The Cost of Art
I have been thinking about money. Let's face it who has not. Times are tight, the stress is making my pant's feel that way too. -I am a nervous eater. - So back to the point and the relevance to us as book readers. I was looking through reviews and debating. Are readers more likely to buy a book we recommend if it is less expensive? Is there a price that is too high?
If we are talking price how do we quantify it? I loved the book - but 99% of the time I got it for free. What about the readers? Is the whole story worth $5.99? The book has 279 pages. Is the book worth $.0214 a page? Flirt by Laurell K Hamilton costs $.125 per page and there are some blank pages in that number as well as large print. So how does the break down effect you? Should we figure in the number of times we re-read the book?
This week we are going to be looking at this and hearing from some publishers as they weigh in on the issue so please leave your questions and lets talk. We will also be looking back over our previous reviews and seeing if price puts them in a new light.
Is it all about the Benjamins?
If we are talking price how do we quantify it? I loved the book - but 99% of the time I got it for free. What about the readers? Is the whole story worth $5.99? The book has 279 pages. Is the book worth $.0214 a page? Flirt by Laurell K Hamilton costs $.125 per page and there are some blank pages in that number as well as large print. So how does the break down effect you? Should we figure in the number of times we re-read the book?
This week we are going to be looking at this and hearing from some publishers as they weigh in on the issue so please leave your questions and lets talk. We will also be looking back over our previous reviews and seeing if price puts them in a new light.
Is it all about the Benjamins?
posted by Terry Kate at
9:47 PM
7 Comments:
There is one important reason to pay for an eBook online. The author want's to receive their $2.00 on every piece of their work. To call a manuscript, regardless of the length, art, is a double edged sword. As an author I appreciate the kind description, though it is not entirely accurate. I spend between 10 and 14 hours a day writing. Each manuscript I complete is work, lonely-in my office, work. I happen to enjoy my work, but it is work. Shouldn't I be paid for the novel you enjoy as a reader? I receive a small percentage of my "book" and each eBook I finish will be stolen by a pirate. Every damn one. Why? Because a group of websites believe my work should be for free, then they charge their customers for everything BUT my work. They get paid...I don't. The government won't do anything about that, so as a romance author I can quit, complain or keep working. I choose to create more novels. I'm not wealthy, I get by on what my publishers sell for me and what I generate with personal promotions. I am no Nora Roberts, so I want to be paid for my work...simple.
I think price plays a huge role in what books I buy. For instance, "Silver Borne" just came out on Tuesday, right? It was priced for 30 dollars. There was a discount, but it still ended up being roughly $20 for that book. If I wasn't a huge fan of Patricia Briggs, I definitely would have said screw that.
Another thing that drives me insane is when a series starts out in paperback, and then switches to hardcover. It's like, because I've already invested myself in the series, and because so many other people have too, some publishers feel it's okay to switch in the middle. Some fans will buy the hardcover, but then other people will just wait for it to come out in paperback. Do one or the other... please. (Never mind the fact that it ruins the flow of my bookshelf too!)
In the case of newer authors, they should definitely keep prices lower. If I have a choice of buying two books over one, nine times out of ten, I'll buy the two books as opposed to one. That's pretty much how I discover a few new authors anyway.
In regards to re-reading, there aren't many stories that I actually do re-read. The ones that I do definitely were worth the $7.99 I spent on them, and in some cases, I definitely would have been willing to spend more for them. But then in other cases, I really hate myself for spending $7.99 on a couple of authors whose books just weren't for me.
Another issue--which completely discourages me from buying at publishers website--is the fact that the buying process can sometimes be tedious. I know quite a few people who buy from Amazon, not because they want to hurt the author, but because it's convenient. They don't have to share their credit card information over 15 different sites, because it's all there.
I'm a bargin book hunter. I find most of my books at Half Price Books and thrift stores. When there is a new release I really hate to pay full price for it but if it is a sequel to a book I loved I will pay close to full price. I use my B&N discount card or just look for it at Walmart to pay decent prices. I really wish they would just print everybook in paperback so they wouldn't be so expesive. I buy tons of books. At leats 4-10 a week and I try not to go over the $8 limit I set for myself which doesn't always work but I try. I think that for the business that we are in prices are extremely important and if I see that you recommened a book that cost under $8 I'm more willing to pick that one up over a $16.99 hardback copy.
