Karen’s Chat on Expensive Books

I’ve been reading the Cormoran Strike books by Robert Galbraith. Having watched and enjoyed the Tv series staring Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger, I wanted more and made my way through the series. I’m eagerly awaiting book eight as I write this, and have been doing for months.

For Christmas in 2022, I was bought the paperback of the first book, The Cuckoo Calling. At over 500 pages it was too difficult to hold. The Kindle copy was £4.10, and I’d never paid that much before. But as I was enjoying it, I bought it.

From then, I worked my way through them all. When the price went up to over £5, I decided to go to eBay and bought a hardback copy for £3.

For the rest of series I had two free with an Audible membership and with one of them I was able to buy the accompanying book at a cheaper price.

Generally, I prefer books that are under 300 pages. I generally slump in the middle where I get bored and wonder what’s next on my reading list.

The Ink Black Heart, the sixth Cormoran Strike book, was over 1000 pages long. A length I didn’t think I could ever tackle, but I did. Although the story was excellent, it had excessive with unnecessary computer conversations written just as you see them on a screen. But with all of these books, there was never a slump in the middle. I was too deep into the storyline to think about the length and price.

Back in the day, when there were only paperbacks and famous authors to read, page count never mattered. Now, because there are so many books to choose, both indie and established authors, my thirst for stories has grown even more.

As well as an avid reader, I’m a writer and I know how long it takes to write a novel, and everything that goes in it. Yes, they are worthy of being expensive, unless you sell hundreds like the established writers, you never get your time and effort returned in cash.

Although, I might be judged for buying cheaper books on eBay, it’s only the same as picking up a second hand copy at a charity shop. Established writers liked J. K. Rowling would never feel it. Indie authors need every sale and I always buy their books or read on Kindle Unlimited.