JK Rowling's "The Casual Vacancy" pre-order

[Doug_Pardee Distinguished Bibliophile]

That book that JK Rowling is writing "for adults" is now available for pre-order, with fulfillment scheduled for September 27.

The Casual Vacancy [Little, Brown/Hachette]

It's currently priced at $19.99. Hachette is one of the publishers which tentatively has settled with the Department of Justice to remove its retail price controls for two years. So it's possible that if the court approves the settlement, B&N might lower this price.

On the other hand, it's possible that Rowling's name is enough of a draw to get people to buy it at that price.

Little, Brown doesn't seem to have come up with cover art yet.

[keriflur]

There's no way I'd pay $20 for this.  No way, no how.

[compulsiveread…]

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keriflur wrote:

There's no way I'd pay $20 for this.  No way, no how.

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ditto

[Ya_Ya]

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Doug_Pardee wrote:

On the other hand, it's possible that Rowling's name is enough of a draw to get people to buy it at that price.

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This is probably the thought.

I might pay $20 for an ebook - but not this one.  This is one I'll borrow from the library and if I do love it (which I don't expect; I love Harry Potter, but I'm not sure I can imagine her writing not-children's books, although I'll happily eat my words if this ends up good) maybe I'll buy hardcopy or ebook...

[MacMcK1957]

I can't imagine paying $20 for any ebook, unless it's a multi-book set, like Lord of the Rings. A single novel, pre-release, no reviews yet? No.

[Doug_Pardee Distinguished Bibliophile]

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Ya_Ya wrote:

This is one I'll borrow from the library

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I don't know which way you meant that — borrow the hardcover or the e-book — but for anyone who might care, I'll point out that it won't be available for borrowing as an e-book because it's published by Hachette, not Pottermore.

[keriflur]

List on the HC is $35.

Whatever Hachette is smoking, I want some.

[AlanNJ Inspired Bibliophile]

So first Rowling rails against the whole idea of e-books and then when she finally decides to publish one she charges this much?  I think she's spending too much time in Hogwarts.  She needs a dose of reality.

[Doug_Pardee Distinguished Bibliophile]

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keriflur wrote:

List on the HC is $35.

Whatever Hachette is smoking, I want some.

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You know you're not the typical e-book reader. Elsewhere, I've seen a lot of comments expressing great excitement: "I've got my pre-order in! I can't wait!"

Hachette has been struggling since the Twilight series ended. They need a big block-buster to get their revenues back up. This is the obvious choice. If people don't buy it at that price, they'll have to reduce the price, but given the huge sales figures for Fall of Giants at $19.99 a year-and-a-half ago (and it's still selling for $18.99), I expect that this title will sell very well indeed at $19.99.

I'll also note that (no surprise) nobody's said what JK Rowling's royalty advance on this was. In view of Hachette's desperate need for a new blockbuster, I'm guess it was somewhere on the far side of "huge."

[BearLion]

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AlanNJ wrote:

So first Rowling rails against the whole idea of e-books and then when she finally decides to publish one she charges this much?  I think she's spending too much time in Hogwarts.  She needs a dose of reality.

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To be fair, the odds are that JKR didn't price the book herself.

[AlanNJ Inspired Bibliophile]

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BearLion wrote:

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AlanNJ wrote:

So first Rowling rails against the whole idea of e-books and then when she finally decides to publish one she charges this much?  I think she's spending too much time in Hogwarts.  She needs a dose of reality.

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To be fair, the odds are that JKR didn't price the book herself.

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And yet, I would still have to believe if she wanted a lower price she would make her opinion known.

[Nallia Distinguished Bibliophile]

I, personally, have no issue with the price. I just don't know yet if I'm going to bother because the blurb just isn't grabbing me. I don't buy every book an author has published just because s/he wrote it. Granted, I will look at a new book by an author I like before an unknown, but I still have to be interested in the story. I'm sure it will be an instant bestseller, though. *shrugs*

[BearLion]

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AlanNJ wrote:

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BearLion wrote:

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AlanNJ wrote:

So first Rowling rails against the whole idea of e-books and then when she finally decides to publish one she charges this much?  I think she's spending too much time in Hogwarts.  She needs a dose of reality.

