Why would anyone pay more for an eBook than a hardcover? Why would anyone sell an eBook for more than a hardcover?
"Earlier today, Barnes & Noble's eBook Twitter feed proudly proclaimed that Stephanie Meyer's forthcoming novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, is now available for pre-order.
The odd thing, as you can see in the screen shot above, is that the eBook from B&N ($9.99) costs more than the hardcover edition ($8.55). The same holds true in the Kindle store, except that Amazon is discounting the hardcover even further, selling it for $7.69
This is especially silly given the fact that Stephanie Meyer is giving a digital version of the book away for FREE, as we reported." (eBookNewser)
Since an eBook eliminates the cost of printing and physical distribution, one would think publishers would be pleased to sell the eBook for considerably less. Also, since most eBook versions are read only once or twice, publishers are likely to sell more versions compared to hardbacks which are passed from person to person over a period of years.
Why are they doing this? The answer seems to be the same old answer: "because they can" and "because they can increase the profit margin."
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