tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post4705489732367635930..comments2024-03-19T02:40:07.779-04:00Comments on La Vie en Prose: The Perfect Ebook PriceMeredith Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02718251724577409962noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-37047368956112547402012-05-03T12:47:10.913-04:002012-05-03T12:47:10.913-04:00I'm going to take the 'Hallmark Greeting C...I'm going to take the 'Hallmark Greeting Card Approach' on this one and say, "Yeah, that sounds like something I'd say... just with smarter words and better pictures"Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13533981942470111979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-10423846174965883032012-05-02T14:51:51.035-04:002012-05-02T14:51:51.035-04:00Sure, individual songs are/were 99 cents on itunes...Sure, individual songs are/were 99 cents on itunes, but should individual songs be equated with an entire novel? Why aren't we comparing the price of ebooks to the price of the whole ALBUM? In my head, an individual song is like a chapter to the whole book of the album. Sell short stories for 99 cents, sure. And if you're serializing your novel, sell each chapter for 99 cents, maybe. But as an author, I think the full novels I've produced SHOULD be worth more than 99 cents. I'm providing more than 3 or 4 minutes of entertainment and content in a novel and for that reason, among others, the comparison to individual songs just does not make any sense to me. <br /><br />All that said, if ebooks are the new mass market paperback (and it seems to me that mass markets really are giving way to ebooks) why shouldn't they cost the same amount as a mass market paperback? I can understand concerns by publishers that if ebooks are priced down to that level, and released concurrently with hardcovers, then ebooks will undercut the hardcover sales and weaken returns -- I don't understand why ebooks DO have to be released concurrently with hardcovers, though it seems to me, that a happy medium in that area might be to sell hardcovers packaged with a free, or reduced price, digital download of the ebook as an exclusive from the publisher's website, so the people who want the ebook immediately can feel like they're getting a DEAL WOW, TWO VERSIONS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! And the rest of the world who would wait for the paperback anyway can wait for the ebook to come out concurrently with the trade paperback at a mass market-equivalent price.<br /><br />I mean, look, I'm cheap. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. With the exception of Harry Potter, I have never been interested in getting a hardcover on its release day, so maybe I am biased in that respect, and maybe I'm not even a typical consumer. But if there is a physical edition of the book available to me for cheaper than an ebook, why in the WORLD would I ever buy the ebook? The better value there is definitely in owning a physical copy that no one can reach their invisible hand through and delete from my kindle at some later date. (When someone steals my physical book and torches it, that is called theft, for the record, though that's a whole different can of worms.)<br /><br />I guess the other answer is to go with the half-the-price method Kelley mentioned above. Then, while the hardcover is the only physical edition on the market, Publishers can keep the ebook price high. Once the Trade and Mass Market editions come out, the ebook price should drop with them. Why can't ebooks have multiple editions just like print books? Maybe the ebook that comes out with the hardcover has extra bonus features that the mass market release doesn't. Package interviews with the author, bonus short stories, etc, to make the consumer feel as though they're getting something SPECIAL, and then release another edition later that's just the book by itself, bare bones. <br /><br />I feel like there is so much potential to make this Not-The-End-Of-The-World, and to give added perceived value to ebooks in a way that costs not much of anything to the publisher. Ebooks do not HAVE to be the nemesis of publishing! We just have to find the right way to approach it!Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-87850802566126561402012-05-02T14:36:14.118-04:002012-05-02T14:36:14.118-04:00I don't believe that an ebook should ever cost...I don't believe that an ebook should ever cost more than the lowest-price version of the hard copy. Given my druthers, I'll purchase the hard copy if it's the same price as the ebook, and I'll always buy the hard copy if it costs less. For me personally, it's a matter of saving money. <br /><br />I was in a LT relationship with a recording artist and had the misfortune of being in said relationship when piracy became a serious issue for musicians. What my ex found is that people who are going to steal music will do so regardless if it costs 99 cents or $10. Making music cheaper didn't do anything to curb the tide of illegal downloading during that time, and that still holds true today.Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964273930628647763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-85278108633129434232012-05-02T14:33:11.519-04:002012-05-02T14:33:11.519-04:00I'm with Joyce. To me ebook equals the mass ma...I'm with Joyce. To me ebook equals the mass market paperback. To me the sweet spot is 2.99 - 7.99. I've paid more but they are the exceptions.