Back on April 29th I showed what $75 could buy you from the secondary market. I was discussing the price point of limited editions in the specialty press and how, for certain publishers, they have gotten out of hand.

I could look around and find some examples from a number of publishers. Right now there is a perfect example of the outrageous price point that one small press publisher has decided on for a release.

Clive Barker seems to have a story (a novella really, based on statements from the publisher that the typeset book runs about 135 pages) that he composed when he was around 15 or 17( the age is in dispute by the publisher). This publisher is publishing this teenage trunk story in three states: trade, signed limited and signed lettered. What makes this a perfect example of run away price point is the unsigned, hardcover trade edition is retailing at $50.

$50 for a hardcover novella written by a pretty good author.But not a novella written in his prime but when he was 17 and put it away, because we can assume it wasn’t any good. A novella that will include an introduction and some art work. A novella in a trade edition that could either collected in an affordable hardcover collection or released as a paperback in the future.

There are probably two reasons the publisher is offering the trade at this price; he needs to cover the advance he paid to Barker by pricing each unit higher in order to recoup his investment plus profit and there is 1500 (the print run of this first trade edition, which could actually become more printings if it sells out) people that are willing to slap down $50 bucks for it without even thinking.

This idea of small press published books need to have a high price point because it can be assumed that the quality is better than the large publishers or that certain authors or works would never come out in the large press so therefore you will pay premium for it, is crap. First, the quality of small press books in terms of construction has decreased recently as has extras included in the limited and lettered editions.

Trade editions should not cost $50 for a novel.  They should not cost $50 for an novella, ever.