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Kindle Devotees Rip Rising E-Book Prices

Digital books should cost $10 or less, they say

By Jess Kilby,  Newser User

Posted Apr 7, 2009 6:29 AM CDT

(Newser) – A small but vocal group of Kindle owners has banded together to protest upward-creeping e-book prices, Wired reports. Around 250 disgruntled Kindle devotees have tagged more than 7,200 titles on Amazon priced higher than $10—the most they argue an e-book should cost. "On material items, prices can fluctuate but why would a Kindle book go up in price?" says one.

Those behind the protest argue that an e-book is worth less since it can’t be shared or resold. An industry expert says publishing costs come mostly from “fixed” areas unrelated to shipping or printing, such as editorial and marketing, but that e-publishers will need to ask “what price the market will support, and then build the cost structure that will allow you to make money at that price.”

Some Kindle owners are protesting the rise in price of some e-book titles on Amazon.com by placing boycott tags on the books.
Some Kindle owners are protesting the rise in price of some e-book titles on Amazon.com by placing boycott tags on the books.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Some Kindle owners are protesting the rise in price of some e-book titles on Amazon.com by placing boycott tags on the books.
Some Kindle owners are protesting the rise in price of some e-book titles on Amazon.com by placing boycott tags on the books.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Author Stephen King reads from his latest book Ur with the Kindle 2 electronic reader at a news conference for Amazon.com Monday, Feb. 9, 2009 in New York.
Author Stephen King reads from his latest book "Ur" with the Kindle 2 electronic reader at a news conference for Amazon.com Monday, Feb. 9, 2009 in New York.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
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The typical knee-jerk response from publishers is to usually explain their costs. But readers are speaking vocally and implicitly with their pockets about what they are willing to ultimately pay and that's what matters.
- Andrew Savikas, O'Reilly Media

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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
mockingbird
Apr 7, 2009 12:25 PM CDT
re: its entering the market "big-time": Hopefully that /will/ happen soon (though I'm not sure how that would be defined). They seem to have made quite a blow by offering a free iPhone/iPod Kindle App. That can't help but increase Kindle e-book sales.
Derni
Apr 7, 2009 12:03 PM CDT
Maybe the price will come down when Amazon enetres the market big time-soon.

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