cheap books: ever wondered why it seems like "there are no bookstores anymore"?

[Darren Dirt]

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1118596015957975041.html
https://twitter.com/ravenbookstore/status/1118596015957975041

Today a customer mentioned that she could get a new hardcover book online for $15.

Our mission is not to shame anyone for their shopping practices, but we do feel a responsibility to educate about what it means when a new hardcover is available for $15 online.

When we order direct from publishers, we get a wholesale discount of 46% off the cover price.
The book in question had a cover price of $26.99, meaning our cost for that book from the publishers would be $14.57.
If we sold it for $15, we'd make . . . 43 cents.

It goes without saying, but we cannot operate making 43 cents per book sold.
We have 10,000 books in stock. If we sold every one of them with a 43 cent markup, we'd make enough to keep the store open for about six days.

The biggest (and cheapest) online booksellers have lots of other revenue streams that are MUCH more profitable than books, so they can stand to lose money on books.
They also most likely get better discounts from publishers because they sell at higher volume. Fair enough.

Every time we tweet something like this someone replies with something like "shut up and let me enjoy my cheap book."
Fine, go nuts. We have no right to tell you what to do. We want this to be informative, not shaming.

But we will say: we feel a responsibility to use our platform to educate people about this stuff.

If you've ever wondered why it seems like "there are no bookstores anymore" or why retail businesses keep closing in your downtown, this is it.

A cheap book still has a high cost.

...Wow, this blew up. Good! We've been trying to keep up and chat/clarify but we have lots of stuff to do today (see bullet points above).

If cost is a concern in buying books, remember that used bookstores and libraries contribute to communities too.

(one reply) Also, if people keep it up, one day that big online retailer selling hardcovers for $15 will be choosing all the books.
They will be publisher, editor, distributor. Total control.

...kinda funny/sad to read that ^ when Amazon is already doing this; significant increase the past 12 months of their digital book-burning.

[Mr. Analog]

Books have to compete with everything else for attention and this is getting cheaper and cheaper all the time. I mean anyone can read twitter for free for hours, or wikipedia, or any number of sources vs books which cost actual money and take up space. Amazon is no saint in these dark times and remind me somewhat of the Costco in "Idiocracy" but the reality is even more sinister, like Fahrenheit 451, where there are books but people just don't care anymore (obviously not to the extremes of that particular tale but you take my meaning).

I'm not saying books are dying out, but they aren't profitable, not like they once were, and that means things change.