Pricing Problems

I recently purchased a Kindle and I did so for several reasons. The first is that, being a manuscript preacher, I wanted to use it so that I didn't have to rustle any more pages during my sermon. The second is that I love to read and thought this might help me in lots of ways, such as not having to carry three or four physical books when I go on vacation. Since the library here is not anywhere as comprehensive as the system we are used to, I also thought it would help in giving me access to books I want to read.

Now while I like the Kindle, and using it for preaching has been great, I have found that my other reasons have not been very applicable yet. We just went on vacation and I took three "real" books with me in addition to my Kindle, and a large reason was simply the cost of most Kindle books. Often they are more expensive than buying a real book, which has me totally confused. Since a Kindle edition does not require the actual printing of a book, how can one without paper be more expensive than one with paper?

Now where prices seem outrageous Amazon has on their website that the price is set by the publisher. While I accept their reasoning on pricing, this can be true only to a point. Amazon, and most other major book sellers, sells lots of books well below the price established by the publisher, so what is the difference here? I simply don't know. But what I do know is that I will not pay more for a Kindle edition of a book when I can get the same book in a printed version for less.

Just as an example, Free: The Future of a Radical Price currently costs $9.83 for hardcover ($26.99 suggested retail price) and $9.99 for the Kindle edition. How does that make any sense? Of course one of the great ironies here is that a book which touts the idea of having more and more things given away rather than being "sold" costs so much.

Another glaring error that Amazon has made, and which I am not the only one to point out, is that when you receive the Kindle it has no books on it. Now of course what Amazon wants to do is have you go on and buy a bunch of new books right away, but they also tout all the free books they offer. So why don't they include some of these? Say pick out ten of the best classics they have available and have them already included.

The first book I downloaded was War and Peace. I have since deleted it because I've already read it, but they could have been able to wow me with how much storage is really available on the device by showing me that even with War and Peace there I still had lots and lots of room for other things. Another missed opportunity....