Fwiw, ive already acquired more books than I can read in my remaining lifetime... and frequently continue to add more.
And yet my avg price per book is just $1.69.
It is entirely possible to get good quality cheap books these days - you just have to know where to look and be patient. If all you want to read is the brand new and/ or trendy darling... yeah, youre paying the $30 ish noted above.
I gladly borrow library books because the authors get paid for those. I buy used books when I can't find or can't afford new or rare books. But it's with a gulp. The author, who may or may not have made any money when the original book purchaser bought the volume, never ever makes a dime on resold books. And don't get me started on the arrogance of people, even professionals, who have xeroxed entire sections of my books for groups and defended it because they purchased-- "own"-- the print copy.
I agree the book is in general not too expensive, but I've noticed many paperbacks - I'm looking at you, Penguin - have generally decreased in print value, to the point they are nearly unreadable. The paper is too thin, the ink is too thin, or, even worse, the imprint of the page is too small, and often crooked, on the page, leaving an inch wide margin on all sides of the page. These poorly printed paperbacks cost $20-25 Canadian. There are exceptions to this, of course, such as the Arcturus paperbacks, but in general, I have resorted to buying used paperbacks that are a couple decades old to get better quality printing.
Everyone on the production side is looking for ways of saving money, given how thin the margins already are. Sometimes that looks like printing on 40# groundwood paper. It’s garbage. But you can still find better quality editions.
But creating a waste product only wastes money - I am not so wealthy that I can absorb the cost of a 25 dollar paperback that is garbage, so I will be returning it, meaning they have lost money just getting the product to me. I would, and have bought, a $30 dollar paperback that I knew was good quality.
I love that you responded to that paragraph and made that comparison! I often wonder what the people who complain about book prices do about eating out, or getting coffee, or whatever. Everything costs something, and how bizarre to walk around assuming other people ought to be subsidizing your enjoyment out of their own pockets. If a person doesn’t like the price, great, go do something else.
For me, it's not so much the price of the book but the price of storage FOR the book. I am downsized. I want to be able to buy a book, donate it to the public library and expect to find it there when I want to read it again or recommend it. But it seems that libraries are run like businesses, and if the inventory hasn't moved, they cull it.
Depending on the materials used and the size of the print run, print adds about $1.50 to $3.00 to the cost of a book. It’s not as much as you might imagine, and ebooks have only ever represented about 25 percent of the market.
Excellent article that takes the heat off of the publishers, with your competing entertainment comparison and cost figures of manufacturing resources, but doesn't get to the root cause of the misplaced anger. You rightly speak of the dollar erosion effect of inflation, but the argument didn't go far enough. Inflation is always a result of printing obscene amounts of Monopolyesque paper money by our Treasury; but appropriated in the House of Representatives. Government overspending—the cause of inflation. Not trying to get political, just stating the source of the real problem, which I think deserves a mention, if we are looking for solutions to book affordability, and more importantly, the survival of independent book stores and their associated costs of doing business.
Cave, we’re on the same page. This newsletter is largely apolitical. But inflation is the real devil in this piece, and inflation is almost always everywhere a government function. Bad news. People have every right to be pissed, but it’s worth ensuring you’re pissed at the right thing: bad policy.
I'm curious how much the prevalence of cheap and free ebooks has affected consumer perception of the "appropriate" price of print books. Any insight on that?
No, but that makes sense to me. When people see ebooks selling for $1.99 or whatever, it has the downside of communicating that that’s what books are worth. I do think that more serious readers don’t fall for that since they’re used to paying for quality and don’t mind paying for quality.
Author advances: I would like to know more about that subject, if you are willing to expand on what you have said, or direct me to a good explanation, or both. I remember in the movie “Cadillac Records,” back when I watched movies, the Howlin’ Wolf character took the very controversial stance of refusing to take an advance, for reasons of independence. I have sometimes fantasized about doing the same (which requires a prior fantasy of writing something people would pay for) but I think I would, in fact, grab an advance if a publisher was willing to offer one. I can see a publisher offering an advance for a reliably profitable author, especially if it will lure the author from another publisher; but my understanding is that advances are much more common than that.
