The New Agency Pricing Scheme is Total B.S.

[The-eBook-Reader]

As I anxiously await for my iPad to arrive to get started on the review, I've been doing some looking around at the new ebook prices.

The other day I was watching Apple's video demo of the iBooks app when I noticed that they had Stephen King's Under the Dome listed for $14.99 (not sure what it's selling for now).

At the time, all the major ebook stores were selling it for around $9.99.

Today it is up to $16.99 on Amazon and B&N, and $18.69 on Kobo (how does that make any sense?).

Anyway, right next to the ebook price on Amazon you see that they are selling the hardcover for $15.99 new and 10.11 used. Granted you have to pay shipping but still . . .

I also noticed that Amazon now has this to say below the publisher listing: This price was set by the publisher.

Madness, I say. Madness. When you can by a new hardcover for less than the ebook there's something seriously wrong with the system.

[phenomshel]

Oddly enough, I'm running into the opposite. Two titles by Lou Jane Temple that were way overpriced (the books were published in 2004 or so), have come down from 17.00 to 10.00. The two latest Donna Andrews books have come down also. But these aren't new releases, either - well, one of the Donna Andrews is the latest in the series, but is still not "new".

[ficbot]

I have emailed Kobo about a book that is $18.59 there and $11.99 elsewhere. No reply yet, but it's Saturday.

[ATimson]

Originally Posted by The-eBook-Reader

When you can by a new hardcover for less than the ebook there's something seriously wrong with the system.

Hell. There's something seriously wrong with the system when you can do that with any book... and yet that's the case.

I can routinely find discounts of at least 25% on a book - 33% on hardcovers/trades from Amazon, 25% or 30% on mass markets via Borders' weekly newsletters. If they're not going to let retailers discount, they need to price mass-market books at least 25% below print, and trades/hardcovers at least 33% below print (more, on popular titles, since those can plummet as low as 50% of list price).

Simon and Schuster is at least doing some discounting on their "mass market" titles, which is better than the HarperCollins ones I've looked at (print list at Amazon, 9% above at Kobo - I've sent an e-mail about the latter, I bet they're getting Canadian prices instead of US). Still not enough to get me to pull the trigger on a book I want, though.

[Xanthe]

The publishers are going to cut their own throats with this.

More people are going to buy used books, which completely eliminates the publisher and the writer from the profit chain. The darknet is going to explode with ebooks, totally removing the publisher from the profit chain.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

The publishers are going to cut their own throats with this.

More people are going to buy used books, which completely eliminates the publisher and the writer from the profit chain. The darknet is going to explode with ebooks, totally removing the publisher from the profit chain.

I strongly suspect that this will be the case. The greedier the publishers become, the more people will either choose to go to the darknet for best selling authors, or buy used.

I don't buy hard cover books, I always waited for the paperback version. Now if they are going to try to rip me off for an ebook, I simply won't get it at all.

There are millions of books in multiformat in the genres that I like to read at reasonable prices. I will read all of those before I allow these greedy jerks to rip me off.

Or I just might figure out how to get them for free.

If we truly wanted to bring this foolishness to an end, all we would have to do is not purchase ANY books HC or Pprbk or Ebook for a couple of months or for however long it took these publishers to get a clue. Money talks or lack thereof.

Would this boycott be hard to do? Yes, I love to read, but I stopped buying books altogether years ago because of price & lack of storage space. But I have found others stories to read online to make up for the other.

Just pick a new hobby for a month or 2 & let the books sit in the stores collecting dust & the profits go down the tubes. This new pricing would go right into the trash were it belongs.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by The-eBook-Reader

Today it is up to $16.99 on Amazon and B&N, and $18.69 on Kobo (how does that make any sense?).

Does the Kobo price reflect Canadian dollars converted to the U.S. equivalent (the exchange rate has to be considered)? Isn't Kobo Canadian?

[ATimson]

Originally Posted by rhadin

Does the Kobo price reflect Canadian dollars converted to the U.S. equivalent (the exchange rate has to be considered)? Isn't Kobo Canadian?

Kobo is Canadian, but their prices are supposed to be in USD. But it looks like both Simon and Schuster and HarperCollins are sending them Canadian prices; HC it's 109% of the USD price, S&S 110%.

[mgm1979]

so...organize a boycott of ALL of the agency model pricing publishers...someone crafty should whip up on email to shoot out; someone techy should create a website; and someone else who's good with research/legalese should track down all of the "details" to include in both forms.

Pick a date and execute.

I will NOT pay $20 for a book I can buy in the store for $15 or less...that's absolutely insane. I WILL rip the publishers off as much as I can, through boycotts or otherwise, and prove the CONSUMER rules the world - NOT the vendor. Its time businesses in ALL industries remember this fact - the CUSTOMER is always right...ALWAYS! Price-gouging is wrong/illegal - so are monopolies, which is exactly what they publishers have just created...

[ficbot]

The $18.50 book I have on my wishlist but have not bought has just come out in paperback, for $11.99 at my local bricks and mortar. Sigh. I really want the ebook, but I will not pay that much, especially when the print version is so much cheaper.

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

The publishers are going to cut their own throats with this.

More people are going to buy used books, which completely eliminates the publisher and the writer from the profit chain. The darknet is going to explode with ebooks, totally removing the publisher from the profit chain.

The darknet just might be as scarce with ebooks as the stores. Most of the recent ebooks on the darknet are those that someone bought and then removed the DRM and shared. If they can't buy them first, they won't show up on the darknet either. Or at least not unless it's something highly popular that someone bothers to scan. Can't share it if you can't buy it first.

However, I do agree that the used book market is going to expand.

[asjogren]

This is an opportunity for the Independents.

There are a LOT of authors. Help promote the next wave. It will bring the changes you want sooner.

This group of 5 is interested in CONTROL, not what customers want.

[DJHARKAVY]

At last count, I have about 1000 books in Calibre, most of which are bought and paid for.

I probably have more than 400 of them that I have not gotten around to reading.

I think I can wait out the Agency model...

[Xanthe]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

The darknet just might be as scarce with ebooks as the stores. Most of the recent ebooks on the darknet are those that someone bought and then removed the DRM and shared. If they can't buy them first, they won't show up on the darknet either. Or at least not unless it's something highly popular that someone bothers to scan. Can't share it if you can't buy it first.

Not really. The books get on the darknet first because someone bought the book. All it really takes is one person to buy the book and upload it to the 'nets. There are always going to be people who'll buy the books no matter what the cost and put them up. There are also group-buys that do the same thing. Not to mention the people who have access to the ebooks without having to buy them.

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

Not really. The books get on the darknet first because someone bought the book. All it really takes is one person to buy the book and upload it to the 'nets. There are always going to be people who'll buy the books no matter what the cost and put them up. There are also group-buys that do the same thing. Not to mention the people who have access to the ebooks without having to buy them.

No, what I'm saying is if the books are not available at all in ebook. Not just expensive, not there at all to be purchased.