I don't know what I'm gonna do about it (well, other than wait for the books to hit the used bookstores), but I've noticed that some new paperbacks (mass market, not trade) now carry a list price of $9.99.
$9.99? For a paperback? $7.99 wasn't enough?
I have some paperbacks which cost $.025; my hardcover copy of Dick Francis's Risk cost me $8.50 when it was first published. My hardcover copy of Helen MacInnes's The Snare of the Hunter was even cheaper: $7.95.
New fiction hardcovers currently run from $27.95 for popular fiction titles to $35.00 for big non-fiction ones.
When does a booklover get priced out of the market?
Posted by Linkmeister at November 10, 2008 01:25 PM | TrackBackTwo words: library card.
Posted by: Doug at November 10, 2008 06:39 PMOr another word: Kindle. :)
Just bought the works (150+) of Lucy Maud Montgomery for a whopping $4.79. God, I love my Kindle.
Posted by: Kate at November 10, 2008 07:13 PMDoug, when's the last time you used the State Library for a popular book? It can take weeks to months on reserve. I've been waiting six months for the DVD of "John Adams."
Kate, Kindle sounds nice, but $399? Ouch! Especially if you're not sure you'll like reading on an electronic whatsit.
Posted by: Linkmeister at November 10, 2008 07:45 PMKindle is the solution...now available for $359...but word has it that the Kindle II is soon to appear and perhaps with a better price tag. It does take some getting used to...I've had mine for almost a year and I love it!
Posted by: Karan at November 10, 2008 09:38 PMYeah, I know. But I figure mine will pay for itself within a year. I've downloaded a lot of free books and dozens of classics for 99 cents or less. Kindle sells for $359 now. I'd not be surprised to see it drop a little more. Some folks prefer holding a real book, but I find the Kindle a lot easier on my eyes. Different strokes and all.
Posted by: Kate at November 10, 2008 09:40 PMMy Mother used to call them Quarter Books.
Posted by: cassie-b at November 12, 2008 07:26 AMcassie-b, further back they were called "dime novels." ;)
Posted by: Linkmeister at November 12, 2008 09:06 AMTell me about it! Someone bright noticed that Georgette Heyer fans will pay outrageous prices for used copies of her books. So they are all being reprinted (by Sourcebooks, which appears to print nothing else) for $12.95 each. And people are paying it!
Posted by: Juli Thompson at November 13, 2008 05:30 AM