Comments on: The economics of the Kindle, revisited: Should a professor buy a $400 e-reader? http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:41:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Lee http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-763973 Lee Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:10:53 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-763973 Since my YA fantasy novel <i>Mortal Ghost</i> is available for the Kindle via <a href="http://www.feedbooks.com/share/book/120" rel="nofollow">Feedbooks</a> - an excellent, well-run site - I'm always keen to learn about readers' experiences with this and other e-readers. For indie writers like myself, such devices may mean the difference between a readership and none. Since my YA fantasy novel Mortal Ghost is available for the Kindle via Feedbooks - an excellent, well-run site - I’m always keen to learn about readers’ experiences with this and other e-readers. For indie writers like myself, such devices may mean the difference between a readership and none.

]]> By: Kari Sullivan http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-761092 Kari Sullivan Sat, 12 Apr 2008 05:04:40 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-761092 Thanks so much for clearing up your post! I still think the Kindle is worth $400 now that I've had it for a while, but I do most of my reading / book buying after all the bookstores are closed. So it basically opens up spontaneous reading to me in a way that wouldn't be possible with my lifestyle. Thanks so much for clearing up your post!

I still think the Kindle is worth $400 now that I’ve had it for a while, but I do most of my reading / book buying after all the bookstores are closed. So it basically opens up spontaneous reading to me in a way that wouldn’t be possible with my lifestyle.

]]> By: Rob Preece http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-760924 Rob Preece Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:07:58 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-760924 1. Robert is dead-on when he suggests you consider the full costs of a paper library. I know half of my house is dedicated to books--I could down-size if it weren't for them. 2. A mile to Barnes and Noble? I suggest that the average is a lot higher. 3. Value of immediacy. A hamburger today is worth more than one tomorrow. Isn't the same true of books? With your Kindle, you can get that book now, not next week. 4. Pre-read. With your Kindle, you get to read an excerpt--you'll save money by not buying bad books. 5. Have your library with you. If you're like most professors I know, you never know whether the book you need right now is at home, at the office, or in the car. With your Kindle it's right there. I wish you happy choices and certainly the Kindle is only one option. But eBooks offer benefits that go far beyond the savings in cover price (and your one mile round trip to Barnes and Noble). Rob Preece Publisher, www.BooksForABuck.com P.S., No Kindles were consumed in the creation of this note. 1. Robert is dead-on when he suggests you consider the full costs of a paper library. I know half of my house is dedicated to books–I could down-size if it weren’t for them.
2. A mile to Barnes and Noble? I suggest that the average is a lot higher.
3. Value of immediacy. A hamburger today is worth more than one tomorrow. Isn’t the same true of books? With your Kindle, you can get that book now, not next week.
4. Pre-read. With your Kindle, you get to read an excerpt–you’ll save money by not buying bad books.
5. Have your library with you. If you’re like most professors I know, you never know whether the book you need right now is at home, at the office, or in the car. With your Kindle it’s right there.

I wish you happy choices and certainly the Kindle is only one option. But eBooks offer benefits that go far beyond the savings in cover price (and your one mile round trip to Barnes and Noble).

Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com

P.S., No Kindles were consumed in the creation of this note.

]]> By: What “This Guy” Is Thinking « Kari Sullivan http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-760857 What “This Guy” Is Thinking « Kari Sullivan Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:13:28 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-760857 [...] What I’m thinking… (regarding the Kindle costing $400 dollars). $400 dollars is relative. Not a lot of money for me - so the price is irrelevant. Sorry if you can’t afford a Kindle or gourmet dog food, but don’t subject me to your petty class warfare. [...] [...] What I’m thinking… (regarding the Kindle costing $400 dollars). $400 dollars is relative. Not a lot of money for me - so the price is irrelevant. Sorry if you can’t afford a Kindle or gourmet dog food, but don’t subject me to your petty class warfare. [...]

]]> By: Robert Nagle http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-760791 Robert Nagle Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:45:42 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-760791 My economic perspective has to do with maintenance time and real estate and convenience and discoverability. How long does it take to keep up a physical library? How much space does it require? Am I more likely to read new things with a portable device? About 25% of my reading time is spent on ebooks--and I try to read a lot. And I still buy p-books at the same rate (don't forget to visit your local used book stores; 10 years from now, they'll be out of business). Still, ebook reader has decreased the rate of increase in space taken up by p-books in my apartment. I appreciate that. Convenience. I find ebook devices give me access to lots of longer works which would have require advanced planning for. On the other hand, maintenance and synchronization is a bother, but I only have to do that once a month with an offline reader. This helps a lot with restaurants/beds/trips. Discoverability. Now that I have a dedicated device, I can download lots of new public domain works I wouldn't normally take a chance on. With a portable device, I now have a comfortable way to try out all sorts of random texts. BUT: All the devices seem to have problems with book management when you have large numbers of ebooks. Laptops are getting better every year. It's still cumbersome to convert web pages to readable ebooks. It's somewhat difficult to create your own book. Limited layout and design capability makes it difficult to obtain certain kinds of material. (i.e, textbooks, illustrated books, etc) It's hard to make an economic analysis based on new price sales, because price structures are changing (especially in the Long Tail economy). My economic perspective has to do with maintenance time and real estate and convenience and discoverability.

