Last week, a host of book publishers, led by Simon & Schuster, said they will delay publication of e-reader versions of many books because they were afraid the electronic copies were cannibalizing sales of more expensive hardcover editions.
As Carolyn Reidy, chief executive of Simon & Schuster, told The Associated Press, “We believe that a large portion of the people who have bought e-readers are from the most devoted reading population. And if they like the e-readers, they are naturally going to convert because the e-books are so significantly less expensive.”
I own both an Amazon Kindle and a Sony Reader, and I can tell you that I didn’t buy them to save money. I know a lot of other avid bookworms, and I can’t recall a single one citing “to save money on books” as their reason to purchase one of these fancy new devices.
How can e-books represent saving money when an person spends between $250 to $300 on a device and about $10 for each book?
“How can e-books represent
“How can e-books represent saving money when an person spends between $250 to $300 on a device and about $10 for each book?”
Especially when you can’t turn around and sell that book back, trade it in at a used bookstore, or give it to a friend? You completely give up your First-Sale rights when buying an e-book.
Savings
You don’t have to buy a Kindle. You can use a iPod Touch to read the Kindle books. The Touch has numerous other features and capabilities. If you put some value on the other capabilities of the iPod Touch you already have a savings.
In regards to saving money the ebook files are often cheaper. It is not always the $9.99 price either.
Here is an example:
Book – The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science
Hardcover on Amazon: 23.40
Kindle edition: 14.99
Savings: $8.41
Savings including shipping: $12.41 (hardcover book would also have a $4 shipping charge)
If you save $8.41 per book you will break even after you purchase 30 books.
$259 Kindle divided by $8.41 in savings is 30
$259 Kindle divided by $12.41 in savings is 20
So after buying 20-30 books you have paid for the Kindle.
You have to buy even less to break even with an iPod Touch
iPod Touch for $179.99
http://bit.ly/6vj93t
I saved money by buying an ereader
I bought my ereader knowing I was going to be saving money on books. It was part of what made me decide to buy one. $10-17 for a new book that is $20-35 in the store is a big difference. (Keep in mind that not everyone buys discounted books from online bookstores. I only do a couple of times a year.) And between lower prices (than print), promotional sales, bundling and free offers I never would have seen had I not been looking for ebooks, my reader has paid for itself within the first year.
I also don’t buy books with the intention of getting rid of them. If I want to read a book that I don’t think I’ll want to keep I borrow it from the library.