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Why e-books are a bargain for Canadian readers
January 30, 2008 | 8:58 am
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By Joanna
E-books can be a real bargain for us Canadians.
For years, I shied away from anything “American” because I was so terrified of the almighty exchange rate conversion and how it would rip me off. But last year, I came to realize that I was wrong about this. Even when the dollar is not at par, Canadians can still save money because the American list price is typically so much lower in the first place.
$9.99 American, even when converted to Canadian dollars under a less generous exchange rate, was still cheaper than $14.95 Canadian, even back in the not-par days. And now, with our dollar pretty much equivalent, it gets even better. With Amazon.com, I have been coming out even because my discount gets used up by the shipping cost. I can get free shipping off Amazon.ca, but then I have to pay the much higher Canadian list price.
Enter the e-book! Now that I finally have a suitable reader, the eBookwise, I can buy books in e-form and benefit from the American list prices without needing to worry about shipping. A little cost comparison for The Best Life Diet by Bob Greene, my first eBookwise buy:
- Amazon.ca Canadian List Price: $18.89 (shipping free
with certain orders) - Amazon.com American List Price: $15.19 (10.20 + $4.99
shipping) - eBookwise.com List Price: $7.99
That is a substantial difference! Even the cheaper American print version is just shy of double the e-book list price.
Granted, there are some types of books I do prefer to have in paper form, even if I do have a proper reader. And there are some books that I would always get from the library and never buy. But I can see myself really saving on things like the latest paperback best-seller that I might have in the past bought for $10 and then sold to the used bookstore when I was done. Now, I can buy that for half the cost and keep them forever if I choose to.
I can see someone reading this and thinking that people like me have found some sort of loophole, and they need to close it up by raising e-book prices or locking Canadians out of the market on this. That, in my opinion would be a huge mistake. I think the lower prices for e-books will actually make people buy more—I may have balked at paying $10 for a fairly disposable paperback Nora Roberts, but at half the cost, I am more inclined to say you know what, I would enjoy reading it right now. And then getting it and having it in five minutes without ever leaving the house? So much the better. Long live the lower-priced e-version!
Technorati Tags: Canada,book industry
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Comments:
Since the dramatic decline of the dollar, I have seen an increase in international sales–although not much from Canada so far. Certainly the zero shipping costs that eBooks carry mean that we don’t have to worry about outrageous international mailing costs.
Now, if only eBookWise or Sony or Amazon would offer their reading devices worldwide rather than limiting them to US/North America.
Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com
Rob, I think your website is a perfect example of why open formats need to become more standard out there. I did browse your site (mostly because I keep seeing your name popping up on here!) and everything that even remotely interested me was only available in PDF. That’s why I like Fictionwise so much—many books can be downloaded in more than one file type, and if I do want one that is “secure” and restricted, it is usually a current bestseller which can be had at ebookwise and automayically loaded onto my reader. Price IS a concern for me, but so is the flexibility to read it on the platform of my choosing. I will not be chained to my computer (the only place I can read PDF’s) no matter how cheap the book might be.
Hi Ficbot,
Thanks for the feedback. Actually, all of the books we publish are available in HTML, PDF, Palm, and Microsoft Reader formats. Many (including all of our newest publications) are also available in Mobipocket as well.
When we launched, years ago, we did initially offer PDF only. But we’ve offered the other formats for several years now.
Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com
Thanks for the info, Rob. Maybe I am just not seeing it somehow
I kept seeing a big PDF button and no other choices. I think I can load HTML onto my ebookwise.
ebooks are even more of a bargain for those of us on the other side of the “pond” when buying from the US.
Like you said, the books are cheaper – in my case almost dollars for pounds – and the weakness of the US Dollar against UK Pounds (in my case) makes an investment in ebooks even cheaper.