To think there’s no hope anymore financially after seeing the price of this…?!

I wanted a copy of the latest Strike book, only available in hard back. I found a pristine version on ebay for £2.99

I don't see an issue. Let those who have the money, support the authors and publishing houses. Then people like us can enjoy the book at a fraction of the price. 😊

Simple Inflation, really. Not sure why you're surprised. Yes, I remember when a new HB was £15 - £20, but I also remember when a Mars Bar was 20p 😁

Second hand books are cheap and plentiful and if you buy one from a charity shop your money goes to a good cause.

Libraries are great. And you don't have the pain of having to pack boxes full of books if you ever move house.
Audiobooks & E-Books are much cheaper, so plenty of options.

Politely I'm filing this under 'First World Problems'...and I love reading, so don't get me wrong.

Cheerio.

Sometimes i read threads like these and wonder if people understand inflation.

We have had high inflation for years. The number of pounds things cost has "risen" but so have salaries. In real terms, its not really costing that much more, we just have to get used to higher numbers on price tags.

My DD and her hubby are about to buy their first home. Their budget is £500k half a million on a first house!!!!

This isn't new, especially near london or the south east. Salaries have risen loads! How big a house is it? My first flat (a small two bed in need of redecorating) was £350k nearly 15 years ago.

Hardbacks released before Christmas are always priced high. Wait till after Christmas and you will likely get the same titles for a few pounds less.

They’ve been £25 to £30 for ages, but they are often sold at reduced prices in some shops. Worth looking around if it’s a big name author.

Agree about the cost of everything but ime a nearly six figure salary leaves some disposable income to spend on books - unless of course one has a massive mortgage or prioritises saving a lot every month which is a luxury in itself.

My DD and her hubby are about to buy their first home. Their budget is £500k half a million on a first house!!!!

That seems like an awful lot of money, but I guess someone must be buying them, just not me. There are so many books in the world I haven't read, I just find one of those either in the local second-hand shop, on the Kindle for cheap, or wait for paperback as I prefer it to hardback anyway.

It is a bit of a shame though when you'd like to discuss the same book as your friends, a bit of a water-cooler moment but people can't all have those at that price for new books.

Buy secondhand.

Hardback books used to be £9.99 and I thought they were really expensive then! Paperbacks were something like £3.50 from the supermarket. I used to go to the library and full out a form to request the books I wanted.
Now I use the library app or buy cheap on kindle or second hand from ebay or somewhere like that. I love actual books but I don’t want to spend a lot of money on them to read once and then just sit there or I have to sell it

I think it's just BS so they can then say 'now half price' and everyone feels like a winner. Well at least that is my take, as everywhere seems to be selling them half price. Maybe not small independent book shops though....

Use library, buy secondhand. Most new hardbacks are available in junk shops or libraries within a reasonsble amount of time, so you can always have a nearly new book on the go.

That’s the cover price. WH Smith (or whoever they are now) often sell them for half that.

I joined the library in March this year and so far have read 53 books. Everytime I go im delighted by what they have available. My DS was asked by the librarian what they could do to improve and he said they didn't have a big enough selection of a particular author. They purchased it for him and put it on his card to reserve so when it arrived he got to read them first. I can borrow all the cook books, knitting patterns, get seeds and seed potatoes, lego groups and book clubs for the kids and absolutely free. We go every week. When I bought the kids books for Christmas I got second hand ones and the quality was great. This is the one area of life I dont moan about the cost of living because im much happier to borrow than buy

I'm a bit unsure about the point of this post. So far as I'm concerned, hardback books have always been a luxury.
I much prefer them to paperbacks. This is what I do:
When there's a newly released novel I want to read, I go onto Amazon and look for a secondhand hardback. They're often a similar price to the paperback. They're perhaps got rid of by people who have been sent them to review or similar. I usually find they seem scarcely touched and still in lovely condition.
I'm not exactly hard up, but wouldn't dream of regularly buying new hardbacks, but this is my way round it.
So, no need to despair!

My local library lets you borrow ebooks and audiobooks. It has done wonders for my reading.

I've never earned 'a six figure income' so I wait until books come out in paperback or I use the library. You absolutely don't have to buy £22 books if you feel they're too expensive they are not life's essentials.

I don't see the point of buying hardback books, they are still the same book when they come out in paperback a few months later at a lower price, or on kindle. And hardback books are heavy and take up so much space, they are a nightmare when you are moving house.

I sympathise but how many hours of (potential) enjoyment does a book give you vs cinema or even a meal out? Why is the hardback book (the more expensive format, in any case) the truly shocking price point against everything else that costs considerable money (and vs a paperback)?

I have what sounds like a lower income than you (although still healthy) and can afford to buy hard back books when I want to, so you most prioritise your money differently to me 🤷🏻‍♀️

You have said you have plenty of disposable income so your 100k earnings isn't impacting whether you can buy a book or not, your personal opinion on whether it is overpriced is.
I am not that far off 100k either and know for a fact I would be a lot worse off if I lost my job, even if I chose not to buy everything because I didn't like the price.

Get a decent Kindle for £150 and even new release books will be around a £5.
I'm a book lover and resisted for years but an e-reader is well worth it.
Now I only buy big series that I want to keep in actual paper format.

You have said you have plenty of disposable income so your 100k earnings isn't impacting whether you can buy a book or not, your personal opinion on whether it is overpriced is.
I am not that far off 100k either and know for a fact I would be a lot worse off if I lost my job, even if I chose not to buy everything because I didn't like the price.

You have said you have plenty of disposable income so your 100k earnings isn't impacting whether you can buy a book or not, your personal opinion on whether it is overpriced is.
I am not that far off 100k either and know for a fact I would be a lot worse off if I lost my job, even if I chose not to buy everything because I didn't like the price.