eBooks pricier than printed versions
Local online retailer Kalahari.net recently launched its own eBooks portal, offering consumers 60 000 titles in PDF and ePUB formats.
Kalahari has also made its ‘Library Box’ functionality available to frequent customers. This gives users the ability to return to the Kalahari portal and download previously purchased eBooks in the event that their copies are lost.
The popularity of eBook readers such as Amazon’s Kindle has seen an increase in interest in digital books. A number of these devices are available in South Africa, and the pending launch of the iPad is likely to further drive demand for digital books.
Pricing comparison
One of the primary arguments for eBooks is that, on average, they are cheaper than their physical counterparts.
With this in mind we compiled a short pricing comparison between five best selling hardcover, softcover and eBooks on Kalahari.net.
| Title | Author | eBook | Printed Book |
| What on Earth is Going On? | Arthur House, Tom Baird | R153.86 | R161.50 (Hardcover) |
| The Children of Hurin | J.R.R. Tolkien | R123.26 | R269.96 (Hardcover), R103.50 (Softcover) |
| My Father’s Keeper | Julie Gregory | R61.95 | R97.75 (Softcover) |
| Open | Andre Agassi | R190.95 | R161.50 (Hardcover) |
| Wolf Hall | Hilary Mantel | R180.95 | R171 (Softcover) |
The results show that although selected eBooks are somewhat cheaper than the dead-tree version, overall they were similarly priced. In some cases eBooks were even more expensive than hardcover versions, which are typically known to be costly.
eBooks pricier than printed versions << Discussion
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