Amazon or B&N should offer free e-reader versions with book purchases

[Raswan]

This thought comes out of three things: Amazon's latest acquisition of Lovefilm in an attempt to diversify, expand its customer base, and bring in more money, the Nook's continuing ass-kicking by the Kindle, and Apple's recent move to persuade the music industry to allow unlimited redownloads of songs already purchased.

So here's my thought: wouldn't you love to see Amazon or Barnes & Noble give you free access to the Kindle/Nook version of books when you buy directly from them, or offer it for .99 or something when you go through a Fulfilled-by-Amazon vendor (more the first than the second)?

It would do a few things:

1) Get people like me, wary of making the switch from good old-fashioned paperbacks and hardcovers to the e-reader, to finally pick up the Kindle or Nook. I bet this is a larger percentage of the population than one initially thinks, and would erase any restraint except cost to purchasing an e-reader.

2) Give B & N a competitive edge to get back some of the market share.

3) Along with the second thing, recently the Nook Color has been hacked to run as a slower, but apparently full-option version of the Xoom. Think if they added this draw--who WOULDN'T pick up a NC for $249, jailbreak it, and have a wi-fi tablet, internet browser, pdf reader, and e-reader that ALSO holds your entire current library?

4) Kindle (and Nook too?) already allow you to whispersync all of your e-reader devices, so they are clearly aiming for user-friendliness. This is just the next step. You've already bought the book, and it would encourage buying through Amazon rather than the used/like new copy from a lesser vendor. Cmon, if you have a Prime account you know their prices are already geared to get you to buy from them, rather than bargainbooks.com or whomever. Mo-money, less problems.

Now I don't know how much overhead is involved in running the distribution/conversion of traditional texts to Kindle or Nook versions (they've demonstrated the viability of the e-reader in the market, and it's only a matter of time before tablets with e-reader apps start to put pressure on Amazon and B & N, right?), but if it's not prohibitive, wouldn't this be an AWESOME (and smart) program? Or am I just high on paint fumes?

 

[poofyhairguy]

3) Along with the second thing, recently the Nook Color has been hacked to run as a slower, but apparently full-option version of the Xoom. Think if they added this draw--who WOULDN'T pick up a NC for $249, jailbreak it, and have a wi-fi tablet, internet browser, pdf reader, and e-reader that ALSO holds your entire current library?

Um, I wouldn't expect B&N to thump their chest about how easy it is to hack their Nook Color. On my hacked Nook Color I can just as easily buy Kindle books as I can buy B&N books. The whole point of these devices is lock-in to prevent that.

 

[MagickMan]

Um, I wouldn't expect B&N to thump their chest about how easy it is to hack their Nook Color. On my hacked Nook Color I can just as easily buy Kindle books as I can buy B&N books. The whole point of these devices is lock-in to prevent that.

No joke. I'm running Kindle, Nook, and Google books on mine. FWIW, the Amazon app kicks the the shit out of the B&N.

I agree with the OP, though, they should give you a free ebook license with each dead tree book you buy, would help bring more people over to the electronic side.

 

[Bateluer]

Um, I wouldn't expect B&N to thump their chest about how easy it is to hack their Nook Color. On my hacked Nook Color I can just as easily buy Kindle books as I can buy B&N books. The whole point of these devices is lock-in to prevent that.

No, the whole point of these devices is to read books.

As more and more Android tablets drop over this year, you'll be able to get both the Kindle and Nook apps on them, allowing you to read your books on your tablet of choice. Both Amazon and B&N are keenly aware of this.

 

[Raswan]

Um, I wouldn't expect B&N to thump their chest about how easy it is to hack their Nook Color. On my hacked Nook Color I can just as easily buy Kindle books as I can buy B&N books. The whole point of these devices is lock-in to prevent that.

Given the higher build quality, what I'm saying is maybe they should unlock it themselves, and with the free Nook books they would be offering a substantially higher-quality tablet that would attract a wide customer base.

And I wasn't commenting on if they should be happy people have hacked it, but they should recognize WHY people are doing it--as a cheaper tablet alternative to the iPad and others.

 

[gorcorps]

From what I read both B&N and Amazon would like to do something like this to spur some more sales. The book publishers make the rules though so it doesn't matter what distributors want.

