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<blockquote data-quote="Ashtal" data-source="post: 173950" data-attributes="member: 3">Eh, I wasn't trying to be condenscending - I was trying to be realistic and put a different face on the low-end consumer.&nbsp; I think a point that you can't just divorce from this disussion is that stuff, in general, costs more over time.&nbsp; I'm not talking about you and me buying a more expensive book over time.&nbsp; I'm talking about the writing, the art, the layout, the paper, the printing, the labour...all of these things have become more expensive over time.&nbsp; Prices of the books themselves HAVE to be raised over time, because if they aren't, eventually they aren't making enough to make it worth their while.&nbsp; And with print runs so damn tiny for most of this hobby, it's a wonder anything gets made at all.And for every project that doesn't turn a profit, that's one more nail in the coffin.&nbsp; This is where we start losing companies and designers.&nbsp; That, to me, &quot;Is a bad thing,&quot; as there are a lot of smaller companies out there that I would rather see thrive, even if that meant higher costs, then go the way of the do-do.&nbsp; I'll leave it to the companies to find that happy medium between higher prices and the number of consumers.&nbsp; As companies, that is what they are supposed to do.&nbsp; And if they find that it doesn't work because people stop buying, they will either change their strategy or go do-do on a totally different path.&nbsp; I'm going to throw in one more example.&nbsp; Short story writing.&nbsp; Do you know the market for short stories offers about the same rate of pay per word that they were offering 50 years ago?&nbsp; Pennies, or less.&nbsp; It's a wonder anyone writes short stories anymore.&nbsp; You're seeing an artform slowly die because people don't want to give the creative forces behind the work enough money to live on.&nbsp; The cost for a thin newsprint booklet of short stories is a lot more expensive than it used to be, but the creators that drive those publications get next to nothing - even though the publication wouldn't exist without the writers writing for an audience who wants to read them.&nbsp; Why shouldn't they be paid more?&nbsp; Paid something even close to livable?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ashtal, post: 173950, member: 3"] Eh, I wasn't trying to be condenscending - I was trying to be realistic and put a different face on the low-end consumer. I think a point that you can't just divorce from this disussion is that stuff, in general, costs more over time. I'm not talking about you and me buying a more expensive book over time. I'm talking about the writing, the art, the layout, the paper, the printing, the labour...all of these things have become more expensive over time. Prices of the books themselves HAVE to be raised over time, because if they aren't, eventually they aren't making enough to make it worth their while. And with print runs so damn tiny for most of this hobby, it's a wonder anything gets made at all. And for every project that doesn't turn a profit, that's one more nail in the coffin. This is where we start losing companies and designers. That, to me, "Is a bad thing," as there are a lot of smaller companies out there that I would rather see thrive, even if that meant higher costs, then go the way of the do-do. I'll leave it to the companies to find that happy medium between higher prices and the number of consumers. As companies, that is what they are supposed to do. And if they find that it doesn't work because people stop buying, they will either change their strategy or go do-do on a totally different path. I'm going to throw in one more example. Short story writing. Do you know the market for short stories offers about the same rate of pay per word that they were offering 50 years ago? Pennies, or less. It's a wonder anyone writes short stories anymore. You're seeing an artform slowly die because people don't want to give the creative forces behind the work enough money to live on. The cost for a thin newsprint booklet of short stories is a lot more expensive than it used to be, but the creators that drive those publications get next to nothing - even though the publication wouldn't exist without the writers writing for an audience who wants to read them. Why shouldn't they be paid more? Paid something even close to livable? [/QUOTE]

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