mc warhammer Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 (edited) @ Apothecary Vaddon "If the price of books in general on a platform go down, then surely something else will have to compensate, and that might be the special editions." Lowering prices might actually raise revenue and profit. It would depend on how the market reacts. It could result in a large increase of unit sales. that’s possible, but lowering the sale price while the cost of production remains the same is a risk Edited June 1, 2019 by mc warhammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkChaplain Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 The cost of the ebook production itself is, I dare say, negligible, especially with regards to Amazon's automated toolkit. Putting together a BL epub likely happens alongside the typesetting of the print edition to begin with, but with the templates they got worked out, it shouldn't take more than an afternoon to finish the ebook for release. Even considering hourly wages, sell 20 copies on Amazon and those might already be paid. And after they're finished, ebooks don't take up space, don't pick up dust, don't sit on bookshelves staring at customers in the wild. Not selling an ebook copy isn't a loss. It also isn't a win. Lowering prices may turn a neutral outcome into a positive one. The only way it can be negative on the whole is if the ebook pricing makes the print editions, which do have to be moved out of warehouses and to retailers etc, with a much higher comparative manufacturing cost than one-and-done ebooks, a less attractive choice for a noticeable amount of customers. On the flipside, make the ebooks as expensive as the print editions, and customers will often see the ebooks as less valuable to them because it is an intangible product of 0s and 1s, and they know that manufacturing and warehousing etc is more expensive on print. Ebooks being a bit cheaper has been widely accepted in the wider industry - and I dare say expected. Of course, Amazon has helped shape that expectation, but the majority of people I've talked to, anecdotally, have agreed that a tangible book holds greater value than an intangible one, despite the advantages of ebooks for storage and readability specifically. The trick is finding the right balance between print and ebook prices, suggesting added value of print while offering ebooks at enough of a discount to attract new potential customers and increase the overall spending of existing customers in terms of volume - because we all skip releases, don't we? If BL can get us to buy three instead of two a month, for example, they're gaining from it, at no further expense to themselves (and revenue splits aren't an expense). The product is done and can be infinitely reproduced at the cost of a fraction of a cent or penny in power and traffic. Traditionally, BL has been rather poor with their ebook pricing structure, and I'd make the claim that th ey did not reach their full sales potential as a result. A lot of prices are frankly ludicrous and outstrip the real world selling prices of their print editions by up to 33%, most obviously with omnibus releases. People are unlikely to buy a 20€ ebook when they get the print for normally less than 15€ on the same store, on the same or linked storepage, with the price difference immediately apparent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc warhammer Posted June 2, 2019 Share Posted June 2, 2019 (edited) “cost of production” in the way i meant (which was vague) in this industry isn’t just the nuts and bolts. the physical costs of paperback printing just aren’t really that much. from what i’m told, maybe 10% of the overall cost it includes all the contracted entitlements, such as royalties which would often be a % of sold cost (just as whenever one of my tv shows airs again locally or internationally i get a kickback % which has to be factored in). the wholesaler would also take a % (i assume like the distributor would in my industry). if it works in % rather than a flat fee, then lowering ebooks too much will essentially screw people all along the chain. technology is great, but people need to eat and being a small publisher, i imagine BL have harsher margins and overheads to work with in general beyond that, i think (the writers here could probably elaborate or shoot this down if incorrect) that the mechanism of sale to retailers is different for ebooks... something that stops guys like amazon from being able to discount as heavily as they do with paperback on a more general note, there’s paying for the perceived value of the product. even if something cost 10c to create, if the value to a customer is $100, then that’s what it will sell for. if a customer sees value in the convenience and tech of an ebook, coupled with their love of 40k then they possibly will pay 30% more for that value. it’s a lifestyle choice not a practical choice the average louis vuitton bag costs maybe $400 to make but retails for $2000. perceived value tldr: i’m reasonably sure physical paperbacks are only marginally more expensive than ebooks to produce and distribute. i’m also sure the wisdom of “lower your prices to sell more” has occurred to the BL staff, and there’s