New Books are Getting Expensive

[Canine]

Yeah, everything is getting expensive, but some things more than others.

R. A. Salvatore is an author I've been following since I was about 15 (for about 30 years) when he first started writing his Dark Elf series. His fame was so minor that his first books didn't even come out in hardback- paperback only. The last book of his I purchased went for $14.90 for the Kindle. This was a bit steep for me, but I had a couple extra bucks and bought it anyway. The next book is coming out at the beginning of April of this year for $26.99 Kindle. Nearly $30 for an e-book. The hardback edition is $18.74 for the unsigned edition.

Also, that $14.90 Kindle book is now a $26.99 Kindle book.

I don't understand that. I've never cared for hardbacks as they are more expensive and less wieldly. I'm not apposed to spending a few dollars for a new release, but I can't bring myself to spend such a large sum of money on a book especially for a digital copy that is much cheaper to publish and distribute.

I also can't donate a digital copy, so that is a tradition that I've had to give up for the convenience of an e-reader.

This sucks because I've followed him for so long and still enjoy the series although it is different from when it started. Unless I can borrow from the library, I won't be following him anymore. Sad. Is $30 for a new digital release going to be the norm for authors like King, Salvatore, Patterson, etc.?

 

[BradKW]

The standard response to this is always "it is the publisher that sets the price, don't blame the author." I accept that this is, in general, probably true. However.

I actively boycott ebooks that are abusively priced. As recently just happened, a series that I've read books 1 thru 5 has gained popularity, to point where book 6 just came out...at $14. I believe that is absurd to pay more for digital media with no free DRM. I immediately posted a 1-star review, stating my views on their pricing. I posted my views on author's facebook page. Many people agree. Others want such reviews flagged as abusive and removed. I understand that viewpoint as well.

But believe that if authors and publishers are more aware of the possible negative backlash that can result from usurious policies, they are more likely to not attempt to extract every drop of blood they can get. Or perhaps not. Its a bit of a controversial topic.

On the flip side, I've been reading a very nice series by a new author (Rookie Privateer (Privateer Tales Book 1) and they are available for "free" on the Kindle Unlimited subscription. I choose to pay for the last one (instead of Read for Free) because I thought the author deserved it.

I am more than happy to pay a fair value for ebooks, and I spend more on books per year than easily 99% of the population. DRM is far from foolproof, and I'd really like to encourage authors and publishers to be fair and make it easy for honest people to stay honest

 

[LeeRevell]

When in town look for the local Comics and Used Books shop.  The books are a lot cheaper, lots of choices and they often buy back books you have read.
I like certain authors too and often buy several by one I like.  I read the early "Dark Elf" books but got away from fantasy.  I was a serious AD&Der in my military days but got away from it when I came home.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

With the Baen books at least, typically a book will come out in hardcover and the ebook price will be based on that price.  Six months latter, the same book will come out in paperback and the ebook price will then come down to be less than the paperback price.

So maybe you just need to wait for the paperback to come out.

Regards
John

 

[Canine]

So maybe you just need to wait for the paperback to come out.

Kind of like waiting for a movie coming out on DVD instead of watching it in the theater. The last movie I watched in the theater was Wayne's World 2.

 

[NickTheoBennett]

That's why I stopped paying for e-books a long time ago. Thank goodness I'm unburdened by those pesky morals when it comes to digital piracy. Otherwise I'd go bankrupt at the rate I read.

 

[Damian Rolling]

I prefer e-books to save space, but still buy some books in paper form. Book sales run by non-profit groups have the lowest prices. Here is a website that lists a lot of them throughout the US and Canada: (http://www.booksalefinder.com/)

For anyone near Baltimore, The Book Thing has a huge assortment of donated books that are free to the public without limit (seriously). The FAQ section of their website jokes that the limit is “150,000 books per person per day.” The only caveat is that the books have to be stamped ’Not for resale.’ (http://www.bookthing.org/)

Damian

 

[WriterMs]

Canine,
As an author, I was curious to see what the heck is going on with that author and his publisher/distributor. You did not give the name of the last book that was so expensive nor the new one coming out that is insanely high. But other than special anniversary editions and boxed sets, I was not seeing any Kindle editions higher than the $7.99 to $8.99 prices.

For most books other than those heavy with graphics perhaps, by far most sales online are digital books (Kindle). So I can see a popular author trying to make money where the sales are highest. I had not noticed a trend for higher prices on Kindle vs paperback.

Can you tell me the titles of the high-cost ones so I can take a look?

 

[WriterMs]

On the flip side, I've been reading a very nice series by a new author (Rookie Privateer (Privateer Tales Book 1) and they are available for "free" on the Kindle Unlimited subscription. I choose to pay for the last one (instead of Read for Free) because I thought the author deserved it.

