From My Reading World:
If you’re an avid reader, you will, of course, know how expensive books are. Have you ever wondered why they are so expensive?
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Books are expensive because of the rising cost of printing on paper, royalties, the economy of scale, return policy, and transit costs.
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What’s the average price of a book?
An average-sized book can range anywhere from $14-$18. While this might seem affordable but when you’re an avid reader, the numbers quickly add up. It means that it will become difficult for you to read multiple books throughout the month.
I will now go into the details of why these books are so expensive.
Five reasons why books are so expensive now
Let me now highlight the reasons why books have become so expensive.
1. Cost of printing and paper
Physical resources needed to print a book like printing machine, paper, and so on are increasing in price consistently. Due to the same, the cost of the books is also increasing.
The problem is that the cost of these resources is increasing at a higher rate than inflation. It is the primary reason why books are so expensive.
2. Royalties
Publishers have to pay royalties to authors as well. Publishers and authors have to incur marketing expenses as well. As the author becomes more famous, the royalties of the author increase as well.
It, in turn, increases the price of the book as well.
3. Economy of scale
You might be thinking, shouldn’t books be more affordable because of the economy of scale?
The problem is that economy of scale works in the opposite direction for books. The number of avid readers is decreasing day by day. That is why; the sale of books is decreasing in terms of copies.
With the lower copies being sold, the price of the books is undoubtedly bound to increase. That is what is happening.
Link to the rest at My Reading World
PG notes that he doesn’t always agree with items he posts on TPV.