Kindle book prices

[Dave Lehnert]

Anyone think that prices of the Kindle books should be a lot cheaper than the paper version? A lot are only two bucks or less than the hard copy.
Some books are more in line. “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” is $37 vs $16. A just released book I am reading now $17.99 vs $5.38. That seems reasonable as they don't have to print a book.

[Bruce Page]

I agree that they should be cheaper. I just bought a Kindle book for $13.99. It doesn’t make sense to me, the hardcover is $13.98 with free shipping for prime members. I buy the e-book version because of the ecological benefits but it would be nice to save some money too.

[Eric DeSilva]

This is a misapprehension shared by a lot of people. Goods aren't priced by what it costs to make them, they are priced according to what people are willing to pay. If I produce something, there is a profit-maximization curve that is associated with the product--I price it high, I get more money per unit, but sell less units, and if I price it low, I get less money per unit, but sell more units because I attract more buyers who would not pay the higher price. Somewhere there is a value that maximizes the profit I receive, and that is how things are typically priced--you will notice that cost of production is not part of that equation.

[Jerome Stanek]

I would rather buy a real book than an E book That way I can store it or sell it trade it

[Dave Lehnert]

Being in retail for over 20 years I understand that.
I guess my question is Why are people buying the digital copy for close the same as a hard copy? You can't sell it, You can't pass it on to a friend.
Also why is it not offered for less. I would guess it is way cheaper to sell you the digital copy. No inventory to keep, No staff to pack your order, no shipping cost, Nothing to manufacture. Seems like they would want to push you to buy digital. But it must be working for them.

[Shaun Mahood]

Most of the people I know who buy ebooks do it mostly for convenience - I want it now, I can buy it now and read it now. I'm the same with music on iTunes, but really prefer my hardcopy books.

[Gary Hodgin]

That's especially true for e-books. All the costs are upfront. The marginal cost (additional cost) of producing and selling each additional book after the first is about zero. The selling price is determined by demand. With printed books thee marginal costs are above that of e-books, but still quite low compared to the prices we pay. They reflect demand.

Hardbacks vs softbacks is a little more complicated. The main difference in price between the two has more to do with price discrimination (on the demand side) than production cost. Eager buyers pay a higher price and get the hardback. Less eager buyers and marginal buyers get the softback and lower price. The main difference between the two prices is based much more on willingness to pay than on production costs.

[Stephen Tashiro]

How do e-book prices for other book readers (like Nook) compare to Kindle's?

[Charles Bjorgen]

How do e-book prices for other book readers (like Nook) compare to Kindle's?
All about the same as far as iBook, Nook and Kindle, at least for fiction which are the eBooks that I buy. I try to wait a few weeks until the $14.95 books drop to $12.95 unless I absolutely have to get a title right away. Although I can make more book shelves I don't have room for any more so the eBooks are perfect for me. I also tend to re-read my books after a year or so and that gives them additional value for me. In the case of books relating to woodworking or photography, I require the hard covers.

[Bill Edwards(2)]

I have no idea where the books, I bought 35 years ago, are at.:confused:

I know where all my Kindle books are.:D

And if the space station crashed on my Kindle,
I'd get another one and still have my books.:cool:
(Kindle, not space station)

[Chris Kennedy]

The book prices are set by the publisher, and I think it comes purely down to demand. I have noticed a fair number of older titles with lower costs. Most of the reference materials that I have bought were cheaper on Kindle than hardcopy, mainly because I don't think there will be a huge demand for these references (particularly if they are older).

Cheers,

Chris

[Chuck Saunders]

Now Bill, how many of those 35 year old Kindle books do you have?

[Larry Browning]

You are paying for the content of the book, not the media it is presented on.

[Derek Gilmer]

You are paying for the content of the book, not the media it is presented on.

But if the content of the book + cost of printing, binding, shipping, warehousing and possibly rent at a storefront = $35. One would think the cost of content + epublishing would be much less.

