Hello,
I see that, starting from HTML mails’ book so far, SitePoint is adopting the policy: “buy the .pdf version (with all the bells and whistles of extra MOBI and EPUB version) at the same price of the printed one”
Well, call me ancient, but I haven’t an iPhone/iPad or those sort of things, and I prefer the old “read .pdf with a standard computer” method… I wrote SitePoint by e-mail and they say they don’t sell the .pdf only, so there’s no chance to get the .pdf version at a lower price (as it’s always been and as is obvious: no paper involved, no print costs, no shipping, etc.)
Come on, guys, it’s always been this way before HTML mails’ book, so why change? Am I the only one to complain about this?
So I just want to chime in here, because for the last 4ish years it’s been my job to price our products.
Since we started selling PDFs, there have been one of two scenarios.
Buy the print book, get the PDF for an extra $9.95 or buy the PDF for $29.95 on it’s own.
Yes there have been the odd sale, where these prices were discounted (our 5-4-1 etc), but the retail price has remained the same.
The exception to this is whilst 90% of our print books are $39.95 there are a couple priced at $29.95 (for the print). In these instances I’ve been trialling different price points to see what people prefer. Some of these books I’ve left the PDF price at $29.95, some I’d dropped the PDF price to $19.95.
You’d be interested to know that printed books and PDFs priced the same show little variation in terms of uptake to PDFs priced less than the print book.
The Photography book mentioned above should have been priced at $29.95 rather than $34.95, which I believe has been corrected.
The only change that has happened with the additional formats, is that instead of the PDF you get the three formats, the prices are the same they always were.
Originally I was planning to charge separately for each format, but we very quickly adjusted that approach from your feedback.
Interesting, thanks for the feedback Shayne, I wonder why the PDF uptake is relatively indifferent even with the respective price difference (when it occurs).
Perhaps people are still getting used to the idea of using digital formats in preference to good ole fashioned print!
I love how this whole discussion is taking place while we’re giving away an ebook for free. I guess you really can’t please all the people all the time.
I think that’s rather bad actually, there’s no way that the equal cost can be justified as the publishing to PDF and mobile formats certainly will not have the same costs associated with it as producing a print title. The whole idea of providing digital formats of content is to eliminate the expense of traditional print media, charging the same price for both editions is alike software companies charging the exact same price for boxed VS digital download (where there’s no CD or manual). It’s amazing how businesses (especially technology firms) all seem to make the same critical errors, a PDF simply does not have the same manufacturing value as a printed title.
JenSheahan: sorry, but you must be employed at SitePoint yesterday, or you have been living under a rock.
As kohoutek said, the price for the PDF version only has always (A-L-W-A-Y-S) been cheaper than the printed version, that’s the reason why I purchased various PDF versions (you can easily check).
So, please, don’t treat us as stupid saying “we’ve kept the price of this pack the same as the PDF only was for our previous books”, it’s not the way we customers deserve to be treated. Thanks.
That said, please can you ask to someone there at SitePoint who really knows the reason for this change of policy? (of course if you want to give us a reason)
I understand what you’re saying & I’ll do my best to explain it here.
We have bundled all three digital formats together in one pack for simplicity. And we’ve kept the price of this pack the same as the PDF only was for our previous books.
You’re getting two additional formats at no extra cost. But if you only want the PDF, you’re not paying any extra for the additional formats.
I don’t think this is correct. The PDF used to always be cheaper than the print version. Now, plenty of SitePoint’s books are the same price for print or ebook, so the price isn’t kept the same as the PDF only was for previous books. Or am I missing something?
The new Photography book costs 34.95 USD for print and 34.95 for the digital versions. Same goes for the HTML Email book, Online Marketing Inside Out, Build Your Own Website The Right Way, Everything You Know About CSS Is Wrong. Print + ebook = identical price.
@Hawk: I’m sorry if you are stunned and maybe I could have expose my thoughts in a better way; but, let me say,
if someone tells me “we’ve kept the price (of the ePack) the same as the PDF only was for our previous books.” and “You’re getting two additional formats at no extra cost.”, and
the ePack price is the same as the printed one and
I know that in the past I purchased PDF books only at a lower price than the printed format
Well, if all the above, I think this person is misinformed (and is no offence to say “maybe you’ve been imployed yesterday at SP” or “you’ve been living under a rock”) or, if he/she is not misinformed, is telling me a lie knowing it’s a lie (and in this case there’s no respect to me as customer)
Starting from $29.95 for the printed version, I expected the ePack version to be lower - ie. the $19.95 mentioned by Shayne in his post -, not the same price (now that the printed version price has been raised, it makes sense)
That said, for me the “flame” is closed.
