You're missing the picture here, Kevin. $2.25 is the modern
equivalent of 35 cents in 1960. If books made a profit at 35
cents in 1960, what's changed that makes it impossible to
make a profit with books for $2.25 today. Sure, publishers
make more by selling fewer books at $10 each. But
consequently, fewer of us are willing, maybe even able to try
new writers. The argument that cheaper books don't sell rings
hollow when those cheaper books are not marketed even as well
as the 35 cent books were in 1960. Hell, you can print up a
million books to sell at a buck a copy, keep them in a
warehouse, then say, "people don't buy dollar books 'cause
I've got a whole warehouse full of 'em."
There are basically two ways of generating a profit: You make
a few things that are difficult to manufacture and you sell
them at a high price. Or you make a lot of things that are
easy to manufacture and sell them at a low price. This is how
commerce worked for centuries. In the midst of the electronic
revolution, some joker realized that you can put a high price
on something that's easy to manufacture and as long as the
public has no alternative, they'll eventually pay the price.
That's what publishers' conventions are for, to set the price
that all publishers will adhere to. In 1969 you could buy a
good new car or a college education for $3,000 in the United
States. By 1999, not only had the price for these items
increased literally ten times, but every citizen of the US is
hard pressed to just get by without both of them. These are
examples of things that were expensive to begin with because
hard to deliver.
If you go to the Odd Lot Traders here in New England, you can
buy all of the Harry Potter paperbacks for
$2.49. I don't know how this works. These are popular books,
MPR 8.99, and a discount store sells brand new copies, covers
in tact for $2.49? Do they get these books for free? Or is
the initial price so inflated that after the publisher has
sold as many as they can to the suckers who just couldn't
wait, at ten bucks per, they're now prepared to sell their
giant remainder pile to those of us who are mildly curious,
at a normal price.
I mean, didn't we see this absolute scenario occur with the
Iphone a few weeks ago? All those jerks stood in line all
night to be the frist to buy an Iphone, and ten days later
Apple dropped the price by $200! These tactics ARE being
employed in the USA. Nearly everything is marked up 1000%.
Sales departments find it much more profitable to sell things
at very high prices to a few consumers, then sell the
remainder at a mere 500% mark up when the style changes.
Everybody thinks they've got a bargain and the sales
department's laughing all the way to the bank.
The fact that they've actually convinced you that everything
HAS to be this way in order for you, personally, to make a
living is a level of con artistry the equivelant of selling
the Brooklyn Bridge. The giant profits made in overpricing
stay in the pockets of the people who set it up. The rest of
us are paid out of operating expenses.
As to capital punishment, Ted Bundy kill any girls in your
neighborhood lately? How about Aileen Wournos? Or Charley
Starkweather? Hear about them killing anybody recently? If
not, I guess capital punishment managed to deter them pretty
effectively.
Patrick King
--- Kevin Burton Smith
<
kvnsmith@thrillingdetective.com> wrote:
>
> Patrick King said: "I'd love to see a return to
a
> $2.00 paperback book.
> Don't tell me no one can make money doing
that."
>
> Sure, and your salary can revert to what it
would
> have been back when paperbacks were two
bucks.
> Don't tell me your boss will mind doing
that."
>
> Sorry, Patrick. It ain't gonna happen,
unless
> everyone (including the author) agrees not to
make
> any money on it. Me, personally? I like to get
paid.
>
> And as for capital punishment, if it really was
a
> deterrent, the few countries that still
routinely
> execute prisoners would also be the
safest.
>
> They aren't. Look out the window.
>
>
> Kevin
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have
been
> removed]
>
>
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