Another E-book Talk : Why It Costs Just As Much

Who doesn't love deals? Well, I do! There's nothing like purchasing thing that has been sitting in your wish list with 50% discount price. I'd be so happy. Well, unfortunately this sometimes doesn't apply when in comes to buying books. E-books, especially. Why? I bet many of you wonder why the price of e-book is only slightly cheaper that its fellow paper book. E-book is so much lighter, anyway the price should be much lighter too, right?

Hmm.. I think not.

Well, I write this post based on my personal opinion. I am by all means no business or literature experts so let's say it's from a buyer's point of view. Here are the thing which I think to be the cause of not so cheap e-books:

The cost of book production doesn't stop at the paper
Paper is expensive, yes, but unfortunately production of book needs more than just a pile of it. In reality paper is only a fraction compared to the whole cost, that's why you might see the price difference is not much because when you buy e-book, you buy everything it has except the paper

The author and the team behind him/her have to be paid

Let's face it, it takes a village to publish a book. The author doesn't work alone. He/she needs an editor, agent, proofreader, promoters, etc and they're professionals and have to be paid. The format of the book is irrelevant because they work just as hard when it comes to publishing e-book or paper book. We're talking about people who are trying to make a living here and if they work hard, they deserve the cash.

E-books needs formatting, bug testing and file storing which is not cheap to begin with

Although e-book doesn't require paper, but it requires the techie guys to make sure it runs smoothly on different devices, and to store them in a good host so the customer can get them as soon as possible. Good hosting means more money and we're talking about a business here. If it takes forever for your customer to download the e-book they purchase, sure enough that it's going to be the last time they buy from you.

Want quality literature? Keep the author motivated

That's just how it works, I think. I am sure many of you have tried to write your own novel (I know I have, sshh) and it's not an easy job, for Heaven's sake. If you need good books, I think it's only fair to pay the price it is worth so writing won't be an agony for the authors. If people demand every book to be priced $0.99, I believe many writers will just stop writing altogether.

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I hope this post somehow gives enlightenment to you. I myself would love the cost to be lower and the good news is, you still can get it. Major online book store religiously offer price cut to gain more sales. Please remember though, when you buy a book, you're paying for the author's expertise and the hard work of the team behind him/her. A good book is more than just text and paper, it touches your heart, it changes your life that's why it is worth to be called a masterpiece.

Now let's talk about you? Do you think the e-books are overpriced? Do you buy them often?

See also:
The Neverending E-book vs Paperbook