Why can I buy Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" brand-new at the bookstore (unabridged, of course, it's the full book) for $14ish dollars, whereas the *abridged* version is the same price, the unabridged twice that?

As an audiobook fan (who was turned on to the art as a kid in the late 1970s, early 1980s because my grandfather was blind, and waited for his floppy LPs in the same way I wait for my Netflix) I really enjoyed the article. I love reading Shakespeare, but have found all the audio productions mawkish, at best. The price thing is my burning question these days.

I came into the audiobook phenomena relatively recently. I had to drive from Washington D.C. to Missouri four years ago, and as sort of an experience I bought Nelson DeMille's "Nightfall" to listen to on the trip. It turned me into a huge fan of audiobooks (and something of a fan of Nelson DeMille, too).

And you couldn't be more correct. Audiobooks are overpriced. Even given the fact that you have to pay for two layers of talent (an author to write the book and the actor to read it) and studio costs ,they are too expensive. Once production is complete, it is much cheaper to stamp out CDs than it is to actually print books.

I'm sure someone will chime in saying those porduction costs are the issue. If so, they seem excessive.

I was assuming that it is a volume thing. You've got the copyright fees for both the author and the production and the production fees spread out among many fewer sales. But, hey, maybe its just a ripoff.

anti: I think it's a ripoff (but your post made me laugh -- it reminded me of a passage I just read in the non-audio book "Anathem" by Neil Stephenson. "They have an alien spaceship full of atomic bombs. We have a protractor.")

I wonder if the audiobook buyer is perceived as being more affluent and hence subject to paying higher prices? By definition the audiobook buyer has a CD player or a computer that plays CDs, or a car with a CD player (I do most of my audiobook listening on long trips in the car, and I find it distracting to listen to them unless I'm driving or I have something else to occupy my hands). With the possible exception of the car, all of these are luxury items, where anyone who can walk to the store can buy a cheap paperback. I dunno -- I don't even work here. But the dern things are awfully expensive.