Theory 6: That's Routledge for you. Seems like every book published by Routledge that I've received from an author (or I've picked up in a bookstore, usually used and therefore well below the cover price) is around $150 for a hardcover and at least $50 for the paperback and ebook, the latter with no discount versus the paperback (outside of no shipping cost), as one might expect when compared with trade books. It doesn't seem to matter if the book has hundreds of color illustrations, like Eric Höweler's latest book ( https://archidose.substack.com/p/what-is-tectonic-imagination ), or just over a dozen b/w illustrations, as in your forthcoming book: the cover prices are basically the same.
This leads me to believe it is simply Routledge's practice that is shaping the cover prices. The hardcovers of their books are geared to libraries and paperbacks/ebooks going to students, and apparently they pay what Routledge deems fair. And while a reduced price for ebooks, or even an open-access model, would make sense, from what I've read here and there online ( https://derekkrissoff.substack.com/p/open-access-publishing-and-the-crisis ), that cost is then shouldered by the author, usually to the sum of thousands of dollars. I know Routledge isn't alone, but their prices compared to other academic publishers in the realm of architecture are noticeably higher—high enough to be prohibitive for people outside of academic to be swayed to buy them, it seems.
This seems like an accurate read on the situation and a welcome addition to my growing list of theories. I definitely need to pay more attention to the free access part of the equation. Thanks as well for reminding me about Höweler's latest book. I got it the day it came out and now that the semester is ending - and I just now read your insightful review - need to put it at the top of my to-read pile. Thanks!
Theory 6: That's Routledge for you. Seems like every book published by Routledge that I've received from an author (or I've picked up in a bookstore, usually used and therefore well below the cover price) is around $150 for a hardcover and at least $50 for the paperback and ebook, the latter with no discount versus the paperback (outside of no shipping cost), as one might expect when compared with trade books. It doesn't seem to matter if the book has hundreds of color illustrations, like Eric Höweler's latest book ( https://archidose.substack.com/p/what-is-tectonic-imagination ), or just over a dozen b/w illustrations, as in your forthcoming book: the cover prices are basically the same.
This leads me to believe it is simply Routledge's practice that is shaping the cover prices. The hardcovers of their books are geared to libraries and paperbacks/ebooks going to students, and apparently they pay what Routledge deems fair. And while a reduced price for ebooks, or even an open-access model, would make sense, from what I've read here and there online ( https://derekkrissoff.substack.com/p/open-access-publishing-and-the-crisis ), that cost is then shouldered by the author, usually to the sum of thousands of dollars. I know Routledge isn't alone, but their prices compared to other academic publishers in the realm of architecture are noticeably higher—high enough to be prohibitive for people outside of academic to be swayed to buy them, it seems.
This seems like an accurate read on the situation and a welcome addition to my growing list of theories. I definitely need to pay more attention to the free access part of the equation. Thanks as well for reminding me about Höweler's latest book. I got it the day it came out and now that the semester is ending - and I just now read your insightful review - need to put it at the top of my to-read pile. Thanks!