Comments on: A Question of Value

By: “If They Like Printed Books, They Should Be Buying the Damn Things” : Near Earth Object

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:30:56 +0000

[…] The real problem for publishing, he says, is one I’ve seen made in a similar way before at Booksquare, there is too much emphasis on what a book costs in terms of dollars rather than on the quality of […]

By: prestiti cambializzati

prestiti cambializzati — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 15:13:18 +0000

Awesome website…

[…]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[…]……

By: Readers, Writers, and Web 2.0 | Middle of the Pack

Readers, Writers, and Web 2.0 | Middle of the Pack — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:25:59 +0000

[…] Assure Quality – Traditionally, publishing acts as a gatekeeper and offers a reasonable assurance of quality (although maybe not as much as some say). […]

By: Fiction Writers Review » Blog Archive » Price vs. Value

Fiction Writers Review » Blog Archive » Price vs. Value — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:03:17 +0000

[…] value of a book? Obvious as it sounds, those are two separate questions—but as Kassia Krozser points out on her lit blog Booksquare, they’re often conflated by readers and publishers alike: The […]

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:52:55 +0000

As a consumer, I see an oversupply of books. There are more than I could possibly read. Therefore, I expect to see low prices on these goods.

With all the free ebooks and the used bookstores and Borders sending me a 33% off coupon every week, I may never pay even $9.99 for a book again. So I determine price in part not by a perceived value of a book but by my willingness to pay. A $9.99 book may be a fabulous value, but I’m probably not going to pay that much. I’ll buy something else for a cheaper price.

By: Sherman Unkefer

Sherman Unkefer — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:51:30 +0000

Unfortunately, the dumbing down of reading choices by plot driven trash is not helping this at all. To pay a premium price for the latest off the Patterson assembly-line as you would a true piece of literature (which is harder and harder to find) is only going to make the divide larger. But I guess that’s what happens when art becomes a business. Great point – thanks for saying what we all feel!

By: Beth

Beth — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:11:41 +0000

That’s an interesting point, Shelley. I find that within my book group, I’m one of the few who will value highly a book with a less-than-perfect plot but beautiful writing. I’m guessing that most reader’s of this blog are the same. We love words, language, writing, etc. So for us, bad writing and errors in grammar devalue the book. But what about people who just want a rip-roaring plot and don’t care about the writing? Is their value system different? Hmm….

By: Shelley

Shelley — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:36:13 +0000

I just finished Richard Anderson’s book Free, and he makes the interesting point that perhaps the amount people pay is not the only way to judge what they value–it’s better judged by what they pay attention to.

By: Mary G

Mary G — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 05:00:49 +0000

“First, publishers are spending less money on editors than on typesetting these days under the guise that few people recognize errors or care. Sadly, they are right.”

That is not true. Of course we notice & care, but who would we tell? It’s too late once the book is published & out there.

From what I’ve read, it seems to be worse with ebooks although they must be easier to correct.

By: Yamabuki Zhou

Yamabuki Zhou — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:04:05 +0000

What is the value of a Book?

I just got through
packing up
Two boxes of books
To Donate
(ok ok – my wife wants
The room- ‘Get rid of some books’
She says)

Two boxes
It hardly shows the book shelves don’t look quite as full

Still lately most of my reading has been ebooks
Last week Martin Cruz Smith
Published his latest novel
“Three Stations”
He is one of my favorites
But I refused to buy his book.
Because on Amazon it’s NOT being sold
As an ebook.

So I upgraded my favorite ereader
my ‘gasp’ ipod iTouch
And now i can use it to read his book on the nook app

There are ebooks from:
ereader.com (fictionwise)
Nook (Barnes and Noble)
Kindle (Amazon)
and even ibooks (Apple)
all on my little iTouch
That fits in my pocket
(I do have a 1st gen Kindle
but haven’t used it in months)

I wish all my books
were available
as ebooks.
So I could clear out
more of my book shelves
Maybe Google books
Will help me out there.

So how much are books worth to me?
Many of my ebooks are duplicates of books I already own. (You’d think they’d give me
a discount for having the book)

Books are worth what i have to pay versus how well i like the book. This is why I love Amazon

Amazon has a return policy on ebooks
And I’ve used it
I’ve read part way, even all the way through the ebook and felt cheated.
True Amazon only gives you a week
But I can tell in a week if I want to keep a book
If I don’t like it I call and bingo – money refunded

As for the value of physical books
Sure there is something
about reading a book
But try carrying them around
When you travel
Try finding space on your shelves
Try reading them when you
are with your wife
When she’s shopping
And you have to wait for her.
With my pocketsized iTouch it’s never a problem.

Reading the other comments
I see many points of view
All valid to some degree
Depending on what you value
But looking at the future
I think books are going to become
a niche market
The publishers and sellers
Who adapt will survive
The rest will sink or swim

(sorry for
the weird
formating
I’m working
At becoming
A poet
So take
ever
chance
to write
like
this)

yamabuki