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To be fair, the odds are that JKR didn't price the book herself.

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And yet, I would still have to believe if she wanted a lower price she would make her opinion known.

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But you don't know whether she had an opinion about the price being to high and, if so, whether she did make it known to the people who ultimately made the price decision.

[AlanNJ Inspired Bibliophile]

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BearLion wrote:

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AlanNJ wrote:

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BearLion wrote:

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AlanNJ wrote:

So first Rowling rails against the whole idea of e-books and then when she finally decides to publish one she charges this much?  I think she's spending too much time in Hogwarts.  She needs a dose of reality.

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To be fair, the odds are that JKR didn't price the book herself.

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And yet, I would still have to believe if she wanted a lower price she would make her opinion known.

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But you don't know whether she had an opinion about the price being to high and, if so, whether she did make it known to the people who ultimately made the price decision.

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You are correct.  I don't know.  I'm speculating just as we all are.

[keriflur]

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Doug_Pardee wrote:

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keriflur wrote:

List on the HC is $35.

Whatever Hachette is smoking, I want some.

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You know you're not the typical e-book reader. Elsewhere, I've seen a lot of comments expressing great excitement: "I've got my pre-order in! I can't wait!"

Hachette has been struggling since the Twilight series ended. They need a big block-buster to get their revenues back up. This is the obvious choice. If people don't buy it at that price, they'll have to reduce the price, but given the huge sales figures for Fall of Giants at $19.99 a year-and-a-half ago (and it's still selling for $18.99), I expect that this title will sell very well indeed at $19.99.

I'll also note that (no surprise) nobody's said what JK Rowling's royalty advance on this was. In view of Hachette's desperate need for a new blockbuster, I'm guess it was somewhere on the far side of "huge."

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You're right, I'm not the typical ebook reader, but I am Rowling's typical reader.  I read mostly YA, with some adult genre fiction and some middle grade mixed in.  I'm used to buying books with HC list prices in the $18-$19 range and paying $10-$11 for ebooks, because that's what YA is going for.  And I have a *huge* selection of blockbuster writers that I love.

This book is, well, a lot different from the HP stuff.  It's a hard sell for me, based on the subject matter.  If it were in my price range I'd read it, because it's Rowling.  But I can read Laini Taylor, Holly Black, Maureen Johnson, Cassie Clare, Jennifer Echols, Rachel Hawkins, Jeaniene Frost, Richelle Mead, George R.R. Martin, John Green, Kendare Blake, Kirsten White, Stephanie Perkins... the list goes on and on.

I'm Rowling's typical reader, and I'm not buying this book solely because of the price.

[BeckyWC]

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keriflur wrote:

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Doug_Pardee wrote:

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keriflur wrote:

List on the HC is $35.

Whatever Hachette is smoking, I want some.

---

You know you're not the typical e-book reader. Elsewhere, I've seen a lot of comments expressing great excitement: "I've got my pre-order in! I can't wait!"

Hachette has been struggling since the Twilight series ended. They need a big block-buster to get their revenues back up. This is the obvious choice. If people don't buy it at that price, they'll have to reduce the price, but given the huge sales figures for Fall of Giants at $19.99 a year-and-a-half ago (and it's still selling for $18.99), I expect that this title will sell very well indeed at $19.99.

I'll also note that (no surprise) nobody's said what JK Rowling's royalty advance on this was. In view of Hachette's desperate need for a new blockbuster, I'm guess it was somewhere on the far side of "huge."

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You're right, I'm not the typical ebook reader, but I am Rowling's typical reader.  I read mostly YA, with some adult genre fiction and some middle grade mixed in.  I'm used to buying books with HC list prices in the $18-$19 range and paying $10-$11 for ebooks, because that's what YA is going for.  And I have a *huge* selection of blockbuster writers that I love.

