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Rant - Books and Availability
6 years ago
Over the last couple of years I've noticed a trend with physical goods. How it used to work was a thing would come out, it would get cheaper over time, and might be worth something decades later. Now, something comes out, it's sold for a week, at which point it either goes on deep sale or the value skyrockets.
I first remember this happening with Senran Kagura 2. Releasing at £30 or £40 and only a few months later it had gone up in price. Over the last 6 months to a year, I started collecting Masamune Shirow books. Appleseed, Tank Police, that stuff. They were still sold at local comics shops, book shops, and online for the cover price of £10 or so. Now the books are sold for 6 times that, used. New copies go for £100+. I'm kind of tempted to sell the ones I have because of this. Another author I've been collecting is Morinaga Milk. Their books are still sold for cover price on Amazon, including Gakuen Polizi vol 1. But Gakuen Polizi vol 2 goes for a ridiculous price despite being released a year later.
About 5-10 years ago, I got a lot of stick for having a "good riddance" attitude to certain shops going out of business. Most famous was GAME, but it applied to other shops as well. My logic was simple. If they don't want to sell what I want to buy, why should I pay out of pocket to support them? The counter arguments were all about local jobs for local people, but if they care about that why don't they shop there? I'd get excuses or non-answers.
I've been told the market for physical books collapsed years ago, but I doubt this claim. Local book shops are still open and doing business. Some like WHSmiths closed down, but I still see book shops and comic shops in town. But as with GAME and the others before them, I don't shop there any more because they don't sell what I'm after. I'm not interested in coffee and a jigsaw. I'm there to buy manga. But I have to go online because they don't sell the books I want.
Which brings me to another point. If Masamune Shirow books have been sold since the 80s, or at least the manga boom of the mid 2000s, why is it now they are suddenly no longer available? This is especially strange in this era of "print on demand" book sellers. If I can get a 50 year old RPG modual printed and mailed to my door for a little over the cover price, why not have the same with manga?
The conspiracy theorist in me wants to say that this is an effort to push the kindle or digital versions, but I doubt kindle is going to suddenly take off now, especially since a kindle device still goes for triple digits. Hell, why faff around with kindle or desktop apps when there's websites that allow you to read most manga in your browser? I'm reminded of board games that force players to install apps on their smart phones. If you're going to be playing on your phone, then play phone games. No one wants to break out the cardboard and paper to play a sub par phone game.
By far the most likely theory though is that the publishers have lost the rights to specific books, or they aren't printing them anymore for whatever reason. While this is the age of print on demand, it's also the age of scaplers and artificial scarcity. If there's an audience willing to pay triple digits for a 2 year old reprint of a book from the 80s, then I'm sure that still some audience willing to buy these books. Maybe with the smaller books in a compilation or a print on demand version. Just saying.
I first remember this happening with Senran Kagura 2. Releasing at £30 or £40 and only a few months later it had gone up in price. Over the last 6 months to a year, I started collecting Masamune Shirow books. Appleseed, Tank Police, that stuff. They were still sold at local comics shops, book shops, and online for the cover price of £10 or so. Now the books are sold for 6 times that, used. New copies go for £100+. I'm kind of tempted to sell the ones I have because of this. Another author I've been collecting is Morinaga Milk. Their books are still sold for cover price on Amazon, including Gakuen Polizi vol 1. But Gakuen Polizi vol 2 goes for a ridiculous price despite being released a year later.
About 5-10 years ago, I got a lot of stick for having a "good riddance" attitude to certain shops going out of business. Most famous was GAME, but it applied to other shops as well. My logic was simple. If they don't want to sell what I want to buy, why should I pay out of pocket to support them? The counter arguments were all about local jobs for local people, but if they care about that why don't they shop there? I'd get excuses or non-answers.
I've been told the market for physical books collapsed years ago, but I doubt this claim. Local book shops are still open and doing business. Some like WHSmiths closed down, but I still see book shops and comic shops in town. But as with GAME and the others before them, I don't shop there any more because they don't sell what I'm after. I'm not interested in coffee and a jigsaw. I'm there to buy manga. But I have to go online because they don't sell the books I want.
Which brings me to another point. If Masamune Shirow books have been sold since the 80s, or at least the manga boom of the mid 2000s, why is it now they are suddenly no longer available? This is especially strange in this era of "print on demand" book sellers. If I can get a 50 year old RPG modual printed and mailed to my door for a little over the cover price, why not have the same with manga?
The conspiracy theorist in me wants to say that this is an effort to push the kindle or digital versions, but I doubt kindle is going to suddenly take off now, especially since a kindle device still goes for triple digits. Hell, why faff around with kindle or desktop apps when there's websites that allow you to read most manga in your browser? I'm reminded of board games that force players to install apps on their smart phones. If you're going to be playing on your phone, then play phone games. No one wants to break out the cardboard and paper to play a sub par phone game.
By far the most likely theory though is that the publishers have lost the rights to specific books, or they aren't printing them anymore for whatever reason. While this is the age of print on demand, it's also the age of scaplers and artificial scarcity. If there's an audience willing to pay triple digits for a 2 year old reprint of a book from the 80s, then I'm sure that still some audience willing to buy these books. Maybe with the smaller books in a compilation or a print on demand version. Just saying.
