It seemed that we already had all the fish sold compared to the summer and throughout these last days overstock ebook users are pleasantly surprised and not so much the companies in this market. In the first moment, overstock, offered on sale and for prices below 1 euro, a series of ebooks of popular titles, better said of bestsellers. To this, Amazon responded immediately and launched a series of similar prices for the titles that sold the most, especially from the US and British lists.
To this price clash - until very recently it could be called that - joined by Barnes & Noble who put a series of ebooks on sale in their British store for less than 1 pound. Not even two days have passed, when overstock, the provocateur of all this, launches another offer in which it repeats the same ebook titles and for the same prices, but they extend the offer until August 7 and according to comments its CEO, they intend to extend the days that include this offer. In summary, it is said that the number of titles is 360.000, to which should be added the titles of Amazon and Barnes & Noble, which comes to mean a general price drop or at least unknown until now. In addition, the response from Amazon and Barnes & Noble that I imagine follow in the overstock line.
Has Overstock opened Pandora's Box?
Many judge Overstock's action as crazy and rash that all it does is screw up the book market. Since at prices like the ones you are seeing, it is impossible for publishers or self-taught authors to have a profit from it or at least have to cover the costs of the edition, even in ebook format. Although we have to recognize that this will greatly benefit readers and the electronic format, further spreading the culture through eReaders. And in the Spanish case, the benefit is triple, since not only does the electronic format spread more, but it will also play positively in against piracy and it will also help Spanish pockets, which is good for them. I don't know what you think, but the war that Overstock is raising seems to me the best war there is: without deaths and with joys, Don't you think? What do you think of this fight or price war? Do you consider it unfair or beneficial? Express your opinion that the subject deserves it.
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Source - TheDigitalReader
Image - Flickr by Daniel Bachhuber
Well, it seems tremendously positive to me, and in fact it is what is happening in other areas with notable success. Nobody buys music CDs anymore, we buy single songs for 1 eur or less. And we also do not buy programs in the store with its box and everything, but we download them after payment of 1-2 eur in the corresponding application store. And nobody loses money, on the contrary, low prices make much more sold.
What's more, I think the logical thing is that this price war ends up directly leading to subscriptions. If Amazon established an "open bar" of books for X euros a month, I think many people, for convenience, would be happy to pay for it.
There are many ways to sell books so that authors, publishers and readers win, but there has to be the will. And today, the book industry in this country is not for work, so the cake is taken by Amazon and company, which are the ones with some vision. And then everything is crying.