« Don't trust a dad | Main | I'm back, for realz »
February 13, 2010
You need kindling to start a fire
Amazon Kindle 2, originally uploaded by JingleFly.
I saw one of the more absurd articles in yesterday's New York Times. It seems there is a revolution afoot in the electronic world, because Amazon and other retailers are raising the price of electronic books from $9.99 to $14.99. Additionally, some publishers are getting dinged because they delay the electronic release of a book until the print version has been out a few months. And the men and women who devour e-books on their Kindles are none too pleased.
These practices have led to several hilarious episodes where readers give 1-star reviews to books in retaliation. Some of the angrier customers even berate the authors via e-mail, and vow to never again purchase that author's work. They argue an electronic book should be cheaper than a print edition, and obviously the publishing companies are gouging.
The publishers, meanwhile, assert there is more to making a book than the printing cost and paying the author. Unsurprisingly, I tend to think there is a bit of truth to each side's argument. An electronic book is cheaper than a print book, just like music on iTunes is cheaper than a CD. You don't need all that packaging, the physical media, the cost of materials. Yet, a book is not the product of a single author - I don't know the exact details of how a major book is completed, but there's a lot of work involved. That costs money.
However, the real reason I'm writing about this is because of the goofy lengths people go to express their displeasure. Writing a 1-star review? Seeking out an author to tell him he's a filthy, money-grubbing whore? Aren't there more productive ways to use one's time? $14.99 is not a whole to pay for a book, especially a brand new one. Simple logic declares a new, more popular book should cost more than one that's been out for awhile.
Kindles, however, don't strike me as especially elegant devices. Yes, it's nice to carry around tons of books in a tiny little package, but is reading off a screen really the same thing? Half the enjoyment from reading a book is the feel of the pages, the shape of the type, the way an old book smells. A Kindle has none of those things. I suppose I felt the same way about iPods, and those run my life now. Yet, I still feel a book is different. That's why I'd rather pay $25 for an actual book, rather than $9.99 or $14.99 for an electronic book.
entry no. 1426
Posted at February 13, 2010 12:58 AM