I'm an avid book reader, as well as a writer. I usually purchase my books at B&N online. I'm not a fan of mass market books, and I prefer the size and print quality of the trade paperback. I'm a bit old fashioned I guess, because I simply like to hold an actual book in my hand when I read. I know it's not PC and all that, but to me the price is worth it. I don't mind paying 10 to 15 dollars for a book I know I'll enjoy. I reread my books all the time. I tag my favorite chapters with post it flags, and I have the luxury of never having to recharge it. If you are reading an actual book, the batteries never run down. The price is rarely an issue. I do believe every artist should be paid for their work, and I hope that proves true for myself, but make it easier to access. Buying from an Authors website can be a royal pain. If you are published and on the list at Barnes & Noble, chances are I will get to you soon. If the reader is in love with your characters they will buy your work. Regardless of price. Just check with any fan. <3<3<3
While I may not be able to afford all the books I want, I certainly try to get my favorite authors, and sometimes pick up a new one based on a friend's recommendation, a website blurb, or just because I like the cover.
Sometimes, finances are rather tight, though, as I'm sure they are for many of us. In cases like that, I'd rather see paperbacks than hardcovers (which always seem to cost two to three times as much, if not more). Oddly enough, despite my lack of funds, I still prefer paper books to ebooks, even if the ebooks are free. I can't curl up in bed with a good ebook, can't have the reassuring crackle of the pages, the texture, and the ability to hug it tightly to my chest when something particularly stirring happens.
I'm all for authors getting full financial credit where credit's due. Putting up ebooks for free, or reselling paper books on unauthorized sites where publishers can't record the sales, hurts not only the financial stability of the authors, but also US, the readers.
Think about it. If the authors decide writing (and getting published) isn't worth it anymore, because people are essentially stealing their work, why should they go through the hassle of getting published? Insult the authors enough and we the readers won't have any new books TO read. To me, it's like any other job--you do your work, you get paid. If you suddenly stopped getting paid for your work, what would be the point of you showing up?
As an avid reader, I will pay whatever I have to for my favorite authors' new books. When I am checking out an unknown author or buying older books by a new favorite author, price definitely becomes an issue. I really don't want to pay more than a few dollars for a book that is 2, 3 or 10 years old, whether it is paperback or hard back.
I agree with Bonni that I prefer actual books to e-books and I really don't see paying $200 - $500 for an e-reader to pretend I have a real book in my hand. So much simpler to pay a few dollars more for a print book.
I realize that more and more books will be issued in pdf and other electronic formats, simply because that's progress. I can still resist for a little longer and cherish my room full of books that will one day all fit on a storage device smaller than my thumb!
As a reader, I don't look at the cost of the book. If I like the author and have enjoyed their books I will pay the cost. If they begin to let me down then I wait for it to go half-price.
I buy hardbacks in a series if I plan to keep the series otherwise I buy paperback. The only time I re-read is before the next book (if it's a series) comes out, otherwise I don't re-read. I'm kind of the same way with movies, except for a select few I watch every year at a specific time.
I have just started buy e-books not because they are cheeper but because I am running out of room. And, I know this is dumb but if I really liked it and wanted to put it in my library, I turn around and buy it.
As an Author, I would love to see the 'money train' come to my stop...however, that's not why I write. My books are large (540 - 600 pages) so my page price per page is around .025 - that may seem high to some but the way I look at it is - I could have written each book as two and by the time you bought both books you would have paid close to the price of one. I like to give readers a bang for their buck and plus you don't have to wait on the next book to come out...well, you do have to wait for the next LARGE book to come out.
I always have a supply on hand and sell them the same as my publishing company, my postage is cheaper.
That's my 2 cents. I enjoy reading and writing. I like to escape into my world and other worlds so, yeah I will pay the cost for a good story.
ML Lacy - author of the Chyrsalis series
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