 

[Raswan]

So what are you waiting for Amazon? Start negotiating with publishers, get them to see that this is a win-win for them, and let's get this shit started. If Apple can negotiate with record labels for re-downloads, I refuse to believe Amazon can't do the same for publishers, especially in light of the fact that it would boost sales for an industry that has seen significant problems in the last 5 years.

 

[gorcorps]

So what are you waiting for Amazon? Start negotiating with publishers, get them to see that this is a win-win for them, and let's get this shit started. If Apple can negotiate with record labels for re-downloads, I refuse to believe Amazon can't do the same for publishers, especially in light of the fact that it would boost sales for an industry that has seen significant problems in the last 5 years.

Do you think they've just been sitting on their ass? No... talks have been had and book publishers just don't seem to get the e-book market. They keep prices as high as the hard copy versions and refuse to accept that lower prices would mean more sales and probably higher profits overall.

Basically until all the crotchety old men in the publishing industry die I don't see much getting done.

 

[SunnyD]

Someone's mad they don't have enough money for a nook color?

 

[Raswan]

Do you think they've just been sitting on their ass? No... talks have been had and book publishers just don't seem to get the e-book market. They keep prices as high as the hard copy versions and refuse to accept that lower prices would mean more sales and probably higher profits overall.

Basically until all the crotchety old men in the publishing industry die I don't see much getting done.

Kindly link some sort of reference to these "talks" which "have been had" if you would, because I haven't seen anything. Of course I don't think they've been sitting on their asses, but as soon as the e-reader app became available it spelled the death of the Kindle and Nook. Who's going to pay even $139 (forget $189, or, ugh, $349) for a reader when they can get a tablet and a free or five dollar app that takes care of it? Idiots, that's who. It might be a slow death, but if Amazon and BN aren't panicking right at this moment, they need to be.

That said, I also don't believe it is entirely the fault of book publishers, as you so smarmily claim. Kindle books outsold hardbacks and paperbacks as early as last quarter, which tells the publishing industry what the rest of us already know: the paper publishing of books is shrinking. Netflix has been steadily moving toward streaming movies because it costs them twenty times less for bandwidth than mailing movies. Amazon (and BN if they want to remain a brick and mortar presence) is a potent force in the market, and you can't tell me if they marshaled all of their resources they couldn't effect a change inside 6 months.

 

[Raswan]

Do you think they've just been sitting on their ass? No... talks have been had and book publishers just don't seem to get the e-book market. They keep prices as high as the hard copy versions and refuse to accept that lower prices would mean more sales and probably higher profits overall.

Basically until all the crotchety old men in the publishing industry die I don't see much getting done.

Your statement also reflects an un-nuanced understanding of the relationship between pricing and the marketplace.

Current example: "Despite its losses, Best Buy isn't exactly sinking -- or at least not yet. The store still represents a third of US consumer electronics sales and it's actively pursuing more competitive prices -- but lowering prices in itself could spell doom. The WSJ report notes that BJ's Wholesale Club also decided to cut prices in 2002 in an effort to maintain its market presence, and while sales improved, gross margins tumbled for eight consecutive quarters and shares fell more than 70% on-year."

from: http://www.techspot.com/news/42713-best-buy-to-follow-circuit-citys-demise.html

Moral of the story--lowering prices is not a silver bullet. It's much more complicated than that.

 

[MagickMan]

How much does it cost for a publisher to print the average hardcover novel and ship it to a warehouse? $2-3? I'm just wanting them to make ebooks that much cheaper than the dead tree versions, that's all.

 

[gorcorps]

Kindly link some sort of reference to these "talks" which "have been had" if you would, because I haven't seen anything. Of course I don't think they've been sitting on their asses, but as soon as the e-reader app became available it spelled the death of the Kindle and Nook. Who's going to pay even $139 (forget $189, or, ugh, $349) for a reader when they can get a tablet and a free or five dollar app that takes care of it? Idiots, that's who. It might be a slow death, but if Amazon and BN aren't panicking right at this moment, they need to be.

