3 ms·

The same book is available for $25.56 on Amazon (vs $44.95 on No Starch and O'Reilly). How can Amazon afford such a huge discount on a new book? And how does O'

by revorad 16y ago

The same book is available for $25.56 on Amazon (vs $44.95 on No Starch and O'Reilly). How can Amazon afford such a huge discount on a new book? And how does O'Reilly survive with such competition?

bonus500 16y ago
it's a mystery! but i'd recommend buying it directly from No Starch because you get the free ebook and swag, plus more money goes directly into my mouth this way
- revorad 16y ago
  Just wondering, why didn't you choose to self-publish the book through Amazon or Lulu?
  - bonus500 16y ago
    i just liked writing it and i put it online for people to red. it never really occurred to me that people might buy it until no starch approached me
    - revorad 16y ago
      That's great. I wish you much success.
    - vessenes 16y ago
      Thanks for your awesome book, I'm using it plus Project Euler right now to learn functional programming.
    - jerf 16y ago
      No Starch seems pretty aggressive on that recruiting front. I can't speak for them and of course I can't guarantee anything, but if anybody has an idea for a good, publishable technical book and the chops to write it, the threshold for pitching it to them seems to actually be negative, in that they will actually go around and proactively contact people.
- pledge 16y ago
  Also as the homepage says you can get it at 40% off at No Starch if you enter 3L3PH4NT as a promo code.
michael_dorfman 16y ago
I've got a (small-compared-to-Amazon) online bookstore, and publisher's discounts to retailers like me generally range from 30-50%. I imagine that Amazon, with their volumes, gets more favorable terms. Supposing they get a 50% discount from the publisher in this case-- I imagine they are getting more, but bear with me-- that means that they are making $3 on the book, net postage (since they charge the customer a separate fee to cover the postage and handling). $3/sale is not a lot, but multiplied by X million, it adds up. O'Reilly survives because as a publisher, they are making money on every book sold, whether you buy it directly from them or through a retailer. Their direct retail sales are just a sideline.
- revorad 16y ago
  This book should be eligible for Amazon's free super saver delivery. I've sold some books in the past, mostly for fun and to learn about online retail. I'd love to have a chat with you about your experience. Can I email you somewhere? Or if you don't mind, could you please drop me a line? (see profile)
cageface 16y ago
As an O'Reilly member I seem to have a standing 2-for-1 book deal, so I just batch up my orders. I really like their ongoing updates and early releases and the DRM-free formats are a big plus.

by revorad 16y ago

The same book is available for $25.56 on Amazon (vs $44.95 on No Starch and O'Reilly). How can Amazon afford such a huge discount on a new book? And how does O'Reilly survive with such competition?

bonus500 16y ago

it's a mystery! but i'd recommend buying it directly from No Starch because you get the free ebook and swag, plus more money goes directly into my mouth this way

revorad 16y ago
Just wondering, why didn't you choose to self-publish the book through Amazon or Lulu?
- bonus500 16y ago
  i just liked writing it and i put it online for people to red. it never really occurred to me that people might buy it until no starch approached me
  - revorad 16y ago
    That's great. I wish you much success.
  - vessenes 16y ago
    Thanks for your awesome book, I'm using it plus Project Euler right now to learn functional programming.
  - jerf 16y ago
    No Starch seems pretty aggressive on that recruiting front. I can't speak for them and of course I can't guarantee anything, but if anybody has an idea for a good, publishable technical book and the chops to write it, the threshold for pitching it to them seems to actually be negative, in that they will actually go around and proactively contact people.
pledge 16y ago
Also as the homepage says you can get it at 40% off at No Starch if you enter 3L3PH4NT as a promo code.

michael_dorfman 16y ago

I've got a (small-compared-to-Amazon) online bookstore, and publisher's discounts to retailers like me generally range from 30-50%. I imagine that Amazon, with their volumes, gets more favorable terms. Supposing they get a 50% discount from the publisher in this case-- I imagine they are getting more, but bear with me-- that means that they are making $3 on the book, net postage (since they charge the customer a separate fee to cover the postage and handling). $3/sale is not a lot, but multiplied by X million, it adds up. O'Reilly survives because as a publisher, they are making money on every book sold, whether you buy it directly from them or through a retailer. Their direct retail sales are just a sideline.

revorad 16y ago
This book should be eligible for Amazon's free super saver delivery. I've sold some books in the past, mostly for fun and to learn about online retail. I'd love to have a chat with you about your experience. Can I email you somewhere? Or if you don't mind, could you please drop me a line? (see profile)

cageface 16y ago

As an O'Reilly member I seem to have a standing 2-for-1 book deal, so I just batch up my orders. I really like their ongoing updates and early releases and the DRM-free formats are a big plus.