a reason they were so slow to experiment with it. it still isn’t a sure thing Edited June 2, 2019 by mc warhammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaVolt87 Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Goods sell to public consumers for what the company CFO/accountants want them to sell for initially, regardless of what marketing wants to discount new introduced products etc. Its the marketers job to then gauge how close they can get to the desired projections without permanently damaging the brand/ good will of the company etc in the attempt. Customers are at the bottom of the chain here, not the other way around. BL won't heavy discount even though they should for electronic copies, because it would cheapen the brand. BL obviously considers themselves as prestige in sci-fi, much like European sports car makers in the automotive industry. From an outside point of view they should discount, but who knows for sure whats going on concretely internally for these types of decisions and why they are made in the end. Also I think the LV bag would have a lower unit cost than that, designer clothes have a crazy revenue return per unit produced, due to scale of production, Labor/capital/vendor leveraging etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc warhammer Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 my partner works in marketing and fashion, her estimation was between 200-400 depending on the bag. i’m sure we agree that, even if it was $20, the point is still the same MegaVolt87 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaVolt87 Posted June 8, 2019 Share Posted June 8, 2019 my partner works in marketing and fashion, her estimation was between 200-400 depending on the bag. i’m sure we agree that, even if it was $20, the point is still the same Fair enough, it just got me that 400 for a 2K bag a little high per unit. Must be for the bigger bags, more than 2K. mc warhammer 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc warhammer Posted June 8, 2019 Share Posted June 8, 2019 yeah, could very well be that i mixed up the higher end cost against a lower end return Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aa.logan Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 (edited) Ebooks of Dark Imperium, The Anarch and Horus Rising are all £1.99 on the UK Amazon site as limited time deals, though not listed under the kindle daily deals tab. The Ravenor omnibus briefly showed up as being £7.99, but has since seemingly vanished. Not sure yet what happened to my order... Edit: Very odd. My order went through as being book one of the trilogy, though when I first clicked on the page it clearly said omnibus and had the new cover. Since then the omnibus has reverted back to the original cover and I can’t find a pre-order copy of the new one. Edited July 20, 2019 by aa.logan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aa.logan Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 No confusion this time; the Eisenhorn omnibus is one of today’s Kindle Daily deals at £1.99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelborn Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 (edited) Thanks for sharing. Eisenhorn and Ravenor is what I haven't read yet. Turns out its only available in uk and I can't purchase it. :/ Edited July 27, 2019 by Kelborn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaVolt87 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Just ordered some HH paperbacks from Angus and Robertson here in OZ a book store chain we have. I ordered the paperback for AUD$25 with postage, BL has the ebook for $21. Here is the kicker- I received the $45 version that GW classifies as hardback instead. So a bookstore classifies GW's HH "hardbacks" as paper backs which they basically are. Being bigger with some different cardboard is not a hardback. Get rekt GW and BL lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire Golem Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Just ordered some HH paperbacks from Angus and Robertson here in OZ a book store chain we have. I ordered the paperback for AUD$25 with postage, BL has the ebook for $21. Here is the kicker- I received the $45 version that GW classifies as hardback instead. So a bookstore classifies GW's HH "hardbacks" as paper backs which they basically are. Being bigger with some different cardboard is not a hardback. Get rekt GW and BL lol. The Horus Heresy hardbacks are proper hardbacks though. I have a couple. They have proper hard covers and a slipcover over that. The bigger format paperbacks aren’t called hardbacks by BL or GW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkChaplain Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Just ordered some HH paperbacks from Angus and Robertson here in OZ a book store chain we have. I ordered the paperback for AUD$25 with postage, BL has the ebook for $21. Here is the kicker- I received the $45 version that GW classifies as hardback instead. So a bookstore classifies GW's HH "hardbacks" as paper backs which they basically are. Being bigger with some different cardboard is not a hardback. Get rekt GW and BL lol. The hardbacks are GW-exclusive and not carried by regular retail. You bought