Is the $79 Kindle e-reader a revolutionary moment for the publishing world?

[rockymtnhigh]

Is the introduction of a $79 Kindle -- arguably the most successful - and most user friendly dedicated e-ink e-book reader in the relatively short history of the technology a revolutionary moment for how we read books?

My first Kindle (K2) cost $300. Not chump change. My second Kindle (K3) cost $189. Now, for $79, you can get a fast, light, easy to read in bright sunlight, Kindle. I predict they are going to sell millions of these things this Christmas, and it has the real potential to fundamentally change the way people read books.

The only downside are the publishers who are fighting this kicking and screaming, determined to charge insane prices for bits. The only cost they have is marketing and the initial production of the manuscript and e-book. If they keep the prices reasonable, $10 - $12 for a novel, they have the potential to make millions, without the added expense of actually printing books, and distributing them. We see the insanity of their pricing model now when a brand new book is sold (at the publisher's insistence) for $16 on the Kindle, but Amazon is selling the hard cover at a 40% discount for $18. OR where the paperback is $8 on Amazon and the Kindle version is $9.99.

But I still see this as a revolutionary moment, for good or bad (I know, many of you just love to have the tactile sensation of a bound book; I get that. I have a library with thousands of books. BUT at the same time, I have never read as much literature as I have since I first got a Kindle 3 years ago.

$79 Kindle? Welcome to the masses.

Discuss.

 

[mdram]

an ebook should cost no more then 1/2 the price of a paperback. no printing, no shipping, ect ect ect
im looking at getting 1 or 2 later this year

 

[navychop]

You're right, that pricing model is snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

[tigerprowler]

I want a kindle so bad, this will probably be the one I beg HIFI for at christmas. Then I'll be telling everyone else all I want are Amazon gift cards, so I can afford to buy books to put on it.

 

[Juan]

Printing cost is minimal in the publication of a book Just like it really didn't cost that much to make a CD (for music)..Bookstores are dead (i.e. Borders) and the days of publishers paying writers huge salaries are coming to a close. Soon writers will use "amazon" to publish a book directly and publishers will be out of the loop.

 

[jayn_j]

No, the first Kindle was the revolutionary moment. The new one just makes it more accessible. The original spawned the ebook publishing industry and can be said to contribute to the success of the ipad as well. It also shocked a public that never saw it coming.

Since Amazon announced earlier this year that sales of ebooks had surpassed print books, the moment already occurred.

Kind of like the first Walkman casette changing the shape of music. The follow ons (CD aned ipod alike) just trod along an established path, but the original broke new ground.

 

[meStevo]

No, the first Kindle was the revolutionary moment. The new one just makes it more accessible. The original spawned the ebook publishing industry and can be said to contribute to the success of the ipad as well. It also shocked a public that never saw it coming.

Since Amazon announced earlier this year that sales of ebooks had surpassed print books, the moment already occurred.

Kind of like the first Walkman casette changing the shape of music. The follow ons (CD aned ipod alike) just trod along an established path, but the original broke new ground.

I think that's kind of splitting hairs to diminish a moment, IMO. There is no revolution without accessibility, and while the Kindle has been insanely successful a $79 price point is not something I would have expected anytime soon and could push things to a whole another level.

The iPad may have made the tablet market what it is today and moved millions of units for example, but it would be no less revolutionary to the market and how we use computers in general if Apple were to suddenly offer one for $79.

I guess if you see the ipod as not revolutionary and instead riding the coattails of the walkman there's no convincing you. I believe most will disagree with your perspective on what is 'revolutionary'.

 

[patrick80639]

I guess if you see the ipod as not revolutionary and instead riding the coattails of the walkman there's no convincing you. I believe most will disagree with your perspective on what is 'revolutionary'.

