In the previous three articles I looked at publishers that were deliberately overcharging Australians in a big way. There does appear to be a European common element to this, whether French, English or in combination.
Therefore, to check this I decided to have a look at the American SF imprints to see what they were doing to us.
Some quick browsing of the books available showed that it was clear they hadn’t become ridiculous ripoffs (although this could of course change going forwards given the price of a couple of newer books). Another issue of interest to readers is fairness. Especially given statements that prices would drop as other editions came out and prices would be less than the dead tree versions. Clearly Hachette, Macmillan and HarperCollins have not kept to that. A Murdoch company lying? Again, that will surprise no one these days. Was it the case for others?
The first imprint that sprang to mind was Del Rey because of their rather nice series of Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock reprints as well as the Suvudu site. So I will start there and follow with the others.
Again, to produce the sample it I used advanced kindle ebook search using Del Rey as the publisher field entry. Given there was closer to 200 than 100 books I have removed some that did not have paper editions to compare with. This sample was obtained last week.
Surprisingly, there seems to be a considerable amount of common sense on display here. Older tie-in work is cheaper, $5.59 compared to $6.39 for others. The kindle prices for these standard mass market paperback type books appeared to be set using a standard formula of 80%, which is not too bad. Some of their prices have gone up. The Del Rey book of Science Fiction and Fantasy is more expensive than when I bought it several years ago, as are some of the Robert E. Howard volumes.
When you are talking of common sense and science fiction digital publishing Baen is of course the gold standard. For their mass market paperback books the digital price is $6.00. Some older work is $5.00 or $4.00. This is a standard ratio for the Baen $7.99 paperbacks of 75% for more recent work. Therefore Del Rey are close. In fact, if you take the whole sample their ratio is 76%. The more expensive books vary in print price at Amazon, given the much larger margins to play with. These are mostly priced at $9.99 by Del Rey. Then you have the example of a book on a huge discount sale for $0.89 – Child of Fire, by Harry Connolly. Yes, I did buy that one!
The whole Del Rey sample has only ONE book at a higher price than the standard type pricing that Hachette and Macmillan are inflicting on us. A slightly more excusable case of really new book, too, not something that is several years old.
The average Kindle price was $7.59 and the average print price $10.06.
Del Rey are close to $3 cheaper per book than HarperCollins, over $6 cheaper per book than Hachette and you can get two Del Rey books for every Macmillan book and have enough left over to buy a short story, to boot. This is a pretty telling example of how bad a ripoff Macmillan UK is.
|
Publisher |
AUS |
|
Del Rey |
$ 7.59 |
|
HarperCollins |
$ 10.38 |
|
Hachette |
$ 13.82 |
|
Macmillan |
$ 16.42 |
|
Del Rey books sample |
Kindle |
Paper |
Ratio |
|
|
$7.59 |
$10.06 |
75% |
|
Child of Fire A Twenty Palaces Novel |
$0.89 |
$7.99 |
11% |
|
Genellan First Victory |
$4.00 |
$15.00 |
27% |
|
Genellan In the Shadow of the Moon |
$4.00 |
$7.00 |
57% |
|
The Pretender’s Crown |
$4.49 |
$11.90 |
38% |
|
Game of Cages A Twenty Palaces Novel |
$5.39 |
$7.99 |
67% |
|
Dirge Dirge Book 2 |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Diuturnity’s Dawn |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
For Love of Mother Not |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Orphan Star |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Tar-aiym Krang |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
X-Men 2 |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Men(tm) The Last Stand 3 |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Force Recon Pointblank |
$5.59 |
$7.99 |
70% |
|
Starfist Kingdom’s Swords |
$5.59 |
$7.99 |
70% |
|
Demontech Rally Point |
$5.59 |
$7.99 |
70% |
|
X-Men |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Men in Black II |
$5.59 |
$17.20 |
33% |
|
A World of Difference |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Macross Saga Battle Cry Vols 1-3 |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Macross Saga Doomsday Vol 4-6 |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Swept Away and Sun Blind |
$5.59 |
$7.99 |
70% |
|
A Distant Magic |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Mutant Chronicles |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Queen of the Orcs Clan Daughter |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Queen of the Orcs King’s Property |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Queen of the Orcs Royal Destiny |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Spider-Man 2 |
