This is why I never buy books new books anymore

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sound so cheap. What is your HHI?

DP $350,000 a year and I only buy Kindle copies. Paying $27 for a hardback is ridiculous, especially if its going to shop up under a third-hand reseller for $3.

My HHI isn’t quite that high but I think new Kindle books are over priced too. $14.99 for a new release? No. I don’t like to pay more than $9.99 for a Kindle copy. I’ve signed up for all the Kindle book alerts I can find that advertise the books on sale for the day.

[Anonymous]

OP, check Costco. They have many of the new releases in stock in their stores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sound so cheap. What is your HHI?

DP $350,000 a year and I only buy Kindle copies. Paying $27 for a hardback is ridiculous, especially if it's going to shop up under a third-hand reseller for $3.

We are a family of four (one in college) and our HHI is about 1/3 of yours. I typically go to the library but if it's a book that I really want to own and/or an author that I'm a big fan of, I have no problem paying that much to purchase it as soon as it comes out. If you don't want to, then don't.

[Anonymous]

If you amortized it to cost per hour of enjoyment, it's far cheaper than a night at the movies or a dinner out. I'd rather spend $27 on a book than on a bottle of wine, or four ice creams at Coldstone..

[Anonymous]

It coffee is $4, a movie is upwards of $15, and dinner at a restaurant is $20+, then how much should a book cost?

What's a mani/pedi? $50?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is almost *never* about the writer becoming rich.

It's about paper, printing, binding, and shipping. Inflexible costs. Recently f--ed even further by Trump's dumb tariffs.

Also: do you really think content should be free? Do you have any idea of how long it takes to compose and edit a decent book that isn't a piece of self-published trash?

Actually its about the publisher becoming rich. They take 85% of the profits to pay for their New York offices and six-figure salaries for everyone. When Fifty Shades of Grey went big, everyone at the publishing house got a $5,000 bonus.

50 Shades is a rare bigtime success story. For the most part no one is getting rich off books. Would that it were. Most books sell a few thousand copies. Mine is one example - $18.99 hardcover, coming out soon in paperback for a little more than half that. Trust me, neither I nor my publisher is getting rich - but your purchase actually makes a huge difference in terms of whether I'll earn out my piddling advance or not.

Books stay in B&N for a hot second unless they are huge sellers - the rest get sent back to the publisher, where they then count as a return against the writer's advance (again, mind was piddling)

Buy books. Take them out from the library. Borrow them from your friends. Do what works for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you amortized it to cost per hour of enjoyment, it's far cheaper than a night at the movies or a dinner out. I'd rather spend $27 on a book than on a bottle of wine, or four ice creams at Coldstone..

That's a good way to think about -- cost per hour of enjoyment.

[Anonymous]

$27 is the cheaper end for hardcovers. You must not visit physical bookstores very often. That is, and has been, the going rate for a hardcover for years.

[Anonymous]

I get weird about library books, because I’m a germaphobe. I can’t help but wonder if people read the book on the toilet, or while they were sick. I also worry about bed bugs being brought into my house. So I buy books, then donate them to charity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get weird about library books, because I’m a germaphobe. I can’t help but wonder if people read the book on the toilet, or while they were sick. I also worry about bed bugs being brought into my house. So I buy books, then donate them to charity.

...where PPs will find them cheap!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is almost *never* about the writer becoming rich.

It's about paper, printing, binding, and shipping. Inflexible costs. Recently f--ed even further by Trump's dumb tariffs.

Also: do you really think content should be free? Do you have any idea of how long it takes to compose and edit a decent book that isn't a piece of self-published trash?

Actually its about the publisher becoming rich. They take 85% of the profits to pay for their New York offices and six-figure salaries for everyone. When Fifty Shades of Grey went big, everyone at the publishing house got a $5,000 bonus.

50 Shades is a rare bigtime success story. For the most part no one is getting rich off books. Would that it were. Most books sell a few thousand copies. Mine is one example - $18.99 hardcover, coming out soon in paperback for a little more than half that. Trust me, neither I nor my publisher is getting rich - but your purchase actually makes a huge difference in terms of whether I'll earn out my piddling advance or not.

Books stay in B&N for a hot second unless they are huge sellers - the rest get sent back to the publisher, where they then count as a return against the writer's advance (again, mind was piddling)

Buy books. Take them out from the library. Borrow them from your friends. Do what works for you.

I like the thought that it helps the author when I splurge on a book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get weird about library books, because I’m a germaphobe. I can’t help but wonder if people read the book on the toilet, or while they were sick. I also worry about bed bugs being brought into my house. So I buy books, then donate them to charity.

Same here. I used to live at the library as a kid, but now I prefer to buy my books new because who knows where the books have been.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is almost *never* about the writer becoming rich.

It's about paper, printing, binding, and shipping. Inflexible costs. Recently f--ed even further by Trump's dumb tariffs.

Also: do you really think content should be free? Do you have any idea of how long it takes to compose and edit a decent book that isn't a piece of self-published trash?

Actually its about the publisher becoming rich. They take 85% of the profits to pay for their New York offices and six-figure salaries for everyone. When Fifty Shades of Grey went big, everyone at the publishing house got a $5,000 bonus.

50 Shades is a rare bigtime success story. For the most part no one is getting rich off books. Would that it were. Most books sell a few thousand copies. Mine is one example - $18.99 hardcover, coming out soon in paperback for a little more than half that. Trust me, neither I nor my publisher is getting rich - but your purchase actually makes a huge difference in terms of whether I'll earn out my piddling advance or not.

Books stay in B&N for a hot second unless they are huge sellers - the rest get sent back to the publisher, where they then count as a return against the writer's advance (again, mind was piddling)

Buy books. Take them out from the library. Borrow them from your friends. Do what works for you.

I like the thought that it helps the author when I splurge on a book.

<3 Writer again: That is very nice of you to consider. Thank you. Another nice thing you can do to help writers, is leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads if you like their books. It's free, and makes a big difference in terms of word getting around and sales.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get weird about library books, because I’m a germaphobe. I can’t help but wonder if people read the book on the toilet, or while they were sick. I also worry about bed bugs being brought into my house. So I buy books, then donate them to charity.

Same here. I used to live at the library as a kid, but now I prefer to buy my books new because who knows where the books have been.

I sort of hate telling you this - but even your new books have been touched by lots of hands. The people who made the book, who packed it, who unpacked it, who put it on shelves, who picked it up and looked through it, who rang up the sale, etc etc etc

But please still buy books!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, check Costco. They have many of the new releases in stock in their stores.

The prices aren't different from Amazon.