Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeFromHC
The difference in price between a paperback and a hard back should be minimal if this is the case, yet a paperback is frequently less than 1/3 the cost of the hard bound.
Either the margin on the hard back is huge or there is a big difference in printing, paper, and transportation between the two.
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I work for a printing company (not books) and the cost of labor is the biggest expense (printers, management, salespeople, HR, IT, marketing, office workers, etc).
Materials are the second largest expense and overhead (rent, utilities, depreciation of equipment, insurance, etc.) is third.
Hardbacks sell fewer copies than paperbacks so the margins have to be higher. I do what I've always done: wait for the prices to get cheaper. It used to be waiting for the paperback to come out(usually several months) or wait for the paperback to show up in used bookstores. Or if I can afford it and can't wait then I bite the bullet and pay the price.