Paying more for e-Books than p-Books

A new eBook publisher focusing on quality backlist titles from this century (sorry, last century, well the 20th Century) has just opened for business. Rosetta Books (http://www.rosettabooks.com) has gathered together some of the best books from the recent past. Acquiring the digital rights to books from such authors as Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, William Styron. When I went to the web site, I was told it wasn't open for business yet. It would be open on the 26th of February. I was thanked for coming and asked to register and offered a 25% discount on any of my purchases during the first week of business. I registered and was invited to peruse the site. I was impressed at the titles and authors that scrolled by me. I looked at some of the covers that were displayed, but I couldn't find any prices! Finally, I clicked on the "buy" button and I was taken to a page with a synopsis of the title and the varying platforms that the title was available in. The titles are offered in MS Reader, Glassbook, Secure Adobe, etc. It was here that I finally found the prices. The book I was interested in was "Slaughterhouse Five". The price was $9 but with my 25% discount, I could buy it for $6.75, but if I wanted to go out in the cold to my local bookstore I could get the Bantam/Dell paperback for $6.99! Most of the books on the site were in the nine dollar range. With 25% off, it's not a bad deal, but not a great one. At regular price, it doesn't make sense. Why would you buy an eBook for more than the paperback? This is what ePublishers have been ranting about. How can you charge two dollars more for an eBook that has no physical costs, like paper, ink, shipping, warehousing, etc.? Where's the advantage? I don't get it.

More news about eBooks

Bringing eBooks to Bricks-and-Mortar Bookstores

For the first time, physical bookstores have an opportunity -- and an incentive -- to participate in the eBook revolution. BookSite, an e-commerce enabler for independent bookstores, and Lightning Source, the eBook and print-on-demand fulfillment house, unveiled an ambitious joint program this week to allow independents to sell Microsoft Reader eBooks through their Web sites. eBookNet interviews BookSite and Lightning Source execs about their plans.

http://www.ebooknet.com/story.jsp?id=5031

Presidential Committee Recommends More Federal Funding for Digital Libraries

Saying that the Federal government should adopt "the aggressive and visionary goal of providing digital content to every citizen," the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) issued a report earlier this month recommending funding for large-scale digital library testbeds, as well as research on metadata, content interoperability, storage, and other issues critical to the spread of eBooks.

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