How much do you pay for books?

There are 13 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 5,374 times. The latest Post () was by Rice.

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    I'm curious about how much people are prepared to pay for a paperback book.

    For me, if I'm looking for a particular book that I really want to read, I'll pay up to £20, probably. Other factors come into play of course, like how long is the book?

    I've only ever bought one eBook, because that's the only format it was available in and I think I paid about £5 for it.

    It seems that most paperbacks of around 400-500 pages are going for £12 to £15 on Amazon, with many eBooks going for £10, as well.

    Actually, the pricing seems to be all over the place, but the newer the book, the more expensive it is.

    I can't honestly remember the last time I bought a book....I suspect it was a Rough Guide travel book.

    I used to be an avid reader in the UK however that was mostly due to the excellent public lending libraries available there rather than the cheap bookstores.


    What would I pay for a book? No more than £5 probably.

    I only purchase books which are non-fiction - and the majority are astrological books. But cook books are also an interest for me.

    My preference is Hard Cover rather than Paper-Back.


    The local book stores where I live, usually sell these from (on sale) at 5 USD (paper-back); but cookbooks are very expensive (and usually are in Hard-Cover only).

    They sell from 20 USD to around 35 USD; while some are high as 60 USD or more.

    Why are cookbooks so much more expensive than novels, CruiseJunki ? I actually find cookbooks to be a sort of science fiction!


    Seriously, with people getting rid of their cookbooks and simply looking up recipes online, I would have thought the price would have tanked.

    • Official Post
    Quote from Rice

    Why are cookbooks so much more expensive than novels, CruiseJunki ? I actually find cookbooks to be a sort of science fiction!

    Because they need better, larger paper for the many pictures they will feature.


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    My book price points depends on the kind of book: if it is a book I want to read for work, then I can spend up to €30-40, but I wouldn't spend that amount lightly - I would only if I am absolutely sure that book is essential for my work.


    If we are talking about novels, for €15 I think it is pricey, likely a hard cover just launched. I would wait until the paperback version is available or look for the ebook to save some €€. I would accept spending €10 for a newly released book.

    Between €5 and €10 - appropriate price for an established author, making a living with books.

    Less than €5 - hobby writer, I am not an avid reader and I don't like to look for books that could be interesting to me, so I'd rather pass.


    By the way, have you ever read about Babelcube? It is a platform where authors can get their books translated in exchange of small royalty for the translator. Basically, you don't actually pay for the translation, the rationale being 'if the translation is good, it will pay off itself'. For translators this means working for days in the hope that one day the book will be a success and somebody will buy the translated version.

    Most author list their amazon listing, and I got the feeling that they are not selling much... maybe 30-40 copies (considering only 1 in 10 clients write a review on amazon). Amazon does not discloses information on the amount of copies sold.

    Someone we know recently gave us a copy of his book and asked if we would write a review on Amazon. Although neither of us wanted the task, the book was very good, and we wanted to help our friend. So we put our heads together and spent some time writing a review, only to be told by Amazon that we didn’t meet their qualifications as a reviewer because we hadn’t purchased enough books from them this year.

    • Official Post
    Quote from Rice

    Someone we know recently gave us a copy of his book and asked if we would write a review on Amazon. Although neither of us wanted the task, the book was very good, and we wanted to help our friend. So we put our heads together and spent some time writing a review, only to be told by Amazon that we didn’t meet their qualifications as a reviewer because we hadn’t purchased enough books from them this year.


    Really?! That’s odd. I would be happy to publish your review under my account. Feel free to email it at your earliest convenience. 🙂



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Quote from Rice

    Someone we know recently gave us a copy of his book and asked if we would write a review on Amazon. Although neither of us wanted the task, the book was very good, and we wanted to help our friend. So we put our heads together and spent some time writing a review, only to be told by Amazon that we didn’t meet their qualifications as a reviewer because we hadn’t purchased enough books from them this year.

    How very typical of Capitalists!

    Quote from serafina

    Really?! That’s odd. I would be happy to publish your review under my account. Feel free to email it at your earliest convenience. 🙂



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Thanks very much, serafina ! I tossed it a month ago, but if I decide to spend the time re-creating it, I may take you up on your offer. Very kind of you.

    Quote from UK Man

    It doesn't read to me as if the book was actually purchased from Amazon though. If not then I think they were right not to accept the review. Otherwise an author could just get all their friends and relatives to write a positive review about their book.

    Independent Book Reviewers (person/s not associated personally with the author of said book) are not always to be relied upon; nor are they always "fair" in their review. I know from personal experience.

    • Official Post
    Quote from UK Man

    It doesn't read to me as if the book was actually purchased from Amazon though. If not then I think they were right not to accept the review. Otherwise an author could just get all their friends and relatives to write a positive review about their book.

    Amazon allows anybody to write reviews, but they are quite strict against fake reviews.


    If you purchase something on amazon and then write a review on it, the wording 'Verified purchase' is added to your review, provided you are using the same account.


    When I am visiting my family I buy using my mom's account because she has Amazon Prime (= free delivery), but then I write reviews using my account.


    I think in case of Rice amazon found suspicious that a newly created account was used to write a review on a low selling item. Or maybe it is their standard policy. When I joined amazon, I actually started writing reviews before buying on the site (reviews of items I had bought elsewhere, but I wanted to review).