About the whole debate between Amazon and MacMillan over the price of eBooks. I think both of them are insane if they think I will buy a digital eBook for $9.95 or $14.95. I'll run down to Barnes and Noble and get the paperback for $7.99.
The whole BS that Amazon can't profit on $9.95 eBooks is sheer folly. Printed books cost more and they sell them for less... and still profit, so there's a huge BS sticker on their claim. MacMillan wants to sell eBooks for $14.95 in place of hardcovers and that seems a bit steep, but understandable that they are trying to cover their advance to the author.
But I won't be paying anything close to that for an eBook... my own included! *lol*
Thoughts?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
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Hey Brindle,
ReplyDeleteI got into a bit of hot water over this, but it's my opinion, so take it for what it's worth.
E-books, like paper product, do cost money to create. There are the readers who contract, editors, cover artists, copyrighters, and writers to pay. That is why authors get that slimmer slice of the pie. However, as an author, I think charging 9.95 -14.95 for an e-book is absolutely ludicrous.
If MacMillan wants to charge that, it should remain their right to dictate the costs for their product. But I have a feeling readers won't fork out the same amount of cash for an electronic file than they will a tangible product. Instead, readers will continue to flock to the smaller, and increasingly reputable, E-Presses.
To be honest, I stopped purchasing NYT material. There are exceptions, of course, for my favorite authors. But otherwise, I purchase I'd say 90% of my reading from Samhain, Loose Id, and Ellora's Cave. (And in the case of Samhain and Loose, you can get the titles at a steal if you're patient enough to wait until they release at Fictionwise).
The reading industry is changing, and I'm not sure where it will be in ten-years. Piracy abounds, readers are becoming more fickle, and as always, money is the elephant in the room that speaks the loudest.
Great blog!
Jaime
Jaime!
ReplyDeleteHi and welcome back! Always a pleasure to see your beautiful face here.
I totally agree with you. The justification from MacMillan, is that the $14.95 is at the same time the book is being released in hardback. So I understand their position, I simply disagree with it. As a reader and an author.
For the ridiculous price of a hardback, I get a deluxe hard copy. It's bound beautifully in linen with a wonderful wraparound glossy dustjacket and would look gorgeous on my bookshelf in my office!!!! To charge me anywhere close to that same amount for an eBook... is quite frankly, insane! It's an electronic file, that's easily copied and transported across the internet in the blink of an eye. I can't take it to a book signing and get the author to sign it for me. There's nothing special about it. And there shouldn't be.
That's the awesome benefit to an eBook. I know there are costs, but they are dramatically lower than a hardback edition!
I too am increasingly turning to smaller ePresses. My only hope is that Amazon and MacMillan don't set a new greed filled precedent that encourages smaller ePresses to charge an arm and a leg for an eBook and chase readers away to the free stuff on Lulu, Createspace and Amazon.
In my opinion, eBook prices are already on the high end of things and should hold there until the economy and inflation gives way for higher prices. Gouging readers isn't going to win anyone anything in this industry.
IMHO.