The stupidity of ebook pricing
So, the new Terry Pratchett book is out today and I thought I'd look at what my options are for buying it.
RRP for the hardcover is £18.99, but in the way that is common, you can get it for £8.99 from waterstones online. Not bad and probably what I'll do.
I did look at the ebook price though and was stunned. The RRP for the ebook is £19.40, so 41p more for something that costs less to produce and distribute (although I do accept that a lot of the price is royalties/editing/advertising costs etc) and something that due to DRM I cannot loan to a friend. Add on the fact that Waterstones want the full £19.40 for it (no discount). Even WHSmiths (which are usually cheaper for ebooks) still want £15.91 for it. This is the trouble that ebooks are suffering atm. The format is never going to succeed when the cost of the books is that much more than the dead-tree version.
RRP for the hardcover is £18.99, but in the way that is common, you can get it for £8.99 from waterstones online. Not bad and probably what I'll do.
I did look at the ebook price though and was stunned. The RRP for the ebook is £19.40, so 41p more for something that costs less to produce and distribute (although I do accept that a lot of the price is royalties/editing/advertising costs etc) and something that due to DRM I cannot loan to a friend. Add on the fact that Waterstones want the full £19.40 for it (no discount). Even WHSmiths (which are usually cheaper for ebooks) still want £15.91 for it. This is the trouble that ebooks are suffering atm. The format is never going to succeed when the cost of the books is that much more than the dead-tree version.