$5.59 |
$17.20 |
33% |
|
Spider-Man |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Hitman Enemy Within |
$5.59 |
$6.99 |
80% |
|
Reunion |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Traitor to the Crown A Spell for the Revolution |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Traitor to the Crown The Demon Redcoat |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Traitor to the Crown The Patriot Witch |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Backshot Starfist Force Recon Book 1 |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Blood Contact |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Double Jeopardy |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Firestorm |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist FirstSchool of Fire Starfist 1 |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Flashfire |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Force Recon Recoil |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Hangfire |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Kingdom’s Fury |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Lazarus Rising |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist School of Fire |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Steel Gauntlet |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Technokill |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist Wings of Hell |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Demontech Gulf Run |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Demontech Onslaught |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starfist A World of Hurt |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Tales Before Tolkien |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starstrike Operation Orion |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Starstrike Task Force Mars |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
The Tower of Shadows |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Gods of Mars |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
1812 The Rivers of War |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
1824 The Arkansas War |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Helfort’s War Book 1 |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Helfort’s War Book 2 |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Helfort’s War Book 3 |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Helfort’s War Book 4 |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Circle of Enemies |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
The Guns of the South |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Robotech Southern Cross |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Robotech The Invid invasion |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Wit’ch Fire |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Wit’ch Storm 2 |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Wit’ch War |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Command and Conquer |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
The Adventures of Lando Calrissian |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Shotgun Sorceress |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Spellbent |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Switchblade Goddess |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Stolen Magic |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Mr. Twilight |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Heart of the Exiled |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
The Last Vampire |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
The Vampire Agent |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
A Spell for Chameleon |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Castle Roogna |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Source of Magic |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Ascendance |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Bastion of Darkness |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Echoes of the Fourth Magic |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Immortalis |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Mortalis |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
The Witch’s Daughter |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
A March into Darkness |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Rise of the Blood Royal |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Savage Messiah |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Great Sky Woman |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Wizard at Large |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Resistance A Hole in the Sky |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Resistance The Gathering Storm |