Brad --- When you get a book via a paid Kindle Unlimited subscription, the author DOES get paid at least a portion of the usual royalty. I believe those are paid like the "borrowed books" Prime members can read for free. Authors are paid by the number of pages read (since my books are cheap, I actually earn more when one of my books borrowed is fully read than what I get from a purchased book).

The only time an author gets no money is when the author or publisher puts the book up on a FREE promotion (usually a temporary promotion to increase sequel sales).

Kudos for you for wanting to reward authors for their work!

 

[Canine]

R. A. Salvatore's newest book will be Maestro. The one just before that, which I had paid $14.90 but is now $26.99 is Archmage. I don't remember getting it on sale or anything. I pre-ordered it. I remember pre-ordering a King book and was given a break on the price because I pre-ordered, but that was a couple years ago.

I also like books by the author Robin Cook. Not so much the new ones, but the older ones. I call his books "robin cook-books".

 

[gcal]

Yeah, everything is getting expensive, but some things more than others.

R. A. Salvatore is an author I've been following since I was about 15 (for about 30 years) when he first started writing his Dark Elf series. His fame was so minor that his first books didn't even come out in hardback- paperback only. The last book of his I purchased went for $14.90 for the Kindle. This was a bit steep for me, but I had a couple extra bucks and bought it anyway. The next book is coming out at the beginning of April of this year for $26.99 Kindle. Nearly $30 for an e-book. The hardback edition is $18.74 for the unsigned edition.

Also, that $14.90 Kindle book is now a $26.99 Kindle book.

I don't understand that. I've never cared for hardbacks as they are more expensive and less wieldly. I'm not apposed to spending a few dollars for a new release, but I can't bring myself to spend such a large sum of money on a book especially for a digital copy that is much cheaper to publish and distribute.

I also can't donate a digital copy, so that is a tradition that I've had to give up for the convenience of an e-reader.

This sucks because I've followed him for so long and still enjoy the series although it is different from when it started. Unless I can borrow from the library, I won't be following him anymore. Sad. Is $30 for a new digital release going to be the norm for authors like King, Salvatore, Patterson, etc.?

If you are in any general area for long enough, get a library card. Libraries also often have sale shelves. I have seen Patterson and others I like in campground book exchanges, flea markets and yard sales. Yes, hard copies. Read them and pass them on. Also used book stores are a great source for current books.

That is the down side of Nook and Kindle. A single book copy that could have been many people is now usually only read by one.

 

[gcal]

The standard response to this is always "it is the publisher that sets the price, don't blame the author." I accept that this is, in general, probably true. However.

I actively boycott ebooks that are abusively priced. As recently just happened, a series that I've read books 1 thru 5 has gained popularity, to point where book 6 just came out...at $14. I believe that is absurd to pay more for digital media with no free DRM. I immediately posted a 1-star review, stating my views on their pricing. I posted my views on author's facebook page. Many people agree. Others want such reviews flagged as abusive and removed. I understand that viewpoint as well.

But believe that if authors and publishers are more aware of the possible negative backlash that can result from usurious policies, they are more likely to not attempt to extract every drop of blood they can get. Or perhaps not. Its a bit of a controversial topic.

On the flip side, I've been reading a very nice series by a new author (Rookie Privateer (Privateer Tales Book 1) and they are available for "free" on the Kindle Unlimited subscription. I choose to pay for the last one (instead of Read for Free) because I thought the author deserved it.

I am more than happy to pay a fair value for ebooks, and I spend more on books per year than easily 99% of the population. DRM is far from foolproof, and I'd really like to encourage authors and publishers to be fair and make it easy for honest people to stay honest  

Re abusively priced books - if I can buy a popular author's new hard copy book for not much more than an ebook copy, I will buy the hard copy and donate it to a campground library so lots of people can read it without lining the publisher's pockets. I can afford it and I am a bitch that way.

 

[gcal]

I guess I'm lucky in that I find plenty to read in the used market. It is extremely rare that I pay $5 for a book. I am almost exclusively non-fiction oriented and end enjoy first person accounts of interesting lives of 'common' persons. Real life.

I enjoy holding a book and don't care for reading from a screen. Also as stated by others I like to loan books and pass them on.

I've thousands, enough to see me through my 'golden' years.

Guy

Upscale used book stores in trendy parts of town are great places to find current books by popular authors. They are not as cheap as other parts of town, but you can still get a current best selling hardback for half price or less.

 

[Canine]

I don't use Kindle exclusively, but it can do things other media can't. Before Bob went all real life on his book format, his book was available only in 1's and 0's (digital format).

Some paperbacks don't have a description of the book; instead, some have a narcissistic picture of the author with a Twitterized bio. Am I to base my desire to read a book based on how handsome or pretty the author is? Dean Koontz is a decent looking guy and likes dogs, but that isn't enough to sway me to make a purchase. He is sooo bad for that. There's a lot of his stuff I haven't read because I don't know what the heck it's about. Some of his books are awesome and some fall flat. Kindle always has a description. The reviews for books are insanely subjective, so I pay little mind to those. After learning about a Koontz book online, I may buy it used if I remember which one it was that piqued my interest.

