Spoken Like a Geek
The technology blog of Neil Thompson
The technology blog of Neil Thompson
Price of eBooks Update
So not just satisfied with ruminating on why eBooks are the price they are I also contacted Waterstones to ask why there is such a price differential. This was their response:
“I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the price difference between ebooks and other formats online.
There are a number of reasons why the prices are different online but as this is an exclusive product prices may vary, I would like to inform you that in the future there will be reductions and promotions as the item becomes more popular.
I do apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
I am not sure that I understand the response and it certainly doesn’t address the issue, although to be fair I didn’t expect them to.
What’s interesting though is that this comes on the same day as HMV’s results are announced (they are the parent company of Waterstones) which stated a drop in revenues at the book seller as more people shop online
You may feel that I am unfairly picking on Waterstones. The fact is I like Waterstones and spend a lot of time and money with them and so it was a natural place for me to be looking.
The bottom line is that the market needs several things: more people reading ebooks, more competition in the ebook market place a better up taken of an open format (epub) and no DRM.
It seems we are still a way from that.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Barbara Cookson. Barbara Cookson said: RT @spokenlikeageek: The price of eBooks – Waterstones respond (sort of): http://dsktp.net/1r >> OK HMV we will make you popular [...]
Hello Neil,
I’m sorry that we’ve only responded to your query thus far with a more general response to the issues you raise. We are by no means complacent about the eBooks offer we have and are keen to develop it in a number of ways.
Pricing has been a key issue that both we and our customers have picked up on and it forms a major factor in our discussions on eBooks with the publishers who set the RRP. In the case of the Juliet, Naked price you cite the issue is regretfully a simple one that the pricing for the eBook is fed distinct from the print price via a completely seperate method and the publisher has not yet been able to setup the lower pricing for that eBook. I am raising this issue to the publisher’s attention urgently and can let you know when it is resolved.
There are all kinds of issues we are seeking to develop our way beyond and we are keen on all of the things you mention as important for the market, including DRM free which we continue to work on as an option for our publishers.
Let me know if you have any other queries.
Alex Ingram
eBook Buyer
waterstones.com