n00bdragon
First Post
I'd just like to point that I was right now shopping amazon.com for some books that I'll need for my academic research, and I found that a 506-page hardcover text-only book sells for $200 (fortunately, there's $50 paperback version). Other books I also need are selling for about $120-$130 each in their hardcover versions.
I got two conclusions from that: first, they should try selling paperback versions of the core rulebooks. Second, $50 for a full-color hardcover of 300 pages seems to be dirty cheap if you're selling for a niche market.
Now I see why some accomplished RPG designers create games on their free time instead of doing it as a job, and not even WotC manages to make enough money to call this a chief business.
Were you looking at a textbook? Textbooks are hilariously overpriced thanks to an the absolutely wacko excuse for a "market" that is higher education. Note that none of the Harry Potter books run over $20 in hardcover despite running WELL over 500 pages for the later ones, though admittedly they aren't rpg standard 8.5x11 page size like a D&D book but you get the idea. For a large print run book $30 is probably about right to cover costs and still make a decent profit. Smaller print run books, indie RPGs and the like, tend to retail for $50 because of their higher production costs per unit. A $50 tag on D&D books tells me they are seriously cutting down the size of the production run compared to previous editions. I don't predict a shortage or anything. They just know they won't sell as much as they were before.
Also I absolutely disagree with making more paperback RPG books. The Essentials line did this and the result was awful IMO. RPG books are reference materials. That means you want to spread them open wide and often and there's a certain roughness they have to withstand, being shoved in backpacks, etc. I only bought the Monster Vault and never dared to open it up during a game. Every other book I saw belonging to other people got absolutely destroyed within a few months. Paperbacks are fine for dimestore novels and general disposable reading, but not for serious reference materials you plan to use hard and frequently.