Why Do Book Publishers Do This?

[loomster2000]

I would love to get this book (Amazon.com: Drawn into Controversie (Reformed Historical Theology) (9783525569450): Michael A G Haykin, Mark Jones: Books) when it is released, but it is priced well out of my range for a single title. I've heard it said that pricing books in this manner is almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy: Book publishers price books this high because they think only a small number will purchase the book, hence they want to make money or at least break even. Yet lo and behold, since they price the book this high, guess what? Only a small number buy the book. Prophecy fulfilled!

With binding and publishing costs relatively static (I'm assuming) across the publishing world, why are some 336 page hardcovers priced at $30.00 while this one is priced at $123.00?

Those of you who are involved or familiar with the industry, please enlighten me.

Grace,
Van L.

 

[Bethel]

This book will probably be required reading for a college class; therefore, the higher price. Of course, that's just my reasoning. As we get closer to dual enrollment with my oldest son, I'm continually astounded by the cost of the books he will need. I really don't remember books being this expensive when I was in college.

 

[Wayne]

Both Dutch & German publishers are typically quite expensive. Brill is one of the most expensive. They set the standard and others follow.

My question would be why the authors couldn't get the interest of a state-side publisher.

 

[Jack K]

Especially in this digital age, the largest single cost in publishing a book is paying the author for the time it took to write the thing. If many people are likely to want to read the book, that cost is spread out and the book can be priced to sell many copies. But if only a few people are likely to read it, the book must be priced high to be feasible. In such cases, a book is not likely to be published at all unless there will be sales to libraries, or to high-end scholars, or to students—anyone who feels they must have/read it and will plunk down their money even at very high prices.

I'm afraid that in the economics of the publishing world, the alternative to this $123 book is probably no book at all. Without a captive readership of students or scholars who have a high interest in reading it, it would not have been published in the first place. The price simply shows that this is not a book likely to have mass appeal, even at a lower price.

 

[DMcFadden]

$123!!!

 

[Theoretical]

I would love to get this book (Amazon.com: Drawn into Controversie (Reformed Historical Theology) (9783525569450): Michael A G Haykin, Mark Jones: Books) when it is released, but it is priced well out of my range for a single title. I've heard it said that pricing books in this manner is almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy: Book publishers price books this high because they think only a small number will purchase the book, hence they want to make money or at least break even. Yet lo and behold, since they price the book this high, guess what? Only a small number buy the book. Prophecy fulfilled!

With binding and publishing costs relatively static (I'm assuming) across the publishing world, why are some 336 page hardcovers priced at $30.00 while this one is priced at $123.00?

Those of you who are involved or familiar with the industry, please enlighten me.

Grace,
Van L.

The URC is working on a new psalter-hymnal and apparently the reason behind the controversial decision to require their congregations to purchase copies for their members is that without that, the hymnal would cost $70 a pop. Printing a high-quality bound book is very expensive if you don't have a large market for it.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

What's the size of the URC? This seems a bit high even if you are looking at several hundred.

The URC is working on a new psalter-hymnal and apparently the reason behind the controversial decision to require their congregations to purchase copies for their members is that without that, the hymnal would cost $70 a pop. Printing a high-quality bound book is very expensive if you don't have a large market for it.

 

[loomster2000]

The price simply shows that this is not a book likely to have mass appeal, even at a lower price.

I appreciate your response, Jack, but with this product description below, wouldn't we expect a pretty wide readership (understanding that ours is a niche publishing community to start with):

"Reformed theologians have often found themselves disagreeing on a number of theological doctrines. In the eras of the Reformation and of Reformed orthodoxy there was intense theological debate, leading to confessional identity and confessional boundaries; hence the Remonstrant controversy in the early seventeenth century. This volume looks at the debates that took place within the Reformed theological tradition, particularly within Puritan England."

Wouldn't a title that covered this material be right at home by being published by BoT, P&R, RHB, or some other major Reformed publisher? I'm just not seeing that this subject is so overly specialized as to be attractive to only a few.

Grace,
Van L.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

What's the size of the URC? This seems a bit high even if you are looking at several hundred.

The URC is working on a new psalter-hymnal and apparently the reason behind the controversial decision to require their congregations to purchase copies for their members is that without that, the hymnal would cost $70 a pop. Printing a high-quality bound book is very expensive if you don't have a large market for it.

The folks on that committee need to check with Crown and Covenant. Our new Psalter in the ARP is nowhere near that expensive.

 

[py3ak]

Academic publishers expect their stuff to be purchased by libraries: institutional budgets are used to being charged heavily.

Hopefully it will not be very long before the print run is sold out, and if rights revert to the author (editor) at that point it can be brought out by a Christian Focus or RHB or something along those lines: along with Why Heaven Kissed Earth, of course.

 

[Jack K]

The price simply shows that this is not a book likely to have mass appeal, even at a lower price.

I appreciate your response, Jack, but with this product description below, wouldn't we expect a pretty wide readership (understanding that ours is a niche publishing community to start with):

"Reformed theologians have often found themselves disagreeing on a number of theological doctrines. In the eras of the Reformation and of Reformed orthodoxy there was intense theological debate, leading to confessional identity and confessional boundaries; hence the Remonstrant controversy in the early seventeenth century. This volume looks at the debates that took place within the Reformed theological tradition, particularly within Puritan England."

Wouldn't a title that covered this material be right at home by being published by BoT, P&R, RHB, or some other major Reformed publisher? I'm just not seeing that this subject is so overly specialized as to be attractive to only a few.

Grace,
Van L.

Yeah, maybe, I guess. I do know that for publishers looking for anything approaching mass readership, having a good topic or a well-written book is not the key to getting published. Books most often sell because the author has an established path to get sales. The author is either well-known, or speaks in settings that allow him to pitch the book, or can force his students to buy it... something like that. The topic has comparatively little to do with it.

I imagine it's somewhat different in the academic world, where relevant scholarship on a topic needing to be explored should be welcomed. But that's not the mass readership side of the business.

 

[KMK]

Academic publishers expect their stuff to be purchased by libraries: institutional budgets are used to being charged heavily.

Maybe it will soon be available to borrow on the Kindle. Amazon launches Kindle Lending Library

 

[py3ak]

I meant university libraries: my local library would only have such a book if someone donated it.