ebook prices

[LabRatSB]

Anyone notice that Amazon is lowering their kindle books?  Yesterday, Twilight was $6.59.   Today it's $5.50.  Yesterday, The Blind Side was $8.97.  Today it is $7.96. 

[C8H10N4O2]

I'm going to guess amazon does not sell their ebooks higher than the cost of their cheapest new addition.  I haven't checked a ton of books, but it seems like all the books that have dropped even lower, also have a paperback edition that cheap.  If this is true, I'd think the Kindle will always offer more value, as BN has consistently shown they don't care what the cheapest priced version costs, the ebook price is what it is.

[C8H10N4O2]

Nope... nevermind on my previous post.  When I went to investigate, I noticed that the ebook price at amazon was still $6.59, even though their paperback was $5.50.  So my previous post, as well as the post I was responding to, do not seem to be accurate.

[Rossi-38]

I have also been very disappointed to see a striking difference in price between many titles available for the Kindle and the nook. I know that many have complained about this on different threads, but I am having a really hard time wrapping my head around the reason. I have seen as an possible explanation that Amazon is taking a loss on the ebooks for the Kindle, but I am worried about how big a difference there is for titles that are available and much less expensive in paperback. For example

The Alchemist's Pursuit  by Dave Duncan      $6.39 Kindle      $12.00 B&N

Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman                    $9.99 Kindle      $14.99 B&N

Firethorn by Sarah Micklem                             $6.39 Kindle     $20.00 B&N

I can understand a minor price difference, but a difference of several dollars (and more expensive than the paperback) is pretty ridiculous in my book. It would be nice to see a response on any of these threads in regards to the pricing differnces since it seems to be a deal-breaker for many and nook's highly anticipated debut may be underscored by a high number of those eagerly awaiting the release, returning to or trying out the Kindle instead. The forums are here for a reason, and posts are put up by the very consumers B&N is trying to capture from Amazon. I love B&N and have been a loyal consumer for years and would love to see B&N put an answer to some of these issues.

[ps56k]

my simple take on the pricing issue - B&N doesn't really have a total game plan for all the ripples created by the intro of the Nook.   

It appears they merely took their hardcover prices, copied them over to the "ebook price sheet" and then have been manually going thru them and adjusted to meet reality.... 

Of course this all should have been done prior to launch/intro - you build a total offline pricing sheet, and then load it up online.... not the other way around -

[sarahtp73]

I agree.  It seems ridiculous that you can the Sookie Stackhouse 8 volume set in paperback for $37.38 on Barnes and Noble but the ebook version costs $51.13.

[marvin_s]

Looks like B&N listen to those complaining about The Stand being 40.00. It is now 7.19!

The Stand

[JimM]

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marvin_s wrote:

Looks like B&N listen to those complaining about The Stand being 40.00. It is now 7.19!

The Stand

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That's great -- that matches Amazon's price exactly, and is lower than everyone else.

[j_c83]

While B&N may not have the best pricing around, they are not the ONLY place you can buy you're ebooks from. I think this is what appealed to me the most. I've been shopping around other sites that offer ePub and PDF formats, and the pricing is very close to Amazon's. I've noticed many price drops over the past few weeks on bn.com also. I think they're starting to understand that in the end even if the nook sells to millions, people will look elsewhere for their ebooks, and therefore B&N will lose money. They seem to be a smart company. Give them time to figure it out. I mean, hey, the nook isn't even out yet. Pricing right now is based on the fact that there was no "gadget" they sold to help subsidize the cost they must pay to publishers for the right to see the books. I agree though that they really need to work on making the price of ebooks lower than the cost of the paperback, otherwise I could have just bought another bookshelf for $20 at the thrift store and started filling it up.

I was very excited to see that the "Sookie Stackhouse 8book set" is now selling for less than Amazon's cost. I think its the start of what's to come. Oh yeah, and B&N, you should take a look at your Twilight ebooks, it costs less to buy all 4 seperate than to buy the bundle of 4 together...that math doesn't add up...

