I was supposed to do a post on series and what makes good ones, but I’m continuing my discussion from yesterday regarding eBook pricing. I’m pushing the series post to next Tuesday.
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EBook pricing. I’ve been thinking about this a lot more since yesterday’s post. And JenM mentioned something that needs to be on a post not just in the comment section. But before I get to that I want to get to the pros and cons of eBooks.
Pros
1. Convenience – They are easy to purchase and you don’t have to leave your house.
2. Space – Readers can keep a library of book on one eReader or computer without taking up any physical space. This is very beneficial for travelling purposes too.
3. Trees – We help to save trees. This benefits the environment.
4. Backlist – As publishers are now making authors’ backlist available in electronic format, we now have ready access to them without having to visit every second hand book store or garage sale in town.
5. Anonymity – We can read romances with racy covers in public with no one else the wiser. We can also buy them in the privacy of our home cutting out that trip to the cash register where the 17 year-old will be ringing it up. (For those readers who are still embarrassed when purchasing romance books)
Cons
1. Inflexible – This takes us back to JenM’s comment. eBooks are inflexible. Yes, Barnes & Noble’s Nook eReader has a feature that allows you can lend your ebook to a friend for up to two weeks. While that’s something, it’s puts a limit on what you can do with your own book and for how long. I can lend my friend a print book for as long as I want. I can give my book away. I can trade my book in if I want. You can’t do any of this with an ebook. You can’t return it so once you buy it, it’s yours forever. I wish I could give away ebooks on this blog the way I giveaway print books. I can’t. I’m not sure why publishers and/or retailers can’t put in a feature that allows you to enter the email address of the recipient, so the purchase is tied that email address just like the do with eGift Cards.
2. Skimmability – Yes, I just made up that word but you get what I mean, right? You can’t really skim a book on an eReader or a computer. You can bookmark but you can’t skim. And I’m a big skimmer, which sometimes makes reading an ebook a very frustrating process.
3. Virtual TBR Pile – I don’t know about you, but I don’t do well with virtual TBR piles. I can’t ignore a physical stack of books in front of me. They taunt me every time I walk into my bedroom. I swear some of the books are screaming, “Read me next.” eBooks can’t scream or taunt me. They just sit on my eReader and I only stumble upon them when I open my Adobe Digital Editions because only then do I view the covers altogether as they jostle for my attention. I sense the iPad will take care of this problem with its color screen and viewable bookshelf.
4. No Back cover copy – Why isn’t this part of the ebook? This has puzzled me for awhile. I buy a number of books. I have over 100 ebooks on my eReader, 85% of which I still have not read. Which means many times when I come across a book I bought several weeks to months ago, I can’t remember what it’s about. I literally have to now go on the internet to get that information. If the front cover of the books is featured, why isn’t the back? I’m still scratching my head about this.
Now, looking at my pro and con list, I see that just in sheer numbers, the pros edges out the cons, however in matter of importance, to me, cons outweigh the pros. And I’ll tell you why. Because the inflexibility issue is huge. I mean HUGE.
I started reading romances when I was in my teens. My mother used to read them and my sister and I loved to read. Once my sister exhausted all the Nancy Drew and Beverly Cleary books, she picked up one of my mother’s romance novels, which was a Harlequin Presents. She shared a ‘shocking’ passage with me. After she finished the book, she moved onto another one and I picked that one up and finished within the day. That incident created a lifetime romance reader out of me. I was hooked. Now I write them. And I’m certain many–or dare I say–most romance readers got their start reading romance in a similar fashion. I didn’t set out to be a romance reader, and I’m sure many of us don’t. I just loved to read and I was introduced to the world of romance books by someone else.
Now imagine if my mother had had an eReader back in the day and read ebooks. My sister would not have had access to her stacks of book, hence, she wouldn’t have been able to introduce me to them. I might very well have never ever read a romance to this very day. Another drawback with ebooks is that romance readers–maybe readers as a whole–won’t be born the way they are now; by passing along a much loved book to a friend and saying, “Hey, you should give this one a try.” And lets face it, when it comes to romance books, many people have this preconceived idea of what they are, what the writing must be like, and only after they’ve tried one (because you know they sure as hell won’t purchase one right off the mark), can they experience and understand their appeal.
So to me, only print books have the ability to create–in this case–romance readers as they have done up to now. And for that reason, since it’s apparent to me that print books are currently the superior product, ebooks should be priced lower. It only makes sense. In addition, when you shop for your print books at places like, Walmart, Target and other stores where they are discounted anywhere from 25-35% off, it makes paying full retail price or more for an ebook really unfathomable.