That said, I also don't believe it is entirely the fault of book publishers, as you so smarmily claim. Kindle books outsold hardbacks and paperbacks as early as last quarter, which tells the publishing industry what the rest of us already know: the paper publishing of books is shrinking. Netflix has been steadily moving toward streaming movies because it costs them twenty times less for bandwidth than mailing movies. Amazon (and BN if they want to remain a brick and mortar presence) is a potent force in the market, and you can't tell me if they marshaled all of their resources they couldn't effect a change inside 6 months.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/02/AR2010020203910.html

To sum it up, Amazon used to charge $9.99 for ebooks which in several cases was at a loss as they were paying $14 royalties. Apple struck a deal saying publishers set their own prices and a % goes to Apple. Publishers (Macmillan in particular) came back to Amazon and said to match this or you don't get our books. Amazon didn't want to lose out of big publishers so they gave in. That's pretty much where we're stuck now and Amazon hasn't been able to make them budge. Partially due to competing with Apple and partly because of stubborn publishers.

Amazon has done what they could by offering authors the chance to sell their books direct in ebook form and bypass the publishers entirely, but that seems more like a retaliatory blow and not a long term business model.

The point is that this is how it's going to remain for the near future. The death of Borders may sting a bit and push ebooks ahead a bit quicker, but I still don't see the publishers bending anytime soon. It dosn't help that ebooks are stupidly easy to spread around the web and are very fast downloads, so I'm sure that's part of the resistance from the pubs.

Also... did you really have to call people that buy ereaders idiots? Seems like a really cheap personal attack that reflects badly on your ability to have an adult conversation. If you've never used one, ereaders are quite nice if you read a lot. The eink displays are solid, and the LCD displays aren't shabby either. Much better than reading on a phone (yes, I did used to read on my iphone). I think you'll also find that ereader purchases have increased quite a bit lately, despite having apps available.

 

[Raswan]

Thanks for the link. There are some good points there (even though it IS a year old and arguably a lot has changed in the e-reader market since early 2010). And yes, I did have to call people who are willing to pay $189 or $349 for an e-reader idiots. I don't care how much better the e-ink technology is than a vga display or whatever, paying for an e-reader even half of the cost of a tablet for essentially a single use is stupid. And if you're paying almost four hundred for that capability, you have too much money and too little sense.

Adults can call each other idiots. It can be an effective rhetorical tool, especially when the person you're calling an idiot does, in fact, demonstrate below-average intelligence.

 

[gorcorps]

Sounds like you just don't read enough to be worth it for you, which is fine. There are a lot of heavy readers out there that definitely get their money's worth though, so it was quite the smart buy for them. I don't think any game is worth paying monthly for, but I don't call MMO players idiots. I just don't find the same enjoyment they do in it so it's not worth it for me. It may be a smart buy for them but to me it's stupid.

 

[MagickMan]

Thanks for the link. There are some good points there (even though it IS a year old and arguably a lot has changed in the e-reader market since early 2010). And yes, I did have to call people who are willing to pay $189 or $349 for an e-reader idiots. I don't care how much better the e-ink technology is than a vga display or whatever, paying for an e-reader even half of the cost of a tablet for essentially a single use is stupid. And if you're paying almost four hundred for that capability, you have too much money and too little sense.

Adults can call each other idiots. It can be an effective rhetorical tool, especially when the person you're calling an idiot does, in fact, demonstrate below-average intelligence.

Bud, I own >5,000 books, as in, real dead tree books. As you can see, I love to read, so I bought a Nook (the original) to tinker with and see if it could take the place of buying more physical books. Imagine my surprise when I not only liked eBooks, but found the Nook to be superior to books in almost every way. So, I can just buy a few books that I really want physical copies of every now and then, and get the rest electronically. Yay! I just saved more shelf space and don't have to convert another bedroom into a library.

So yeah, I'd gladly pay $140 again to get another e-ink display reader if my Nook takes a dump, because to me it's worth every penny.

 

[Raswan]

Bud, I own >5,000 books, as in, real dead tree books. As you can see, I love to read, so I bought a Nook (the original) to tinker with and see if it could take the place of buying more physical books. Imagine my surprise when I not only liked eBooks, but found the Nook to be superior to books in almost every way. So, I can just buy a few books that I really want physical copies of every now and then, and get the rest electronically. Yay! I just saved more shelf space and don't have to convert another bedroom into a library.

So yeah, I'd gladly pay $140 again to get another e-ink display reader if my Nook takes a dump, because to me it's worth every penny.

