In a 05/16 NYT article, publishers and authors claim that the $9.99 price for e-books "is not sustainable". Here’s an excerpt from the article:– Excerpt from NYT article "Steal This Book (for $9.99)" –Publishers and authors say it is much more complicated than the cost of paper and shipping. The lower e-book price "is not sustainable," said Mr. Baldacci, whose novels regularly rise to the top of hardcover best seller lists. If readers insist on cut-rate electronic books, he said, "unfortunately there won’t be anyone selling it anymore because you just can’t make any money."Publishers are caught between authors who want to be paid high advances and consumers who believe they should pay less for a digital edition, largely because the publishers save on printing and shipping costs. But publishers argue that those costs, which generally run about 12.5 percent of the average hardcover retail list price, do not entirely disappear with e-books. What’s more, the costs of writing, editing and marketing remain the same."The concept that because a book is an e-book it should automatically be priced significantly lower than a paper book is one we don’t agree with," said Carolyn Reidy, chief executive of Simon & Schuster. "What a consumer is buying is the content, not necessarily the format."———-What do you think? Is $9.99 for e-books a fair price for publishers, retailers (Amazon), authors, and consumers?

Reply to this post.

Be Sociable, Share!

•