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While I agree generally with your outlook on the whole e-book market, publishers seems to be making some serious mistakes that will effect the whole future of the business. e-books should have a much lower cost than conventional books in that there is no need to publish paper, ship to retail outlets and accept returns-- all of which are cost elements. So why then are many books more expensive as e-books? That just doesn't make sense and I am sure is upsetting many customers. e-books should be cheaper- reflecting the lower costs. The current model truly encourages illegal copies. Maybe they should take a page out of the music industry's book and think twice about policies going forward.
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Good point. The best strategy to fight against piracy to low the content price to a reasonable level, like Apple did to music downloading. At $0.99 a song, most people will prefer the legal copy. At $9.99 a song, I doubt.
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
e-Book pricing models are still in flux. Today the retail price on many books is set by the publisher, and this causes a large amount of variety in the prices we pay.
99 cents can work for music, because millions of people buy the same song. With a few exceptions (Harry Potter), even best-selling books aren't sold in that volume; so the pricing will need to be higher to cover the marketing costs, author royalties, and retailer’s cut. User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I am not quite convinced. If an excellent or popular book, which is sold in high volume, shall be priced at $0.99, why shall a medicore, unpopular book be sold at higher price? Just because the publisher need a high profit margin to cover his expense, it is not an excuse for most consumers to agree.
The most ridiculous part is: for the same book, hard copy cost less than the kindle copy. For example: Ben Graham's "intelligent investors", hard copy costs $14.95, while kindle version costs $16.99, it does not make sense to me at all. User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
That's my point. I am not asking for 99 cents, but pricing higher than a hardcover makes no sense at all. Maybe books should be $2.99. That is low enough to curtail piracy, but high enough to cover costs.
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I think that once e-books become more widely used the price will come down dramaticly since there will be far less books printed.
 User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
I challenge anyone to critique you THIS week! Nice to see a young adult who--gasp--still reads.
 User Rank
Gold NO RATINGS
Haha - I made sure to include all sources this week, Dex.
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I think that once e-books become more widely used the price will come down dramaticly since there will be far less books printed.
@TelecomFreq, I am not sure if the number of books printed will reduce because there are people who prefer reading hard-book rather than e-book. Overall reading experience with hard-bind is totally different than reading e-book. User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
e-Book pricing models are still in flux. Today the retail price on many books is set by the publisher, and this causes a large amount of variety in the prices we pay.
@PredictableChaos, I totally agree with you. A number of kindle users are upset about high e-book prices. For example "The Fifth Witness" costs $14.99 while the hardcover currently runs $14.28 on Amazon and $14.73 on BarnesandNoble.com. Surprising to see e-book price same as that of hardcover. User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Since adding the Kindle app to my tablet I have been reading a lot more, just the fact that I always have any number of books ready to read makes it more likely I will dive in during some down time.
Since you were looking for some return on your investment, you must be happy with Amazon's new lending program for Kindle owners. Enjoy! User Rank
Gold NO RATINGS
Amazon's e-book lending program doesn't seem all that great to be honest. It's only available to Amazon prime subscribers, and at $80 dollars a year its hard for me to justify subbing when the only thing I would get out of it is 1 borrowed book a month (yeah, 1 book a month).
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
I loaded my Kindle with numerous books (some for free) that I have been wanting to read. Now, whenever I have some downtime, it is great to have it so easily available. I get a lot more reading done now.
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
So far, I've resisted getting an e-reader because I tell myself I'd miss the smell and feel of paper. But now I'm not so sure. It certainly sounds convenient to have a library in my bag,
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I think the ease of use makes up for the loss of sensory experiences. It's also nice to be able to grab pretty much any title you want at a moments notice.
 User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
Joey, I just read that recent Pew Internet Project report said e-reader adoption doubled in the U.S. from 6 percent in November 2010 to 12 percent in May 2011. And with more variety and lower price points, I think e-readers are becoming must have devices.
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
At $79, these are fast falling into the impulse buy category.
 User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
A large percentage of Kindle buyers are in the over 50 crowd. Some research indicates it might be due to the non- glare surface being easy on the eyes.