In closing, my thought is this, if publishers are trying to inhibit the increase in ebook sales, then pricing them at full retail and above is a sure fire way to do it.
[poll id=”24″]
If you discovered romance books another way, please include it in the comment section.
This is exactly what I was trying to say. The pros are long and numerous. I absolutely love having 100 books available on my Kindle at all times. (My husband loves that I no longer carry 10 books in my luggage on vacation). I love the WiFi feature that enables me to buy books anytime, anyplace, although that has not done my pocketbook any favors. And, I love that no one can see what I’m reading.
But, I HATE not being able to share books. I just read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and I so wanted to be able to share it, but instead, all I could do was recommend it and that broke my heart.
I know what you mean about not being able to share books. Although I discovered the romance genre at the library, I also read lots that my grandma had on her shelves.
That brings up another drawback of ebooks–if you buy a print book and it turns out to be a stinker, or just not to your liking, you can sell it, swap it, or just give it away. So you can recoup your losses, in a way. With an ebook it’s not as easy. Though in the Kindle store you do have a 7 day time frame in which you can return a book. I’m not sure about other
I also think the non-refundable nature of an ebook makes me more likely to finish it whether or not I’m enjoying it. Anyone else feel this way?
@Hannah
Er, no, I never return print books and there’s many–and I mean many–that I don’t end up finishing. It’s the exact way for the ebooks. Life is too short for me to waste my time on something I’m not enjoying. To me it’s bad enough that I wasted my money on it, I won’t compound it with my time.
I laughed SO hard when I saw your comment on anonymity! This was a discussion on another forum….are you shy when reading your romance book because of the *sexy* cover, or do you carry your head high?
Again….adding my .02 worth….I love to share my books, and I’m such a visual person, that for myself not only do I take pleasure in reading a good book, but also with the cover, too! Don’t get me wrong, I love technology, but not when it comes to my books. Also, for the record I do travel every year and my trips include Europe. I take one book for the plane trip there and another for the trip back home.
I suppose IF I would ever get an e-reader (and at the moment it is a definite no) I would want a discount on the book, since I’m missing part of my pleasure. Does this make sense? Also, I love to pass on a good book, especially to my daughters, and with an e-reader book I would not be able to do so.
Again, thanks Bev for the thread!
It was my Mum who gave me my first romance to read well over 30 years ago and I have never looked back love them. I don’t have an e book reader but I do have a couple on my PC but I am not as comfortable reading at the PC as I am holding a book in the recliner or bed LOL
Have Fun
Helen
I have a Kindle and I love it. So many books at hand, but I still prefer to hold the paperback to read.
@Mary M
I got over my embarrassment about some of the covers long long ago. It was just about the time I got over going into a store and buying tampons or pads–deal with it people, it’s a part of life. LOL. And yes, for me the joy is sharing a book, recommending a book. And I’m not talking about it putting it out there for every faceless Sally and Jane to download for free.
@JenM
After your comment yesterday, I was thinking of updating the blog to include that point but I decided it deserved its own post. 🙂 Thanks for that. And I’ve felt that inflexibility. I used to be when my CP read a book she really liked and I hadn’t, she’d offer it to me to read because she knew I wouldn’t purchase it (cause it was usually out of my comfort zone). If I liked it, I’d scramble to get the author’s backlist. Now she has a Kindle and even if she tells me about a book she thinks I might like, I usually don’t end up purchasing it.
@Helen
I have to tell you, I do love my Sony eReader. And I guess I can say that because I didn’t have to buy it. My CP gave it to me. It wasn’t working and she said, if you can fix it its yours. There ended up not being anything wrong with it. I just know that print books will always be my preferred method of reading. I buy ebooks because a) I can’t find the print book in the store b) It’s convenient when I have to read it NOW. c) when the ebook is discounted and cost less than the print book. d) When the print book has fallen apart having been handled so much (LK’s Wallflower series).
I don’t have an ereader. I’d like one, though, so that I can read romance novels only available as ebooks. I hate when there’s a book I really want to read and it’s not in print. Also, an ereader would be great for travel. My DH and I took our first trip abroad in 2008 and we brought a few books along to read on the 11-hour flight. The books took up a lot of precious space in our luggage. We couldn’t fit all of our souviners in our luggage. So before our return flight we decided to leave the books we’d read behind. That was hard. Still…as much as I’d like an ereader I will always prefer print books. I like to hold them in my hands and see them on my bookcase shelves.