the large-format paperbacks they've been printing since Angel Exterminatus, not the actual Hardback editions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaVolt87 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Just ordered some HH paperbacks from Angus and Robertson here in OZ a book store chain we have. I ordered the paperback for AUD$25 with postage, BL has the ebook for $21. Here is the kicker- I received the $45 version that GW classifies as hardback instead. So a bookstore classifies GW's HH "hardbacks" as paper backs which they basically are. Being bigger with some different cardboard is not a hardback. Get rekt GW and BL lol. The hardbacks are GW-exclusive and not carried by regular retail. You bought the large-format paperbacks they've been printing since Angel Exterminatus, not the actual Hardback editions. I have seen those $45 editions, they are not proper hard backs of things like Buried Dagger, but the large format version at a GW store. I consider a hard back to be something like the primarch series of books. Unless these $45 editions on the GW website are online only like the primarch book covers hard backs? I have only seen these large format books at the $45 price point in GW stores here in OZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkChaplain Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Yeah, no, the hardbacks are actually hardbacks. And no, you did not receive the "hardback" editions from your retail chain. The retail chain cannot sell you direct exclusives that only GW, Black Library and - at the most - approved partner stores may carry. Retail chains do not have access to the dustjacketed hardbacks for the Horus Heresy, which only ever were direct exclusives with relatively low print runs to begin with. You've seen the large format trade paperbacks with foldout cover flaps. There's no "getting rekt" for GW/BL. You're simply mistaken in your assessment. Fire Golem and aa.logan 2 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaVolt87 Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Yeah, no, the hardbacks are actually hardbacks. And no, you did not receive the "hardback" editions from your retail chain. The retail chain cannot sell you direct exclusives that only GW, Black Library and - at the most - approved partner stores may carry. Retail chains do not have access to the dustjacketed hardbacks for the Horus Heresy, which only ever were direct exclusives with relatively low print runs to begin with. You've seen the large format trade paperbacks with foldout cover flaps. There's no "getting rekt" for GW/BL. You're simply mistaken in your assessment. So, you are saying if I go on GW's website and order the $45 version I will be sent a hardback and not the large format version? Also you seem to completely ignore the fact that the large format versions where I am are $45 at a GW store in my country. I have never seen this hardback version in a GW store that people keep saying are around. The large format version is and has been $45 in OZ for as long as I can remember. Also have been told by GW staff that that IS the hardback version. When I ask what paperback version they have they point to the SMALL format books as the paperbacks, those are $18 for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire Golem Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Yeah, no, the hardbacks are actually hardbacks. And no, you did not receive the "hardback" editions from your retail chain. The retail chain cannot sell you direct exclusives that only GW, Black Library and - at the most - approved partner stores may carry. Retail chains do not have access to the dustjacketed hardbacks for the Horus Heresy, which only ever were direct exclusives with relatively low print runs to begin with. You've seen the large format trade paperbacks with foldout cover flaps. There's no "getting rekt" for GW/BL. You're simply mistaken in your assessment. So, you are saying if I go on GW's website and order the $45 version I will be sent a hardback and not the large format version? Also you seem to completely ignore the fact that the large format versions where I am are $45 at a GW store in my country. I have never seen this hardback version in a GW store that people keep saying are around. The large format version is and has been $45 in OZ for as long as I can remember. Also have been told by GW staff that that IS the hardback version. When I ask what paperback version they have they point to the SMALL format books as the paperbacks, those are $18 for me. On the black library site, $45 gets you the hardback, not the large format paperback. Ditto for the GW site. That’s the price for the Buried Dagger, which isn’t out in paperback yet so that’s definitely the hardback price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc warhammer Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Yeah, no, the hardbacks are actually hardbacks. And no, you did not receive the "hardback" editions from your retail chain. The retail chain cannot sell you direct exclusives that only GW, Black Library and - at the most - approved partner stores may carry. Retail chains do not have access to the dustjacketed hardbacks for the Horus Heresy, which