What happens if e-book prices drop?

N. Gemini Sasson · Post by **N. Gemini Sasson** » Tue February 22nd, 2011, 6:15 pm

Recently, I came across an article with some staggering statistics about how prices of titles on the Kindle bestseller lists have shifted over the past couple of years: What happens if ebook prices drop to the $1 to $5 range?

Here's another by Robin Sullivan that discusses who makes up the Top 50 and pricing: The Changing Face of the Amazon Top 50

Since e-reading devices have been discussed on here more and more recently, as well as the closing of Borders and other bookstores, I thought these might be of interest to everyone.

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Tue February 22nd, 2011, 6:46 pm

Interesting. I usually keep my eBook prices low because they cost nothing to produce. But I haven't yet priced one as low as $1.

I disagree about hardcovers disappearing. They will become a collector's item, but they won't be gone completely.

MLE (Emily Cotton) · Post by **MLE (Emily Cotton)** » Tue February 22nd, 2011, 11:13 pm

Thanks for the link, Gemini. That was quite encouraging-- not the part about the prices dropping, but the bit at the end about reading edging out TV, Movies and games and the effect that would have on 'popular culture'. I never thought about the book as an advertising-free medium, although it should have occurred to me since the commercials were why we sent the TV to the dump--their effect on our kids and ourselves constant craving things we did not need, I mean. We felt the result of their absence almost at once.

Sort of like when I had my corneal transplant and the doc strongly suggested no more eye makeup. I stopped spending all that time looking at myself in the mirror, and now, a decade later, while my friends are agonizing over their wrinkles I can cheerfully say I don't give a damn. If readers were using their brains reading books -- any kind, I'm not picky -- instead of having all the commercial junk shoved at them, they might get free of the constant self-absorption and really start to THINK!

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Wed February 23rd, 2011, 12:45 am

I never thought about the book as an advertising-free medium

Oh, gosh - this never occurred to me, either. Now that it does, I'm wondering how long it will be before ebooks start to incorporate advertising. *shudder*

N. Gemini Sasson · Post by **N. Gemini Sasson** » Wed February 23rd, 2011, 12:52 am

[quote=""MLE""]Thanks for the link, Gemini. That was quite encouraging-- not the part about the prices dropping, but the bit at the end about reading edging out TV, Movies and games and the effect that would have on 'popular culture'. [/quote]

That's one good side effect of the whole ebook explosion I hadn't considered. My daughter is a voracious reader. At home, she'd usually load up at the library on romances, either borrowing or buying the second-hand books. She reads a book a day sometimes. Now she's in college in a very small town w/o transportation and has limited book selection. Recently I introduced her to Kindle for PC, which she uploaded for free. She's zipped through tons of books already, some of them classics, instead of spending her time on YouTube or Facebook.

The whole horizon is changing so quickly it's hard to imagine what will happen in the coming years. It's both scary and exciting. But remember 40 years ago, before cable TV, when we only had three, maybe four stations? Now there are dozens, hundreds even. And how many current mega music stars have risen from YouTube obscurity?

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Wed February 23rd, 2011, 1:01 am

Within the last few weeks, I sat next to a young man in his 20s on an airplane flight who was reading one of the Stieg Larssen books on his Kindle. He said he has been reading many more books since he got the Kindle. I got the impression he didn't read much fiction at all before, and is now reading quite a bit. Very interesting, and not something that would have occurred to me if I hadn't spoken with him.

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Wed February 23rd, 2011, 4:11 am

I'm fairly certain my autistic kids would read more if they could use an iPad to do it. That thought just occured to me. I wonder if they'd do the same with a Nook or other eReader.

Does anyone know if there are many children's books available as eBooks?

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Wed February 23rd, 2011, 5:19 am

Does anyone know if there are many children's books available as eBooks?

Quite a few, I believe.

MLE (Emily Cotton) · Post by **MLE (Emily Cotton)** » Wed February 23rd, 2011, 5:29 am

I just got my 96-year-old mom a Kindle DX (large format). She'd pretty much given up reading because of her eyesight, and couldn't quite get into audiobooks. But when we turned on the text-to-speech function on my kindle, with the text made large enough, she suddenly found that between the voice-over and the large type she was enjoying reading again!

This is very important to my family, because if we can keep Mom's mind sharp and stimulated, it's so much easier for everyone, and her quality of life is much better, too. An elderly relative with dementia is much, much more difficult. Been there, done that.

Divia · Post by **Divia** » Wed February 23rd, 2011, 6:28 am

[quote=""LoveHistory""]Does anyone know if there are many children's books available as eBooks?[/quote]

I agree with Margaret. I'm sure there are some. In fact isn't the nook color? I swear I saw a commercial where they were showing how cool it was that a kids book was now in color.

[quote=""Margaret""]Oh, gosh - this never occurred to me, either. Now that it does, I'm wondering how long it will be before ebooks start to incorporate advertising. *shudder*[/quote]

What a horrid thought! Its bad enough that I'm unable to fastforward through the BBC videos because they make you sit through their commercials and "if you stole this" spot. Ick.

I'm sure its coming though. Never thought I would have to sit through commercials at the movies.