As an author and a consumer, I watch the digital content battle with interest. Currently I give my stuff away, via podcast, completely for free, and it’s come up on Twitter recently that most podcast listeners will not pay for what they once got for free. Along the same lines, digital book fans don’t want to pay cover price for the book. And I was thinking about why we devalue the digital. It can’t just be the fact that we’re convinced the paper, binding, inventory, etc of the physical book are the bulk of the cost. So I was thinking of what else we buy when we buy a physical book, the intangibles:
- A kind of uniqueness: Sure, there may be thousands or millions printed, but they do go out of print, and after that, there are no more. There’s that sense, a diluted version of how you feel during the post-Thanksgiving sales, of triumph: you got yours. Do I feel that triumph regarding my signed first edition of Neil Gaiman’s Angels and Visitations? You bet your butt I do.
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My work
Permanence
: Digital files are a lot like tissues. You use them, you throw them away. I’ve done that with all the podcasts I listen to, including the books, I’ve done it with digital books I’ve read that I need to delete to make room on the Kindle. Remove a book from the shelf and toss it because I’m done? I rarely even consider the idea (unless we’re out of room and making a Goodwill run, then it’s really tough to do.) That’s a book I can look at and make a mental tick next to it, yup, read that one. Physical books also remind you that you need to read them. Every once in a while I look at my Kindle contents and think, I forgot I bought that book! I should read it…. - Bragging rights: There was a study in the UK several years ago about the people who buy popular books just to make their book shelves look good. Which seemed silly; granted, I’ve a bad habit of buying books and not reading them, but there is no conscious need to impress someone. Some people want that, Yeah, I read The Kite Runner too, now is the time when you should think I am awesome and well-read, feeling when they have people over. Interestingly enough, when you discuss ebooks or podcasts, people are no longer interested in your books, they are interested in your device. Kindle? Nook? iPad? COOL!
- Commitment: When we buy books, we know that we’ve not only committed to the time to read it, but also the bringing home of a new thing, a new member of the clutter of your household. You know you’ll need a place for it, you know you have dedicated yourself to dusting it, to caring for it.
When we spend our money, we’re buying more than the story that the author poured months or years of her life in, and we’re buying more than the physical hunk of paper and ink. We’re fulfilling a subconscious checklist in our mind of what it means to bring this physical thing into our lives, and when the physical is removed, much of the value is gone as well.
Do I like this? Heck no! I’m just trying to understand it. I’m an author, I want to get paid to write. I don’t care about how you consume the book; on my end it’s the same. I get up, I go to the computer, I write, I fret, I drive around and brainstorm, I get braingasms and run back to write more, I finish, I edit, I fret some more, and then off it goes. Whether it’s print, ebook, or podcast doesn’t matter to me (of course, if it’s podcast, the delivery mechanism that’s most often free, I have a lot more work cut out for me, which is ironic.) But the concept of how I do it matters to you, which creates the value. If you can put it on the shelf, it might be worth $30. If you can only put it in your ears (and not even get a CD) then it might not be worth a pack of chewing gum.
(oddly enough, apparently as I was writing this, blog contributor Jared Axelrod was discussing similar things on Twitter.)
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9 Responses to EBooks, Physical Books, and Perceived Value
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Not to be contentious (well, yeah…)
I see it a little differently. There are a lot of reasons I might buy a physical book – the signature, the cool binding, the brilliant artwork – to fill out a collector’s set…
But if I buy a digital book (which I do not often do, and usually it’s technical in nature) the single purpose is to read it, and soon. I would never clutter up an e-book reader with tons of unread titles…but I’d sure as heck clutter my house with unread books (I have read, unread, soon to be read, unlikely to be read and all are guarded fiercely).
I guess my point is, I trust an e-book reader to be a reader, and to be ready to read. I’d still rather they had a hard copy, but here’s food for thought.
At Horror Drive Thru you can get a digital copy of THIS IS MY BLOOD – my first novel. One of the site’s reviewers read the book…reviewed it…loved it…and went straight out to pay too much for a signed copy that he will keep. I like that.
Now that I’ve muddied the waters again…
-DNW
Hi Mur,
I buy ebooks and print books at the moment, and they do serve different purposes. I buy print versions of the ebooks if I want to keep them for posterity as you rightly describe or to reread. Amusingly, I bought the print version of Michael Pastore’s “50 Benefits of Ebooks” after reading the ebook as it was so good! I also buy print books after loving audiobooks, whether free or bought. I bought JC Hutchins 7th Son to support him for providing free podcasts for example, and I bought Gary Vaynerchuk’s Crush It in Kindle, print, Vook and audiobook format (crazy woman!) because he cleverly offered extra bonus material with each different medium.
Basically, I buy ebooks primarily to consume fast and I buy a lot of them! I only buy print if the Kindle is not available and I want to consume right now e.g. I bought Dan Brown to blog about it (honest!) and I have bought Seth Godin Linchpin as it is a key idea book. But mostly, I want to buy the ebook and then decide whether I want the print version.
Incidentally, I just spent over $100 on a massive hard cover, full colour edition of Carl Jung’s Red Book – it’s a real trophy book! So there is room in the world for all types of books.