Now, add in the factor of every book publisher's favorite boogeyman, Amazon, and you've really got downward pressure on the book business. And I say this as someone who has self-published business books 3x and won't "break even" until I'm long dead and gone.
The issue is the plummeting printing and binding quality. Yes, in real terms books may be cheaper, but you’re getting essentially disposable products that will be thrown into the recycle bin after a couple reads. I understand the cost issue, but it’s disheartening if you’re a collector
Bookstores are awesome and we don’t mind paying full price for books in order to enjoy the continued existence of bricks & mortar bookstores. Would love to know your thoughts on the predatory pricing of ebooks, which are budget-busting for library systems.
And of course, the library is a viable option for those who really cannot afford books.
Fwiw, ive already acquired more books than I can read in my remaining lifetime... and frequently continue to add more.
And yet my avg price per book is just $1.69.
It is entirely possible to get good quality cheap books these days - you just have to know where to look and be patient. If all you want to read is the brand new and/ or trendy darling... yeah, youre paying the $30 ish noted above.
True fact. Library sales, used books, digital ebook discounts—there’s nothing that says the already cheap world of books can’t be cheaper.
Agreed. Same with used books. Folks gripe about Amazon, but third-party used book sellers on Amazon have helped me immensely over the years.
I gladly borrow library books because the authors get paid for those. I buy used books when I can't find or can't afford new or rare books. But it's with a gulp. The author, who may or may not have made any money when the original book purchaser bought the volume, never ever makes a dime on resold books. And don't get me started on the arrogance of people, even professionals, who have xeroxed entire sections of my books for groups and defended it because they purchased-- "own"-- the print copy.
I agree the book is in general not too expensive, but I've noticed many paperbacks - I'm looking at you, Penguin - have generally decreased in print value, to the point they are nearly unreadable. The paper is too thin, the ink is too thin, or, even worse, the imprint of the page is too small, and often crooked, on the page, leaving an inch wide margin on all sides of the page. These poorly printed paperbacks cost $20-25 Canadian. There are exceptions to this, of course, such as the Arcturus paperbacks, but in general, I have resorted to buying used paperbacks that are a couple decades old to get better quality printing.
I have noticed this too, particularly with some Amazon's classics. Fuzzy print that is almost unreadable, they look like photocopies of photocopies.
Everyone on the production side is looking for ways of saving money, given how thin the margins already are. Sometimes that looks like printing on 40# groundwood paper. It’s garbage. But you can still find better quality editions.
But creating a waste product only wastes money - I am not so wealthy that I can absorb the cost of a 25 dollar paperback that is garbage, so I will be returning it, meaning they have lost money just getting the product to me. I would, and have bought, a $30 dollar paperback that I knew was good quality.
Beautiful. Thanks for this in-depth run down of the book biz. It’s hard out there for book slingers and most consumers don’t understand that.
True fact. If publishing were a SAAS business, your hardback would be $75—and you wouldn’t even own it.
“The next time you pick up a $30 hardcover and wince, remember…..”
I almost cried here. I am a frugal gal and have many used books due to the need to read but not the funds to buy the real deal.
However, I have purchased a saggy pizza for $25-30 and paid the hefty price of indigestion, later, after the meal.
Your logical break down of materials, the work put in by the author! And the hours of enjoyment, well it’s priceless!
TY 🙏
I love that you responded to that paragraph and made that comparison! I often wonder what the people who complain about book prices do about eating out, or getting coffee, or whatever. Everything costs something, and how bizarre to walk around assuming other people ought to be subsidizing your enjoyment out of their own pockets. If a person doesn’t like the price, great, go do something else.
