Comments on: Lower e-book prices, urges Sony content exec http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/lower-e-book-prices-urges-sony-exec/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:55:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Steve Jordan http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/lower-e-book-prices-urges-sony-exec/comment-page-1/#comment-1137319 Steve Jordan Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:41:25 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/28/lower-e-book-prices-urges-sony-exec/#comment-1137319 Josep, I think you might be surprised. As with many other industries, quite a bit of the production costs of books, especially at the paper manufacturing end, are hidden, ignored, obscured by accounting or written off in taxes (which means someone else is paying the real costs). Add the real total costs of electricity, environmental damage from chemicals dumped into wastewater, storage and transportation (and its impact on the environment), etc, and I suspect you'd see a very large difference between the two. And a good reason to lower prices on e-books. Josep, I think you might be surprised. As with many other industries, quite a bit of the production costs of books, especially at the paper manufacturing end, are hidden, ignored, obscured by accounting or written off in taxes (which means someone else is paying the real costs).

Add the real total costs of electricity, environmental damage from chemicals dumped into wastewater, storage and transportation (and its impact on the environment), etc, and I suspect you’d see a very large difference between the two. And a good reason to lower prices on e-books.

]]> By: Greg M. http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/lower-e-book-prices-urges-sony-exec/comment-page-1/#comment-1137220 Greg M. Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:33:34 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/28/lower-e-book-prices-urges-sony-exec/#comment-1137220 Yes. But how much lower? Both authors and publishers need to make something, so absurdly low prices aren't going to make a whole lot of sense to them. For me, I'd say if the ebook price should be based on cost of the currently available printed book price, somewhere along these lines: If the book is hardcover between $25.95 to $35, then the ebook should be around$9.99 to $12.99 If the book is trade paperback between $13.95 and $17.96, the ebook should be around $7.99 to $9.99 If the book is mass market between $6.99 to $7.99, then the ebook should be around $4 to $6 There is no rocket science in these numbers, just what I think should be around the reasonable cost. Yes. But how much lower? Both authors and publishers need to make something, so absurdly low prices aren’t going to make a whole lot of sense to them.

For me, I’d say if the ebook price should be based on cost of the currently available printed book price, somewhere along these lines:

If the book is hardcover between $25.95 to $35, then the ebook should be around$9.99 to $12.99

If the book is trade paperback between $13.95 and $17.96, the ebook should be around $7.99 to $9.99

If the book is mass market between $6.99 to $7.99, then the ebook should be around $4 to $6

There is no rocket science in these numbers, just what I think should be around the reasonable cost.

]]> By: Josep http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/lower-e-book-prices-urges-sony-exec/comment-page-1/#comment-1137201 Josep Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:12:51 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/28/lower-e-book-prices-urges-sony-exec/#comment-1137201 Hey, would somebody just make a list on: 1. Costs on every and each process for printed paper books. 2. Costs on every and each process for ebooks. Then compare what the difference is? Do you think that the difference is so huge? I dare anybody bragging about "lower production expenses of e-books" to compare points 1 and 2. Maybe there's more than one surprise. Hey, would somebody just make a list on:

1. Costs on every and each process for printed paper books.
2. Costs on every and each process for ebooks.

Then compare what the difference is? Do you think that the difference is so huge? I dare anybody bragging about “lower production expenses of e-books” to compare points 1 and 2. Maybe there’s more than one surprise.

]]> By: Steve Jordan http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/lower-e-book-prices-urges-sony-exec/comment-page-1/#comment-1137139 Steve Jordan Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:29:32 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/28/lower-e-book-prices-urges-sony-exec/#comment-1137139 It's nice to hear ("It's happening... <em>snif</em>... it's really happening!"). But it would be even better to hear it from someone who has the power of actually lowering prices, instead of just "warning" everyone about it... It’s nice to hear (“It’s happening… snif… it’s really happening!”). But it would be even better to hear it from someone who has the power of actually lowering prices, instead of just “warning” everyone about it…

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