only ever were direct exclusives with relatively low print runs to begin with. You've seen the large format trade paperbacks with foldout cover flaps. There's no "getting rekt" for GW/BL. You're simply mistaken in your assessment. So, you are saying if I go on GW's website and order the $45 version I will be sent a hardback and not the large format version? Also you seem to completely ignore the fact that the large format versions where I am are $45 at a GW store in my country. I have never seen this hardback version in a GW store that people keep saying are around. The large format version is and has been $45 in OZ for as long as I can remember. Also have been told by GW staff that that IS the hardback version. When I ask what paperback version they have they point to the SMALL format books as the paperbacks, those are $18 for me. which store? i live in oz and haven’t seen any $45 paperback HH novels yet. big or small maybe i’m just going to the wrong places Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaVolt87 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 Yeah, no, the hardbacks are actually hardbacks. And no, you did not receive the "hardback" editions from your retail chain. The retail chain cannot sell you direct exclusives that only GW, Black Library and - at the most - approved partner stores may carry. Retail chains do not have access to the dustjacketed hardbacks for the Horus Heresy, which only ever were direct exclusives with relatively low print runs to begin with. You've seen the large format trade paperbacks with foldout cover flaps. There's no "getting rekt" for GW/BL. You're simply mistaken in your assessment. So, you are saying if I go on GW's website and order the $45 version I will be sent a hardback and not the large format version? Also you seem to completely ignore the fact that the large format versions where I am are $45 at a GW store in my country. I have never seen this hardback version in a GW store that people keep saying are around. The large format version is and has been $45 in OZ for as long as I can remember. Also have been told by GW staff that that IS the hardback version. When I ask what paperback version they have they point to the SMALL format books as the paperbacks, those are $18 for me. which store? i live in oz and haven’t seen any $45 paperback HH novels yet. big or small maybe i’m just going to the wrong places It was a while back, I am very sure I ended up paying AUD$45 for the large format books from a GW. It was Betrayer and Angel Exterminatus when they released- couldn't wait to read those so were an auto buy. I kinda lost patience for a bit there waiting for the cheaper $18 versions that used to release first up, which match the rest of the ones I already had. I might be in the area of a GW soon on other business in the area, so I will have another look. However, very sure I have never seen a HH main line book that was a proper hard cover in a GW store here in Sydney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theSpirea Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 What do you mean by proper hardcover? They have either Limited Editions or regular Hardcover and HH hardcover goes for 45AUD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc warhammer Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 Yeah, no, the hardbacks are actually hardbacks. And no, you did not receive the "hardback" editions from your retail chain. The retail chain cannot sell you direct exclusives that only GW, Black Library and - at the most - approved partner stores may carry. Retail chains do not have access to the dustjacketed hardbacks for the Horus Heresy, which only ever were direct exclusives with relatively low print runs to begin with. You've seen the large format trade paperbacks with foldout cover flaps. There's no "getting rekt" for GW/BL. You're simply mistaken in your assessment. So, you are saying if I go on GW's website and order the $45 version I will be sent a hardback and not the large format version? Also you seem to completely ignore the fact that the large format versions where I am are $45 at a GW store in my country. I have never seen this hardback version in a GW store that people keep saying are around. The large format version is and has been $45 in OZ for as long as I can remember. Also have been told by GW staff that that IS the hardback version. When I ask what paperback version they have they point to the SMALL format books as the paperbacks, those are $18 for me.which store? i live in oz and haven’t seen any $45 paperback HH novels yet. big or small maybe i’m just going to the wrong places It was a while back, I am very sure I ended up paying AUD$45 for the large format books from a GW. It was Betrayer and Angel Exterminatus when they released- couldn't wait to read those so were an auto buy. I kinda lost patience for a bit there waiting for the cheaper $18 versions that used to release first up, which match the rest of the ones I already had. I might be in the area of a GW soon on other business in the area, so I will have another look. However, very sure I have never seen a HH main line book that was a proper hard cover in a GW store here in Sydney. yeah the one just down