ebook prices? are they having a larf

[BCBEE]

With the hope of getting either a kindle or tablet either before christmas or shortly after I had a look at the prices of some ebooks. Looking at ebooks.com

The prices are supposed top be cheaper arent they. these no paper or printing to pay for. yet the prices are either the same as a paper book or soften even dearer

is it me am i behind the times or is someone takeing the pee

I know ereaders are more conveinint but blimey £19,99 for an ebook and £7 for the same off Amazon?

Phill

 

[BeeJayBee]

That's one of the reasons I haven't bought any of the e-reader type things, why pay that much and then a premium price for the book. Cheaper to buy a paper copy.

 

[dpearce4]

Dont forget that if you buy an actual book, made of paper, it is vat free. Buy it as a download you are having to pay 20% vat on it.

The tax man is loving people buying books for ereaders they are raking it in.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It depends what you want to read - I have an Amazon kindle and new publications etc. don't seem good value at all (some are dearer as you say) but if you'e in to paperback trash to rest the mind, I get quite a lot for under a pound (the sort of book you'd read then give away - handy for long patrols when your down time is spent on your bunk) also a lot of older books are free, i like to have a few Dickens or Thomas Hardy with me in case i feel like a serious read.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Dont forget that if you buy an actual book, made of paper, it is vat free. Buy it as a download you are having to pay 20% vat on it.

The tax man is loving people buying books for ereaders they are raking it in.

And if you buy a real book, it belongs to you and you can hand it on or flog it to someone else.

Can't do that with an eBook.

[But I have to be honest and say I prefer reading ebooks, on my iPad.
Which surprises me]

Dusty

 

[susbees]

Expect I'm the only beegeek to have the NBU leaflets on mine (for training access you understand)

 

[alanf]

Expect I'm the only beegeek to have the NBU leaflets on mine (for training access you understand)

Um. Maybe not. There are quite a few old bee books available as scans too.

The big bonus with a reader is that you can carry around a massive library of classic stuff. I have a lot of Chekhov short stories and Turgenev. The pricing argument is that a big modern publisher's costs include the physical book only as an incidental. They spend far more on marketing, advertising and massive corporate headquarters. No reason why an ebook should be cheaper. The counter argument is that many of the low cost bestsellers on ebooks are self published - low overheads, no promotion spend. Problem is where you mix the two, the big publishers cannot undercut the physical sales model so with VAT the ebook looks expensive and you don't have a paper copy to pass around. Not an attractive purchase. I can see a growing market of ebook publishing as the first published format, with print on demand as an option if you want a paper copy. Basic message is there will be more big mergers such as the recent Penguin sale: the traditional publishers will adapt or disappear.

 

[REDWOOD]

I have a kindle and would not be without it, as said NBU papers and info all on it and lots of free books on Amazon just change preference on your search from highest to lowest to lowest to highest, there are some sites out there which you can download them free, I was offered a few discs the other day with over 3000 books on it but all fiction. The idiots guide to beekeeping is on a pdf on the net free, and you can exchange books via a dongle if you know how to do it

 

[Worldsend]

If you get an e reader other than a Kindle you can download books for free from the library

didnt discover this until I bouught Kindle for my son last year anf found it was the only type not compatible

 

[Russel]

There's a dose of free bee related books for the kindle, all old but free.

 

[oliver90owner]

If you get an e reader other than a Kindle you can download books for free from the library

Are these permanent copies or just 'borrowed', so self delete after a period of time (so more like borrowing a library book - excepting the book is returned and doesn't spontaneously combust)?

 

[nosmoking]

There are quite a few free download sites out there for books. (free ebook search) Okay they may not up to date but they are free. If they are in the wrong format for say, a Kindle they can be converted very easily and free using software called Calibre. Just do a search for it (can't put a link on here) and you can use it for free or like this web site make a donation. I've been using it for about 2 years.

 

[Neils]

You can get quite a few free bee related books off the guttenburgh press in at least .pdf format. Langstroth's book for example.

My phone and iPad is packed with bee related .pdfs, including the defra booklets. Comes in very handy.

 

[drstitson]

Plenty of free books available - Hesiod's works and days is highly recommended - and why buy an expensive new ebook when you can reread manley or senlgrove.

 

[drstitson]

rab - re borrowings - presumably " 50 Great Coastal Walks of the British Isles Volume II." automatically returns itself to save "issues" with the librarian otherwise have no idea.

 

[Worldsend]

Library books delete after three weeks but I'm sure my kids would find a way round that if required

I still prefer an actual book

 

[Neils]

The point about VAT is quite important. Another is that Google and Amazon are flogging the devices as a loss leader on the basis that the owners will buy content, the old Kodak and photocopier/toner joke, but it's quite valid, especially with Kindles.

I buy a lot of tech books and those publishers who aren't tied into any particular hardware platform do tend to sell the Ebooks cheaper and they'll sell it in any format you like.

 

[nosmoking]

You can get quite a few free bee related books off the guttenburgh press in at least .pdf format. Langstroth's book for example.

My phone and iPad is packed with bee related .pdfs, including the defra booklets. Comes in very handy.

pdf's can also be converted using the programme I mentioned, Calibre.

 

[onymee]

for those who still like proper paper books and don't want to buy an e-reader, you can download kindle for PC from Amazon for free and read all the ebooks to your PC or laptop. I did so a couple of years ago and now have a nice virtual library, all of which were free. I still prefer a proper paper book to read in bed or as quick reference.

 

[domino]

I read a lot, always worth checking around to see if it's cheaper either as a physical or digital copy.