Gerryt wrote:
How can the kindle edition be dearer than the paperback ? That’s just not right
I am not trying to be pedantic but the better question should be "Why are paperbacks sometimes cheaper than eBooks". I mean this in the sense that it is not the eBook that is too expensive, it is the paperback which is too cheap.
Retailers, and Amazon being among the worst, have driven the price they pay down so far that publishers are really struggling to balance profit, quality of the product, and returns to authors and editors. eBooks are not part of the same pricing structure and use the 'agency' system. Publishers dictate the price of eBooks so they more closely represent what is a good return (or better being closer to the truth) for publishers and authors/editors.
Those of us who still love physical books might consider it strange, in fact some will consider it to be almost offensive that publishers are charging more for a digital product, but it not the publisher who are creating this imbalance between these different mediums. It is retailers and consumer habits. Consumers, at least most consumers, believe that paying over £$€20 for a new hardcover is too expensive. That is insane. A new hardcover of say 400-500 pages is worth £$€40.
Returning to eBooks though. There are some advantages to eBooks that present better value for money. Just for arguments sake, if you buy the paperback at £10 and the eBook at £15, one would think that the paperback offers better value for money, but the after sales often means that the eBook is the better choice. If that work is found to have errors, the eBook is often updated to reflect those changes and ones Kindle will update the eBook when a new version has been added by the author or publisher. If the paperback is wrong, other than returning it for a refund, we have one other option, buy another copy. eBooks are more easily transported when traveling, as many Tolkien researchers will appreciate. I use eBooks to support my physical library and I am finding more and more that the digital space is serving me as well, if not better than physical books, which is in part due to my eyesight of course, but the advantage is remarkable.
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