I have to agree with him as well, the iPod was not nearly as revolutionary as the Walkman. Nor is a kindle that's just $35 cheaper than the previos low-end model. It's nice that it's cheaper, but what "revolution" is this exactly starting? It's just the same old monochrome e-ink display enclosed in a plastic tablet, not sure what the big deal is.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

No, the first Kindle was the revolutionary moment. The new one just makes it more accessible. The original spawned the ebook publishing industry and can be said to contribute to the success of the ipad as well. It also shocked a public that never saw it coming.

Since Amazon announced earlier this year that sales of ebooks had surpassed print books, the moment already occurred.

Kind of like the first Walkman casette changing the shape of music. The follow ons (CD aned ipod alike) just trod along an established path, but the original broke new ground.

I disagree. THIS makes it truly accessible to the masses. People will NOT hesitate to spend $79, $250 or even $150 -- well, that's real money.

 

[Juan]

How many writer's actually "write" their books? Many have just become a "brand name" (i.e Clive Cussler) to sell books by lesser known authors and still rake in huge sales.

 

[yourbeliefs]

I'm just somewhat annoyed that I picked up a $139 kindle, then the ad versions came out at a discount, and now these cheaper ones are out. Actually I'm happy with my last gen base model with the better battery life and text to speech feature.

Sent from my Nexus One using SatelliteGuys super rad app.

 

[mdram]

How many writer's actually "write" their books? Many have just become a "brand name" (i.e Clive Cussler) to sell books by lesser known authors and still rake in huge sales.

most of the authors i read are dead

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I have to agree with him as well, the iPod was not nearly as revolutionary as the Walkman. Nor is a kindle that's just $35 cheaper than the previos low-end model. It's nice that it's cheaper, but what "revolution" is this exactly starting? It's just the same old monochrome e-ink display enclosed in a plastic tablet, not sure what the big deal is.

It is a psychological price point that has the potential to result in millions of people buying them. AND those millions will become fans of e-books, and that is the revolution. It will fundamentally change the way people read and consume the printed word.

 

[John Kotches]

the revolution is the pricing which could tip the balance.

Out of curiosity, does the writer make more from an individual book sale or from an e-book. Not the publishing house, the actual writer

cheers,

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

 

[lparsons21]

Excellent question, but I've never read an answer other than some guessing.

What the ebook will do when the tipping point is reached, is come to us cheaper and direct from the author much more than it does now. Basically the publishers might find their job in jeopardy.

 

[klang]

One authors opinion and numbers: EBooks: The Price Is Right…or Is It? | Kevin J. Anderson

Let’s look at some numbers. If I price an eBook at, say, $2.99, my Amazon royalty on each copy is $2.10. On the other hand, for a traditional $9.99 paperback book that you would buy in a bookstore, the author earns about 99¢ per copy. So the author earns less than half as much from a traditional $9.99 paperback than she earns from a self-published eBook priced at $2.99.

I don't know if revolutionary is too strong but I do think the move away from paper books is about to pick up tremendously.

 

[riffjim4069]

I have been considering purchasing a Kindle the past couple years...there is finally no reason not to pick one up at $79. Of course, I just hope that I can find more of the professional texts I like/must read on Kindle...and at a reasonable price.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Excellent question, but I've never read an answer other than some guessing.

What the ebook will do when the tipping point is reached, is come to us cheaper and direct from the author much more than it does now. Basically the publishers might find their job in jeopardy.

Amazon has taken steps to make that happen too. Their in-house brand, Amazon Encores is publishing some very high quality fiction and literature. Check out, for example, Laurie Fabiano's Elizabeth Street.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I have been considering purchasing a Kindle the past couple years...there is finally no reason not to pick one up at $79. Of course, I just hope that I can find more of the professional texts I like/must read on Kindle...and at a reasonable price.

Exactly my point.


Alas, you are going to find a lot of non-fiction professional books don't sell in the $10 - 15 range.

 

[riffjim4069]

Exactly my point.


Alas, you are going to find a lot of non-fiction professional books don't sell in the $10 - 15 range.

I noticed the ones I want/need are $4-5 bucks. That doesn't seem like much savings for not printing and distributing a 600-700 book.