Why do I feel offended?

[Guest Far Dareis Mai]

So I'm at my local dollar store getting Halloween treats for the neighborhood kiddies. I decide to peruse the book section, because they often have surprisingly good children's literature there.

 

I walk past the adult books, and what do I see? Crossroads of Twilight. Hard cover. Perfect condition, nothing wrong....ONE DOLLAR.

 

Now, as you are probably reacting right now (and as I did at first), you are thinking "Holy cow! Book 10 for a dollar??!! It's like I've won the lottery!" But after handling the book, and after everything that has happened in the last couple months, I felt offended that I was holding this wonderful work of literature, with a measly one dollar price tag on it. I couldn't believe that the dollar store managed to get their mitts on this book (books--as there were about 15 or so on the shelves), and not even bother to check the book's worth...or perhaps they did, but just didn't care, and priced it at one dollar anyway. Worse, it was sitting right next to some book by Monica Lewinsky.

 

Just thought I would share. If you are in the mid-Michigan area and need book 10, check it out. :P

[Barmacral]

You aren't the first person who's mentioned this. Odd that they'd choose CoT as their 1 dollar one... its 10 books in, anyone who's not read the series is gonna be really confused when they pick that book up.

[Ozhammer]

I dont know that I would call it a wonderful piece of literature. I think the last few books marginalised quite a lot of readers who had become disillusioned with the direction of the writing ie the last few books lacked the excitement of the first few books. SO either the printers printed too many copies and nobody bought them, or there was some sort of printing error in that particular batch (ie a spelling or syntax error) which meant they could be bought at a discounted rate.

[lou]

i usually pick them up at thrift stores. i have often wondered how anyone could give these books up. i have found that that offends me more. i dont know why.

putting book 10 in the dollar store might be marketing genius. after finding you have purchased well into a series, you go to the library, only able to find books 1-3,and 5-9 (lets say) then you absolutely have to buy book 4. or never sleep again.....

[JenniferL]

I've always had the impression that there were many remaindered (unsold) copies of CoT.  That's why they had to do such a marketing blitz for KoD.

 

That's just my impression though and may not actually be true.

[Lacey]

I am all for dollar WOT books.  The economically disadvantaged should also have the chance to purchase and read the book you already, brilliantly, called a "wonderful work of literature".  I feel like a dork for saying this... but everyone deserves to be a part of the heritage of RJ.

[Werthead]

In all fairness, it is the weakest book in the series by far by overwhelming consensus (including RJ's). If it had been Shadow Rising or Lord of Chaos it may have been more noteworthy, but CoT? The only book in the series you can skip and just read a synopsis of and not miss anything? Nah.

[Kadere]

Yeah I've found CoT, perfect first printing first edition copies selling for like $.50 at the Borders in Arborland. I think it's ridiculous too. It's a first edition, hardcover book. Wether or not it's the "worst in the series" a first edition hardcover shouldn't go for 50 cents.

[Ozhammer]

Dude, Ive seen Hemingway in bargain bins. It just means the printers stuffed up somewhere along the way!!!

[Ararana]

Honestly, I don't think it's that big of a deal. I'm sure RJ would be happy that more and more people are now going to read into the world he created (even if they start at the opposite end of the series).

[Maglin josVinn]

which mid michigan store?  i'm from lansing.

[Werthead]

I think it's ridiculous too. It's a first edition, hardcover book. Wether or not it's the "worst in the series" a first edition hardcover shouldn't go for 50 cents.

 

Tor printed something like half a million of those first edition hardcovers of CoT and Orbit another hundred thousand or so. It's not like it's the first edition hardover of Eye of the World. If he'd seen that going for 50c he should have grabbed hold of it without a second's hesitation (as IIRC it's worth a thousand dollars or more).

[Brandon Sanderson]

Actually, this doesn't at all indicate that too many were published, or that the book sold fewer than expected copies, or even that there was a misprint.

 

In the book biz, we shoot for around a 75% sell through.  If you get more than that--selling, say, 90% of the print run--it can actually be an indication that you printed too few copies.  90% or more usually indicates that you'd have sold far more copies if they had been more widely distributed. 

