photo by bookjunkie
You can get a book at just $12 Singapore dollars at the Flea Market I talked about in my older post. Usually books cost almost double that at the big bookstores. I wonder how the friendly girl who runs the little makeshift weekend store at China Square Central, manages to give such great deals. I am quite curious about that because I strongly feel books should be more affordable for everyone. There is the library, but often the latest books are not available. It’s great that my partner has the same taste in books as me, with the fringe benefit that I get to read them for free.
Maybe the only way book prices will come down is the proliferation of Kindle or books read on the iPad? Printing costs are only 10% of the total book cost, and the major savings are in cutting out the middle man and selling directly to the consumer. In a similar way digital downloads have caused CD prices to fall from S$25 Singapore dollars to about S$16 now.
I wonder how much it will catch on. Somehow with the activity of reading it’s about what’s easier on the eyes. A printed out page trumps reading on a monitor anyway. To me I cannot forsake the pleasure of holding a new book in my hands. Physically turning the pages as I’m drawn deeper and deeper into an alternative universe. At the moment I cannot foresee myself giving up the pleasure of a physical book for the Ebook. Even blogging hurts my eyes at times and I miss writing with a pen and paper.