[Jim Rimmer]

But if the content of the book + cost of printing, binding, shipping, warehousing and possibly rent at a storefront = $35. One would think the cost of content + epublishing would be much less.
content of the book + cost of digitizing+server maintenance+high tech help versus forklift driver= $35 Maybe not the same $$$ but my point is when you remove the printing part of the equation you are replacing it with something else.

[Gregg Feldstone]

Barnes and Noble is coming out with a new Tablet that will effectively replace the Nook Color. My Nook Color has never worked well and was never able to downstream as promised. I called B&N to complain and they have reserved a new Nook Tablet for me when they arrive in a couple weeks. All I have to do is turn in my Nook Color. It seems they want to keep me as a customer.

[Derek Gilmer]

content of the book + cost of digitizing+server maintenance+high tech help versus forklift driver= $35 Maybe not the same $$$ but my point is when you remove the printing part of the equation you are replacing it with something else.

Yep, but it isn't even close to the same. Newsweek calculated the costs per medium: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/08/03/back-story-books-vs-e-books.html. Not only is the eBook still significantly cheaper the Author appears to get less from it. One of the major costs for kindle books right now is to help subsidize the very low up front cost for the kindle itself I'd imagine.

[Jerome Stanek]

What happens if you break your kindle. I can still read a book with a torn page. As for the price with hard books you have Paper, printing, binding, packing shipping, warehouse at distributor, shipping, unpacking, and selling. What do you have with E books.

[Derek Gilmer]

What happens if you break your kindle. I can still read a book with a torn page. As for the price with hard books you have Paper, printing, binding, packing shipping, warehouse at distributor, shipping, unpacking, and selling. What do you have with E books.

Download in their software for the pc and read it?

[Steven Lee, NC]

I've been considering one but seems like everytime a search for a book I might be interested in I get the button to request it as an e-book.

[Bryan Morgan]

I may have told this before but I'll tell it again as its relative... My wife bought her Nook from the Barnes and Noble store. When she was there the lady was showing her how to use it and how to buy books and whatnot. My wife saw a physical book at the store she likes so she asked how to find it on the Nook. Well they had it and it was like $25 (vs $10 or whatever for the physical book). My wife asked why the digital version is so much more and believe it or not the lady said "its because its the hardcover". My wife started busting up laughing but the lady was serious!

[Andrew Pitonyak]

A publisher sold eBook copies of my book for significantly less than the printed copy. I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was roughly similar to say $40 for the printed copy and $25 for the eBook only copy. I received more than double the commission for the eBook over the printed copy because costs were significantly less for the eBook.

As already stated, when the publisher charges the same price for an eBook, it is purely because they think that you will pay it. I purchase most of my general reading as used books and then pass them on (or sell them to a used book store). When I see that a book is available for the same cost printed as well as in an eBook format, the decision is based on my strong desire for one format over the other with the knowledge that at the end of the day the printed copy will cost me less because I can resell the printed copy but not the digital copy. In other words, do I expect to keep the book forever, or to read and then discard.

[Jerome Stanek]

Download in their software for the pc and read it?

I am not asking about the pc version of the reader I am asking what happens if you break your kindle.

[Dave Lehnert]

I am not asking about the pc version of the reader I am asking what happens if you break your kindle.

If I understand correct, you back up your content on Amazon (cloud) so it is always available if you damage your Kindle.

[Bryan Morgan]

If I understand correct, you back up your content on Amazon (cloud) so it is always available if you damage your Kindle.

This is correct. Or you can back it up locally. Or both. I suppose if you are in the woods with your Kindle and it breaks, you are out of luck. But then, if you have a normal book and you loose it or burn it in the woods you are out of luck just the same...

[Myk Rian]

My wife asked why the digital version is so much more and believe it or not the lady said "its because its the hardcover". My wife started busting up laughing but the lady was serious!
They walk amongst us.

[Myk Rian]

If I understand correct, you back up your content on Amazon (cloud) so it is always available if you damage your Kindle.
Not so much that, but your account has the purchase stored.
Cheaper saving a couple KBs of info as opposed to an entire book file.

