View Full Version : Why some books are free
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 07:53 PM
Why is it that you can get these really huge phone books that have at least 1000 pages in them, no shipping cost at all, 100% free right to your door and they weigh about 2 pounds each yet you pay at least $10 for a text book of about 200 pages? Why is it the phone book is free when it weighs 5 times more and has 5 times more pages and it's a brand new book yet if you bought a text book with that much pages you pay $100 or more for it brand new or about $20 if it's a little beat up? Why is that?
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 08:09 PM
Hi, superutails!
Basically, the phone books are paid for by the people who advertise in them and also people who subscribe to a phone service that also might put out their own phone books.
Thanks!
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 08:37 PM
If text books had ads in them would they be free?
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 09:31 PM
Hi again, superutails!
It would take an awful lot of ads to make textbooks free. Please think about how many ads are in the Yellow Pages of the phone books.
Also, the amount of people requiring text books is much less than those that require phone books.
If nearly everyone required a certain text book and people were allowed to advertise to a great extent in that text book, then there would be the possibility that the particular text book would be, in general, distributed for free.
Thanks!
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 09:51 PM
Why is that a children's book cost as much as a novel?
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 09:53 PM
Do you mean a children's book that has a lot of images of things in it, like artwork or pictures of things?
Thanks!
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 09:58 PM
Yea. It's about 8 -20 pages and like 8 words per page and a lot of times they cost more then novels that have 200 pages and 3 paragraphs per page.
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 10:17 PM
Children's books with a lot of artwork and/or pictures in them cost a lot more money to make because of the amount of ink that's used and the amount of set-up that's needed to print them.
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 10:35 PM
That makes sense. Do you read a lot? Why do most adults dislike picture books like comic books? To me seeing a character doing something is more interesting then them telling me want they did. In my life their was only one novel that I liked reading. Most of the stuff I read is either online or a comic book. The novel I read was The Cat who wished to be a Man. It was about a cat that was magically turned into a man by his magical owner and he can only turn back into a cat by breaking a wish bone. He learns about the world and it was pretty good.
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 10:40 PM
Yes, I do like to read a lot. Most of what I read are technical books and older fiction books by great authors.
Why do you think that most adults dislike comic type books? I have a large collection of comic books that I've read over and over. Since I taught in schools for a long time, one of the things that I like to do in the winter when it's cold, is to site in front of a heat register and get into reading a good children's novel.
I have over 400 fine art books where most of them are geared toward them being read by children.
Thanks!
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 10:45 PM
I've been to book store that there are tons novels as far as the eye can see but when I look that the comic books there's only like a shelf. If as much adults read comic books as novel wouldn't there be an even number?
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 10:51 PM
Comic books tend to be thin. So, they don't take up as much space as other kinds of books. Hence, to display comic books doesn't take up near the amount of space that other books do.
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 10:56 PM
Good point. I had to buy many books for school on electronics and I found a great book. Amazon.com: The Manga Guide to Electricity: Kazuhiro Fujitaki, Matsuda ., TREND-PRO-pro Ltd.: Books (http://www.amazon.com/Manga-Guide-Electricity-Kazuhiro-Fujitaki/dp/1593271972/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244094815&sr=8-1) I actual enjoy reading this and I think it has a lot of good information in there. Can you tell me the pros and cons of this book verse a normal book?
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 11:00 PM
Please define what a "normal" book is?
Thanks!
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 11:07 PM
The text books that most people then to read for school. What are the differences between Amazon.com: Delmar's Standard Textbook of Electricity: Stephen Herman: Books (http://www.amazon.com/Delmars-Standard-Textbook-Electricity-Stephen/dp/1418065803/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244095490&sr=1-9) and Amazon.com: The Manga Guide to Electricity: Kazuhiro Fujitaki, Matsuda ., TREND-PRO-pro Ltd.: Books (http://www.amazon.com/Manga-Guide-Electricity-Kazuhiro-Fujitaki/dp/1593271972/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244094815&sr=8-1) The pros and cons of each.
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 11:10 PM
Is this for an assignment that you need to complete?
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 11:12 PM
No, Just cause I'm curious.
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 11:18 PM
Books written in comic book for probably help those to learn who might have difficulty reading a book that doesn't have a lot of pictures in it.
One major drawback that I can think of would be that some very essential books for person's learning won't be in comic book form.
Hence, the high likelihood that a person who only enjoys reading the comic book types of publications will have the potential to not learn as much as others and is also potentially somewhat narrow-minded in their thinking because of only preferring one way of enjoying and getting knowledge from a book.
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 11:23 PM
You can't really program yourself to enjoy reading text books. Books are like movies. Some people like to read text books others like to read comic text books. Some people like to see people blowing up in movies others like corny romance movies.
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 11:26 PM
Really, it's just a matter of practice. If you have to do something that's going to do you some good, I would say that people can program themselves to do it. That is, if they're open enough to change their way of thinking.
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 11:33 PM
It isn't like going from racist to non-racist. Is watching certain movies you hate really going to make you love them later?
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 11:41 PM
Some pieces of music might take many listenings before a person likes them. Some of the music that I perform on the piano, I would say that I didn't love them at first and they took me many times listening to them before I "got" what the message was in them.
superutails
Jun 3, 2009, 11:43 PM
Have you read books you hate then you learned to love them?
Clough
Jun 3, 2009, 11:45 PM
Yes. Some books might take two or three times reading them before I truly get the message and meaning that is portrayed in them.
superutails
Jun 4, 2009, 12:06 AM
Think I could do that as well?
Clough
Jun 4, 2009, 12:26 AM
I'm sure that you could! I don't know that I would use such a strong word as hate, though. Maybe a dislike or lack of understanding might be best as far as the terminology is concerned.
I look forward to further dialogue with you!
Thanks!