I don’t have an e-reader, but when the price of the I-Pad comes down, I might go with that because I can use it for more than just reading. 🙂
That decision, however, will never change my mind about print books. I love to hold them in my hands, re-read marked pages, fill my shelves with the read and the un-read, share them with friends–KEEP autographed copies . . . well, y’all get the picture. I do have a couple of e-books on my computer primarily because that was the format in which my friends sold and I wanted to support them. I can understand the convenience of an e-reader for traveling because I do read rather quickly, but I’d still rather have a book in my hands.
As a teacher, I see the trend in the newer generation. Many of my students would much rather read a book on their e-readers or I-phones or listen to them on their I-Pods than read a paper, bound book. It’s this reality that leads me to my next point.
Technology will always have its place and some people will choose it over the printed book. As for the price, it’s just like anything else that’s new–Blue-ray DVDs cost more than regular DVDs right now. I don’t think that will always be the case, nor do I think as time passes, the pricing on e-books will stay the same. However, the current pricing, to me, does reflect the goals of the publishers. If they want to continue to sell, print books, perhaps keeping the e-book price the same allows them to do so. Obviously, that is just a presumption on my part and it does not mean it’s right that they do.
However, I would hate that the lower e-book prices would put the concept of print books into the area of unprofitability because that might take us one step closer to eliminating print books altogether.
That said, I think there should be gradations for e-books now just like there are for print–bargain books, specials, discounted prices for certain types, etc.–but I don’t have any idea if that concept is possible.
Great blogs, Bev! 🙂
And sorry for the long post–it’s an issue I’m passionate about. 🙂
@Brynna
I totally get what you’re saying but I don’t see books like DVD or music. Watching a movie and reading a book is so totally different. At least to me. For movies, I don’t care what format they come in because what I watch them on: computer, tv or portable player, doesn’t really matter. I can forward, rewind, pause, or play. All the devices give you the same functionality. And that’s the same with music.
Reading is a whole different affair. I can’t read a book sitting across a room like I can listen to music or watch a movie. It has to be up and personal, close to me. I can skim, I can flip to the back cover and reread the back cover copy. I can lend it to you without having to worry about licenses.
What I fear is that by keeping the pricing undesirable, where readers don’t think they’re getting their dollars worth, those pirating sites with triple and quadruple in quantity. To me, ebooks should be priced when you consider their limitations. And while I see many publishers are doing it to some extent, some are clearly not. I don’t think print books are doing anywhere, at least not in my lifetime, so for the small segment that is the ebook market, why not price them right?
If you think your is long wait till you read mine….Hehehe.
I literally had my finger on the buy button for a kindle and didn’t purchase because of all the hullabaloo that started a month or so ago over raising the prices of ebooks and the price fixing that is currently going on.
I am willing to buy an ereader if I can purchase the books I want and at a better price than a paperback or hardcover, but I’m not willing to pay retail for any book and especially for an ebook.
No argument on earth will convince me that it costs the same to produce/sell an ebook as it does a hardcover or paperback.
I’m all for new technology…but let’s face it….it is not always dependable. I have an Ipod that I love and listen to my audio books on. The 1st time I took it on vacation to Hawaii it quit working while I was sitting on the beach after 20 minutes in the sun. Apparently it didn’t like the heat…and where did that leave me????….without my audio books I spent hours loading onto my Ipod!!!
I want an ereader that will work everywhere they sell ebooks….I want a library that I won’t lose if my ereader crashes and I want to be able to get all my books (including ebooks) on sale.
For now, I’ll stick with my 33%-40% off weekly coupons at borders and buy my books in print or swap books I want to read with my friends or get my books from the library.
IMO, This new (publisher pricing) versus (retail pricing) hurts the readers and the authors. Especially when I think of how many ebooks that could be sold but aren’t!!! I do not believe I’m the only one out there that refuses to go along with their (price fixing) scheme!!!
Do I sound angry….I am, dang it!!! I want an ereader but I can’t (in good conscience) buy one now. I hope that someone sues them for price fixing and wins….We are a free country and their attempt to control our free market should be deemed illegal!!!
Bev said:
I totally get what you’re saying but I don’t see books like DVD or music. Watching a movie and reading a book is so totally different. At least to me. For movies, I don’t care what format they come in because what I watch them on: computer, tv or portable player, doesn’t really matter. I can forward, rewind, pause, or play. All the devices give you the same functionality. And that’s the same with music.
