Monday, July 25, 2011

The Cost of E-books

I got in a slightly heated debate online about the rising cost of e-books.  Actually it was a one sided debate and I gave a different perspective and was shot down immediately.  Well rather than fighting a one againest twenty battle I thought what better place to vent than on my blog.
You know cause no one really talks back to me on here.
So the question: Do I find the cost of e-books to be high? 
The answer, my answer, is not simple. 
On the surface all is find and dandy on planet Kindle.  I have the opportunity to download a lot of free books, some good, some not so good.  I have read many books ranging in price from $.99 to $4.00.  Again some good, some not so good. 
Most of the books that I have purchased under the $4 mark are also "lendable."  This means I can pass on this book to a fellow Kindle reader to read.  After you lend that book to someone you can no longer lend it to anybody.  So if you lend that book to Sally, Timmy is going to have to get his own copy.
Now this is all good.  An author will get their fair shake at making money off a format that should be considerably cheaper than the paper format. 
All is right with the world, right? 
I mean the reader is happy because they get a low cost book that they can pass on at least once.  The publisher is happy because they can make money with little overhead.
So what is wrong in the world of e-book?
Cost.
Okay didn't I make it look all sunshine and roses a minute ago?
Well I can't help but to see a growing trend, the rising cost of e-books.
The new Sookie Stackhouse book came out early summer and there was some rumbling about the cost of the e-book.  Was it cheaper than the paper copy?  Yes, but not by much. The cost of the e-book and the hardcover had only a few dollars difference .
The cost of the hard cover of the new Sookie book is $16.21 on Amazon.
The Kindle version is $14.99.
Less than a $2 difference.
When it came time to purchase the book I bought the hardcover, at Target which was approximately $15.  The deciding factor was the fact that the Kindle version of the book was not lendable, and a friend and I both love the series and share the cost.
Now I know if an author were to read this we would condone the practice of sharing copies.  I get it, I do.  BUT lending copies introduces people to an author's body of work.  I started friends on books and they in turn either bought their own copy, or continued the series on their own dime. 
 In the end though, the cost to produce an e-book is significantly lower than the cost to produce a hard cover and paperback.  The practice of sharing copies is greatly reduced with e-book formats as well, giving book publishing companies a chance to make larger profits.

In this one-sided "your argument sucks" debate  was the argument of "if you can't afford it don't buy it." fair enough.   Her argument being that if she wanted gold earrings and could only afford to buy the silver earrings she won't demand that they sell her the gold one.
This comparison makes no sense on so many different levels but brings up the subject of books and a free market.
In my town, on our Main Street, in a five mile radius we have three jewelry stores.  In my town we have zero books stores.
In a fifteen mile radius from my house there are countless jewelry stores.  In a fifteen mile radius from my house there are two books store.  Okay, nope scratch that, one bookstore.  So long Borders.
It really is not looking good for the brick and mortar book stores.  They are a dying breed.  Even mom and pop book stores are struggling.   Online is taking over, and as consumers we should be concerned.
Competition keeps prices down.  If you don't like the price of the gold earrings at one jewelry store your options to find a better price is greater.  Jewelry you can actually barter to get a better price.  There is a market that helps consumers with the true value on gold and silver.
  The pool of places to buy books is getting smaller and smaller.  There really is no competition to keep book cost low.  Of course if this trend continues I am afraid that books and ebooks especially will go up even more for consumers.
Comparing gold and books is like well comparing...well no it isn't even comparable.

I will continue to monitor this trend.  I have a feeling this is not the end of this debate.

What is your take?

Monday, July 18, 2011

Bobby Pinned

I don't have many great ideas, but when I do they are REALLY GREAT! 
Full of myself....um a little but I love this idea!!
So back story:  I like bobby pins.  They are a hair must for every woman.  Short hair or long hair a bobby pin can be used.  A bobby pin a day keeps the hair dresser at bay. 
But they get everywhere.  I swear if my husband were to divorce me it would be on the grounds of my bobby pin obsession and subsequent bobby pin in every corner of the house problem.
My new solution??
  Magnet Tape!!
I placed strips on the inside of my vanity.  The bobby pins line up perfectly, and I can add more tape as needed.  The bobby pins sit perfectly and are at arms reach when I need them.

You are SO welcome.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Random.

*I have mad love for Elmo.  It wasn't always that way.  I catered to the masses and spread Elmo hate all over this great nation.  Then I saw this....

