A best-selling author putting out a new book can wreak havoc on the average price of best-selling e-books.
This was shown this week when the average price of best-selling e-books spiked by about $2 to $8.92, as reported by Digital Book World. DBW has kept track of the average prices of e-books from week-to-week since August 2012.
Last year, the average price was in the double digits and regularly dropped to its lowest point in April at $6.58 a book, according to a chart compiled by DBW.
The biggest cause for the spike is likely Sylvia Day’s newest book, “Entwined with You,” hitting the market; DBW lists it as one of three main reasons for the spike in e-book prices. It also mentions that seven of the nine new titles to hit the best seller lists were priced at $10 or more.
Watching what prices do from here, no doubt, will be especially interesting. Thankfully, DBW will be keeping track.
As new books enter the marketplace, including some sure-to-be-blockbusters this summer, the average price of e-books could hover around the $9 mark. However, a longer-term chart could should a roller-coaster type of graph, one that has peaks and valleys right around the same time each year.
Usually, self-published books and backlists tend to be cheaper than e-books from the big publishing houses. So, while the average prices of best sellers were steadily dropping, one thing this week’s news confirms is that consumers are willing to pay more for something they want. That’s probably part of the reason publishers have gotten away with selling e-books for so much money when smaller publishers or self-publishers have sold books for far less.
What do you think? Where do you see the average price of e-books heading?
Also, keep in mind that people are heading off for summer vacations and stuffing their Kindles and iPads with books to read. The major publishers aren’t stupid. They’ve anticipated that boom and are giving them some pricey new books to read.
After all, when you’re blowing $3000 on a vacation, paying another $2 for an ebook is nothing. I just wish the DOJ would get out of the way and let the market drive prices. It’s a bit silly for those in a profession that’ll do anything for a buck–lawyers–to accuse anyone else of greed.
Michael W. Perry: It seems you are confusing the “do anything for a buck-lawyers” employed by Apple and the big 5 publishers with the civil servants employed by the Department of Justice. And, as usual, you are mischaracterizing the lawsuits against them. The DOJ settlements made no requirements on the prices of ebooks, it was all about the types of agreements the publishers could make with the retailers and distributors on the prices, especially in regards to minimum retail price and the prices of books sold by other retailers.