Why buy hardbacks?

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

peggy_2 asked me to post this link.  She says:

I found it on the athanarel (Sherwood Smith) site, and (to nick the explanation from athanarel) "is about the economics of buying hardcovers, and since the general issue of how to support authors we love has come up occasionally, I thought others  might be interested as well."

It fits in with previous posts last summer on how to support the  authors we like.

http://www.brandonsanderson.com/blog.php?date=1168239600

Comments

[avian-xj.livejournal.com]

I never thought of it that way. I've always assumed that authors and editors and publishers get more money from hardbacks, but I never thought of buying a hardback and renting a book from the library as equal to buying 2 paperbacks. That's good stuff to know :)

[empmai.livejournal.com]

Except that the book you would buy would be from a well-known author, and the the book you borrow from a new author. Thus leaving the new (and less paid author) with less money and less ability (pay check) to write another book. Which means that publishers would be less likely to publish new authors and you end back up in the days of my childhood where the teen/kids section was all of one bookshelf in the bookstore and three quarters of it where Babysitters club, Sweet Valley and R.L.Stine.

Also in Canada hardbacks are closer to $30 a pop, so I don't usually buy hardback unless I love the author, (or I go down to the States and buy it there)

It's great to know what the break down of the cost of a book though - I always wondered how mouch went to everyone in the process. Thanks for posting the link - I'll try to buy more hardcovers.

[dannybailey.livejournal.com]

Wow, that was very interesting to know. Thanks for linking us.

I'm wondering, does anyone remember reading a list of ways to support a favorite author? I seem to remember that being posted somewhere on this community. I'd like to see it again, because I remember that I didn't really understand it at the time.

Also, why is the bookstore getting so much money? With the internet, why can't the publishing company cut out that "middleman" and sell their books themselves online without having to double the price for the bookstores' profit? Even when publishers do sell their books online, the price is still the same as it is in stores. So where does that extra half go then?

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

The Author post was from Megan on Book Tours with insights into how authors can be supported and needed to be taken down after a month. I have the original post as a word document but not any threads - does anyone else have the complete post? If so, I'd like a copy as well.

Somewhere along the way, I learned it is helpful to the author if we pre-order books prior to the publishing date (yet another piece of trivia).

[emmaco.livejournal.com]

A person on my flist linked to this and mentioned her main reasons for not buying hardbacks, which coincide with mine. Namely, they're large so take up lots of space, are hard to carry around with you and are heavy on the hands when reading.

Also, in Australia a lot of books don't come out in hardback at all - I think authors might make more money off paperbacks (which are typically around US$15 or so). But I don't know how that works with importing and so on. I mitigate guilty feelings of not supporting my favourite authors enough by pimping their books to all readers I know :)

[philia-fan.livejournal.com]

And here I thought I was being good because I try to shop at indy bookstores rather than chains...
Actually, I often feel guilty for spending the extra money when I give into impatience and buy a book in hardback -- so maybe I can feel more justified in doing this from now on.

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

I love hardcovers, and would rather read a hardcover version over a paperback, but I prefer a paperback for carrying around (it fits better in my purse, and in the mappocket of my car). My general practice is to buy one of each if I really enjoy the book and expect to read it multiple times. And maybe additional paperbacks to ensure backup copies are available and for loaning out (although the extra copies may be used versions rather than new).

I've noticed the price gap between the paperback versions and the hardcovers are getting less, at least for the books I've been buying lately. Maybe $8-$10 for the paperback and $14-$18 for the hardcover, with bookstore discounts and coupons. Rarely are the HC twice (or more) the cost of the PB. I hope the higher prices for PB versions mean the author is getting more.

[haleysings.livejournal.com]

I swear, I have too many expensive hobbies. It's hard to figure out what to buy and what to rent or borrow from the library. And then, I have to figure out if I want to buy online for a discount, or buy from a real store to help support it, and if I do that, should I go to Borders (which has a better selection and a great discount program) or Tattered Cover (which has an awesome atmosphere, the best cafe ever and is an independant bookstore, but often doesn't have what I'm looking for and doesn't have the discounts like Borders). Oi...

That is really good to know, though, particularly for authors I really want to support. I'll try to keep pre-ordering in mind, particularly.