Vanishing Bookstores?

[Cmdrcain]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn


I do hate it when they charge you more for an ebook than they are for a paperback version (Try looking for any Heinlein Sci-fi like "Starship Troopers" - it's a $9.95 Kindle edition with paperback versions for $4.95... ridiculous for an old book.

well "old" book as in long in print, a new book costs more then used to due to higher print etc costs..

An Ebook through shouldn't indeed..

However with book clubs you can get some completion books

Like via BOTMC2 I have several Heinlein books, hardbacks, new for 9.95 each that have 3-4 Heinlein storys in each..

Works out to 3.33 to 2.50 a story... [:D]


Simply have to check around for ways to get books at good prices..

[Cmdrcain]

Personally, I prefer print books

I've been a Big reader and have my own library...has like 400 western PB's 600+ Sci-Fic/fantasy PB's Many Hard backs some hundreads, and theres non-fiction books too  several hundread... I'm big into Science-astronomy...etc and History... Genealogy... etc... including Religious books..

Basically one large bedrooms been converted into a library with shelves all along walls and book cases inside the big closet

Standing Family jokes "have you opened  the used bookstore yet"  Since i have enough books to instant stock one

Even so in my older age I am looking at E-readers for reason they do allow adjust Text...
I just cant much these days easy read paper backs with small print..

But I do prefer Books...

Of course moving my books is a pain if ever move...if had all on an e-reader or archived e-reader files on Dvd's stored...easy to take with you... but e-readers simply cost too much in my view   ... as I previous said...their where DVD players were priced...when DVD players were a new thing..

As also how VCR's were priced... any recall when a Vcr player/recorder was like $500-$1000?

[dougo33]

ORIGINAL: David Heath

Book stores are today are like the video stores a few years back..... going going gone. I really never buy a book now unless I get it for my iPad. I really love having all my books and PDF on one device.

I agree with the analogy of the video store - the book stores are a vanishing breed (sadly). I do like to browse and buy, but I have recently bought a Kindle and am loving it. I am seriously looking at getting a Kindle Fire for the reasons stated in other posts. My feelings for eBooks is shared by many others I know. As many of you, I hate to see the stores in decline, but I can see a time soon when printed books are a rare thing. Progress? maybe, maybe not

[Perturabo]

Didn't video stores, music stores and bookstores consolidate into media supermarkets?

There are pure bookstores that almost constantly have 25% sales and used book stores.

[Gilmer]

ORIGINAL: Perturabo

Didn't video stores, music stores and bookstores consolidate into media supermarkets?

There are pure bookstores that almost constantly have 25% sales and used book stores.

I think you're right.

I do lament that there doesn't seem to be as many used bookstores. When I was a kid, we did not have much money and we lived at the used book store. I didn't read books 1 and 3 of Lord of the Rings until I could find used versions to go along with the 2nd book, lol. I have a lot of fond memories looking through those used books and finding good deals.

Now, even if you want the physical copy, you can just go to Amazon and even get it used, if you prefer. Very convenient but kind of impersonal. I still sort of remember the owner of that bookstore and remember when they changed locations to a bigger store because their business was booming.

[histgamer]

ORIGINAL: jomni

Audio CD stores are also dying.

More like already gone!!!

I do enjoy Half Priced Books... I will buy from them fairly frequently but other than that Amazon is my place... just look at Kindle though, E-Books are the future.

[Perturabo]

ORIGINAL: H Gilmer

ORIGINAL: Perturabo

Didn't video stores, music stores and bookstores consolidate into media supermarkets?

There are pure bookstores that almost constantly have 25% sales and used book stores.

I think you're right.

I do lament that there doesn't seem to be as many used bookstores. When I was a kid, we did not have much money and we lived at the used book store. I didn't read books 1 and 3 of Lord of the Rings until I could find used versions to go along with the 2nd book, lol. I have a lot of fond memories looking through those used books and finding good deals.

Now, even if you want the physical copy, you can just go to Amazon and even get it used, if you prefer. Very convenient but kind of impersonal. I still sort of remember the owner of that bookstore and remember when they changed locations to a bigger store because their business was booming.

On the other hand we have more and more used bookstores here and a lot of these are both physical and internet stores at the same time. Generally, I remember interacting with store owners a lot when I was a kid. Now even buying in physical stores feels impersonal to me.

[histgamer]

Buying a Kindle Fire for my parents... So I guess I am partially responsible for the doom of bookstores, but hey its also a nice tablet!!!

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: Cmdrcain

ORIGINAL: Perturabo

Generally, from what I've seen, ebooks tend to be unreasonably expensive. They tend to cost the same as physical books. I don't think they'll be able to replace paper books unless they'll get to the point when they cost less than the cost of a paper book - cost of printing and cost of long supply chain.

