4 ms·

This could be a cool monetization strategy. I don't really read physical books, but the "classics" on Amazon are often complete ripoffs. Here's Crime and Punish

by dimmke 3y ago

This could be a cool monetization strategy. I don't really read physical books, but the "classics" on Amazon are often complete ripoffs. Here's Crime and Punishment for $10 just to get the Kindle version: https://www.amazon.com/Punishment-Penguin-Classics-Fyodor-Dostoyevsky/dp/0140449132/ https://www.amazon.com/Punishment-Penguin-Classics-Fyodor-Do... I feel like these open domain novels published by big publishing houses have the veneer of legitimacy, but projects like the one this thread is about I think could accomplish much more. Especially for authors where the work is translated into English. Plus the cover designs are much cooler. I will say, the search on their website is kind of slow and could use some work.

zuminator 3y ago
In fairness though, if you sort by price, you can always find classics on Amazon for dirt cheap. E.g. https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Works-Dostoyevsky-Punishment-Underground-ebook/dp/B00J0647OA https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Works-Dostoyevsky-Punishment... Although there's no saying as to whether or not they will have proper spellcheck, TOC, if they are legitimately in the public domain, or even if it's the right book with all the pages. That's where a service like Standard Ebooks is superior to the potluck you get from Amazon.
smogcutter 3y ago
Not the greatest example, as the translation is not public domain.
paulcole 3y ago
Why is that book a ripoff?
- cxr 3y ago
  Without discounting the point made by smogcutter about Penguin's edition not actually being public domain: for a classic work, I'd expect to be able to get a paperback for less than $10.* And that involves a real-life physical artifact which (a) necessarily has lower margins than an ebook, and (b) doesn't come with the omnipresent threat that it will evaporate from your device (or your managed online locker or whatever), nor that you'll have to stop reading if your battery dies, nor that you're unable to easily hand it to someone else to let them thumb through or borrow it. For an ebook, $3 or $4 sounds about right. Maybe $5 for a relatively modern translation, as in the case here. Recall that Netflix in comparison is $X per month (fill this is in; I don't actually know, but I know the number is not high) and libraries are free-ish. Price points at or around $10 per work or more feel like a shameless ploy to trigger the sensation of "economy" in "false economy" and push people into rent-seeking platforms where they consistently hand over a continual stream of monthly payments in perpetuity for "unlimited" access—to select items within the very limited one month term that the payment gets you. * NB: whether this is actually the case or not is a separate matter
  - dimmke 3y ago
    Yes basically. I understand if a publisher commissioned a translation and put in work but $10 for a DRM digital copy is too steep. Maybe $3-$4 would be reasonable? Crime and Punishment was written in the 1800s, the author is long dead. And it's considered a historic and important piece of literature. Regardless, it's great that these works are available in high quality for free.
    - paulcole 3y ago
      If it was $3 would you buy it today?
      - dimmke 3y ago
        Because there are high quality alternatives that are free and have no DRM there's no price point I would buy it. The only scenario I would is if I wanted to read a specific translation. A physical copy if I wanted one I'd be willing to pay ~$6 for, less if used.
        paulcole 3y ago
        If there’s no price point at which you’d buy it why weigh in with what you believe a reasonable price to be?
  - paulcole 3y ago
    Eh, I disagree. $10 to be able to have it this second on my Kindle vs. waiting to get the physical copy feels like a good value.
    - cxr 3y ago
      > I disagree That doesn't make sense. You disagree with what? My expectation that it shouldn't cost much more than $5 for an ebook of something with a 150-year-old plot? > $10 to be able to have it this second on my Kindle vs. waiting to get the physical copy feels like a good value That's nice, I guess—for you. But we weren't talking about you, and we weren't talking about instant gratification. If I'm buying for reasons where instant gratification isn't a factor—and I'd argue that for books, prioritizing instant gratification is even sillier than with e.g. food and drink or streaming TV shows—should I still pay the premium to be able to get something "this second" if my flight isn't for another three weeks and I'd have been perfectly willing to deal with a delay?

by dimmke 3y ago

zuminator 3y ago

In fairness though, if you sort by price, you can always find classics on Amazon for dirt cheap. E.g. https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Works-Dostoyevsky-Punishment-Underground-ebook/dp/B00J0647OA https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Works-Dostoyevsky-Punishment... Although there's no saying as to whether or not they will have proper spellcheck, TOC, if they are legitimately in the public domain, or even if it's the right book with all the pages. That's where a service like Standard Ebooks is superior to the potluck you get from Amazon.

smogcutter 3y ago

Not the greatest example, as the translation is not public domain.

paulcole 3y ago

Why is that book a ripoff?

cxr 3y ago
Without discounting the point made by smogcutter about Penguin's edition not actually being public domain: for a classic work, I'd expect to be able to get a paperback for less than $10.* And that involves a real-life physical artifact which (a) necessarily has lower margins than an ebook, and (b) doesn't come with the omnipresent threat that it will evaporate from your device (or your managed online locker or whatever), nor that you'll have to stop reading if your battery dies, nor that you're unable to easily hand it to someone else to let them thumb through or borrow it. For an ebook, $3 or $4 sounds about right. Maybe $5 for a relatively modern translation, as in the case here. Recall that Netflix in comparison is $X per month (fill this is in; I don't actually know, but I know the number is not high) and libraries are free-ish. Price points at or around $10 per work or more feel like a shameless ploy to trigger the sensation of "economy" in "false economy" and push people into rent-seeking platforms where they consistently hand over a continual stream of monthly payments in perpetuity for "unlimited" access—to select items within the very limited one month term that the payment gets you. * NB: whether this is actually the case or not is a separate matter
- dimmke 3y ago
  Yes basically. I understand if a publisher commissioned a translation and put in work but $10 for a DRM digital copy is too steep. Maybe $3-$4 would be reasonable? Crime and Punishment was written in the 1800s, the author is long dead. And it's considered a historic and important piece of literature. Regardless, it's great that these works are available in high quality for free.
  - paulcole 3y ago
    If it was $3 would you buy it today?
    - dimmke 3y ago
      Because there are high quality alternatives that are free and have no DRM there's no price point I would buy it. The only scenario I would is if I wanted to read a specific translation. A physical copy if I wanted one I'd be willing to pay ~$6 for, less if used.
      - paulcole 3y ago
        If there’s no price point at which you’d buy it why weigh in with what you believe a reasonable price to be?
- paulcole 3y ago
  Eh, I disagree. $10 to be able to have it this second on my Kindle vs. waiting to get the physical copy feels like a good value.
  - cxr 3y ago
    > I disagree That doesn't make sense. You disagree with what? My expectation that it shouldn't cost much more than $5 for an ebook of something with a 150-year-old plot? > $10 to be able to have it this second on my Kindle vs. waiting to get the physical copy feels like a good value That's nice, I guess—for you. But we weren't talking about you, and we weren't talking about instant gratification. If I'm buying for reasons where instant gratification isn't a factor—and I'd argue that for books, prioritizing instant gratification is even sillier than with e.g. food and drink or streaming TV shows—should I still pay the premium to be able to get something "this second" if my flight isn't for another three weeks and I'd have been perfectly willing to deal with a delay?