Thanks as always for your hard work on all fronts
When the digital object is infinitely copyable, the physical object represents a different relationship with the creator. It’s a connection to the author in a way that the digital file isn’t.
Not that you can’t have a relationship with the creator through your work, but the fan can express a connection through the objects that she buys. These days we want those objects to feel valuable, special, and unique in some way, since they are the only way to confirm that connection.
That’s why creators are successful at providing tiers of objects which are more unique and personal the more the fan is willing to spend.
A friend of mine suggested that we don’t under-value the digital at all. It may well be that we over-value real books; at least, books in bookstores.
He pointed out that book are dramatically cheaper second-hand; often just pennies. Find a book on Amazon Marketplace and you’ll often see a massive disparity: The Lord of the Rings on Amazon UK costs £20 new and £3 second hand.
For some reason, books depreciate in value worse than cars. But why? The words are all the same. The actual ‘book’ content — the words printed on paper — sells for a really low price.
Now, if I wanted to get a hold of the Lord of the Rings, I can get a copy from Amazon for less than £3, including shipping. That’s the sort of price ebooks should be aiming at, because that’s what I can get it for elsewhere.
A few months ago I commented on an agent blog about the “give it away for free” business model to say that it DOES sometimes work, so long as the content is good enough, and I used HEAVEN as an example. I absolutely adored the podcasts, and I said in the comments that I want to buy a copy (even though I have already “consumed” the content), because it’s good enough that I want to support the author just on principle. Also, I have many friends who don’t listen to audiobooks who I think should read Heaven/Hell, and if it was available in hard copy I would either loan them buy copy or buy them one as a gift… which means that free in one format builds a paying audience in another format.
Similarly, we buy DVDs of certain movies EVEN IF WE NEVER PLAN TO WATCH THE MOVIE AGAIN because the quality of those films, to our way of thinking, demands some kind of financial give-back. It’s on our shelves, representing our tastes, and our little contribution means those writers/actors/directors are more that much likely to get work again and make MORE movies we like.
I think publishers should offer discounts of some kind for people who want to buy multiple formats of books we love. Already bought Neil Gaiman’s hard cover book, love it, want to hear the author-narrated audiobook? Get some % off, because you have the coupon from the book’s back pages. Got a Kindle copy of Playing For Keeps and want to get a hard copy so the rest of your family can read it without you having to hand over your e-reader? Send in your Amazon receipt for a few dollars rebate when you buy the paperback. Etc.
More typos than usual in my last post. Obviously it’s a subject I care about…
I’m coming out as someone who won’t spend money on something I already have for free. Economically, it makes no sense;
1. I’ve already got the product; money spent on a second copy is a waste.
2. The value of the book is in the reading, in the surprises and new ideas. Re-reading a book doesn’t give me a lot of pleasure.
3. Physical books are clutter. I don’t want to carry them or store them.
So, if I’ve listened to the podcast, buying the book makes me poor, cramped, and bored. Not a good deal.
I was first introduced to this “podcasting” thing by listening to PLAYING FOR KEEPS.
I was amazed that someone would freely put out their work for general consumption and require anything back. The more I listened, I became more excited about the next installment. (Yes, I am a Third Waver)
The promo also led me onto other great podcasts that were being done. (7th Son, Infected, Brave Men Run, The Takeover, Tumbler, Dead Mech etc)
All of these great authors were putting out their work and I could have it all!
Not only did this allow me to read the stories, but I was also able to gain a community as well.
When the authors of these stories released their work for purchase,
I FELT OBLIGATED TO PAY FOR THE FREE RIDE I HAVE BEEN GIVEN.
Even multiple copies in some cases.
You and the others do this for a living, you write to make $$$ regardless of the format.
For me there is value in both formats, my iTunes still contains the original copies of these releases – as well as the new ones as well.
The value for these are equal for me in my mind (kind of like asking which kid I love “more”) It is about the story, not the format.
Should ebooks cost as much as Hard books? No
Should Hardbooks cost as little as ebooks? If I was king…
Should the authors get more money?
HELL YA
Just a quick thought – I have been a follower of podcast fiction for some years now, (though I don’t get enough of a chance to listen now I don’t commute – I haven’t even finished Heaven
)
Still, the genre hasn’t been around for that long. When it comes to the issue of buying what I’ve heard for free, it’s not that I’ve heard it free that stops me, it’s that I’ve heard it in the last couple of years. I loved 7th Son, but I came to it late, so I haven’t bought it in print. I did want to support JC though, so I have bought PE:DA, though horror is something I’m not generally interested in (and haven’t read the book yet!).
Similarly I’ve loved a lot of what I’ve heard from Cory, but generally, with the exception of some collections, I’ve bought different things – I have Little Brother and Makers in print based on what I heard in podcast.
Another point is – digital files are hassle, unless they’re provided in a way you can’t lose what you’ve spent (e.g. Kindle or Audible). If I have a book or DVD, then unless I take it somewhere and lose it, or lend it without keeping track, it’s somewhere in my house. If I buy an eBook as a PDF, MP3 or iPhone App, or music/TV/films through iTunes, I have to manage it, back it up, etc.
That came out longer than I meant
Maybe I’ll go buy the Playing for Keeps App, because I haven’t finished reading it, the PDF I had on my Palm is a pain to read in small chunks, and I haven’t bought anything of yours yet…