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Sure, it's easy to evaluate anything if you make up plausible-sounding numbers about it. The costs of printing and retail are definitely less than half the sal
by LeCompteSftware 6mo ago
Sure, it's easy to evaluate anything if you make up plausible-sounding numbers about it.
The costs of printing and retail are definitely less than half the sales price: https://www.davidderrico.com/cost-breakdowns-e-books-vs-printed-books/ https://www.davidderrico.com/cost-breakdowns-e-books-vs-prin... Publishers say it's 10%; Derrico thinks they are underestimating certain logistical costs but no way it's 50%.
- jmyeet 6mo agoDid you read that? You’re picking out one cost: printing. Scroll down to where the cost breakdown of a paperback is. More than $5 once you include distribution and retailing. Or, as some might say, more than 50% of $10.
- LeCompteSftware 6mo agoOk, then the other thing you're missing is that distributors also get a chunk of the ebook. You said ebooks have "no middlemen" but that's blatantly false, Amazon is the emperor of ebook middlemen. I suppose publishers could try selling ebooks directly but then they lose the Kindle platform + Amazon's reach, so Amazon charges for that service. They are a middleman.
- lokar 6mo agoAnd in some sense the publisher is a middleman. While authors can sell directly, they rarely do. All of the books I have read had editors, publishers, etc. Not just the author writing and uploading.
- aidenn0 6mo agoThe publishers conspired with Apple to force Amazon to increase its margins. https://jolt.law.harvard.edu/digest/e-book-conspiracy-apples-agreement-with-publishers-violates-antitrust-laws https://jolt.law.harvard.edu/digest/e-book-conspiracy-apples...