This brings to mind Orwell's essay "Books v. Cigarettes."
Classic.
I have a memory in 1978 when anything paper jumped sky high in price. Inflation was tough.
It felt like a punishment for book buyers. But we didn’t stop reading. 📖
Perspective is freeing.
Thank you for the article. 🙏
For me, it's not so much the price of the book but the price of storage FOR the book. I am downsized. I want to be able to buy a book, donate it to the public library and expect to find it there when I want to read it again or recommend it. But it seems that libraries are run like businesses, and if the inventory hasn't moved, they cull it.
Yeah, that’s a tricky tradeoff. Books definitely take up space.
All of this is true... for dead trees.
Pure eBooks would at minimum drop the paper and other physical printing costs.
Which is why digital-only publishers are able to work and thrive at lower price points. :)
Depending on the materials used and the size of the print run, print adds about $1.50 to $3.00 to the cost of a book. It’s not as much as you might imagine, and ebooks have only ever represented about 25 percent of the market.
Excellent article that takes the heat off of the publishers, with your competing entertainment comparison and cost figures of manufacturing resources, but doesn't get to the root cause of the misplaced anger. You rightly speak of the dollar erosion effect of inflation, but the argument didn't go far enough. Inflation is always a result of printing obscene amounts of Monopolyesque paper money by our Treasury; but appropriated in the House of Representatives. Government overspending—the cause of inflation. Not trying to get political, just stating the source of the real problem, which I think deserves a mention, if we are looking for solutions to book affordability, and more importantly, the survival of independent book stores and their associated costs of doing business.
Cave, we’re on the same page. This newsletter is largely apolitical. But inflation is the real devil in this piece, and inflation is almost always everywhere a government function. Bad news. People have every right to be pissed, but it’s worth ensuring you’re pissed at the right thing: bad policy.
I'm curious how much the prevalence of cheap and free ebooks has affected consumer perception of the "appropriate" price of print books. Any insight on that?
No, but that makes sense to me. When people see ebooks selling for $1.99 or whatever, it has the downside of communicating that that’s what books are worth. I do think that more serious readers don’t fall for that since they’re used to paying for quality and don’t mind paying for quality.
Yes to all of this!
You’re living this every day!
Cheers!
You know. You’re in the thick of it.
Author advances: I would like to know more about that subject, if you are willing to expand on what you have said, or direct me to a good explanation, or both. I remember in the movie “Cadillac Records,” back when I watched movies, the Howlin’ Wolf character took the very controversial stance of refusing to take an advance, for reasons of independence. I have sometimes fantasized about doing the same (which requires a prior fantasy of writing something people would pay for) but I think I would, in fact, grab an advance if a publisher was willing to offer one. I can see a publisher offering an advance for a reliably profitable author, especially if it will lure the author from another publisher; but my understanding is that advances are much more common than that.
My Ebooks on Amazon are 9.99
On my author site, they are 8.00
Paperbacks are whatever the printing cost is, plus 9 dollars. They usually fall on 14-15 dollars.
My most expensive paperback is 27 dollars, because it was 800 pages long.
Lately, I try to keep the stories at 400 pages, so it's somewhat affordable for the interested reader to buy.
Now, add in the factor of every book publisher's favorite boogeyman, Amazon, and you've really got downward pressure on the book business. And I say this as someone who has self-published business books 3x and won't "break even" until I'm long dead and gone.
I learned a great deal from this article. Thanks again, Joel.
The issue is the plummeting printing and binding quality. Yes, in real terms books may be cheaper, but you’re getting essentially disposable products that will be thrown into the recycle bin after a couple reads. I understand the cost issue, but it’s disheartening if you’re a collector
Bookstores are awesome and we don’t mind paying full price for books in order to enjoy the continued existence of bricks & mortar bookstores. Would love to know your thoughts on the predatory pricing of ebooks, which are budget-busting for library systems.