Book Prices in Australia and Competition

Interesting piece on the ABC this morning on lifting book import restrictions.

Publishers can say what they like about local "lingo" disappearing from books published in the states, but as a book reader living in the UK at the moment you can't help but notice that Aussie book buyers are getting royally shafted. Besides month long delays for new releases real hard covers have been almost entirely replaced by ghastly 'trade paperbacks'.

For example, the next Greg Bear book -- City at the Edge of Time comes out in a couple of weeks. In Australia it is a paperback only release. No hardcover. And it's STILL far more expensive than in both the UK and US:

Australia (Dymocks): Paperback - $35AUD
UK (Amazon): Hardcover - $27AUD
US (Amazon): Hardcover - $18AUD

Paperbacks in US/UK markets generally go for about half the RRP of a hardcover so for this book you're looking at a 400% premium to buy in Australia.

You can get the new hardcover, shipped from the states via Amazon, and pay a total of $27AUD, that's 25% off (plus you get it in hardcover rather than paperback).