I guess I'll have to concede that it all comes down to personal preference.

@gorcorops: I actually read a lot, have a personal library of 1000 books (gimme a break, I live in a one-bedroom apartment and go to grad school), and despite having used both the Nook and the Kindle prefer hard copies when reading. Sure, each offers some quality experiences, but a) it's not worth the risk to me of losing everything in a crash and dealing with the hassle of trying to get them back, and b) I can't get past not feeling the book when I read it.

@magickman: maybe it's because I am congenitally poor, but I can't stomach paying that much for a single-use product, especially with the advent of tablets. Not that I'm buying a tablet either, though I may get the NC depending on how it all shakes out, to use for both.

But we're really all arguing the same thing I did in the OP. I think we can all agree that, if Amazon throws its weight around and publishers get smart, offering the free ebook with dead-tree book purchases will get people like me to invest in an ereader. Bump book sales, ereader sales, and make everyone happy. That's all I'm really saying.

 

[bigrash]

Thanks for the link. There are some good points there (even though it IS a year old and arguably a lot has changed in the e-reader market since early 2010). And yes, I did have to call people who are willing to pay $189 or $349 for an e-reader idiots. I don't care how much better the e-ink technology is than a vga display or whatever, paying for an e-reader even half of the cost of a tablet for essentially a single use is stupid. And if you're paying almost four hundred for that capability, you have too much money and too little sense.

Adults can call each other idiots. It can be an effective rhetorical tool, especially when the person you're calling an idiot does, in fact, demonstrate below-average intelligence.

You know those old people that refuse to accept a new technology even though the technology can be benefitial to them? Yes, you are one of those.

I bought a recertified Nook last week for $99 (sold by b&n). You know why I bought an ebook reader instead of a tablet? Because I already have an iphone that I use all the time, and dont have any use for a tablet. I can do everything on my iphone that someone could do on a tablet. The downside of the phone is that the screen is too small for reading a book or watching a movie (which I could do on my netbook if I need to watch a movie on the go). That's why I bought an ebook reader so I can read during my hour commute on the subway. Now, I remember when ebook readers used to be like $400, but for $99, I think it was an awesome purchase. Not only are digital versions of book cheaper than the real books so I save $ in the long run, but if I wanted to I could even download "illegal" pdf copies of books and never have to pay for them.

Now I do agree with your original point. If you buy a book, you should be able to get the digitial version for free (or for a very cheap price). I have tons of old books that I wish I could just download to my Nook.

And what the hell you wanna feel your books for?

 

[Raswan]

Bigrash: Yes, I realize it makes me 75 years old to resist making the switch; this is a fact of which I am well aware, a little wary of, but nevertheless cannot stop feeling. There's just something about holding a book in your hands that feels right, and if it's the Luddite in me that wants to keep my electronic life separate from my reading life, I'll have to be ok with that.

I will concede your very good point that if you have an iPhone or Droid or whatever (which I do not, but not because I don't want one ) then an e-reader for a hundred bucks makes a lot more sense than a tablet. I'm just saying it seems commonsensical for Amazon and BN to do this, and if they want to remain competitive outside the market slice of people like you who have no interest in a tablet, this is one way to do it, AND grab those of us who are stuck in 1991.

 

[simonizor]

@gorcorops: I actually read a lot, have a personal library of 1000 books (gimme a break, I live in a one-bedroom apartment and go to grad school), and despite having used both the Nook and the Kindle prefer hard copies when reading. Sure, each offers some quality experiences, but a) it's not worth the risk to me of losing everything in a crash and dealing with the hassle of trying to get them back, and b) I can't get past not feeling the book when I read it.

What if your apartment burns down? Then you lose all of your books, and you have to pay for all of them again. If you break your nook/kindle, you go buy a new one and redownload everything that you've purchased for free.

 

[Raswan]

What if your apartment burns down? Then you lose all of your books, and you have to pay for all of them again. If you break your nook/kindle, you go buy a new one and redownload everything that you've purchased for free.

Renter's insurance. And, because I got most of my books for waaay below retail, and my insurance pays me current new price for each book, it means I could get twice as many books, or maybe even more...

Excuse me. I need to go leave the toaster oven on and go to a movie.