I think that people believe ebooks ought to be cheaper because they're cheaper to produce ... which they are, even if the fixed costs are higher than people realize.
Personally, while I prefer saving the shelf space, and I love having a hundred books in my purse instead of one or two, I like reading paperbacks better than I like reading my Kindle. So if I'm going to pay paperback prices, I want some value added beyond not having to find a place for the paperback. Getting a book without going anywhere can count, but only if I'm feeling sick or *can't* get to the bookstore; I like bookstores. Getting a specific book I've been longing for months early most certainly does count -- I've bought the ARCs for both Fledgling and Saltation, am hoping eagerly for one for Mouse and Dragon, and don't begrudge the $15 extra (extra because I'm going to want the final copy, too.) That's not even getting into DRM, which is the main reason I buy very few ebooks actually from Amazon.
Anyway, if you have a taste for classics, you can get a huge library for ereader or computer for the effort of downloading the files (& installing an ereader client for the appropriate format if you're using your computer), or for under $20 on CD from ebay.
BTB, from Baen, what do you get when someone buys the $15 ARC, when they buy the $5/$6 ebook, and what do you get when someone buys a $15 month which includes one of your books (or two of your books, in the case of 6/2010.)
Re: Thank you
Personally, while I prefer saving the shelf space, and I love having a hundred books in my purse instead of one or two, I like reading paperbacks better than I like reading my Kindle. So if I'm going to pay paperback prices, I want some value added beyond not having to find a place for the paperback. Getting a book without going anywhere can count, but only if I'm feeling sick or *can't* get to the bookstore; I like bookstores. Getting a specific book I've been longing for months early most certainly does count -- I've bought the ARCs for both Fledgling and Saltation, am hoping eagerly for one for Mouse and Dragon, and don't begrudge the $15 extra (extra because I'm going to want the final copy, too.) That's not even getting into DRM, which is the main reason I buy very few ebooks actually from Amazon.
Anyway, if you have a taste for classics, you can get a huge library for ereader or computer for the effort of downloading the files (& installing an ereader client for the appropriate format if you're using your computer), or for under $20 on CD from ebay.
BTB, from Baen, what do you get when someone buys the $15 ARC, when they buy the $5/$6 ebook, and what do you get when someone buys a $15 month which includes one of your books (or two of your books, in the case of 6/2010.)