Should ebooks be free or at least much cheaper?

[natasha juhl]

I enjoy that project gutenburg gives free online versions of classic books and I have used it many times. However most books should cost money even though they are online because it is still the authors content and they should be paid for their work. They should be cheaper than buying the actual book, but are still the same writing so it should not be extremely cheap.

[mbhuibregtse]

I wonder why e books are so expensive or why they still have limited copies.

[beatrice_mom]

I enjoy that project gutenburg gives free online versions of classic books and I have used it many times. However most books should cost money even though they are online because it is still the authors content and they should be paid for their work. They should be cheaper than buying the actual book, but are still the same writing so it should not be extremely cheap.

I download books on torrents. True, you have to use VPN to access them. But download whatever you want and for free!

[KristinaJB]

I agree, I believe that eBooks should be cheaper. I understand them not being free since authors need to make money too, but they should definitely not be full price since you don't have a traditional book.

[Wesusa]

Definitely cheaper, but by no means "Free." Being digital does not disregard the work the author put into creating it, it just negates the need for production costs and shipping.

[beatrice_mom]

Definitely cheaper, but by no means "Free." Being digital does not disregard the work the author put into creating it, it just negates the need for production costs and shipping.

And if we are talking about the classics, the authors of which have long left this world? I mostly buy modern literature, because interesting things are hard to find in the public domain.

[Wesusa]

Definitely cheaper, but by no means "Free." Being digital does not disregard the work the author put into creating it, it just negates the need for production costs and shipping.

And if we are talking about the classics, the authors of which have long left this world? I mostly buy modern literature, because interesting things are hard to find in the public domain.

Well, that train of logic could be applied to many other things as well. In movies, many filmmakers have perished while their films have stood the test of time. Should they be free to the public, or should they still be confined to streaming services and paywalls? If only the company is the one getting the money, shouldn't it be free? I don't think it should be free there is always value tied to objects, even if the original creators are not there to collect them. I'm just arguing that it shouldn't be completely free. Their still was work poured into it and one point. You're welcome to disagree, that's an interesting point regardless.

[beatrice_mom]

Definitely cheaper, but by no means "Free." Being digital does not disregard the work the author put into creating it, it just negates the need for production costs and shipping.

And if we are talking about the classics, the authors of which have long left this world? I mostly buy modern literature, because interesting things are hard to find in the public domain.

Well, that train of logic could be applied to many other things as well. In movies, many filmmakers have perished while their films have stood the test of time. Should they be free to the public, or should they still be confined to streaming services and paywalls? If only the company is the one getting the money, shouldn't it be free? I don't think it should be free there is always value tied to objects, even if the original creators are not there to collect them. I'm just arguing that it shouldn't be completely free. Their still was work poured into it and one point. You're welcome to disagree, that's an interesting point regardless.

I agree with you. But some beliefs have weakened a little after COVID and an outright shortage of free money. I'm not saying that you should be proud of downloading books from free sources, but sometimes, when finances are limited, and your soul requires something new, you have to look for options.

[Wesusa]

And if we are talking about the classics, the authors of which have long left this world? I mostly buy modern literature, because interesting things are hard to find in the public domain.

Well, that train of logic could be applied to many other things as well. In movies, many filmmakers have perished while their films have stood the test of time. Should they be free to the public, or should they still be confined to streaming services and paywalls? If only the company is the one getting the money, shouldn't it be free? I don't think it should be free there is always value tied to objects, even if the original creators are not there to collect them. I'm just arguing that it shouldn't be completely free. Their still was work poured into it and one point. You're welcome to disagree, that's an interesting point regardless.

I agree with you. But some beliefs have weakened a little after COVID and an outright shortage of free money. I'm not saying that you should be proud of downloading books from free sources, but sometimes, when finances are limited, and your soul requires something new, you have to look for options.

I hope it works for you. It's whatever you believe is correct. Hope you are doing well.

[Vanessa Leong]

Cheaper perhaps, but absolutely not free. Asking an author to provide digital versions of their books for free is like asking an artist to provide digital prints of their work for free. As a digital artist who puts hours of effort into my work for sale, asking me to give it out for free just because it's in a digital format is a slap to my face. So no, I don't think ebooks should be free. Authors deserve to be paid as long as someone chooses to buy their books, digital or otherwise.

[Hunter Tester]

With bookbub, and many other sites...you can already find good books for free-2.99. My reading just to only depend on books that were listed as free, until I got a library card.

[Danny Rands]

I don't always find the books I want in physical stores and bookstores, so I think ebboks should be made much cheaper if not free.

[Kiran Kanwar]

Well, I don't think ebooks will be free, but there is some scope of them getting cheaper. If you want free book then you can sign up for an audiobook membership and can listen to as many books as you want. But I personally find audiobooks as a medium of passive reading.

[Cassidy Simpson]

I don't think they should be free because it is the author's work and they should be paid for it. I do think they should be cheaper because they're not paying for the paper and printing.

[Black Jewel]

I do not agree that ebooks should be free. There are many authors out there who make their living solely by writing and selling ebooks. Making ebooks free takes away their livelihood.