When you buy a Blu-ray disc you get both the version on the disc and a digital version that you can take with you to load onto your mobile devices for trips, etc.
Why is it that you don't get a code to redeem the e-book version of a book when you buy it? Why are they two different things?
We were discussing this during another trip to Book and Game today. Beau bought a book and I mentioned to the cashier that I mostly read e-books now a days. She gave me an exasperated look and noise and kinda shook her head. Now, it doesn't bother me when hardcore "paper books only!" people give me crap, but it did make me think. I don't read the digital version of books because I prefer that method, I do it because it is more convenient. I can read literally anywhere I have my phone, and I always have my phone with me. This is especially handy when I need to be sneaky with my reading when I'm not suppose to be reading.
So why is it that I can't go buy a paper book for the reading experience that I prefer, and then download it for when I'm on the go for no additional cost? Digital versions of books must cost next to nothing to create. They are probably already created during the editing process. Plus, you would still need a pay-for version for the people who don't want to buy the paper book. You could still charge the same price and people would just decide if they wanted a paper book or not. If anything, it would probably drive up sales of proper paper books.
Yes, I know the answer is greed, but still, how has no one done this yet? I see all these musicians cutting out the middle man and selling their music DRM free directly to fans, essentially getting rid of the biggest part of the greed factor. Why have no authors done this? Am I just not finding them?
I pledge here and now that I am going to write a book to sell and on the inside of the front cover will be a code to download the e-book version for free.
The Mortician Brothers: Time Stood Still
Chapter 1: .....
I hardly ever get digital copies of movies with my blu-rays. Maybe 1/3 or 1/4? Maybe it's a Canada thing but it irks me to no end and I've purposely skipped buying movies that didn't have digital copies. I agree wholeheartedly that books should come with digital copies but it'll probably never happen while publishers feel entitled to charge /more/ for ebooks than their print counterparts. It's times like that when I feel fully entitled to come by a digital copy via... less-than-legal means when I've paid for the item in physical form anyway.
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