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Livvie
I'm a huge fan, but it is starting to seem like Ms. Briggs books prices are going up and up. I won't be buying these until the price goes down, if it doesn't I can live without it since a lot of these short stories are already available in other collections. Authors complain about piracy of their books, but charging almost $13 for an ebook is one of the things driving people to piracy.
L-D
I actually boycott any and all eBooks that are over $8.99 or are more than their paperback equivalents. I will wait as long as it takes for the book to reduce in price. There are so many fantastic books out there and options, why pay $12.99 for one book when you can buy 2 or 3 others? But in all fairness, the author is not the one that sets the price for the books - I believe it is the publisher. There are times when you can actually buy a version from the author's website for a little less. Rob Thurman is an example of an author that I purchased a cheaper version from recently directly from her site.
Mindy Rae
I agree with you from a personal finance point of view but having worked in a bookstore for years I know that the price increase is a sign of an author's success. Questionable authors get published in paperback first; once they've proven their mettle, they get upgraded to hardcover, and about a year later the same book comes out in paperback. When ebooks came on the scene nothing really changed. New releases of popular authors are still priced higher - it's an industry after all. Authors may love what they do and would do it anyway, but if we of the masses want to enjoy more stories from our favorite authors, publishing companies want to see more green. It's how the authors get contracts for more books, by proving to be a good seller. I think of it as art - I love the beauty and originality of this author, so I support the art and artist by paying for it. As unfortunate as it is, in our world money really is the loudest voice we have to share our opinion (yes, even louder than social media). As for already having read most of the short stories - yes, I have read most of them, but not liking all of the authors in those books, I didn't actually buy them (other than Alpha and Omega). Now that she has them together, I am willing to support Ms. Briggs' art.
So, I Read This Book Today
I agree. Too rich for my blood, and as you say, I have already read half of them, so forget it. Like Laura, I will put it on hold through the library. Actually, does anyone else feel like her writing is not up to the level that it previously enjoyed? The last book didn't grab me. . . and I have been a huge fan since the first book.
Laura
Too rich for me, much as I love Mercy Thompson. Time to put it on hold at the library. (65 people had this idea before me.)
Rebecca Oreto
Get it from the library. I have read all of the her books, but have been able to borrow all of them.
Tamara
That's why you go to your local library. ;D
Donna Chambers
She is not the only one. I have bought many a book with a new title and cover only to get into the second chapter and realize that I have read it before. Big surprise- went through my library and low and behold there is the original at half to two-thirds the price. It is very frustrating. Now I check the publish dates on the dead tree issues . It is harder to do with ebooks as they usually only publish the date it was converted to an ebook.
Lisa Williamson
Pretty sure in this case the author had no imput on how much the book cost. Remember she is with one of the big five. Once you are with a publisher, you have no control on pricing.
Carolyne
$12.99 is a bit steep for an ebook, particularly one that has a lot of already published content. I think Alpha and Omega is in here too, making Alpha and Omega on it's third round for publishing. I'm passing on this book for now, but I won't hesitate to support the author as she releases her other books which I tend to be more lenient on the steep prices set for those.
Sharon
The only one I've read is Alpha and Omega, so it's totally worth it for me. Patricia Briggs is the only author I will buy at this price point. I'm pretty much guaranteed a good read and it's a little something to soften the blow of the one year wait between books.
Allison
The sad part is, it isn't the author that sets the prices for most of the ebooks...you have to blame the publisher and to a certain extent, the actual seller.
As for content, I loved the ones about Kara (the girl that was changed at 10 that we never actually met in the books) and Ben :)
As for content, I loved the ones about Kara (the girl that was changed at 10 that we never actually met in the books) and Ben :)
Veronica Shields
She's a successful author, and the publisher takes advantage of that. The book is roughly 100 pages longer than most of the stories in the series, so I'm willing to say the price isn't entirely unjustified - and as a newer reader, I hadn't encountered any of the stories except for "Alpha and Omega" until now. Bit of a miss for older readers, but it has its audience. In general, I think the e-books more or less reflect the prices you'd find in physical copies - after all, the cost of editing, publishing, writing, transcription, etc. takes up the bulk of the production expenses. You're only saving a few dollars on the lack of paper and print.
If that's still too rich for your blood, libraries are always an option, as are the LendMe options on Nook and Kindle if you've got a buddy who wants to share. I buy the books I know I'll reread and get my money's worth, for everything else - time to borrow!
If that's still too rich for your blood, libraries are always an option, as are the LendMe options on Nook and Kindle if you've got a buddy who wants to share. I buy the books I know I'll reread and get my money's worth, for everything else - time to borrow!
Reanne
I got the hardcover at a used book store where I was able to buy it entirely with store credit. I do agree with you about the price of books in general. I'm not a big e-book person, so I only get them in that format when they're very cheap or free (or when I really want the audio version and it's cheaper to buy kindle+audio than audio alone). With the Mercy and A&O books, I have them so far in paperback, so I wait to buy them until they're out in paperback. I don't like the Mercy narrator for audiobooks, so I usually just get the hardcover from the library when those are out. Then, if I end up buying it, I wait for the paperback.
But yeah, I do think, from my perspective as a reader, that $12.99 is way too expensive for a book that doesn't even have a physical form.
But yeah, I do think, from my perspective as a reader, that $12.99 is way too expensive for a book that doesn't even have a physical form.
CatBookMom
Somehow this has enough new material that I'm not so troubled. But I am part of the group that's waiting for it to drop a bit more in price; as of 10/6 it's down to $11. Kelley Armstrong is another favorite author, and she has so many shorts available and in various configurations that I've bought a couple of stories twice; most annoying - and they're not just 99¢, either.
John
As other people said, I don't pay attention to book prices because (A) although I own quite a few books, most of them are non-fiction/reference and (B) I work in a library. That's crappy that the books are so expensive, especially in digital format, but I'm glad to see this because I think these short stories must've mostly been published in collections that I would not have otherwise read (I'm pretty picky about my urban fantasy writers).
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