Kindle fail

[fbhjr]

I like reading books on my iPad’s Kindle app over a paper book.  It’s just
easier for me.

Yesterday I was talking with the head of production about a book I read 20
years ago called “Developing Products in Half the Time”.  He hadn’t read it
and I thought he should.
So, I went over to amazon and looked:


Brand new hardcover: $18.46
Kindle: $26.09

No paper is used.  No stocking.  No shipping.
Is the author getting that extra $7.63?  Somehow I doubt it.

I’m not saying they should be free.  I’m not even saying they should be
cheap.

I’m saying I don’t understand why the electronic file is $7.63 more than a
full, new, hardcover book of the same material.

Comments

[chris-warrior.livejournal.com]

um, whoah. weird! i mean, i'd agree that it should be a lot cheaper than paper edition, unless you're getting a massive amount of additional content or something.

[brickhousewench.livejournal.com]

The only thing I can think is that the Hardcover price is actually $26 and they don't have any way to discount the Kindle edition the way they discount the HC.

Not that that makes it right. In fact, there's been a LOT of rage on the internet about ebook pricing. Amazon and the big book publishers are building up a lot of bad will with their customers from just this sort of thing.

[frozendoll.livejournal.com]

That does seem a tad ridiculous. I mean, it should be like $5 or something reasonable. $26 just makes no sense.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it is something along the lines of "New medium has a minimum price" kind of thing.

It just doesn't seem right from a logical pricing point. I think they're pricing them like normal books and not taking into account the lack of physicla material in the price.

[evrgreen.livejournal.com]

They're still trying to pay off the salary of the grad student flunkie that they made scan in the book to begin with, and haven't sold any e-copies yet!

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

They certainly haven't sold one to me....

[pallid-regina.livejournal.com]

That is strange.

[cissa.livejournal.com]

Yep. They are also not taking into account that a read physical book still has value- one can sell it, trade it, etc.- while a read ebook has NO value, and is therefore similar to a library book (which is basically free).

This is why I don't have an ereader.

[palusbuteo.livejournal.com]

I can't remember who I was talking to about this, might very well have been you last weekend.

But yeah apparently it's caused all sorts of BS calls on Amazon and the like.

...Just wait a while for the ebook to come up "Used", should drop the price a bit ;D