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Why do books cost so much?

The publishers often say it's due to the rising cost of paper, which I don't believe. I just think they like to make a lot of money.
 
I'd like to know what's up with the trend of the long, thin books...and costing about $5 to $6 more than a standard mass-market paperback.
 
The books that annoy me are those massive, hard-backed sized, paperbacks. What purpose do they serve? They're as heavy and unwieldy as a hardback, with all the flimsy, non-sturdy qualities of a paperback. They have the worst features of all possible books combined in one heckish debil product. They're of no use whatsoever to the universe as a whole, and they sit there, on the shelf, taunting me as I wait, and wait, and wait, and wait some more for the normal sized paperback to come out. They're expensive and crap and I hate them. I hate them. I hate them. I hate them. If there was a foot stamping smilie I'd be using it now for I am most definitely having a temper tantrum.
 
Ok, coming at it from a writers standpoint - the cost of doing business keeps going up. When a publishing house contracts and releases in mass market, they do a huge print run - usually in the tens of thousands. Now, if all of those books don't sell within a specified time, they are remaindered. That is, they are sent back, and the bookstores get credit for those books that didn't sell. The books are destroyed and cannot be resold. So, it they don't sell, the publisher loses money on that little venture (hence, why so many publishers stick with only authors they know can make them money and why they won't risk a new author). The trade paperbacks are expensive because they cost more to print - they usually use heavier paper and have a heavier, glossier cover. They are preferred by bookstores and libraries (I've been told) because they simply hold up better, and they also look better. Print on Demand books are printed one at a time, and that costs more money too. Authors don't usually make out any better either because their royalties are usually on wholesale price, not retail.
 
Do not get me started!
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Cheers, Martin
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Ashlea said:
The publishers often say it's due to the rising cost of paper
Click to expand...

Damn paper - its trying to price itself out of the market, it wants to be exclusive. 'Look at me', it says, 'im paper and you cant afford me!'

Ha! The bourgeoisie paper will soon be overthrown, mwa ha ha ha!!

Phil ;)
 
It's all those pinko lefty liberal art fags slapping their stinking preservation orders on trees and telling everyone that trees are too precious to be chopped down and scribbled on. Well, you know what I say? Let's skin the lefties! Tan their hides and print our books on commie leather! :mad:
 
Probably the stupid big advances gifted to authors to satisfy a four bok deal, etc.

When I bought the essays of Michel de Montaigne, it cost me £18.99. The guys been dead for about 500 years so I don't think any of the money is going to his estate since the texts are long in the public domain. Bloody penguin classics.

The complete works of Aristotle, at £62, was also a shocker. I need to wait until next month until I can buy Medieval Monasticism as that, for its general non-thickness, is happily :mad: priced at £19.99. :(
 
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