From: TeleRead ~ Penguin Ayn Rand version goes from $9.99 to $27.99 in Kindle store!
The party’s over
I never thought you’d stay
The love of laughter
My truth’s no longer sane
The party’s over
Much older than you’d say
This friend of no one
Time creases on your face
Talk Talk ~ The Party’s Over
There are many SMART intelligent Top ePublishers out there right now online setting great examples of successful businesses providing week after week exciting content in eBook form with eye catching covers and well thought out appeal and all are well worth purchasing for your iPad.
Examples like Samhain Publishing or Loose Id are still following the text only eBook format but as I said their cover art and editing and in particular their prices show a remarkable awareness of the needs of the typical eBook reader.
Futher there are examples of an even newer breed of “Interactive Extended Content” ePublishers that are emerging like Oceanhouse Media with it’s Dr. Suess line of eBooks or Enhanced Editions with their recent eBook Nick Cave ~ The Death Of Bunny Munro. Please note that with all the new extended content included in The Death Of Bunny Munro on Apple iTunes the price is still only $16.99.
So Penguin has now decided that simply because they have a new hardcover “Centennial Edition” of Ayn Rand ~ The Fountainhead they are going to jack up the price of their text only Kindle eBook from $9.99 to $27.99!
$27.99 for a standard text only Kindle eBook that has been available forever???
There is no added content! No music or videos of Ayn Rand reading the fucking book while flipping off the listeners… Nothing but the standard format eBook text only blah blah blah now labeled as the “Centennial Edition” (Which means absolutely nothing since they changed nothing to make this anything but just another eBook “edition”.) that was always available in the $9.99 version of their standard format, text only, bland as crap, Penguin eBook.
UPDATE: The Centennial Edition paperback is $8.95!
This is not just lazy folks this is a solid example of an obvious consumer ripoff.
So what will happen next?
Well, anyone with brains enough to use an iPad or Google will find easily obtainable copies of the old $9.99 edition shared for free on one of those BAD websites and download it rather than pay Penguin for the honor of getting royally fucking screwed.
Now I do not buy the idea that online customers are inherently seeking to ripoff the authors or the publishers. I think online customers seek legal but also convenient and reasonably priced means to get the eBooks they want to read. It’s a no-brainer to me or to Amazon or Apple either I bet.
Penguin is training NEW eBook readers and there are millions right now coming online as I write this with Apple’s introduction worldwide for the iPad (I am talking Kindle or iBooks or B&N whatever.) to “automatically” go to pirate websites to download overpriced ancient Ayn Rand books because Penguin is stupid enough to think it’s brand new Agency Business Model will help it control eBooks taking over as the primary format… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! It’s going to bite everyone in the ass.
Folks, after the whole fallout of the music industry and RIAA lawsuits I just wanted to point out how Penguin in this case is undermining everyone’s chances here of getting honest customers to do the right thing. This one is totally on Penguin and they are screwing up at a time where it will be so highly visible and unjust to the everyday consumer that the damage will be done.
If you want to try and stop piracy first stop with the name calling of the potential customers and all those suspect reports running around proving nothing but that DEAD TREE Publishers can buy any excuse for bad business decisions they can afford and how about just starting with some market based common sense and self policing of ripoffs and the damage being done by these major DEAD TREE Publishers with their DEAD TREE Authors with their ever present DRMed schemes of confusion.
Because I honestly do not see the “real” Top ePublishers who have built their business on selling and promoting eBooks pulling this crap. Because they know better. Because they already are very much aware of their customers needs. Because they are already handling the realities of the new market.
I know where I am going to start by bringing the real & obvious problems of poor business decisions and general lack of business ethics by the New York idiots to task. You cannot blame a new eBook customer just now coming online for reacting rationally in this case when they see these ridiculous prices.
Tags: Common Sense
LVLM wrote,
I’m not the kind to cheat and go to torrent sites for books. But this kind of thing makes me want to do it just to mess with them.
Link | May 30th, 2010 at 9:05 am
Hmmm wrote,
Wow. I guess they haven’t noticed there;s a recession and many people out if work? People who might decide it is just easier to search for the book on a pirate site rather than spend the gas money to get the hard copy, and they sure aren’t going to raid the grocery budget to buy the overpriced book. Plus, who wouldn’t want to stick it to that stoopid publisher?
Link | May 30th, 2010 at 10:15 am
Nina wrote,
I think the thing that annoys me beyond all else are the publishers who price ebooks above the print books. What the hell? If they aren’t paying for paper, ink, shipping, ect., what are we being charged extra for? Is it the privilege of not legally being able to share our books with friends and family?
Link | May 30th, 2010 at 10:31 am
TeddyPig wrote,
We might be in a recession and all that but even people who can afford the latest iPad with all the money involved there are not stupid. Buying an eBook that was $9.99 yesterday for $27.99 today is just not going to sit right with anyone.
The attempt of even trying to get people to pay that price is insulting actually.
I think this represents Penquin’s utter disdain for the eBook Reader. This will not end well for Penguin or the authors.
Link | May 30th, 2010 at 10:35 am
kellysbishop.com » Breathtaking Insanity wrote,
[...] have to thank Teddypig for spotting this. In his blog today, (http://www.teddypig.com/2010/05/how-publishers-promote-piracy-a-ripoff-in-point/) he pointed out that Penguin is offering The Fountainhead in Kindle format for $27.99. No [...]
Link | May 30th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Angela James wrote,
Have you checked out the Toy Story book app on the iPad yet? It’s free, so you should download it for the experience. It’s a truly wonderful “enhanced” eBook. I think Disney got these apps exactly right. There are three, TS, TS2 and Princess and the Frog. The last two are $9, and after viewing Toy Story for free (smart move, Disney) I gladly forked over $9 for Princess and the Frog, because it’s the perfect blend of book and enhancements. My daughter LOVES them and reads/ uses them over and over. Disney has proven, with these apps, that childrens books can be the perfect experience for an enhanced ebook.
Link | May 30th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
TeddyPig wrote,
Try The Lorax… it so rocks because it will read the story to you. The illustrations are fun too.
Link | May 30th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
Angela James wrote,
A lot of children’s book apps will actually read the story to you (and I realize you probably have no reason to know this, lol). You generally get the choice between being read to, or reading on your own. My favorites are the ones that highlight each word as it’s read though, so the child can see and hear.
Link | May 30th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
TeddyPig wrote,
Now if only I can get the other books to read to me I might get more reviews done.
Link | May 30th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Treva wrote,
My kids loved the kid’s ebooks back in the day that read to them and would play games if they clicked on objects in the stories. They’ve been around a long time. I want the one that writes and edits for me. I might spend — oh, $30 for that.
Link | May 31st, 2010 at 9:35 am
TeddyPig wrote,
Like the book in The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer
Link | May 31st, 2010 at 11:09 am
Stumbling Over Chaos :: Fit To Be Linked wrote,
[...] again, but the pricing is completely bizarre. So bizarre, in fact, that it inspired TeddyPig to write about how publishers promote piracy through silly [...]
Link | June 3rd, 2010 at 11:45 pm
eBooks As Interactive Apps | The Naughty Bits wrote,
[...] there is some of my favorites like anything Dr. Suess from Oceanhouse Media is magic and Angela James told me about her love for those Disney Apps like Toy Story so I can see how kids are latching onto [...]
Link | June 21st, 2010 at 10:55 am