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-   -   Why some books are free (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=361202)

  • Jun 3, 2009, 07:53 PM
    superutails
    Why some books are free
    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?
  • Jun 3, 2009, 08:09 PM
    Clough

    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!
  • Jun 3, 2009, 08:37 PM
    superutails
    If text books had ads in them would they be free?
  • Jun 3, 2009, 09:31 PM
    Clough

    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!
  • Jun 3, 2009, 09:51 PM
    superutails
    Why is that a children's book cost as much as a novel?
  • Jun 3, 2009, 09:53 PM
    Clough

    Do you mean a children's book that has a lot of images of things in it, like artwork or pictures of things?

    Thanks!
  • Jun 3, 2009, 09:58 PM
    superutails
    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.
  • Jun 3, 2009, 10:17 PM
    Clough

    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.
  • Jun 3, 2009, 10:35 PM
    superutails
    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.
  • Jun 3, 2009, 10:40 PM
    Clough

    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!
  • Jun 3, 2009, 10:45 PM
    superutails
    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?
  • Jun 3, 2009, 10:51 PM
    Clough

    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.
  • Jun 3, 2009, 10:56 PM
    superutails
    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 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?
  • Jun 3, 2009, 11:00 PM
    Clough

    Please define what a "normal" book is?

    Thanks!
  • Jun 3, 2009, 11:07 PM
    superutails
    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 and Amazon.com: The Manga Guide to Electricity: Kazuhiro Fujitaki, Matsuda ., TREND-PRO-pro Ltd.: Books The pros and cons of each.
  • Jun 3, 2009, 11:10 PM
    Clough

    Is this for an assignment that you need to complete?
  • Jun 3, 2009, 11:12 PM
    superutails
    No, Just cause I'm curious.
  • Jun 3, 2009, 11:18 PM
    Clough

    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.
  • Jun 3, 2009, 11:23 PM
    superutails
    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.
  • Jun 3, 2009, 11:26 PM
    Clough

    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.

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