Re: Money talks
Let's see ... I may have overstated myself a bit, and you're right, though I'd say that you may have understated it a bit. Now that I'm between painkillers (some idiot hit a nerve in my hand when trying to "help" a case of tenosynovitis I have in my wrist/thumb and it's agonizing without pain relief), I can think a bit more clearly....
My hardcovers right now are costing about twice my mass markets (not 3-4x, as I misstated above), but twice isn't just a few dollars. Are you costing in to your hardcovers:
1. cover (jacket)
2. cover art
2. binding
3. paper
4. editorial costs
5. acquisition (which the HC bears)
6. prepress production
7. freelancers for copyediting, proofreading, etc. (if you didn't count them in the prepress)
8. advertising (more and different than the MM, usually)
9. ARCs (advanced reader copies, often called bound galleys), necessary for reviews in most venues, particularly PW, Kirkus, School Library Journal, not to mention the Baker & Taylor ARC program (which requires a minimum of 500 [as of this month] for participation for selected titles)
HCs cost a lot more than their mass market children (I'm talking about HCs that become MMs, for this argument) because of all the up-front costs the HC versions bear that the later MM rides through for free (such as editorial, acquisition, copyediting, etc.). Plus jackets, more paper, binding, boards, etc.
If you would like to run hard numbers with me, I'll be happy to do it in mail or message, but the boards are an inappropriate place for in-house information of that ilk, methinks. Also, remember, paper went up again this year, after a dip in the past few years (after the huge increase before that).
Just curious: Where have you been? In the last twenty years, I bet we've crossed paths! (Feel free to email about which houses; again, this probably isn't the forum for that.)
Glad to meet another M.E. or production manager. Brother!