E-Books

[Cuongism]

Any authors/editors/publishers on this board? I'm curious of why e-books are generally more expensive than its paperback counterpart. I'm not a fan of having hard copies, but always cringe that I'm paying more (many times significantly so) to download the digital copy.

[GeorgiaHooligan]

I guess Im old school, I like holding the book and turning the pages.

[Boom King]

I'll take a wild guess and say that the artificially inflated prices have to do with greed, profit, and control. Think Netflix vs. Blockbuster as an example.

[CynicalC]

Most public libraries have an e-book lending program. There are free e-books at www.gigapedia.com

There are also tens of thousands of e-books available on your favorite torrent site.

[kyrider]

Great books here!

http://www.gutenberg.org/

[alex.s]

demand determines price. "how much is this?" -- "$2" -- "i'll take it" -- "oh you actually want that? did i say $2? i meant $20"

[ally99]

Plus you're paying for the reader, who is usually a "professional". I volunteer to read aloud and record classics at www.librivox.org, so if you're into classic literature that's in the public domain (and FREE!), you can download unlimited e-books on librivox!

Edit: The site posted above, gutenberg.org goes hand-in-hand with librivox. When we upload a new book on librivox, gutenberg gets it too. We get our text to read from them and in turn, they get access to the recorded ebook. Gutenberg is where you can download free paper copies and other versions of stories. Librivox is specific to ebooks.

[gfloyd2002]

Amazon and other online ebook retailers used to sell ebooks for significantly cheaper than paperback due to cost of production being nil. However, publishers fought back and demanded higher prices, even withholding books. Amazon and the others eventually caved.

The entire publishing industry is overdue for disruptive change, and people self publishing or working with new, non brick-and-mortar publishers is hopefully going to bring that along. One example of an industry that is very sick is how much it lacks in transparency.

[akima]

I love e-books, but I wont pay those kind of prices. If each book cost ~£1 (~1.55$) and close to 100% of the profit went directly to the author then I'd buy every book I read... as it stands now though... Akima looks to her shoulder to check her parrot is still there

I'd never buy those Kindle books either. They're all locked down so you're restricted in what you can do with them. Rubbish!!

I have a Pocket Book 360. It's nice! So much more convenient than reading paper back. The only drawback to it I've had is that you can't read in the bath: I think the steam would kill it.

[Cuongism]

Yea, I don't mind paying for books (and I've read most free classics so far ), but I just always found it odd that a digital copy that doesn't use any natural resource to duplicate would cost more than a hard copy. I was just curious if there was an actual reason for this. Only theory I've heard so far is that publishers hate digital and this was their way of fighting piracy and discouraging e-readers.

Also, I'm unfortunately mainstream and end up reading books that were made into movies/tv shows. When I watch a really good series (ie game of thrones, true blood, etc), I usually am interested in reading the books since they're generally better.

BTW Boom King, can you elaborate with the Netflix and blockbuster analogy? Netflix has unlimited streaming so digital is one price and their DVD program is also unlimited. I haven't been to blockbuster in awhile, but do they have a streaming option?

[CThunder-blue]

I will forever buy paperback or hardback books. I grew up with them and love being able to turn pages, like Aaron. I work on a computer all day and avoid getting on it at home if I can. I don't need yet another LCD to stare at. As for the question, it's all about profit.

[akima]

Originally Posted by Cuongism

Also, I'm unfortunately mainstream and end up reading books that were made into movies/tv shows. When I watch a really good series (ie game of thrones, true blood, etc), I usually am interested in reading the books since they're generally better.

There's no shame! If you enjoy it, go with it. I'm not fond of the personality trait that is: movie 'x' or book 'y' or band 'z' are bad because they're mainstream. I find it pretentious and boring!! Many things are popular because they are good fun!

[Cuongism]

When you swipe your finger, there is a page turning image sequence

I prefer an e-reader more for weight purposes. A lot of the books I read are huge and my arms get pretty sore from holding them up Also when I'm traveling, I have multiple books without adding weight. Plus there's a built-in light for reading at night

With Borders all closed, the closest Barnes and Noble to me is pretty far away. I guess I'm paying for the convenience to download instantly.

[CThunder-blue]

Well, I usually buy books either on amazon or the local used book shops around here. Look at the cost a different way.

Overhead:
1. servers needed to host e-book
2. techs to maintain servers
3. Internet pipeline from server
4. Increased power billing from running servers and cooling systems

Then:
5. Profit margin necessary to maintain business

Then there's

6. Publisher
7. Author
8. Advertisement

(altho the last 3 could be lumped together if they are self publishing)

[Boom King]

Originally Posted by Cuongism

BTW Boom King, can you elaborate with the Netflix and blockbuster analogy? Netflix has unlimited streaming so digital is one price and their DVD program is also unlimited. I haven't been to blockbuster in awhile, but do they have a streaming option?

I used the Blockbuster vs Netflix analogy to illustrate the iron fist control publishers have on the e-book industry right now. It's a big reason why Amazon capitulated and gave into the publisher's demands to raise the prices of e-books. One publisher has a monopoly in this industry and can capitalize on their greed.

With the movie industry, you do have slightly more competition with multiple studios allowing more room for competitive pricing. At least this is my thinking. I might be wrong, but I have heard that Blockbuster will now be offering streaming service on the DISH network and at a lower price than Netflix, who btw have raised their fees by 60%. It might not be the best analogy but I guess my point was if the e-book market sees more publishing competition then I would expect to see more competitive prices to follow.

[CynicalC]

Originally Posted by CThunder-blue

I will forever buy paperback or hardback books. I grew up with them and love being able to turn pages, like Aaron. I work on a computer all day and avoid getting on it at home if I can. I don't need yet another LCD to stare at. As for the question, it's all about profit.

I'm a big "hard copy" fan. I have the bookshelves to prove it. I thought e-readers were kind of silly and most likely a fad when they first hit the market. (So did Borders, hah!) My girlfriends boss bought her a kindle to share some work related required reading with her. Holding it in my hands and using it effectively reversed my opinion of it. It's actually very comfortable to hold. Lighter than any paperback, and the screen is perfectly crisp and even easier on the eyes than reading a book (adjustable contrast, font sizes). It's not a brightly lit glossy screen like you might expect. It essentially looks like you're reading off paper.

I certainly wouldn't expect you to change your opinion based on what I have to say, but if you ever do get a chance to play around with one, I suggest that you do. Especially if you are a big reader. You will be pleasantly surprised.

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireles...7081279&sr=1-1