There ARe free ebooks... you need to google around, I have many free classics for instance,
there are free e-readers for the PC... its the portable ones that cost... but I expect the prices on those to drop... like how DVD players were $100-$200 and now can get for $29

However e-books aren't going to grow in sales till they price many more reasonable.. if they price ebooks at or near print...why but electronic...

ebooks should be lower cost due to no printing/binding, shipping costs..

You have to blame the publishers, they set the prices that Amazon has to charge. As I recall, they started out being a lot cheaper. Of course, that's why the self-published e-books are very reasonably priced (like $1.99 or even free to get you hooked on a series). I'm reading a fascinating series called "Spinward Fringe" by Randolph Lalonde. The first three novels in the series are in a compilation called "Origins" and is free. The next two trilogies in the series are $1.99 each and I'm about to finish book 5 tonight (and will then immediately download the next episode). It's Five Star quality and a great read for the money. E-books are turning publishing on it's head... new writers can finally get their books out there without being bottlenecked by traditional publishing houses. Amazon is starting to approach authors to steal them away from their publishers... another trend that has the traditional book publishers in a near panic.

They all need to wake up to the fact that affordable e-books can sell 10 times the volume of their expensive printed versions. I've got over 150 books on my Kindle purchased in the last two years. That is 10 times more than I bought in the previous 10 years! I'm buying a book a day, sometimes several.

Just bought my first games for my Kindle Fire (Angry Birds and Tetris) for $1.99. They play beautifully on the device too.

And all my game manual PDF's display beautifully as well!

[histgamer]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

ORIGINAL: Cmdrcain

ORIGINAL: Perturabo

Generally, from what I've seen, ebooks tend to be unreasonably expensive. They tend to cost the same as physical books. I don't think they'll be able to replace paper books unless they'll get to the point when they cost less than the cost of a paper book - cost of printing and cost of long supply chain.

There ARe free ebooks... you need to google around, I have many free classics for instance,
there are free e-readers for the PC... its the portable ones that cost... but I expect the prices on those to drop... like how DVD players were $100-$200 and now can get for $29

However e-books aren't going to grow in sales till they price many more reasonable.. if they price ebooks at or near print...why but electronic...

ebooks should be lower cost due to no printing/binding, shipping costs..

You have to blame the publishers, they set the prices that Amazon has to charge. As I recall, they started out being a lot cheaper. Of course, that's why the self-published e-books are very reasonably priced (like $1.99 or even free to get you hooked on a series). I'm reading a fascinating series called "Spinward Fringe" by Randolph Lalonde. The first three novels in the series are in a compilation called "Origins" and is free. The next two trilogies in the series are $1.99 each and I'm about to finish book 5 tonight (and will then immediately download the next episode). It's Five Star quality and a great read for the money. E-books are turning publishing on it's head... new writers can finally get their books out there without being bottlenecked by traditional publishing houses. Amazon is starting to approach authors to steal them away from their publishers... another trend that has the traditional book publishers in a near panic.

They all need to wake up to the fact that affordable e-books can sell 10 times the volume of their expensive printed versions. I've got over 150 books on my Kindle purchased in the last two years. That is 10 times more than I bought in the previous 10 years! I'm buying a book a day, sometimes several.

Just bought my first games for my Kindle Fire (Angry Birds and Tetris) for $1.99. They play beautifully on the device too.

And all my game manual PDF's display beautifully as well!

When E-books really take off they could be a gold mine to good authors with followings because the cost of printing a book is so much higher than having one posted online it gives authors the chance to take in a much more reasonable cut per book.

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: flanyboy

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

ORIGINAL: Cmdrcain





There ARe free ebooks... you need to google around, I have many free classics for instance,
there are free e-readers for the PC... its the portable ones that cost... but I expect the prices on those to drop... like how DVD players were $100-$200 and now can get for $29

However e-books aren't going to grow in sales till they price many more reasonable.. if they price ebooks at or near print...why but electronic...

ebooks should be lower cost due to no printing/binding, shipping costs..

You have to blame the publishers, they set the prices that Amazon has to charge. As I recall, they started out being a lot cheaper. Of course, that's why the self-published e-books are very reasonably priced (like $1.99 or even free to get you hooked on a series). I'm reading a fascinating series called "Spinward Fringe" by Randolph Lalonde. The first three novels in the series are in a compilation called "Origins" and is free. The next two trilogies in the series are $1.99 each and I'm about to finish book 5 tonight (and will then immediately download the next episode). It's Five Star quality and a great read for the money. E-books are turning publishing on it's head... new writers can finally get their books out there without being bottlenecked by traditional publishing houses. Amazon is starting to approach authors to steal them away from their publishers... another trend that has the traditional book publishers in a near panic.