$6.39 |
$7.99 |
80% |
|
Homefront The Voice of Freedom |
$7.99 |
$9.99 |
80% |
|
Truthseeker |
$8.99 |
$11.25 |
80% |
|
Wayfinder |
$8.99 |
$10.95 |
82% |
|
Ghosts of Albion Accursed |
$8.99 |
$11.86 |
76% |
|
Pandemonium |
$8.99 |
$11.22 |
80% |
|
Raising Stony Mayhall |
$8.99 |
$10.95 |
82% |
|
Lord of Souls An Elder Scrolls Novel |
$8.99 |
$10.20 |
88% |
|
Lord Tophet A Shadowbridge Novel |
$8.99 |
$11.90 |
76% |
|
Eat the Dark A Novel |
$8.99 |
$11.88 |
76% |
|
Tattoo |
$8.99 |
$11.70 |
77% |
|
The God Particle A Novel |
$8.99 |
$13.95 |
64% |
|
Uncharted The Fourth Labyrinth |
$9.69 |
$10.20 |
95% |
|
The Infernal City An Elder Scrolls Novel |
$9.69 |
$10.20 |
95% |
|
Deus Ex Icarus Effect |
$9.69 |
$10.20 |
95% |
|
The Remembering Book Three of The Meq |
$9.69 |
$10.20 |
95% |
|
Parallelities |
$9.99 |
$19.00 |
53% |
|
Elemental Destiny’s Embers |
$9.99 |
$15.38 |
65% |
|
The Queen’s Bastard |
$9.99 |
$14.49 |
69% |
|
Witchery A Ghosts of Albion Novel |
$9.99 |
$11.66 |
86% |
|
Dragon in Chains |
$9.99 |
$14.49 |
69% |
|
Hidden Cities |
$9.99 |
$11.70 |
85% |
|
Jade Man’s Skin |
$9.99 |
$10.95 |
91% |
|
The Devil’s Alphabet |
$9.99 |
$14.49 |
69% |
|
Tales Before Narnia |
$9.99 |
$15.00 |
67% |
|
Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy |
$9.99 |
$12.00 |
83% |
|
Shadowbridge |
$9.99 |
$11.25 |
89% |
|
Every Inch a King |
$9.99 |
$14.95 |
67% |
|
The Man with the Iron Heart |
$9.99 |
$10.80 |
93% |
|
The War That Came Early West and East |
$9.99 |
$10.88 |
92% |
|
Web Warriors Memories End |
$9.99 |
$15.00 |
67% |
|
No Doors No Windows A Novel |
$9.99 |
$11.92 |
84% |
|
The Children of Cthulhu |
$9.99 |
$11.66 |
86% |
|
Shadows Over Baker Street |
$9.99 |
$10.91 |
92% |
|
Crawlers |
$9.99 |
$14.95 |
67% |
|
Demons |
$9.99 |
$14.48 |
69% |
|
Ice Song |
$9.99 |
$11.25 |
89% |
|
Enigmatic Pilot A Tall Tale Too True |
$9.99 |
$15.38 |
65% |
|
Kings and Assassins |
$9.99 |
$11.70 |
85% |
|
Maledicte |
$9.99 |
$11.21 |
89% |
|
Little Women and Werewolves |
$9.99 |
$11.90 |
84% |
|
Cosmos Incorporated |
$9.99 |
$15.00 |
67% |
|
Grand Junction |
$9.99 |
$14.04 |
71% |
|
Grail Prince |
$9.99 |
$14.48 |
69% |
|
Prince of Dreams A Tale of Tristan and Esyllte |
$9.99 |
$11.21 |
89% |
|
Crucible of Gold |
$9.99 |
$13.99 |
71% |
|
Crysis Legion |
$9.99 |
$15.38 |
65% |
|
Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures |
$9.99 |
$13.14 |
76% |
|
Bran Mak Morn The Last King |
$9.99 |
$17.32 |
58% |
|
El Borak and Other Desert Adventures |
$9.99 |
$13.50 |
74% |
|
Kull Exile of Atlantis |
$9.99 |
$12.41 |
80% |
|
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1 |
$9.99 |
$17.32 |
58% |
|
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2 |
$9.99 |
$16.36 |
61% |
|
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard |
$9.99 |
$13.14 |
76% |
|
The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane |
$9.99 |
$12.24 |
82% |
|
God of War |
$9.99 |
$14.49 |
69% |
|
Dragon’s Egg |
$9.99 |
$16.26 |
61% |
|
The Language of Power |
$9.99 |
$14.48 |
69% |
|
Time Dancers |
$9.99 |
$10.91 |
92% |
|
The Games |
$9.99 |
$13.99 |
71% |
|
The Drawing of the Dark |
$11.99 |
$10.95 |
109% |
|
The War That Came Early The Big Switch |
$12.59 |
$17.03 |
74% |
|
Year Zero A Novel |
$14.70 |
$16.33 |
90% |
Previous articles :-
Hachette Macmillan HarperCollins Del Rey
To finish, some other DRM free publishers of interest:
Rebellion are the publisher of 2000 AD and in the store you will find books form the Solaris SF imprint, Abaddon and also some 2000 AD novels.
Anarchy Books Is a small publisher and if you like Rebellion there is a good chance you will like their range, I think.
Renaissance ebooks have now been around for ten years and do work in many genres. The Pageturner editions section of science fiction, fantasy and horror is of interest here. Editorial selections of older work of interest and some new authors. I really like their Planets of Adventure ‘double novel’ series.
Thanks for these articles, Blue. They put in organized and irrefutable form the inchoate but burning resentment we Australians feel at being systematically and blatantly blackmailed by greedy publishers. “You want this ebook? Well, you’re Australian, so just for sh*t and giggles we’re going to charge you twice the price.”
Just this week I looked at two ebooks which were new releases in series I follow. They were both over $17! (Hachette, of course. I hardly ever used to look at the publisher of a book, but now I keep an eye out for them like someone walking warily through long grass in summer.)
I buy a lot of ebooks. I won’t pay a paperback-comparable price for something I can’t lend, give away, resell or read in all conditions. Genre novels, in particular, have always gone through a cycle of new-purchase and continuing second-hand purchases. Yet these publishers demand nearly $20 for a relaxation-fodder book I’ll read exactly once: they’re charging me nearly $10/hr to read that ebook. NO deal.