Wednesday, August 04, 2010

How Much Is Too Much?

Since I got caught in the rainstorm on Wednesday, and my legs were feeling wet and clammy in my jeans, I thought I'd go on my lunch break to buy a new pair (of slacks, not legs). I found some that were really nice on a confusing rack, which on one side had a sale price sign. Not sure if the originally $40.00 slacks were on sale, I asked the cashier. Unfortunately, they were not being sold at sale price. I really liked them, but I forced myself to tell her, "I'm not buying them for that price."

As I walked away, I felt a twinge of regret. Still, I knew I had to stand my ground. Money's tight.

So, taking this to another level, I wonder -
How Much is Too Much for a Book?

To me, if I know the author, I'll purchase a mass market or trade paperback maybe up to about $14.00, but the author would have to be a very close friend for me to splurge on a hardcover.

As far as digital books, including those for kindle and others, I'm afraid I've gotten pretty much spoiled by Amazon's low prices. I've put Killer Career up on kindle at $2.99 and if I can do it, other authors can too. So, I won't be buying any bestsellers for higher amounts when I can get a good read for $2.99 or less.


What about you? How much is too much?

13 comments:

  1. I will pay a little more for some books if I really, really want to read them--but usually don't. The whole publishing world is changing, way faster than most people realize.

    Marilyn
    http://fictionforyou.com

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  2. Morgan,
    I don't spend a lot of money on books because people are so willing to share. I will buy a book though if I've heard good things about it but usually it's a softcover for less than $10.

    Thanks for visiting my blog site and for leaving a comment! :)

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  3. MORGAN--I'm amazed that people here in town will buy my books for $14.00. But they do. Most have told me, I don't buy books--I check them out of the library. Well, I do, too, but sometimes I have to buy books. There's some kind of visceral reaction to buying a paperbook. I have NEVER bought a hardback, and won't I rarely read them because they're hard to hold--I have small hands and they're not that strong-I love to get my credit card, pull up a publiher's website, and start buying. Downloaded, $7.00 is my limit, and usually I look for the special sales. Celia

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  4. Anonymous6:30 PM

    What I am willing to pay for a book depends in part on what I think of the book and how much I have at the time. I mostly buy hardcovers, totally love and prefer them. I personally -- just my two cents -- find it odd that many who will spend money on entertainment that is fleeting and soon forgotten won't spend much on books when a good one is long lasting. What I am willing to spend on anything is dependent on what I expect to have in the future (retirement, etc.) as well as how I have budgeted in the here and now.

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  5. Anonymous6:46 PM

    With B&N discounts I should not have to pay over $20.00 for a hard cover, $12.00 for a soft bound. I don't have an eReader but $9.99 is the max for an establushed writer like Dan Brown or Stephen King, and $4.99 for an unknown writer.

    Stephen Tremp

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  6. Money is tight and it's better to shop around for books. I usually find mine on the sales table much later.

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  7. Everything's changing so quickly. Not long ago, hardbacks seemed to regularly cost $25. Not anymore. And with the advent of ebooks, people expect to pay way less.

    Helen

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  8. Depends on the book, of course. I'm so far behind in my reading that I often go to used books on Amazon, order $25 worth for free shipping, and let them sit around until I get around to reading them. If I want to purchase a hardcover for my book shelves, I'll pay full price. My book shelf space is running very low, I might add.
    G.

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  9. That blog simply reinforced my idea that Australians generally pay a lot more for things than people in the US. Here, $40.00 for jeans would probably BE the sale price, and might well represent a 60% reduction. I think the last pair I bought, about four years ago, cost me $80 or so. Track pants are cheaper. Most of my books are not available on Amazon and last time I checked, I couldn't put them on Kindle because my address is in Australia. Maybe it's changed by now. Better check! As for books, I would generally pay up to $25 for one I wanted to read, and more if it was by a top favourite author of mine. It wouldn't be likely to be a best seller, though, since most of my favourite authors aren't.

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  10. I went back to Sears today and they had the pants on sale - called Jeggings, for $29.99 instead of $40.00. Almost bought a pair, but the line was too long. Also, I'd just bought eyeglasses, which cost a bit much.

    Morgan Mandel
    http://facebook.com/morgan.mandel

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  11. Since I review so many titles a year, it has to be a book I really want to plunk down money for it. I bought Alison Arngrim's and Melissa Anderson's memoirs because I loved Little House on the Prairie growing up. Other than that I see if there is a Kindle version of books I want, because $3 - $5 is a heck of a lot easier to swallow than $15.

    Cheryl

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  12. As Sally said, books are very expensive in Australia. It's not unusual to fork out A$35 for a trade paperback. Let me go convert that: around $30 US.

    Elle
    HearWriteNow & Blood-Red Pencil

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  13. Wow, I'm glad I don't live in Australia. I mean, I like Koala Bears, but 30 bucks for a paperback book?????

    I love the fact that there are so many good books available in e format for reasonable prices. And I will not spend more than $6 for one.

    I will still buy a hardback if it is a special book that I want to keep.

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