I say:
You are absolutely right! I was just using a different form of technology to point out the pricing changes for any kind of technology–the prices always lower as the technology becomes more common. But movies and music are WAY different than books.
I hope and pray you’re right about print books staying for years and decades and centuries to come. I love them and I’ve genuinely been concerned because in my day job, the issue about buying print vs. e-book is always an issue. Too few of the future generation pick up the print copies–and these are college bound seniors I’m describing.
When it comes to producing e-books, no argument (in my mind) can be made to suggest they cost the same to produce as a print book. In that light, I can’t argue about the pricing. It’s absolutely not fair that they cost the same as a print book. I was just trying to consider a publisher’s reason for doing so. Since I don’t buy e-books on a regular basis, your post and the others are far more informed. Considering piracy and theft, the issue becomes a very real one for the authors it affects. All decisions affect the bottom line for everyone involved in the production of any kind of book and all circumstances must be considered for e-books when said decisions are made. I would love to hear the reasons certain publishers give for pricing their e-books the same as their print. Can such an argument be made? Based on what I’ve read here, I’d say such an argument would have many holes.
🙂
At the age of nine I decided to write a historical romance (a western) before I ever read one. Fortunately, we lived in a little English village next door to two retired librarians – sisters in their 60’s who had two things a nine year old American girl could not resist. Two hunter / jumpers and a Welsh pony in the four stall stable between our house and theirs and an actual library in their house! An entire room full of books with lovely comfy chairs, a fireplace and two Springer spaniels. They introduced me to Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and then Georgette Heyer. Their books were all lovely leather-bound volumes and I am afraid I fell in love with not only historical romance, but the physical feel and look of books in my hand. I fear I will never be an e-book reader. There is something about curling up in a comfy chair with a real book and turning those pages one by one as you immerse yourself in another time and place that cannot be simulated by electronics in any way.
Louisa,
What a beautiful description! I’m with you! 🙂
Bryn
To be honest, I do own a reader and I must admit it has saved me tons of space since I really don’t have any space to spare as of the moment. However, I believe that the e-readers will NEVER and can never replace the physical books. To me, there is just such joy inhaling the book (I love the smell of old books LOL), turning the pages and sharing it with someone else. I also love seeing the look of a well read (which means a well loved) book.
I do cringe at buying ebooks at full retail price and try to hunt down the bargains. And if worse comes to worst, I just go and buy the physical book. I just can’t imagine paying full price for an ebook (no ink and paper wasted there). But yeah, piracy is pretty much higher with ebook versions available…
I don’t have an e-book reader so I don’t do them! I don’t like change and I love the feel of that paper book in my hand! So as long as possible I will go with the paper books.
WOW…you guys have some really good arguments going about the price of e-books.
I just read my ebooks through my computer. I don’t have an ereader. Sounds like it would be easier but; I really love the feel of a book in my hand. And it’s fun to go to the store or thrift sales and be able to touch & feel a book & look at the cover closely. I feel ebooks should be a bit cheaper than a regular book. I eould not want to pay full price for an ebook.
I so agree about the pricing. I never understood why it cost more or at least the same to get the eversion as it does to have something tangible. I understand the pricing with audio books, because you have to pay the performer/performers, but ebooks? It’s already typed!
I have to say that paying full price for an ebook that pretty much cost nothing to make is crazy. It is not like buying a paperback or hardback that actually costs money for the paper, equipement, shipping, labor ect. I don’t understand how publishers think they can charge the same. I do understand that the author, publisher, ect need to make money, but there is a difference iwhen you buy electronic file or real paper book. I have seen some ebook new releases cost as much as a 1st edition hard cover book! I certainly won’t buy at full price, I will wait until the book goes on discount before I buy an ebook, and sometimes by that time I have already read the paperback. Hope someone gets the idea and lowers the price, they will certainly sell more books that way.
Wow! I’m glad I found this post. I have been debating about purchasing an e-reader for myself for quite some time now. I had decided on the Nook as it will work a little bit better for me than a Kindle. After reading this I think I’m going to be debating a little while longer.
I don’t have an ereader and I’m not sure I’ll ever get one. But if I did, I wouldn’t buy an ebook that was the same price as the print book. You’re right, ebooks are inflexible and too me, somewhat impersonal.
I’m too set in my ways to buy an ereader. I have plenty of space and bookshelves and I love to see my books in them. I also pinch my pennies and I usually get all my books at discount. I also give a good number of them to my daughter. She loves reading too.