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-4157873467802840772012-05-02T14:25:08.630-04:002012-05-02T14:25:08.630-04:00Fantastic point, Tina. This has to be publishers&#...Fantastic point, Tina. This has to be publishers' responsibility.Meredith Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02718251724577409962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-23435542065002459132012-05-02T14:24:41.792-04:002012-05-02T14:24:41.792-04:00I would pay $4- I mean, $3.99!- for an ebook witho...I would pay $4- I mean, $3.99!- for an ebook without blinking too much. If it's in the $8- $10 range, I'll expect a longer book. If it's more than that... nope! (Or it's a textbook.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-53794029179079839992012-05-02T14:24:18.668-04:002012-05-02T14:24:18.668-04:00Kelley, I agree! I hate it when publishers ignore ...Kelley, I agree! I hate it when publishers ignore that there are some reductions in production costs for ebooks--and those should be passed along to readers!<br /><br />Also agree on the bias about cheap ebooks, although I probably wouldn't feel that way about a Paulo Coelho book. ;)Meredith Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02718251724577409962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-54735599162436876732012-05-02T13:13:06.638-04:002012-05-02T13:13:06.638-04:00I like the $2.99 price point, but with royalty rat...I like the $2.99 price point, but with royalty rates being what they are, if I'll sell better at a higher price, I'm all for that. (Maybe I ought to try it. Hmm.)<br /><br />One point, though: most songs on iTunes aren't 99c any longer. Most are now $1.29.Susan Helene Gottfriedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12778191943289129869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-67186702257614294472012-05-02T12:47:23.705-04:002012-05-02T12:47:23.705-04:00Kelley already said it better than me. But, I do u...Kelley already said it better than me. But, I do usually look at the price points between $2.99 and $7.99. A $9.99 ebook is the one I absolutely cannot live without, and if I'm paying that price point I'd rather have paperback.<br /><br />All that said, I know authors not self-pubbed do NOT set the price.Tina Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09892617933410379929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-91085867177267058542012-05-02T12:39:58.801-04:002012-05-02T12:39:58.801-04:00An ebook should cost about the same as a mass mark...An ebook should cost about the same as a mass market paperback. <br /><br />Unless it's for a special, short-term promotion, 99 cent and free ebooks equal poor quality in my opinion. I've downloaded freebies and 99 cent books on my Kindle that were not special promotions and virtually ALL of them were unreadable. <br /><br />That said, I also won't pay more than 9.99 for an ebook. For that price, I want something I can hold in my hand and actually turn real pages.Joyce Tremelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498392016497131719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-4402167631812932152012-05-02T12:19:12.961-04:002012-05-02T12:19:12.961-04:00I don't want to post on in your comment sectio...I don't want to post on in your comment section, so I'll just say I'm glad to hear you advocate proactive approaches.<br /><br />Books and songs are two different things. When I see a book that costs $0.99, I'm automatically dubious. I have to wonder if the work was put through its paces between final draft and publication.Kelly Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00805995507687187766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-85633236630843467312012-05-02T12:05:41.236-04:002012-05-02T12:05:41.236-04:00Frankly, I get really ticked off when I see $9.99 ...Frankly, I get really ticked off when I see $9.99 ebooks when I know I could go out and buy the paperback for the same price. I converted to ebooks because I wanted them to be cheaper. I think an ebook ought to cost about half the cover price of a print book. ($5.99 is a good sweet spot, I think. But even upwards to $7.99, I still feel like I'm getting a good deal.)<br /><br />I know it's a bias of mine, and not a GOOD one, but when I see $.99 ebooks, I assume they're either short stories, self-published (and therefore not thoroughly edited or beta'd), and I skip right over them. I know self-publishing isn't always a bad thing anymore and some self-pubbed books are great, but still. <br /><br />I look for that middle-range price point between $2.99 and $7.99 and stick to it, unless it's a book I really, really want and have heard good things about.Kelley Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01852321111294729924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6809343867197930371.post-48948742441527050612012-05-02T11:49:29.224-04:002012-05-02T11:49:29.224-04:00Looking at the music industry is such a bad idea, ...Looking at the music industry is such a bad idea, as you pointed out. I think e-books are worth at least $9.99 each. I'd probably pay up to $17.00 for one. Sure, it doesn't have the cost of the paper and ink and whatnot, but I'm paying for the story. That's worth so much more than $.99 to me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06754425388806152768noreply@blogger.com