How long does it take to keep up a physical library? How much space does it require? Am I more likely to read new things with a portable device?

About 25% of my reading time is spent on ebooks–and I try to read a lot. And I still buy p-books at the same rate (don’t forget to visit your local used book stores; 10 years from now, they’ll be out of business). Still, ebook reader has decreased the rate of increase in space taken up by p-books in my apartment. I appreciate that.

Convenience. I find ebook devices give me access to lots of longer works which would have require advanced planning for. On the other hand, maintenance and synchronization is a bother, but I only have to do that once a month with an offline reader. This helps a lot with restaurants/beds/trips.

Discoverability. Now that I have a dedicated device, I can download lots of new public domain works I wouldn’t normally take a chance on. With a portable device, I now have a comfortable way to try out all sorts of random texts.

BUT:

All the devices seem to have problems with book management when you have large numbers of ebooks.

Laptops are getting better every year.

It’s still cumbersome to convert web pages to readable ebooks.

It’s somewhat difficult to create your own book.

Limited layout and design capability makes it difficult to obtain certain kinds of material. (i.e, textbooks, illustrated books, etc)

It’s hard to make an economic analysis based on new price sales, because price structures are changing (especially in the Long Tail economy).

]]> By: Richard Adin http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-760595 Richard Adin Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:21:42 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/11/the-economics-of-the-kindle-revisited-should-a-professor-buy-a-400-e-reader/#comment-760595 I'm one of those voracious readers who defy the statistics. I spend between $5,000 and $7,500 every year on hardcover books, not counting books used in my editorial business or to learn new software. And there is nothing like a well-put-together paper book, at least for me. Some weeks I barely get through one book; other weeks I manage to get through 4 or 5. Having said that, I asked for -- and received -- for the past holiday a Sony Reader for e-books. (I know, you are wondering when will he ever squeeze in more reading time?) I couldn't be happier. The Sony fulfills different needs for me and so I consider it complementary to my print book-buying habit. The Sony does the following things for me: (1) it lets me take multiple books everywhere I go, like waiting for the doctor who thinks his time is more important than mine, or waiting for my wife while she goes clothes shoppin -- you get the idea; (b) it enables me to easily read while I do the thing I hate most -- exercise. It is more compact than even a paperback and I don't have to worry about breaking the binding; (c) it opens new authors to me, authors whose books I have looked at but wouldn't gamble on spending $25 on, because their older works are offered either free or very cheaply as e-books; (d) it allows me to read some classics that I was always interested in but reluctant to buy for fear of reading 5 pages and giving up on because of the writing style; and (e) it allows me to read works for free by older authors in genres that I don't usually read, such as Dorothy Sayers and P.G. Wodehouse. My point is this, even though a long-winded way to get there: If you look at e-books as a substitute for print books, then the economic model makes no sense for the casual reader, or even for the voracious reader. But if you look at it as a complementary system that opens new worlds, then it may well make sense. Besides, let's not forget the youth factor. Sadly, there are a lot of young folk who have no clue what a printed book is or what a bookstore looks like, but give them an electronic device and they can not only use it better than an old folk like me, but they understand it and enjoy it. And these young folk are more likely to get drawn into the world of reading with an e-book than with a p-book, at least based on my less-than-scientific observations. The biggest problem with economic models is that they are so black and white when there are numerous shades of gray that need to be considered. I’m one of those voracious readers who defy the statistics. I spend between $5,000 and $7,500 every year on hardcover books, not counting books used in my editorial business or to learn new software. And there is nothing like a well-put-together paper book, at least for me. Some weeks I barely get through one book; other weeks I manage to get through 4 or 5.

Having said that, I asked for — and received — for the past holiday a Sony Reader for e-books. (I know, you are wondering when will he ever squeeze in more reading time?) I couldn’t be happier. The Sony fulfills different needs for me and so I consider it complementary to my print book-buying habit. The Sony does the following things for me: (1) it lets me take multiple books everywhere I go, like waiting for the doctor who thinks his time is more important than mine, or waiting for my wife while she goes clothes shoppin — you get the idea; (b) it enables me to easily read while I do the thing I hate most — exercise. It is more compact than even a paperback and I don’t have to worry about breaking the binding; (c) it opens new authors to me, authors whose books I have looked at but wouldn’t gamble on spending $25 on, because their older works are offered either free or very cheaply as e-books; (d) it allows me to read some classics that I was always interested in but reluctant to buy for fear of reading 5 pages and giving up on because of the writing style; and (e) it allows me to read works for free by older authors in genres that I don’t usually read, such as Dorothy Sayers and P.G. Wodehouse.

My point is this, even though a long-winded way to get there: If you look at e-books as a substitute for print books, then the economic model makes no sense for the casual reader, or even for the voracious reader. But if you look at it as a complementary system that opens new worlds, then it may well make sense.

Besides, let’s not forget the youth factor. Sadly, there are a lot of young folk who have no clue what a printed book is or what a bookstore looks like, but give them an electronic device and they can not only use it better than an old folk like me, but they understand it and enjoy it. And these young folk are more likely to get drawn into the world of reading with an e-book than with a p-book, at least based on my less-than-scientific observations.

The biggest problem with economic models is that they are so black and white when there are numerous shades of gray that need to be considered.

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