@Shayne: ok, now it’s getting clearer Separating prices for ePack and printed format is just what we always had from SitePoint, and what we expect. So, thank you.
There’s only one thing I need to clarify: on Mon, 17 May 2010 18:33:06 I purchased the PDF only version of “Create Stunning HTML Email That Just Works!”; there was the ePack yet priced $29.95, but I needed only the PDF version and I wrote to SitePoint support to ask if I could have the PDF version only at a lower price. In that case, the support was very kind and I got the PDF at a lower price than the ePack (you can easily check among my past invoices).
Not the same kindness when I asked the same thing to purchase the “Photography for the Web” PDF only. They said me that “no, it’s not possible, and you have to buy the whole ePack at full price”.
Of course I wondered: one month before I could have the PDF only version, and one month after this is not possible anymore: what’s happened?
Well, this is the question I turn to you: what happened in one month to change so dramatically your idea to sell PDF only to people who only need it?
I agree that the complaints could have been phrased better. I think the gist of it is (I’m no expert, but something like)
I used to be able to get a PDF version for $10 or a print version for $30
Now I can get a PDF with other formats for $30 or a print version for $30
Similar to how I used to be able to replace a cracked tail-light lense for $10 but now I have to replace the entire assembled unit for $80
Doesn’t seem fair when all I need is the lense. So I guess it doesn’t seem fair to get the other formats when only the PDF is wanted.
I know practically nothing about marketing, so I don’t know if it would be feasable to sell individual components / various package combinations.
I’ve seen a few threads where people wanted the other formats and if it’s more trouble than it’s worth to “chop things up” then that’s the way it is IMHO.
Actually, I think you’re being unfair here Sarah, while ivanhalen could have been a bit less snarky with their comments, no-one here has actually made a “demand” as to what SitePoint should sell it’s products at. What we have done however is question the justification for pricing something which has no material (in the sense of physical items like paper, ink, printing, distribution) costs is in many cases the exact same price as the printed book when all of your competitors APress / FriendsOfED, O’Reilly, Peachpit / New Riders seem to charge less for their PDF versions than their print editions (and yes I have checked this is the case). While I’m certainly aware of how pricing of titles is dependant on a number of factors (something I’ve come to learn as an author), there is a very real discrepancy which we were curious as to the reasoning too, especially when someone who works for SitePoint states that it’s for the same price (which the increase directly counteracts).
PS: Yes I’ve complained about the price of certain things before - and in one case it convinced the seller to lower their price thereby boosting their business for the better. I think it makes perfect sense for people to question irregularities when they occur as unnoticed they can become bullets for businesses.
Hang on a minute! That is no way to speak to someone, especially someone who has done nothing wrong. If you can’t treat people with respect then don’t post.
And as for the rest of you… do you walk into a shop and complain about the how much things cost? I am blown away by this thread. You are behaving as if you have a right to demand that we sell things for a certain price!
Pricing is set according to lots of factors and we have never made it our practice to rip people off.
I remember the PDF being available WITH the Print at a discount, but I remember the print & PDF being if not the same price, pretty darn close, other than the Buy 1 get 5 free deals, which is the only two times I’ve bought the digital versions, and that was because I didn’t want to pay full price for the digital versions.
As far as the response on pricing; Critical feedback is a need for any business. I wouldn’t tell anyone what to price their products at, but I felt that it would be worthwhile to know things that might change my attitude or curtail my spending habits on this site.
I tell everyone about your books to a fault; because of my enjoyment of them. But the feedback I left I feel is valid and look forward to a response to my concerns as I would expect any vendor that wants me as a customer. (I’m one of the type businesses love; a return customer)
The main thing that bothers me is that I feel that there is more profit when you sell a pdf as opposed to a book for the same price. If that is the case; why not pass on some of the savings to us; your returning customers?
I know shipping will increase the price of the paper books; but storing X number of books compared to a pdf and the space they take up alone; how are they monetarily equivalent?
This is very important to me and my tech book budget.
I like your books, but if the pdf is the same price as the paper copy; I am getting the physical book only.
Books used to come with a cd that had a pdf on it with no additional cost.
There is money to be made from offering pdf books, but for the consumer, there should be money to be saved as well.
Books are still nice as they have one quality digital doesn’t have. They can be used independent of software, electricity, and a computer and you can’t accidentally delete them.
Pdf’s are excellent, but I really need validation for why a book and a pdf are sold for the same price.
I brag about your books all the time. Don’t let me down guys.
