Legitimate question: is there a strong economic argument for this line of reasoning? How much of the price of a physical book is actually for the commodities and distribution, and how much is for the content itself, marketing, contracts, etc., which remain the same regardless of medium.

I ask because I also see this argument frequently made about digital video games, but it’s a little too reductive to be a clear cut deal. With video games, you really aren’t paying for the commodities and distribution (discs, packaging, etc. make up a insignificant portion of the pricing). You’re paying for the development team, the marketing, the content itself (value-based pricing), etc. I realize books have different economics than games — especially considering there is usually ONE writer, not a massive team — so I ask this in good faith. I am very interested in the topic.