but there is a lot of good indie content out there. The big publishing houses are worried that they will be forced out of business. 

Another thing to remember, is that as the barriers to entry get lowered, the supply will increase. But not necessarily the quality of the product.

[Shastastan]

The publishers loose a lot of control with e books.  Look at those on this very site who self publish books to Kindle.  Now, you don't always have the benefit of editors, but there is a lot of good indie content out there. The big publishing houses are worried that they will be forced out of business. 

Another thing to remember, is that as the barriers to entry get lowered, the supply will increase. But not necessarily the quality of the product.

I respectfully disagree.  The publishers are not the least bit worried.  They still think that dtb's will not be replaced by ebooks.  If they were concerned, they would be accepting more Indies and increase marketing of ebooks.  I'm thinking that the publishers consider ebooks as just a bump in the road.

Yes, indies will increase supply.  As to quality it could remain fairly constant, neither increasing nor decreasing.  We have seen a decline in editing quality and that could continue to some degree with self-publishing.  It can be very difficult to find and correct your own mistakes.  You can't always rely on a word processor pgm to catch mistakes either.  FWIW.

[Beatriz]

This is one of the reasons why I have set a hard price limit on the books.  I will not buy anything priced more then $8, I could care less how good it is or who wrote it no one is worth more than $8.  There are simply too many low cost ebooks available at $4 and under for me to be willing to shell out more than $8 for anything.

I couldn't agree with you more.  I wanted to read the Eva Ekvall bio.  She's the Venezuelan beauty queen who died at twenty eight and was just in the news, but it was priced at $45 on the kindle.  Can you believe it?  They must be crazy.

[Beatriz]

I have noticed prices rising, but I have accumulated a big enough backlist of books I bought but haven't read, that I won't suffer for a long, long time.  I also am rather a cheapskate about the books that I do buy (I really ought to stop buying new books altogether while I draw from the backlist, but I haven't had the self-discipline to do more than reduce my purchases of new books).  I seldom pay $9.99 for fiction, though I've done it for a books by beloved authors.  And won't pay over $9.99 for nonfiction, of which I read quite a lot (I've broken that rule three times now, but I generally keep to it).  Indie publishers, and some of Amazon's efforts, generally are a help to readers and an annoyance to publishers.  The publishers will do their best to jack up ebook prices (or better yet, marginalize the format altogether) but we readers have enough options that I am not sure they are going to have things their way.

I'm with you.  I won't pay more than $9.99 for an ebook no matter who wrote it, even if it's a masterpiece.