Support NeoGAF

[DurielBlack]

New hardbacks are kinda pricey, but overall no.

There are lots of really cheap options out there if you shop around. Even some good deals can be found at chains like B&N.

I have a tendency to drop 100-200$ at B&N on the occasion I go there, about once a year. I get a lot of books for that. Most of the paperbacks are like 7-10$.

 

[LegendofDragoonLives]

I just got back from Barnes and Noble and spent $37 on two books. I understand that reading is a valuable and beneficial past time, but it feels strange knowing that two books cost nearly as much as my phone bill.

Is this just Barnes and Noble price gouging or something?

I thought this was going to be about college uni books which the answer is yes. For normal books, I dosagree eoth you. Don't see how you can view that as expensive, you're getting a ton of hours for 18-19$.

 

[ishibear]

Amazon is a great place to find books to read for cheap. I'm also short patient so I love to download the ebook instead of wait for delivery. Luckily the price isn't too high.

 

[Conkersbadfurday]

I don't think so, but I never buy hardcovers. I'll wait a year for softcover if need be.

I don't like buying ebooks, but if that's your poison, they're pretty cheap.

 

[BarringGaffner]

it's why ebooks are so nice. A fraction of the price for the same thing.

If you are a barnes and noble member you can get some ok prices, but outside of that, physical books are reallllly expensive

a fraction? not really... from my experience it seems to be like 10-20% less. Not enough.

That's when looking for exact books though... for finding deals or cheap classics e-books are much better (though used book stores can also be good... they just mightnot have what you want)

 

[soco]

Typical university textbooks are way overpriced.

Amazon market place and the library are your friends.

 

[ThatGayWolf]

No, it's "past time" for you to understand how much work goes into a book, especially a physical copy. You probably wouldn't buy an app over a dollar or commission an artist for more than $20 either with that kind of attitude I'm guessing. Have some respect for the effort.

A better question would be "do publishers take too much of a cut?" to which the answer is yes.

 

[Teren_Kanan]

I mean, price vs reward that seems cheap.
2 Bluerays would be a similar price, and you get far more hours out of a good book.

 

[bionic77]

For the amount of entertainment you get from them they don't seem very expensive to me.

I am old though so I remember when entertainment was a lot more difficult to get and was more expensive than it is now. Someone who grew up the Internet probably expects infinite entertainment for next to nothing.

 

[Deleted member 20920]

Regular fiction is generally quite cheap for me. I don't think 15 to 20 dollars is expensive for a book, physical or otherwise.

Non fiction book prices are the ones that can go really high. But I can understand why sometimes, especially those academic books. I think publishers and authors deserve the money so I don't think books are over priced in general.

 

[dakini]

I don't think they're bad at all really, especially when I can usually find them cheap online.

I do love going to bookstores and browsing though, so I don't mind splurging a bit at a local bookstore every now and then.

 

[LosDaddie]

I only buy comic omnibus/hardcovers these days.

It can get expensive, sure.

 

[DeadlyParasite]

I don't think so. Phone bills are here and gone things whereas a book can last for decades or even centuries. I'd say the price is worth it.

 

[Timo]

Try artbooks. I have quite a few 100+$ books, many many above 50$ a piece.

 

[User 479360]

Books are really expensive if you buy them new AND if you get the hardcover versions. It's why I don't buy any books anymore.

I just get them from the library. I love the library.

Sometimes the Canadian prices for books are insane.

 

[styl3s]

My phone bill is $50 a month, unlimited.


These are two soft cover books.

I picked up Aziz Ansari's Modern Romance , and Oliver Sacks' On The Move.

Your first mistake was buying in a overpriced book store. Both those softcover books new on amazon are $10.20 and $10.40. That's $20.60, half of what you paid.

You could of gotten them used for even less, like $12 total.

I only buy comic omnibus/hardcovers these days.

It can get expensive, sure.

I love HC/Omnibus editions but those are way too fucking expensive in comic shops because they charge either full MSRP or almost that and i feel bad that i go online and get them almost half the retail cost and not support my local shop but goddamn i got bills too.

I gave up on buying singles like a year ago i was spending $200-300 a month.

 

[Gigglepoo]

Never buy books new. Ever. Go to the library.

If you insist on owning your books, Goodwill is responsible for 90% of my library. Specific purchases I get off of Amazon used. The thing about books is almost no one actually reads them and those that do tend to take care of them so I've gotten used books that were essentially untouched.

This mentality really bums me out. Why don't you think authors should be paid for their creative efforts?

 

[Reneledarker]

Yes, contemporary philosophy books are really expensive, specially the ones that need to be translated. And I understand why, you need someone specialized in the philosophy of the author to translate correctly the book. The problem is a lot of those books do not have e-books versions and are a limited print, so they are almost impossible to find used. I hate spending 50 or more for those type of books. Also the rise of text books is scary, but at least you can find them in libraries, used or in e-books. Or what we do here in Mexico, copies q:

 

[Jake.]

bookdepository is the greatest site ever, i still don't know how they can offer (fast) free international shipping. i make a huge order every 3-4 months.

 

[Mossybrew]

Naw, I buy at the used bookstore or Amazon sales, usually don't pay more that 8 bucks max for a softcover book.

 

[Killer Queen]

I spent $100 buying 3 books ;/ so yeah

 

[DuffDry]

This mentality really bums me out. Why don't you think authors should be paid for their creative efforts?

The majority of what I read are by deceased authors. If I'm interested in something newer, I tend to use the library, and artists are indeed compensated there.

The fact is I work in education and read far too much for 12 dollar paperbacks and 30 dollar hardcovers to sustain my habit.

 

[Zelenogorsk]

I just got a 600 page epic fantasy novel for a $1 on Amazon (it was an ebook but hey still the same words as a print version).

If you're in a retail store and paying the sticker price than you only have yourself to blame. Local used bookstores plus online shopping plus ebooks equals cheap books galore.

 

[Zeus Molecules]

No they aren't too expensive.

Compared to most forms of entertainment I think they are very cheap.

Yep the whole process of making a "book" is really expensive compared to a lot of other media. People could only publish PDF's but that doesn't have nearly as big a market as of right now.

 

[Eumi]

I always saw new hardbacks as a luxury. If I'm at all concerned about price it's e-book for me.

 

[NIGHT-]

My local library has a huge used book sale every year. A soft cover book will be 50 cents each. I usually wait until deals like that