How much is an enhanced eBook worth? That question will haunt authors, publishers, and developers when the iPad arrives.
Today’s guests on the Morning Media Menu were Enhanced Editions co-founder Peter Collingridge (pictured, via) and Canongate digital editor Dan Franklin–talking about what digital reading will be like in a post-iPad world. Earlier this week the pair helped launch an eBook app for novelist Philip Pullman’s new book, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ. The digital edition contains an audiobook, ebook, and video footage in a single package for the iPhone.
Press play on the player embedded below to listen.
Around the 9:00-minute mark, conversation turned to eBook pricing. Collingridge explained: “There is an attachment to the physical object–people think the physical object is worth more. So a cheap physical object compared to a digital object they couldn’t hold in their hands … [We are asking] what value can we add back into the eBook? All of the feedback we’ve received about pricing–you can go look at it on iTunes now–is that the prices we’ve been charging seem like a really great value. Because you get three products in one.”
Franklin concluded: “You really have to respect the ecosystem in which you are selling something. We were both aware that £5 in the UK, is the ceiling for apps–you’re starting to get into dangerous territory. But really, £9.99 or ($16.99 in the US and Canada) is a really good value for what you’re getting. Otherwise you’re buying a $14.99 eBook and an $11.99 audio download. You have to respect the market.”