Overall, the nook is a much prettier and seemingly functional eReader than most I've seen. I can't wait for mine.

[Foolrex]

Here's one:

Spook Country (William Gibson) - Amazon Kindle: $2.75, B&N eBook: $7.99

Multiply that sort of price difference over a year or two of book purchases!

[LaManchaDQ]

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sarahtp73 wrote:

I agree.  It seems ridiculous that you can the Sookie Stackhouse 8 volume set in paperback for $37.38 on Barnes and Noble but the ebook version costs $51.13.

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Today the ebook set is $29.50.

[DemonicDuck]

It seems many(not all) of the books that we have listed have had their prices adjusted. So while the admins may not be commenting on pricing it does appear that we are getting through. I have been putting off telling my parents that I would like a nook for Christmas because of the pricing. However their active price changing has swayed me to ask for it.  Good job Barnes & Nobel.

[Brian71]

The pricing issue is the biggest reason for my hesitation.  I have 2 on order, one for my mother and another for myself.  There are a lot of examples here of the pricing issue but allow me to add another:

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

    B&N softcover: $11.52

    B&N ebook:      $12.80

Really??  Of course both ebook and softcover versions from Amazon are cheaper.

The success or failure of the Nook is not going to hinge on the device but on the B&N bookstore.  The iPod succeeded based on iTunes, not the hardware.

[NormanRock]

wow!  i'm bummed about this      b&n should price match at the very least    i think ill wait and see how everything pans out    

[JoeChristmas66]

I've never really gotten the Nook craze.  Nor have I understood all the talk of the Kindle being old technology on these boards.  It's a book reader, people! There are almost no real differences between these two readers!

And this thread gets to the real issue:  ebook pricing.  Why would a true book lover - someone who reads 3-5 books a month -  want a Nook when they'll be paying significantly more for content?   Do you really think you'll just order your Nook and B&N will miraculously lower prices to match Amazon's?  Their regular book prices are much higher than Amazon's.  Why will this be any different? 

I love going to B&N.  I have a coffee, I browse, occassionally I buy a book.  I'll pay a bit more once in a while for the atmosphere.  But for ebooks???  Puh-lease.

[freudian_slip]

I'm with you JoeChristmas66 - for me this boils down to what I can expect to pay for all my eBooks. 2-3 years paying an additional 20% (or more) for eBooks than Amazon adds to the long-term cost. If B&N would commit to a price-match on eBooks, I'd pull the trigger.

[MaxP]

I also think the prices are outrageous.  That is why I will be borrowing my ebooks from the library!

[teebark]

Today, the ebook version of 1491: New Revelations is $9.99 on both Amazon and B&N (ebook). This is something I've just discovered--I'd been buying most of my ebooks through eReader.com (I use a Palm). With most ebooks now showing up as $9.99 on B&N, these prices beat the heck out of eReader, where new releases are sometimes over $20. Money to Burn is $19.99, and on B&N it's $9.99.

[mythoughtisme]

Now, while i have most definitely loved my nook (despite the poor library selection, no Wittgenstein, what?) it is absolutely ridiculous that some of the books available cost over a hundred dollars, sometimes up to around five-hundred.  I can perfectly understand why this is the case, a lot of the books are older, out of print, rarer, etc...  However, a pricing scheme for the those rare books should not apply when the e-version is not rare at ALL and can be delivered to me for a minuscule amount of money.  Is there any reason that the only book on Godel is over a hundred dollars (ignoring that fact that the B&N ebook store hasONE! book about Godel which is a crime in itself).

To avoid sounding like just another troll, may I just ask if there are any plans to rework pricing  scheme's on ebooks that cost hundreds of dollars..? Lets face it, not ONE single person would buy them....

[Snowie]

Where have you seen $500 ebooks? I've never seen one that expensive.