Any red furry monster who can hold their own against Mr. Gervais is alright in my book.  Elmo has humor.  Elmo can ad-lib.  How can a hater hate?
If that wasn't enough to convince me, I saw this is clip about the man behind the muppet...
Is your mind blown?  Mine was.
Then I read more about Kevin Clash, the man and voice behind the red furry cutie.... 
"(Kevin) Clash began building puppets at the age of ten. Clash's parents were supportive of his interest in puppetry, driving him to puppet shows, allowing for his love of television and craft...."(source)
Kevin was teased because of his passion, bullied you may say, but he persevered.
You still hating?
This fall, for their season premiere episode, Independent Lens will be featuring 'Being Elmo'.  If you watch this and still hate on Elmo, well you are just a heartless person.

*My husband and I are very different creatures.  This debate on Sammy Hagar vs. David Lee Roth points out our differences perfectly...
Husband: "Sammy can't touch David."
Me: "Everyone knows the Van Halen brothers are major douche bags (old news). Sammy is like the ugly step-child of rock-n-roll, always looking for approval. Plus Sammy's hair looks like the pubic hair on an old french whore's vagina."
We say the exact same thing.  Him simple and to the point.  Me in a total round-about, totally inappropriate way.
Well like the great Paula Abdul once said: "It ain't fiction , just a natural fact we come together it's opposites attract."


*We had our yearly birthday bash, and not to break from tradition, I forgot to take pictures.  This is why the rich hire photographers.  Between rolling forty wraps and making sure everyone had a drink in one hand and a plate in the other, no pictures were taken.  Maybe next year.


*Due to birthday party prep I read no books, so I am still working on last weeks to be read pile.  
Do you have any good book suggestions?

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Back Porch Reading- Guilty Pleasures Edition

A dirty book is rarely dusty.  ~Author Unknown


I 'have to' read The Great Gatsby  for my book club.  Not a chore but a book I'd probably pass up on the shelf of the Kindle store.  Let's face it, for most of us, if they made you read it in high school you probably pass it up as an adult.  In saying this I know I am giving my many family members who taught/teach high school English hives.  I am sorry guys/gals reading for pleasure is so much better than reading by force.


Not saying I hate reading fine literature.  I love a great substantial novel.   Some of my all-time favorite books include Of Mice and Men  and To Kill a Mockingbird.  
But sometimes a girl has got to let her hair down and have a little fun.


Enter guilty pleasure reading.  And when I say this in NO way do I feel guilty about reading any of these books.  I proudly admit to loving these books and the authors who write them.

One of my favorite (not at all) guilty pleasure authors is Marie Force
Fatal Consequences 
 ****-4 star read

I received an advance copy of Marie Force's new book Fatal Consequences, the third in Marie's Fatal series. Giving you a little background on the Fatal Series, Maire felt a challenge to make a romance series using the same couple.  This challenge based on the unspoken rule that you can't use the same couple in a romance series.  Because you know once you fall in love the story is over....


I am glad Marie tackled this challenge, because lets face it love isn't all tea and spontaneous sex scenes in obscure places.  I for one will never believe that sex up against a tree is really that sexy.  Bark up your ass, not pretty.

Back to Fatal Consequences.  Our heroine Sam Holland,  lead investigator for the Washington DC police, finds herself in the middle of another high-profile murder case.  A woman is found murdered and the victim's connection to a U.S Senator leads Sam to investigate one of her fiancce's,  Senator Nick Cappuano, closest allies.  As the investigation starts to unravel a dark secret housed in the hall of the senate threatens to ruin some high-profile political careers and puts Sam in great danger.

In the middle of the investigation Sam's past comes back to haunt her, threatening her relationship with Nick.  Although Sam and Nick's relationship problems are extreme, the underlying issues of honesty and understanding in a relationship is something anyone can relate to.

I'd say Marie is very successful with her self-imposed challenge.  I have read all the Fatal series and Fatal Consequences is the perfect continuation of  Sam and Nick's love story.

You have another two weeks till Fatal Consequences comes out, July 18, giving you plenty of time to read Fatal Affair and Fatal Justice.   I promise you will be hooked from the first word.  Be warned there are some hot and heavy sex scenes,  none take place anywhere near trees.


Read all about the Fatal series at Marie Force's official website.

If you need a few more pleasure books, that will make you feel anything but guilty, check out: 
Falling for You by Julie Ortolon
Romantically Challenged by Beth Orsoff
Staying at Daisy's by Jill Mansell
A Taste of Magic by Tracy Madison
Love at First Flight by Marie Force

This week I am reading:
Eyewall 
Eyewall by H.W. "Buzz" Bernard


and will be tackling 


 The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald...you know because I 'have to'.

Disclosure: I received an advance copy of Fatal Consequences from Carina Press.  I was not compensated to write this review or was asked to give a favorable review.  The opinions are my own.