We've agreed that books in which photos are critical are not really a good choice for the Kindle (and if you look at my Wish List you'll see that none of the history-related books on there are available for Kindle, whether or not they contain photos).
As for fiction, well, let's see. Let me look at a number of fiction books I've bought lately in other media and price them. (That's not the best metric for determining whether my assertions about the cost of fiction books on the Kindle are correct, but it will at least explain where I'm coming from here).
For example, here are the present prices for Jacqueline Carey's "Kushiel" books, most of which I have in mass market paperback, from Amazon itself:
Kushiel's Dart: $6.39 Kindle. $7.99 new in mass market paperback (but available in MMP from Amazon Marketplace vendors starting at $4 new, and $2.75 used);
Kushiel's Avatar: $5.69 Kindle. $7.99 new in mass market paperback (but available in MMP from Amazon Marketplace vendors starting at $4.22 new, and $2.65 used);
Kushiel's Chosen: $7.99 Kindle. $7.99 new in mass market paperback (but available in MMP from Amazon Marketplace vendors starting at $4.15 new, and $2.85 used).
Granted, a lot of fiction is no longer published in MMP anymore, so let's look at a trade paperback I just bought today from Chester County Book & Music Company: John Maddox Roberts's latest SPQR murder mystery--Under Vesuvius.
I bought it for $14.95 list. It's not out on Kindle, Amazon sells the paperback itself for $10.17. Amazon Marketplace sellers have copies new from $8.46 and used from $8.99.
There's a previous SPQR mystery, which I don't own, called "A Point of Law," that is on Kindle. Its list price in trade paperback is also $14.95, and its Kindle price is $10.09--a significant savings. But Amazon Marketplace sellers have copies even cheaper: new from $5.00 and (used copies right now, interestingly, start at $10.80).
What this says to me is 1) I cannot count on the new fiction I'd like to read being available on Kindle, and 2) even when it is, if I feel like shopping around a bit, I can get a dead tree book considerably cheaper than the Kindle price.
Now, I don't think that this is a stable situation, and it may well change in Kindle's favor in the near future. But right now, it doesn't pay me to buy a Kindle, IMHO.
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cathyr19355.livejournal.com at 09:23pm on 15/02/2009![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
As for fiction, well, let's see. Let me look at a number of fiction books I've bought lately in other media and price them. (That's not the best metric for determining whether my assertions about the cost of fiction books on the Kindle are correct, but it will at least explain where I'm coming from here).
For example, here are the present prices for Jacqueline Carey's "Kushiel" books, most of which I have in mass market paperback, from Amazon itself:
Kushiel's Dart: $6.39 Kindle. $7.99 new in mass market paperback (but available in MMP from Amazon Marketplace vendors starting at $4 new, and $2.75 used);
Kushiel's Avatar: $5.69 Kindle. $7.99 new in mass market paperback
(but available in MMP from Amazon Marketplace vendors starting at $4.22 new, and $2.65 used);
Kushiel's Chosen: $7.99 Kindle. $7.99 new in mass market paperback
(but available in MMP from Amazon Marketplace vendors starting at $4.15 new, and $2.85 used).
Granted, a lot of fiction is no longer published in MMP anymore, so let's look at a trade paperback I just bought today from Chester County Book & Music Company: John Maddox Roberts's latest SPQR murder mystery--Under Vesuvius.
I bought it for $14.95 list. It's not out on Kindle, Amazon sells the paperback itself for $10.17. Amazon Marketplace sellers have copies new from $8.46 and used from $8.99.
There's a previous SPQR mystery, which I don't own, called "A Point of Law," that is on Kindle. Its list price in trade paperback is also $14.95, and its Kindle price is $10.09--a significant savings. But Amazon Marketplace sellers have copies even cheaper: new from $5.00 and (used copies right now, interestingly, start at $10.80).
What this says to me is 1) I cannot count on the new fiction I'd like to read being available on Kindle, and 2) even when it is, if I feel like shopping around a bit, I can get a dead tree book considerably cheaper than the Kindle price.
Now, I don't think that this is a stable situation, and it may well change in Kindle's favor in the near future. But right now, it doesn't pay me to buy a Kindle, IMHO.