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Ebooks are crazy-expensive at the moment, often much more than a physical book, and that’s simply insane. Now it looks like that might change, after the European Commission stuck its oar in. Apple and four major publishers have settled their legal wranglings with the EC, meaning retailers should now be free to discount ebooks, just like they do paperbacks. Cheaper books for all, at last.
Of course, retailers like Amazon do actually have to go and cut their prices, but one assumes they will, now that they actually can. It all stems from the deal the publishers struck over ebooks. Initially, all the publishers demanded the agency model, which essentially allows publishers to set book prices. Physical books are sold under the traditional wholesale model, which allows the retailers to set the price of the books they sell.
The good news here is that ebooks should now come inline with physical book pricing, probably. Consider there’s no actual physical product attached to the purchase price, you’d think they should be cheaper than a printed book, but we’ll have to wait to see whether that actually happens. Something tells me that’s a pipe dream, but I could be wrong. Filling your Christmas Kindle with awesome books could soon be a heck of a lot cheaper. [EC via TNW]
Why Do We Keep Making Ebooks Like Paper Books?
The Black Cab as We Know It, Might Be Dead
The two things that put me off Ebooks and Ereaders were the price of the books and the readers not being lit.
Looks like both of those issues will be changed, bu there is something very cathartic and ritualistic about reading a physical book, i’m not sure if i’ll ever opt of digital over actually having the book.
time will tell i guess.
Sony did a lit ereader years ago that was pretty decent.
Yes and there are quite a few on the market now that are also lit, so as long as they get the price of the books back down to reality i’ll probably get one.
The main reason for the difference is that e-books have 20% vat on them, physical books are vat free. Make the digital versions the same, and we will see them more in line with each other.
Also with physical books, if you want them quick, you also have to pay a delivery charge.
I dont know how much they go for, but my brain says they should be cheaper than the paper books are.
I miss the old days where i could get the latest Terry Pratchett paperback for £3.99.
Terry Pratchett prices have rocketed! You used to be able to get 2 a year for nothing, now it’s three a year, for about £10 each. I’m going to miss him when Alzheimer’s gets him.
Apparently his daughter will take over the franchise, he doesn’t even use a keyboard anymore, he has someone who types for him, bless him. That man moulded my child-mind and shaped my humour and outlook on the world.
He also uses dictation, when his scribe isn’t around. He has a special shed at the end of his garden filled with computers and microphones to pick up his every mumbling. Considering he’s also made 2 documentaries in the past year, it’s a real motivation to see him still writing 3+ books at any one time.
I should imagine he’s got a great urge to get as much out as he can before he cant do it any more, i would have thought he’s got thousands of scraps of ideas lying about.
I hope I have that motivation, instead of just fading away into obscurity.
Me too, though i would have to claw my way out of obscurity first, to be in a position to not want to fade back into it
This will be good news if it comes about. Considering that a significant amount of the price of a paper book is from the actual manufacture of the physical product the high prices were a tad ridiculous.
If I believed that the higher prices meant that authors were receiving more money I wouldn’t mind. However I don’t believe that they do with the traditional publishers.
One thing I have always wondered is that in the UK we have fair usage. So surely if you are allowed to rip a CD you own legally surely if you buy the physical copy of a book you would have the right to obtain the electronic version.
In my view electronic should be the base charge for a book since there isn’t a lot of physical overhead costs. Paper copies should be an add on relating to manufacture and distribution. So all paper copies should include electronic ones.