from galaxy books. i’ll pop in and have a word; cos it sounds like they’ve overcharged you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaVolt87 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 Yeah, no, the hardbacks are actually hardbacks. And no, you did not receive the "hardback" editions from your retail chain. The retail chain cannot sell you direct exclusives that only GW, Black Library and - at the most - approved partner stores may carry. Retail chains do not have access to the dustjacketed hardbacks for the Horus Heresy, which only ever were direct exclusives with relatively low print runs to begin with. You've seen the large format trade paperbacks with foldout cover flaps. There's no "getting rekt" for GW/BL. You're simply mistaken in your assessment. So, you are saying if I go on GW's website and order the $45 version I will be sent a hardback and not the large format version? Also you seem to completely ignore the fact that the large format versions where I am are $45 at a GW store in my country. I have never seen this hardback version in a GW store that people keep saying are around. The large format version is and has been $45 in OZ for as long as I can remember. Also have been told by GW staff that that IS the hardback version. When I ask what paperback version they have they point to the SMALL format books as the paperbacks, those are $18 for me.which store? i live in oz and haven’t seen any $45 paperback HH novels yet. big or smallmaybe i’m just going to the wrong places It was a while back, I am very sure I ended up paying AUD$45 for the large format books from a GW. It was Betrayer and Angel Exterminatus when they released- couldn't wait to read those so were an auto buy. I kinda lost patience for a bit there waiting for the cheaper $18 versions that used to release first up, which match the rest of the ones I already had. I might be in the area of a GW soon on other business in the area, so I will have another look. However, very sure I have never seen a HH main line book that was a proper hard cover in a GW store here in Sydney. yeah the one just down from galaxy books. i’ll pop in and have a word; cos it sounds like they’ve overcharged you Was years ago now, when the books were still new, all good. How much are the large format books usually? mc warhammer 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mc warhammer Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 Yeah, no, the hardbacks are actually hardbacks. And no, you did not receive the "hardback" editions from your retail chain. The retail chain cannot sell you direct exclusives that only GW, Black Library and - at the most - approved partner stores may carry. Retail chains do not have access to the dustjacketed hardbacks for the Horus Heresy, which only ever were direct exclusives with relatively low print runs to begin with. You've seen the large format trade paperbacks with foldout cover flaps. There's no "getting rekt" for GW/BL. You're simply mistaken in your assessment. So, you are saying if I go on GW's website and order the $45 version I will be sent a hardback and not the large format version? Also you seem to completely ignore the fact that the large format versions where I am are $45 at a GW store in my country. I have never seen this hardback version in a GW store that people keep saying are around. The large format version is and has been $45 in OZ for as long as I can remember. Also have been told by GW staff that that IS the hardback version. When I ask what paperback version they have they point to the SMALL format books as the paperbacks, those are $18 for me.which store? i live in oz and haven’t seen any $45 paperback HH novels yet. big or smallmaybe i’m just going to the wrong places It was a while back, I am very sure I ended up paying AUD$45 for the large format books from a GW. It was Betrayer and Angel Exterminatus when they released- couldn't wait to read those so were an auto buy. I kinda lost patience for a bit there waiting for the cheaper $18 versions that used to release first up, which match the rest of the ones I already had. I might be in the area of a GW soon on other business in the area, so I will have another look. However, very sure I have never seen a HH main line book that was a proper hard cover in a GW store here in Sydney. yeah the one just down from galaxy books. i’ll pop in and have a word; cos it sounds like they’ve overcharged you Was years ago now, when the books were still new, all good. How much are the large format books usually? approx the $25 range for the large format paperback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aa.logan Posted August 10, 2019 Share Posted August 10, 2019 UK Amazon has Wolfsbane, Slaves to Darkness, War of Secrets and Plague War I & II all at £1.99 each as limited time deals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob P Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 (edited) Devastation of Baal is down to 1.99 on amazon uk As are Titandeath Solar War Choose your Enemies Talon of Horus Heralds of the Siege False Gods Edit: Old Soldier's never Die - 2.99 Edited September 1, 2019 by Rob P aa.logan 1 Back to top Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now