 

For a smaller author, like myself, a nice 75% sell through will leave four or five thousand extra copies.  Nothing big, often not worth reselling to remaindering companies.  However, with a book like CoT, there will easily be 25 or 30 thousand extra copies--and that's to be expected.  The publisher can sell these to a remaindering company to recoup their printing cost (which is all that they want at this point) and move on to printing the next hardcover. 

 

It makes sense if you think about it.  A large hardcover costs less than $5 to print and ship, but sells to the distributors for $20.  That means if you print 10 and sell 10, you earn less than if you'd printed 20 and sold 15, even with the wasted money on printing those extra five that never sell. 

 

[animus]

why do you feel offended? maybe you should feel lucky to get something you like so cheap. Its not like RJ was living on the streets under cardboard or anything.

[Feral]

I saw CoT in a shop over here (england) for like £8. I'm gonna have to fly out to America to buy my books from now on.

[Alys Kinch]

it could just be the american mentality, but cheap things are regarded as being cheap. not worth it unless you can't afford better. saying that a book from such a generally well regarded series is not worth much money seems to equate into not much worth the time.

[Ozhammer]

Thats fair enough Alys. I reckon I wasted my money on the last 4 books, so I wish I could have got them on the cheap!!!

[Graendals favourite]

Oz, you need to reread the later books. ;) There's plenty stuff happening there, and CoT is quite good when you read it properly. The only complaint, after all, is that they aren't packaged together and we had to wait so long for them. PoD and WH together and CoT and KoD the same make for great books. Nowadays there's no such problem because people don't need to wait for them, even, and there's a load of complicated stuff.

 

Anyway, what I was about to say, since you only buy the physical book and a right to read what is written, there is absolutely no reason to feel offended at a low price. The content, after all, is not for sale.

[Ozhammer]

Oz, you need to reread the later books.  There's plenty stuff happening there, and CoT is quite good when you read it properly. The only complaint, after all, is that they aren't packaged together and we had to wait so long for them. PoD and WH together and CoT and KoD the same make for great books. Nowadays there's no such problem because people don't need to wait for them, even, and there's a load of complicated stuff

Thats your opinion mate. I thought they were contrived and full of padding. I used to rave about WOT and recommend them to friends. Now I dont, due to the last few books.

[Graendals favourite]

That's fair enough. The later books are certainly different from the early ones. I think all the 'padding' is very relevant. It just goes in a different directions, the problems posed are of different nature, but the books would be very much incomplete without them. First you're on the quest and in danger, and then the world starts becoming more and more complicated and you can't keep track of it anymore and even breaking apart, and I guess next will have the closure whether ready for it or not.

 

Sure, what is certain, you don't pick a latter book up and start reading as easily as the first ones. But for me it just means they're even less of a light read. Even less, because even the first books are written to be reread a few times. You have to work for your pleasure with the later ones, but life isn't meant to be free pleasure all the time. For example, solving Asmodean was a pleasure, and many people still keep at it :) *.

 

Really, the only thing I don't care about are those knots of Perrin mentioned all the time, even though I know they are what keeps him together during all the time he has to try to rescue her.

 

 

* *A knowing smile*

[loki redfern]

:o 50 cents is 24p :o thats less than 3 space pencils .

 

 

and why dis the padding, th padding is cool, it ..*does swirly hand gesticulation*.. adds to the feel..makes it real, help you to imerse fully in the world and actually be there, i remeber when i was reading CoT that i was afraid to put it down to go eat because i though the story would carry on going and id miss stuff while i was away. if it didnt have all that stuff in then it wouldnt be as real..the right kind of real (there can be to real...like how look films different from real life , so real its not) other wise it wouldnt be the thing it was, it would be cartoony like nix's keys to the kingdom and therefore only ok. ..*blink* whered that all come from

[animus]

The padding sucks. Quit trying to justify boring details just because they aren't completely deviant from the story. I'd rather here interesting things that were deviant. The padding in the latter stories was like reading the exact location of each hair follicle on my nut-sack, plus the curvature and direction each hair took. If you find that interesting go read the Silmarillion over and over again until you die.

[Ozhammer]

High five Animus!!!

I thought the nut-sack anecdote was particulary pertinent!

[animus]

Thank you, however I really should have spent at least 15 pages discussing my nut-sack hairs.

[Gentled Ben]

I thought KoD was one of the best books in the series, and at present, you can't get any latter than that. CoT had a cliffhanger ending, as well. It wasn't *all* bad...