Book prices?

[MJMcCready]

How is it that some publishers charge considerably more than others?

Unsurprisingly, I'd love to read Tim Harding's account of Mr. Blackburne (recently published) yet since I am abroad the cost of the book plus packaging comes to nearly 100 pounds. How can that be? Surely if the book was priced attractively, say around 20 pounds, it would sell more. Why is it some books are priced much higher than others?

Any thoughts?

[IM Jack Rudd]

Dropping a price from £100 to £20 is a big jump, and would require you to sell five times as much to justify the drop even if the cost of producing an extra copy were £0.

My guess is that the publisher thinks the market for this book is pretty niche and has heavily price-inelastic demand.

[MJMcCready]

Aha, well I ask because when I last returned home to study, one of my professors lamented over choosing the wrong publisher and couldn't himself understand why his first publication was priced so highly.

Edward Winters books, for example, are a fraction of the cost yet chess history is the still the subject. Surely the publishers have a good idea prior to accepting a work how well it will, or won't do. Is it that you need a 'brand name' to enter the market and trusted historian Tim Harding is not that? Surely that cannot be the case. His book on Blackburne is priced at around 66 pounds btw, with courier fees its close to 100.

[Brian Towers]

How is it that some publishers charge considerably more than others?

Unsurprisingly, I'd love to read Tim Harding's account of Mr. Blackburne (recently published) yet since I am abroad the cost of the book plus packaging comes to nearly 100 pounds. How can that be? Surely if the book was priced attractively, say around 20 pounds, it would sell more. Why is it some books are priced much higher than others?

Any thoughts?

Amazon has listings about half that price - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listin ... 983&sr=1-1
Pay your money and make your choice, as the saying goes.

[MJMcCready]

How is it that some publishers charge considerably more than others?

Unsurprisingly, I'd love to read Tim Harding's account of Mr. Blackburne (recently published) yet since I am abroad the cost of the book plus packaging comes to nearly 100 pounds. How can that be? Surely if the book was priced attractively, say around 20 pounds, it would sell more. Why is it some books are priced much higher than others?

Any thoughts?

Amazon has listings about half that price - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listin ... 983&sr=1-1
Pay your money and make your choice, as the saying goes.

Please read the post again

[MJMcCready]

Dropping a price from £100 to £20 is a big jump, and would require you to sell five times as much to justify the drop even if the cost of producing an extra copy were £0.

My guess is that the publisher thinks the market for this book is pretty niche and has heavily price-inelastic demand.

Please read the post before you comment.

[Roger de Coverly]

Why is it some books are priced much higher than others?

The publisher's website has it as 75 US Dollars. MacFarland books are always expensive. The author's other two books for them are priced at $ 49.95 each.

The book is described as "library binding", which presumably is a higher quality than paperback.

http://www.mcfarlandbooks.com/book-2.ph ... 864-7473-8

[Brian Towers]

How is it that some publishers charge considerably more than others?

Unsurprisingly, I'd love to read Tim Harding's account of Mr. Blackburne (recently published) yet since I am abroad the cost of the book plus packaging comes to nearly 100 pounds. How can that be? Surely if the book was priced attractively, say around 20 pounds, it would sell more. Why is it some books are priced much higher than others?

Any thoughts?

Amazon has listings about half that price - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listin ... 983&sr=1-1
Pay your money and make your choice, as the saying goes.

Please read the post again

Did Diddums get out of bed the wrong side this morning?

What I generally do is put in a big order to Amazon UK just before I fly (from abroad) to visit my father in the north east since they usually offer free delivery. I then spend my last evening repacking and reweighing my bags until I'm close enough to the weight limits to think I can get away with it.

Suggest you do the same.

If you really can't wait then have it delivered to a UK based relative and get them to post it on to you. Again I have occasionally done this, although usually for presents for the kids rather than books for me.

I can't believe this is such high level rocket science that other people haven't also worked this out.

[MJMcCready]

[/quote]Did Diddums get out of bed the wrong side this morning?

[/quote]

Yes, sorry had a really bad day apologies.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"How is it that some publishers charge considerably more than others?"

The bit about niche publishing may well be true.

I was invited by one publisher to write/edit a book on chemical names (after much thought it was called "Chemical Nomenclature"). The Publisher wanted a fairly "easy" guide and said they would price it at about £30 - 40, so that with student discounts, and bulk buys for companies, it would do really well. Just as I handed the final draft over, the company was taken over, and then they were taken over just before publication. The latest and actual publisher priced it at about £140. Sales have not gone through the roof, despite the favourable reviews... Obviously the actual publisher did not understand the point of the book (which admittedly they inherited), but they didn't bother to ask either!

[John Hickman]

"How is it that some publishers charge considerably more than others?"

The bit about niche publishing may well be true.

I was invited by one publisher to write/edit a book on chemical names (after much thought it was called "Chemical Nomenclature"). The Publisher wanted a fairly "easy" guide and said they would price it at about £30 - 40, so that with student discounts, and bulk buys for companies, it would do really well. Just as I handed the final draft over, the company was taken over, and then they were taken over just before publication. The latest and actual publisher priced it at about £140. Sales have not gone through the roof, despite the favourable reviews... Obviously the actual publisher did not understand the point of the book (which admittedly they inherited), but they didn't bother to ask either!

Easy Guide to the Chemical Nomenclature would be a good title, but maybe Winning with the Chemical Nomenclature is even better!