They all need to wake up to the fact that affordable e-books can sell 10 times the volume of their expensive printed versions. I've got over 150 books on my Kindle purchased in the last two years. That is 10 times more than I bought in the previous 10 years! I'm buying a book a day, sometimes several.

Just bought my first games for my Kindle Fire (Angry Birds and Tetris) for $1.99. They play beautifully on the device too.

And all my game manual PDF's display beautifully as well!

When E-books really take off they could be a gold mine to good authors with followings because the cost of printing a book is so much higher than having one posted online it gives authors the chance to take in a much more reasonable cut per book.

Amazon lets self-published authors keep 70% of the purchase price. That's a pretty good deal!

[histgamer]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

ORIGINAL: flanyboy

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn




You have to blame the publishers, they set the prices that Amazon has to charge. As I recall, they started out being a lot cheaper. Of course, that's why the self-published e-books are very reasonably priced (like $1.99 or even free to get you hooked on a series). I'm reading a fascinating series called "Spinward Fringe" by Randolph Lalonde. The first three novels in the series are in a compilation called "Origins" and is free. The next two trilogies in the series are $1.99 each and I'm about to finish book 5 tonight (and will then immediately download the next episode). It's Five Star quality and a great read for the money. E-books are turning publishing on it's head... new writers can finally get their books out there without being bottlenecked by traditional publishing houses. Amazon is starting to approach authors to steal them away from their publishers... another trend that has the traditional book publishers in a near panic.

They all need to wake up to the fact that affordable e-books can sell 10 times the volume of their expensive printed versions. I've got over 150 books on my Kindle purchased in the last two years. That is 10 times more than I bought in the previous 10 years! I'm buying a book a day, sometimes several.

Just bought my first games for my Kindle Fire (Angry Birds and Tetris) for $1.99. They play beautifully on the device too.

And all my game manual PDF's display beautifully as well!

When E-books really take off they could be a gold mine to good authors with followings because the cost of printing a book is so much higher than having one posted online it gives authors the chance to take in a much more reasonable cut per book.

Amazon lets self-published authors keep 70% of the purchase price. That's a pretty good deal!

On E-Books I assume right? No way anyone makes that kind of money on a physical copy.

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: flanyboy

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

ORIGINAL: flanyboy




When E-books really take off they could be a gold mine to good authors with followings because the cost of printing a book is so much higher than having one posted online it gives authors the chance to take in a much more reasonable cut per book.

Amazon lets self-published authors keep 70% of the purchase price. That's a pretty good deal!

On E-Books I assume right? No way anyone makes that kind of money on a physical copy.

Correct... on self-published ebooks... I've seen some of them then make the leap into paperback and I have no idea what the deal is with Amazon on that... obviously a lesser percent, but greater volume in sales perhaps?

[Lützow]

30% is the common sales commission for market places. Not different from Apple or Android.

[histgamer]

ORIGINAL: Lützow

30% is the common sales commission for market places. Not different from Apple or Android.

For the host yes, developers get the other 70%... at least for apps. I have a friend who develops android apps and has delved into the Apple Market as well and he gets 70% of sales on the App Store, I don't know what his Android share is.

[Perturabo]

I bought my first ebook novel today - a military hard-sci-fi novel without shields and with limited FTL travel. I still can't afford an ebook reader but I have found another way to read it.

The physical version would cost me 80 PLN - 50 PLN for book and 30 for postage. Then I'd have to wait a month for it to arrive. Not a good deal. So, I bought the ebook for 10 PLN and the store I bought it in allowed to download .pdfs for printing, so I brought it to a print shop and got it printed and bound for 27 PLN. So, in the end I paid about 37 PLN. Together with postage costs, it's a 50% saving.

[rhondabrwn]

Hey, I bought that one too! Haven't started it yet though

You do know that there are free e-reader software programs out there for the Mac and PC? You don't have to buy a Kindle or Nook to read them. Amazon's is a quick download and is also available for devices like the I-pad and Android devices as well.

[Perturabo]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

Hey, I bought that one too! Haven't started it yet though

You do know that there are free e-reader software programs out there for the Mac and PC? You don't have to buy a Kindle or Nook to read them. Amazon's is a quick download and is also available for devices like the I-pad and Android devices as well.

The downside is that it would include reading a 300+ page book on a LCD screen, which would be very uncomfortable. I bought my ebook on smashwords. They are multi-format and DRM-free.