This book is, well, a lot different from the HP stuff.  It's a hard sell for me, based on the subject matter.  If it were in my price range I'd read it, because it's Rowling.  But I can read Laini Taylor, Holly Black, Maureen Johnson, Cassie Clare, Jennifer Echols, Rachel Hawkins, Jeaniene Frost, Richelle Mead, George R.R. Martin, John Green, Kendare Blake, Kirsten White, Stephanie Perkins... the list goes on and on.

I'm Rowling's typical reader, and I'm not buying this book solely because of the price.

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I stopped purchasing hc e-book pricing all together, doesn't matter if it's my all time favorite author.  I will wait for paperback pricing or I just won't buy. 

[deesy58]

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BeckyWC wrote:

I stopped purchasing hc e-book pricing all together, doesn't matter if it's my all time favorite author.  I will wait for paperback pricing or I just won't buy. 

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You realize, of course, that your attitude and behavior are not reflective of the typical American consumer, don't you?  

[Ya_Ya]

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keriflur wrote:

...but I am Rowling's typical reader.  I read mostly YA, with some adult genre fiction and some middle grade mixed in.  [SNIP]

I'm Rowling's typical reader, and I'm not buying this book solely because of the price.

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Interesting.  I'm also Rowling's typical reader for many of the same reasons you shared.  My reasons for not preordering/buying this book have nothing to do with price.  (At least not with the price being $5+ more than my normal purchases; I wouldn't buy it at my "normal" either.)  I'm actually not surprised at $20/$35.  I bet it sells like lemondade, in Heck, in July.

They're all centered around my opinion that the woman can't write.  She's a bloody fantastic storyteller which is ideal when you're dealing with teenaged wizards saving the world, but none of Harry Potter suggests to me that she's an author.  

I don't want to buy her as an author and feel ripped off if it's terrible - and I, personally, would feel ripped off if I had paid anything.   (Hence my library plan.  )

[keriflur]

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Ya_Ya wrote:

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keriflur wrote:

...but I am Rowling's typical reader.  I read mostly YA, with some adult genre fiction and some middle grade mixed in.  [SNIP]

I'm Rowling's typical reader, and I'm not buying this book solely because of the price.

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Interesting.  I'm also Rowling's typical reader for many of the same reasons you shared.  My reasons for not preordering/buying this book have nothing to do with price.  (At least not with the price being $5+ more than my normal purchases; I wouldn't buy it at my "normal" either.)  I'm actually not surprised at $20/$35.  I bet it sells like lemondade, in Heck, in July.

They're all centered around my opinion that the woman can't write.  She's a bloody fantastic storyteller which is ideal when you're dealing with teenaged wizards saving the world, but none of Harry Potter suggests to me that she's an author.  

I don't want to buy her as an author and feel ripped off if it's terrible - and I, personally, would feel ripped off if I had paid anything.   (Hence my library plan.  )

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I am totally fascinated by this, as we like a lot of the same books.  Which authors are your faves for writing style/skill?

Laini Taylor is my current favorite (in case you can't tell by the blatant recommendation in my signature, LOL).

Maybe it's just that I don't read enough adult stuff, but I can't think of one adult author whose style I love.

[steffiebaby140]

Let's see....HC list price at BN is $21.00, ebook list price is $19.99...that's a different of $1.01.  Wow, just wow.  These people have got to be smoking some serious dope to think I am paying only a dollar less for an ebook than a brand new hardcover.  I have seen some ridiculous ebook pricing before but this takes the cake.  But I guess I can't be surprised, the Harry Potter ebooks are all priced at $7.99-$9.99, and that series started being published in 1999 and the paperback versions are under $9.00. 

I for one don't think I'll be buying this in any format while my intelligence is going to be insulted this way.  It only costs a dollar more to create an ebook than a hardcover you know....or, what was that other thing the agency publishers kept being quoted on recently.  Oh right, "We were trying to increase competition to take the monopoly away from Amazon"....this makes about as much sense as that did.