Thursday, June 3, 2010

ebooks

For those of you who read ebooks, what is it that causes you to purchase a book? Is it price, content, the author? Do you see a cover that catches you eye and want to take a peek?

I was on a site recently where a book by former President Clinton was offered. I saw the price and thought, I hope for that price it is an actual book. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the link. To my suprise, it was an ebook. For $45. An ebook...$45. Wow.

I'm not sure I would pay that much for a print book, no matter who the author.
I prowled around some more and saw other big name authors with their books priced in the $15 to $20's range, or more. All of these were ebooks. Is it me or does those prices seem a bit high?

I know I posted a note about ebook readers. Now I'm posting about ebooks.

A war is raging between the large publishers and Amazon. Amazon wants to keep all ebook prices at the $9.99 or under range. The publishers don't. Just to make things more complicated, Apple joined in. They are allowing the publishers to price the books higher. I don't agree with either business model; it's their way of operating, not mine. Just stating what is going on.

I understand an unknown author makes one hesitate. What if it sucks; what if I get partway through and absolutely can't read any more? (I did this with a Stephen King book once. Forced myself to finish it.) Is $4.99 and $5.99 too much for an unknown?

If you've read an ebook, post a comment about what helped you to get that book. What features did you like? What infomation swayed your decision? Now is the time to post so those who are riding the fence on ebooks can decide if it is worth it to them, and how they can benefit from your knowledge. I still love a good book that I can hold in my hand, but I'm open to other methods of reading, too.

Leave a comment. Help readers to understand. :)

WP