Alternatively, maybe Amazon will do a savvy marketing move and actively promote all Kindle books below $10 to buyers, which would include and benefit all of my publisher’s, and likely yours, titles.

The problem with the $14.99 book is that a buyer may only buy that book, instead of buying 2 titles otherwise, and we are more likely to be that second title that remains un-bought than the first one. The big publishers believe that people want to pay more for immediate access to big name authors with blockbuster releases, and “allege” that eBooks costs will come down over time in the same way other book costs do. Of course they fail to factor in that an eBook reader has already spent substantial money upfront to purchase their reader in the belief that they’ll save money and have additional convenience along the way from that purchase. I thing Macmillan sees eBook readers as people who have already demonstrated that they have lots of disposable income to spend.

I’m suspicious of the argument that eBook prices will decline at a reasonable rate and will wait to see it demonstrated in the real world. Regular book prices diminish when physical inventory has to be cleared out to get whatever residual value it still has from people not willing to buy at the current price point. It requires costs up front to print and continuing costs to store.

eBooks don’t face this barrier. Storage and publication costs are zero. With
new readers continually coming into the market and no inventory costs to speak of eBook-wise, why not just keep the costs high always and if you want this book on your shiny new eBook reader you’ll have to pay what the publisher demands?

Because I don’t need insanely high list prices for my books in order to see a tiny percentage in royalty return like authors selling through these large
publishing houses, I’m more on Amazon’s side here as a reader.

In fact, after my generally excellent eXcessica experiences, I fear that I’d
feel rather ripped off by a standard publishing contract any longer — unless I got all my money up front as an advance.

Just my $/50 on this.

–DB_Story

Just don’t spill the tea. That’d be a downright shame.

FINISH HIM!