Yesterday I was delighted to see that the oh-so-talented Jody Lynn Nye had just released a new Myth book. I have been a fan of the series since the first book hit the shelves in 1978 (I read the comic rendition first). For those of you in the know, the Myth series was originally written by Robert Asprin who passed away in 2008.
I mourned the passing of a favourite writer and his works and thought the adventures in his universes were over. That’s what makes the release of a new book so special for me; I had never thought to see another in the series.
That may still be the case for me. Once I saw how much they were charging for the eBook I decided not to purchase it at all. It was more than the paper version.
That is not a shot against Jody Lynn Nye, in case you are wondering. Authors don’t have the ability to set prices on books. Only the publisher does. No, my problem is with Ace. It boggles my mind that they still think they can price eBooks in this way.
I have heard the big presses argue that eBooks cost as much to create as regular books. Note I said, create.
I don’t argue that they still have editing, publicity and art costs to create an eBook.
Now let’s adjust the word create to be produce. Much different story.
eBooks don’t need printing, warehousing or shipping. I’ll give you one guess where the majority of a book’s costs reside. Any ideas? Anyone?
I don’t begrudge the author and publishers the chance to earn money on the books they sell. After all, I am an author myself. If I were to consider how much I’ve earned on an hourly basis for my work, it is pennies. Still, I am not going to try to recoup everything via the digital versions.
Publishers need to wake up and realize that the consumer won’t put up with this sort of nonsense. As much as I really REALLY want that book, there is zero chance that I will purchase it at the prices they are charging.
I guess I was right the first time. The series died for me with the original creator.
