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

[Suteleynot]

I’ve just been browsing the new books due to be released next year. Hardbacks are now 22 pounds????!!!

I know hardbacks have always been pricey especially when new but I am almost certain they were around 14-15 pounds only recently.

I have quite a bit of disposable income and I love reading but I cannot for a moment get my head around how expensive this is? It won’t be long before a new hardback will cost the best part of 30 quid!

I am paid close to six figures and hand on heart if I lost my job, I know I’d be worse off for sure, but not so worse off that I’d be devastated. In a way it’s quite liberating… I care less about keeping my job than I once did! What’s the point!!!!

I have only just seen this on Amazon so this is my very reactionary post to it 😅

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

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

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.

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....

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

Buy secondhand.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 😊

Either your income isnt what you say or you are incredibly tight. £22 for a book is about 2/3rds of your hourly rate after tax. Is a hardback book really not worth that to you? If you don't want to buy it for that price everyone who reads books knows paperbacks are far cheaper and can be purchased cheaply on all sorts of deals.

I think of hardbacks as an expensive luxury. I do a lot of my reading on the libby app. With a large extra screen set up, it's probably not the experience of reading a hardback but it's pretty good - it's free, I don't have to go out to buy it and I don't have to store it when it's read. I am very unlikely to reread novels.

I’m a published writer and I agree that the price of HB are ridiculous.

However. If you’re earning a 6 figure salary and can’t afford a HB - this is far more of an issue!

I'm pretty sure you would be devastated to lose that close-to-six-figure job. I wonder how much you think people on benefits receive? As for books, I almost never buy new hardbacks, rarely buy new paperbacks and only sometimes buy second-hand books. The library is free. (I'm not on benefits, by the way.)

Borrow from the library. Start using them. If not in stock I can usually reserve for 60p. I don’t like kindle books and much prefer the physical book, but at the same time it’s nice to take it back when finished and not to take up too much space in the house.

We did a food shop in morrisons yesterday - their prices have gone upp.

Much more expensive than Tesco (which surprised me)

There’s a hardback book that is available in America, it’s around £30, but add on the shipping, it’s closer to £60 😫, and I could actually be liable to pay customs or import duties (as I have been “stung” before), so that would bump the price up even more.

Thing is though do the books really retail at the RRP?

I bought a book for BIL - brand new release - hardback - £12. RRP was £22

Myself though, I only buy second hand books. I love nothing better then an afternoon in the second hand book shop chatting to the owner, getting new recommendations

New books,especially newly released hardbacks, have always been quite expensive -why do you think libraries exist?

Your local library or eBay are your friends. Why would you buy books new unless on offer