Kindle also does recommendations; Scott Sigler had been one of them. His Infected series is awesome and I wouldn't have found out about it otherwise. There is a book of his I'm dying to read (Earthcore), but it is out of print and a used book goes for $65. He is getting famous, too, so it might not be long before I'm priced out of his stuff. Only the wealthy and his rabid fans will be willing to fork out that kind of dough. Since I'm poor and don't give a crap about how famous he is, he will soon lose a customer if the prices on his new stuff climb much higher. (I am going to make a prediction: Infected will become a movie.)

I also purchase used books via Amazon on occasion. I've paid $4.00 shipping with the book often being a penny, so good deal. I did that with an out of print  book called "Splinter" by McCammon because I read it as a kid and loved it. It wasn't as good as I remembered! lol Read "Under the Dome" by King if you want to read Splinter. Extremely similar story, but King's was good. (The TV series sucked.) One of my favorite fiction books is "Gone South" by McCammon. It also was out of print, so Amazon paperback to the rescue again. I enjoyed that one better the second time around.

When I was getting my taxes done at St. Vincent DePaul's, I had a long line in front of me and neglected to bring a book. Doh! So, I went to the used book section and found "Into Thin Air". When I realized there was a book version, too, I had to read it or go crazy. (I had watched the movie 3 weeks previous.) I scooped it up for 35 cents. (I love doing that.) Much better than the movie!! While they are very similar, they are so different as to be two distinctly different stories. This is weird because that fateful climb up Mt. Everest is a true story.

I can borrow Kindle books for 2 weeks from the library. I must say that is totally awesome. It can be done online and everything. Can't remember if they do Nook or other types of e-reader, but at one time is was only Kindle.

I prefer the Kindle overall, but it can't do everything.

 

[BradKW]

If you are in any general area for long enough, get a library card.
That is the down side of Nook and Kindle. A single book copy that could have been many people is now usually only read by one.

I'm not sure if everybody is aware of it, but libraries lend eBooks and other digital media and it's a very convenient setup: download the Overdrive app, borrow books from anywhere you have internet access. https://www.overdrive.com/

I'm not certain, but it appears this is the app most public libraries are using. In some areas, getting a library card requires proof of address. On a trip back home to Pittsburgh, I got a state ID with my parents address so I could get a card. It was worth it, because the local library is linked into the Carnegie Library system.

 

[WriterMs]

R. A. Salvatore's newest book will be Maestro. The one just before that, which I had paid $14.90 but is now $26.99 is Archmage.

Wow. I see the Archmage listing. Amazon has put on the page that it is the publisher who set the price -- I've read Amazon hates it when publishers try to gouge. That is insane.

Looks like that one came out in September so that is when sales would be highest, but if it is any comfort to you, sales of that book are not high right now judging by it ranking in his major categories.

 

[Canine]

I attempted to send Salvatore an email to inform him of my financial inability to follow the Dark Elf series, but I had to set up an account with him in order to send a letter, so it didn't get done.

 

[akrvbob]

Amazon wants Kindle books to cost from $1.99 to $9.99 and at that price the publisher gets 66% of the price. Above and below that the publisher only gets 33%.

A lot of Publishing Houses hate Amazon and would rather poke them with a stick than make money.
Bob

 

[Txjaybird]

I guess I'm lucky in that I find plenty to read in the used market. It is extremely rare that I pay $5 for a book. I am almost exclusively non-fiction oriented and end enjoy first person accounts of interesting lives of 'common' persons. Real life.

I enjoy holding a book and don't care for reading from a screen. Also as stated by others I like to loan books and pass them on.

I've thousands, enough to see me through my 'golden' years.

Guy

hi,  it's been so long since i bought a new book that i can't recall it's name!  i've never read a e-book i'm to tactile.... i like the feel and the weight and smell of an old book in my hand,   some i read and pass along and some will  "need to be pried from my cold dead hands"...or close to it.  there is a store called "RED House Books" in Dothan AL, they have a web site and even new books are 1/2 priced if they have been read even once. it is run by two sisters who are very helpful.  they will watch out for a book if you tell them what you're looking for,   when you trade with them and are unsure if you've read something they will check your account for you. i read and collect "OUT Of THE Ashes", "Death Lands" and the "Jack Reacher" series, the older books get reissued with new covers and sometimes i can't keep up with the read/read nots'.  I too pass along books and donate to the library. a local thrift store gets tons of old and new books and sells  them for $5.00 FOR A LARGE BROWN GROCERY SACK FULL!   i have boxes of books to read in my declining years {HA! HA!}   i reckon i need to look for a moving van instead of a cargo van!          jewellann