[Larry Browning]

But if the content of the book + cost of printing, binding, shipping, warehousing and possibly rent at a storefront = $35. One would think the cost of content + epublishing would be much less.
I think the cost of all that is more like $3 per book if even that. Plus, there are costs associated to electronic publishing as well. It probably does cost some less to publish electronically, but, by far the most expensive part of what we pay for a book is the content, not the media it is published on. This is as it should be. Of course as the volume of each book sold goes up the cost to publish each book goes down. I suppose for a book that does not have a high volume the cost of publishing the paper book would be significantly higher than the electronic one.

[Larry Edgerton]

I just bought Tolstoy's Resurrection for $1, but then bought the paper edition for $11.95. I really prefer to read paper.....

Larry

[Steve knight]

ebooks used to cost less before the kindle came out. I was reading them on my palm and other pda's. I bought them from fictionwise and they would have rebates and new books if you pre ordered for say 14.99 they would give you in store credit of 14.99 to buy other books books would be 1/2 off and such. I got a lot of free books through them but slowly all the specials vanished and the memberships died. when I couold not get the rest of the series I was reading I found them on amazon and bought a kindle.

[Sean Troy]

Most of your local libraries have e-books now that you download and are active for a set period of time. It's free.

[Carol Reed]

Interesting. What do you base that thought on? I have a published book and the royalties were less than 1% of the retail cost. Just sayin...

[Rich Engelhardt]

eReaders emit rays that burn your brain..

Come to think of it, paper books have a history of sparking things in the old gray matter also.

Hmm - Gutenburg Kindel....Poor Richards Kindel.....

Nah - not the same at all... ;)

In the interest of full disclosure though - my mom was a librarian & drilled an appreciation of books into me.

[Jim Becker]

Prices of digital versions of books vary due to the publisher's requirements...that's why some authors' books come in at $13-14-15 in Kindle and other authors come in at $.99-2.99. You'll also find that older titles often are less expensive. The bottom line is that Amazon doesn't always have control over what they can charge for these digital versions unless they are the publisher. (Which they are in increasing frequency for new authors)

[Dave Lehnert]

Most of your local libraries have e-books now that you download and are active for a set period of time. It's free.

I found this out for my local library. I found a book I was going to buy for $15 but found out I could check it out for 2 weeks (I think) as an e-book. I guess it just delete itself off your e-reader at the end of your loan time. All from home. Kind cool I thought.

[Curt Harms]

Barnes and Noble is coming out with a new Tablet that will effectively replace the Nook Color. My Nook Color has never worked well and was never able to downstream as promised. I called B&N to complain and they have reserved a new Nook Tablet for me when they arrive in a couple weeks. All I have to do is turn in my Nook Color. It seems they want to keep me as a customer.

I wonder if one will be able to replace the new Nook Tablet's operating system with a Linux distro and have a $249 color Linux tablet like you can the Nook Color? Or will the new tablet be much more than an ebook reader?

[Myk Rian]

Interesting. What do you base that thought on? I have a published book and the royalties were less than 1% of the retail cost. Just sayin...
What does Whom, base what thought on?
Quoting makes your question make sense.

[Gerold Griffin]

While I do not have a reader yet (It comes in this week) I can not say I prefer one format over another. However I would like to toss this out there. There are several eBook libraries out there including the New York Public library. Has anyone tried/considered these?

[charlie knighton]

i recently became a sc (senior citizen), no overdue charges at the library, makes the cost of any ebook or kindle a no-brainer

[Bonnie Campbell]

I've noticed high pricing on books too. But then there is the plus you get with Kindle.... being able to increase the font size so it can be seen by my old eyes lol I still won't give up paper books totally. A kindle slipping out of my hands in the bathtub is a LOT more expensive than a paper book ;)

[Bryan Morgan]

Those of you with e-readers probably already knew this but for those that don't, there is a great site for free ebooks: http://www.gutenberg.org/

There are several other free ebook websites out there too. Good stuff.