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Hey, so I'm back to deviate again--though since a lot of us are more or less involved/invested in the Writing and Publishing world to begin with, this stuff isn't *too* off-topic. I hope.


So a few days ago Macmillan's CEO posted a message on Tor.com, and I put it in the back of my mind to consider and deliberate over later. Then I got super distracted with school things and replaying Kingdom Hearts until this morning, when Amazon and Tor posted on Facebook and their blog, respectively, that the new JK Rowling book was to be released in late September of this year.

So that was exciting for about five seconds.

And the reason my excitement took a downhill turn is this:

JK Rowling's book costs twenty dollars. As an EBOOK.

The hardcover version is about thirty something dollars--that's five bucks more than most hardcover Stephen King books go for. And while five bucks really isn't THAT much when you think about it--thirty bucks for a friggin' book is nonetheless ridiculous. (Hell, I won't pay in the 20-25 dollar range for a book unless it is a hardcover and/or special edition of a book or series that I love from the bottom of my heart).

That the hardcover version is 30 bucks is ridiculous. But that ebook price? Have they lost their damn minds?

I mentioned this to a few of you via text already, and Jose mentioned to me that the price wasn't that shocking. I knew more or less that other ebook vendors charge more than Amazon typically does, but I wasn't aware the gap was that friggin' big (and to be honest I'm still not--I have yet to check how much ebooks go for through Barnes and Noble, and theirs is the only other market I see in the bigger picture of competition, though I know that there are others). Point in fact, Amazon's Kindle store is selling JK's newest at 20 bucks for the ebook, too.

So all this bullshit brought me back to my consideration over Macmillan's current predicament with the DOJ and that whole collusion problem.

Apparently the Department of Justice has gone after some publishing companies for changing to the agency model, which influences the prices of their ebooks. The DOJ accused them of collusion, and according to Macmillan's CEO, the other companies have agreed to settle while Macmillan, claiming against the collusion accusation, has decided to duke it out in court. Here's the CEO's message regarding the matter:

http://www.macmillan-speaks.com/2012/04/11/a-message-from-john-sargent-3/

The part of the issue I'm most interested in though is the pricing of ebooks in general. Personally I think they should NEVER cost as much as a physical book--and why the hell should they? They're digital. You produce them once--and that's it! All downloads from there! There is no cost of reproduction after the initial production. They simply don't carry the same amount of value that a physical copy does--physical copies that can be autographed, easily loaned out, and resold. I mean, you can cuddle with your Kindle or Nook or whatever--but in your heart you'll know it just ain't the same.

All joking aside, what do you guys think? Are the big publishing companies right for what they're trying to do, or should they stop being such big babies and learn to adjust their marketing model for a digital product, and stop treating said product like a tangible set of goods? I'm not saying what Amazon is doing is necessarily right--they ARE undercutting the set price, and they are gaining a monopoly in the ebook industry by doing so--at least, it certainly seems that way. But on the other hand, I'd argue that Amazon's prices are generally fairly reasonable for what they're selling. 5-10 bucks for an average ebook sounds reasonable to me. 15-25 bucks does not, especially if you can't even inhale the new-book smell and sleep with them next to your head all night. Not...not that I do that. Often.

I know I don't have all the facts at the moment, so if any of you know more about this topic, please share!

Uhh, music, music...Any Once Upon a Time fans on here? Here's two music vids Jen showed me a week or so ago (potential spoilers!).

First one is RumBelle, and features some footage from other things Robert Carlyle and Emilie de Ravin have been in, like LOST, and whatnot. Second one is OUAT in general:

Enjoy!