User Rank
Iron
Joey, technology is developed for human advancement. If we are looking at the mobile communication scenario, we are spending 1/1000 of the actual expenses to convey the message compared to face to face mode. In such situations, investments for a mobile or Smartphone are profitable. Similarly, accessing the Internet through Smartphone or tablet via 3G is cheaper than physical broadband rates. So the bottom line is that these technologies help users to ease their lives, save money and save time.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
E-readers have also been increasingly popular among women, perhaps because a larger percentage of men are splurging on tablets. But I'm surprised they haven't gained more traction among high school and college kids -- imagine how much better a Kindle would be on a poor kid's back than a 60 pound bag of text books.
 User Rank
Gold NO RATINGS
Yea this could be a potential solution for college kids. I use my tablet to read online and find it is much better than a laptop. I love reading printed books too. But now I find that i devote almost the same amount of time between the tablet and a real paper book,
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Phoenix,
Given how out of control educational spending(especially at University level) is for most kids today,I have to agree with you. The E-book revolution will come as a major-major relief to students and their parents alike. More power to the masses!!! Ashish.  User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
Text book publishers don't seem all too interested in making their products available for kindle.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Bargain,
The reason for that is not very hard to understand(or appreciate). It cuts into their Profit Margins big-time. But its a move which will happen as more and more parents no longer see the value of spending Thousands of Dollars on textbooks which students barely (if at all) ever use especially after the Semester is over. Already by enabling Used Textbooks to be sold on Amazon,Amazon is already bringing more affordable education to the masses.The Kindle will just take things much-much further. Regards Ashish. User Rank
Blogger NO RATINGS
Text books can also be rented for relatively cheap prices. However, for those who choose to buy, purchasing used text books allows students to sell them back at the end of the semester and recover some of the money they spent. If text books go completely digital, I can imagine they'd still be pretty expensive (keeping in mind what another poster on this article said about the prices of e-books compared to their physical counter parts), and wouldn't allow for any "rebates," if you will. Just another way to look at it.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Bargain,
I understand and appreciate the driver for keeping e-book pricing same as in the physical world.Only problem being this-Sooner or later a publisher or two is going to start offering bulk discounts(in a bid to gain more marketshare)-Yes it wil happen even in the staid world of Textbook publishing. If that does'nt happen then I dont see how e-book purchases will take off vs Used Book purchases(especially in todays deflationary world of falling expectations,incomes and benefits).Just having the portability advantage(for e-books) is not gonna cut it. Some revenue is much better than No revenue(after all the publishers make ZERO dollars on Used Books)... Regards Ashish. User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Text book publishers don't seem all too interested in making their products available for kindle.
@Bargain Bin, Since this is new technology, book publishers are still sceptical about the success of this. Once its prooved that kindle is the future, I am sure they will have no other way left but to support kindle to stay in the competition. User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
imagine how much better a Kindle would be on a poor kid's back than a 60 pound bag of text books.
@Cat tail, I totally agree with you. Kindle would really help kids to reduce their bag weight but am just worried about the side affects of Kindle on kids eyes.  User Rank
Silver NO RATINGS
if you invest in yourself, the return or lack thereof may not be so devestating. At least you know where your money is going.
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
Ice,
It all depends.Would you call buying the latest smartphone (which loses 50% of it value within 12 months) just for showing off a valuable investment in yourself? Especially if you already have the previous version(perfectly fine condition) of the smartphone and you were loaded up with tons of debt as it is. I think not. It all depends on what you can get (both tangible and intangible) and how much of a differnce it would make to your daily lives. Regards Ashish. User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
I long for the day when text books become e-books. They are one of the big scams of college life. $300 or $400 for a single paper book? That's outrageous. It's not like it's hand printed or something!
User Rank
Platinum NO RATINGS
And don;t forget how you'll be paid $3 for that book at the end of the term, and then the book store will turn around and resell the used book for $200.
User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
While we wait for e-books, companies like Chegg and Bookrenter are among the best options for college kids. Most people I know have had positive experiences with both firms.
 User Rank
Iron NO RATINGS
Surely buying a Kindle has lots of advantages: it will enable us to buy virtually any book from amazon at lower prices, it is provided with e-ink technology allowing us to read pdf books as well.
Moreover, the new Kindle Fire can be considered the cheapest tablet as it hosts both entertainment and office tool software. The blogs and comments posted on Investor Uprising do not reflect the views of Investor Uprising, PRNewswire, or its sponsors. Investor Uprising, PRNewswire, and its sponsors do not assume responsibility for any comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose. |
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