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Early Retirement Extreme Forums » Money Questions

1. 

   jacob
   

   Expert
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 3,290

   Much to my surprise, it seems that the kindle version is now outselling the paperback version. I'm having a hard time understanding this from a rational price perspective.

   Kindle version: $9.99

   Paperback: $19.95, but suppose free shipping and reselling it. Here you'd have to price it at $15.50 or so in "very good" or "like new" condition to beat the free shipping. Amazon will take 15% of the sales price (or is it 10%?) and give you $3.99 to cover shipping. Reusing an envelope it'll cost $2.7 to send it mediamail. Total cost = 19.95-15.5*0.85-3.99+2.7 = $5.49.

   Clearly, other considerations must be in effect here.

   Because from a strict price perspective I was considering setting the price lower for the kindle for the above reason. Now it looks like I should have set it higher.

   Posted 2 years ago #
2. 

   Robert Muir
   

   Journeyman
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 280

   As you know, people love instant gratification and are willing to pay a premium to get it.

   But then, I plead guilty as well, since I bought the $20 book, (and I'm probably not going to sell it), rather than wait for the library to acquire it.

   Posted 2 years ago #
3. 

   Kevin M
   

   Journeyman
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 211

   "I'm having a hard time understanding this from a rational price perspective."

   There's your problem.

   Posted 2 years ago #
4. 

   Maus
   

   Master
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 504

   @Jacob
   You could drive yourself insane trying to figure out the variety of human motivations surrounding reactions to the pricing model of your book.

   I suspect that younger readers really prefer the electronic format and price is secondary. They have not acquired the forest of paper books that some of we older folks maintain. It saddens me to realize how many times I've boxed and unboxed books I haven't opened in years. In the past few years I've stopped buying new books and started finding better homes for those I still possess.

   This brings me to my second point. Philosophically, I don't buy books. I pay taxes, and I like to think mine support the public library that I use extensively. But, I am tempted to violate my priniciple and buy your book. Why? Because I admire your views and want to honor your hard work in creating the book. Indeed, I want you to feel inclined to continue publishing your ideas. I suspect many other EREistas feel similarly. I don't look at the $20 (with resale potential) as a better value than the single-use Kindle edition. I simply see it as a way to satisfy my own curiosity while rewarding you. Sort of like the Maus Prize for Socially Beneficial Philosophy, first awarded to Jacob Lund Fisker in 2010.

   Posted 2 years ago #
5. 

   jacob
   

   Expert
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 3,290

   @Maus - If you can get your library to order two copies, that will be a better deal for me than if you bought one for yourself.

   Posted 2 years ago #
6. 

   Chris
   

   Journeyman
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 195

   Perhaps those purchasing the Kindle version are the ones most in need of reading the book (-:

   Posted 2 years ago #
7. 

   Robert Muir
   

   Journeyman
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 280

   Request for purchase submitted to the Seattle and Pierce County public libraries.

   Posted 2 years ago #
8. 

   AlexOliver
   

   Master
   Joined: Aug '10
   Posts: 461

   "I suspect that younger readers really prefer the electronic format and price is secondary. "

   Not this one ;) I get headaches staring at computer screens too long.

   Posted 2 years ago #
9. 

   JohnnyH
   

   Expert
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 1,363

   I got to say, I prefer ebooks. They take no space, they do not decay, I don't have to box them up and move them around every move. I can navigate, search and take notes in them much more efficiently. If it's a book I want to keep the information, I will pay a reasonable amount for an ebook (under $10).

   I have gone as far as scanning entire books for the benefits above, although this is far from optimal...

   I thought this would be a book I could read in a week and absorb everything I needed... But it's a book I want to keep. So I'll probably pay the $9.99 for a digital version.

   EDIT: I was only able to make the transition after ereaders took ebooks off the computer LCD.

   Posted 2 years ago #

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