Kindle’s book pricing has been back in the media lately, only this time it’s actually the UK’s media. Kindle readers in the UK have been angered by a steep increase in publishers’ book pricing, which is a result of Amazon’s recent agreement with book publishers to allow them to set pricing for their books. Amazon’s original deal was to have all books sell for under $10 (US price, not UK).
Earlier this year, Amazon readers in the US protested by flooding high priced Kindle books with one-star reviews, dramatically bringing down those books’ reviewer scores.
Fair? I’m a little torn. On the one hand, it’s not fair to the author, and not fair to those of us who consider reviews of books before we decide to buy. It violates the principle of reviewing a book based on its content. But as a strategy for protest, I think it’s smart. Kindle readers shouldn’t be treated as a captive audience that publishers can milk for extra cash. If it’s cheaper to produce a Kindle book (recognizing there are still expenses involved in producing ebooks), then my Kindle book should be cheaper than a paper book.
Do the one-star reviews affect whether people purchase the book? Typically, if I’m interested in a book I actually read the reviews to find out what people are complaining about. But there are times I’m just browsing, and a book with a hundred four- and five-star reviews will catch my eye before a book with one- or two-star reviews.
I browsed Amazon this morning to see how many books I want to read are priced over $10, and was pleased that I didn’t see many. Maybe publishers in the US have gotten the message. Maybe (in the US at least) this is just not a big issue.
If you’re a Kindle reader, has Kindle book pricing been a problem in the last year? Do the negative reviews affect how you buy?
Personally, I won’t one-star a book I liked but I will vote with my wallet and I try not to buy Kindle books over $10. I love my Kindle but I also like buying paper books sometimes, especially to support independent and used bookstores. And then I have a couple of new books to liven up my shelves — the stagnant bookshelf has been my one problem as a Kindle owner.
So if a Kindle book is over $10, I can wait until the paperback comes out, or I find it used. There are a very few books that I won’t wait for, but most of them I will. My non-purchase may not send a message to the publishers, but it feels better to me.
The Book Stop 
My Kindle is fairly new to me (I’ve only had it a month or so) but I have purchased very few books for it. (On the other hand, I’ve downloaded far too many free ones.) 🙂 BUT I have made several book purchases (half a dozen, maybe?) recently, and I opted not to buy the Kindle version in any of those cases, since I could find a much cheaper used copy. So far my usual method is to go with whatever’s cheapest. Even if the prices were the same, I would still choose the physical book over the ebook, unless I was in a huge hurry to receive it.
I am also new to the Kindle.(And like Kathy downloaded lots of free books). And have downloaded and read a couple books I paid for. Right now read the new John-Abigail Adams book by Joseph Ellis. I am still thinking about physical books vs Kindle version. It is a very different experience and I see advantages and disadvantages to each.
But to get to your point, I don’t think a review should be based on the price of a book or whether the reviewer thinks the version they read is overpriced. I would think the Kindle version should be cheaper than the hardback. The publisher does incur many of the same costs – editorial, publicity, marketing, etc. But save the cost of actually printing and shipping the book. It is generally the case that the Kindle version is a little cheaper but I have also seen cases where the Kindle version is actually a little bit more. This makes no sense to me. But the complaint is to the merchant or publisher, not the author.
Amazon’s cornering of the ebook for Kindle market was one of the reasons I went for a different eReader in the end (Sony) – I was worried that they would have the freedom to charge whatever they wanted since Kindle users were tied to them. As it happens, I’ve found that high pricing for ebooks is a more widespread issue. What annoys me the most is when a book is released in hardback and later in paperback and the ebook prices mirror that – surely an ebook costs the same whether or not a physical copy has a hard or paper cover?!
Anyway, I agree that it’s a good means of protest but, as ChescoReader says, it’s misdirected. The success of an author’s book shouldn’t really be decided by anger at Amazon and it would be a shame if an author saw hundreds of one-star reviews and was disheartened, say.
Interesting post! (PS: I bought an ebook copy of ‘Never Let Me Go’ after reading your review the other day! :)…)
A Kindle is the top item on my Christmas wish list, but I am going to get it for the classics, most of which are FREE! I have found myself going to the local book store and thinking, “Hmmmm, I could buy this book for $25 (yikes), or I can order it from the library for free, or I can just wait to get a kindle and get it cheaper!” Needless to say, I don’t have to have any book right now, it can wait until December.
As far as the one-star reviews are concerned, I think anyone who is a reader will read the reviews to see why it got one-star. At least all the readers I know.
I agree about reading the reviews to see why something got a low rating. And having all the classics free on the Kindle is wonderful. Sure, you can find them cheap in used bookstores too, but I like that I can highlight and bookmark electronically. I just can’t mark up a book.
Interesting post. I think you’re right that one-star reviews are unfair to authors and readers who are looking for opinions on the BOOK rather than its cost. But I’m also frustrated when I find a book I want to buy and see that it’s priced at $12, $13, $14…. since I’m not getting an actual, physical product, since I know that the costs associated with producing e-books are lower than those for hard covers or paperbacks, I’m reluctant to buy them, and have only done so a couple times.
And as you write, too, I want to support independent & used bookstores when I get back to the states. I’m living abroad now and have a kindle because it’s difficult to get English books here (the closest bookstore, for books in ANY language, is two hours from me), and one of the things I’m most looking forward to is walking into a library and picking up a giant stack of books I’ve been mentally drooling over for two years, and getting them all for FREE rather than $10 a pop.
Definitely looking forward to reading more of your posts!
Thanks for visiting! You have a great blog — good luck with the rest of your time in Peace Corps! I always wanted to do it, but by the time I got up the nerve I had too many loans. The pricing issue for e-books is a problem that I hope can be resolved. More on that to come…
I recently posted a blog on this very topic. You might be interested in looking at it – http://2manybooks2littletime.wordpress.com/2010/10/27/kindle-readers-skew-book-reviews/
Unfortunately for us all, the advent of the iPad has given publishers the ability to set their own prices for the e-book. Amazon has no control over it anymore, so protesting in book reviews isn’t particularly effective. I’ve embedded a link in my blog that explains why Amazon had to move off of their $9.99 price guarantee.
I think reviews should just reflect the quality of the book and not it’s price, but I understand why frustrated readers are using that tactic to show their displeasure.
People should just vote with their wallets, if the price is too steep, don’t buy the book.