I love to read, and I also enjoy collecting my favorite series and authors’ novels. However, unlike most collectors, I don’t like hardcover editions of books. I vastly prefer paperbacks; they’re cheaper, fit better on my shelf, and are easier to just grab and throw in a pocket in case I’m going somewhere.

However, like their hardcover predecessors, there’s one thing about paperbacks that pisses me off: the price. On average, a paperback book today goes for about $7.99. Worse yet, this price is set regardless of the book’s length; it’s the same eight bucks for a 600-page novel and a 200-page one. Topping it off is the larger trade paperback format that many publishers have been adopting; these books are a few inches larger per side than standard paperbacks, but often include less pages…and the price starts at $13.95! What the hell’s up with that shit? More money, for less pages…just because the book’s slightly larger?

Fortunately, I’m a big proponent of buying used books; The Book Barn has helped me fill out my Frank Herbert collection for a dollar a pop. When I have to buy books new, I almost always use coupons to knock a few bucks off the price. I love to read, but when new books cost more than a lunch, something’s very wrong.