Comments on: Why J.K. Rowling’s new ebook is $17.99

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:52:30 +0000

I hate to say it, but there are far more costs to produce and publish a book than has even been described here. For a 250 page softcover novel, there are editing, copy-writing, cover design, interior design, pre-launch promotion and post-launch promotion (if you ever want to hear of the book anyway), insurance for copyright infringement, libel, and media liability…not to mention the actual production costs – which depend on the run of the print, the book cover, binding, size, paper type and weight, etc., in addition to distribution fees, cost of returned books, and payment to the author, in addition to regular costs of doing business such as staff, legal fees, and other necessary evils. It’s easy to say a book only costs $1.00 per print, but the fact is that’s not true. Is it fair to any author to charge less on a book which would result in them being paid less? Most publishers don’t pay well enough as it is because of the risks they take (and I’m speaking for small publishers). I’m not a fan of over charging for books, but let’s be fair here ok?

By: Ron Taylor

Ron Taylor — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 11:16:58 +0000

Sad to see so many here think piracy is a good thing.

As for the library ‘free’ book, The library pays the publisher every time a book is ‘loaned out’ – so they are not free. Your local govt/council is paying for you.

Yes, JK’s publisher is charging too much for an eBook. One file covers the world. It only takes a week to copy and paste then create the digital file. Seems like they are trying to claw back money from the print costs. That is OK but the price is sill too high.

By: mikecane

mikecane — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 17:37:41 +0000

I know it because I bothered to frikkin look:
http://mikecanex.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/the-casual-vacancy-already-pirated/

By: E

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:46:47 +0000

By “people”, do you mean yourself? What an abhorrent way to act.

By: E

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:41:16 +0000

And you know this because you have one?

By: David Lundholm

David Lundholm — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 10:17:06 +0000

Price in the uk is £11.99 and hardback is £9.00 delivered free (amazon). About $1.60 to the £

By: arikaka22

arikaka22 — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 09:30:12 +0000

yeah you’re right…

By: Jasper

Jasper — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 08:17:41 +0000

Having to print, bind, ship, store in a warehouse, store in a store, display on a store shelf, take back returned copies, and all of that ancillary stuff — it costs roughly $2-3 per book for a hardcover, more like $1 for a paperback. People overestimate that all the time.

Also, running an ebook store like Amazon or Apple or B&N has more overhead than you think. Geocities hosting may be free, but a real website with real servers emphatically isn’t.

By: keith bierman

keith bierman — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 05:58:45 +0000

The authors with the rock bottom prices usually don’t have a publisher to feed. That is, they get nearly all of the price, minus the middle-man fee (amazon|apple|etc). With a publisher in between the author and the “store” there’s a ton of overhead to cover. On the plus side, the author may well get a healthy advance and other benefits.

DRACULAS (A Novel of Terror)

By: Izzie Bee

Izzie Bee — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 01:50:30 +0000

Laura Hazard, I’d love to see some analysis on the EU’s case and the most favored nation clause