So is this the last of the $9.99 MMPBs coming out next March 2023 ?
https://www.amazon.com/Into-Real-John-Ringo/dp/1982192577/

I suspect that the next MMPB price jump will be to $11.99. Our 15%
inflation is rolling through everything.

Lynn

In article <tfj57f$ee$1@gioia.aioe.org>,
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

> So is this the last of the $9.99 MMPBs coming out next March 2023 ?
> https://www.amazon.com/Into-Real-John-Ringo/dp/1982192577/
>
> I suspect that the next MMPB price jump will be to $11.99. Our 15%
> inflation is rolling through everything.
>

_To End in Fire_ by David Weber and Eric Flint is a $10.99 paperback (it
is also a 952 page brick so it might not be a trend).

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
—-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

On Sat, 10 Sep 2022 22:03:51 -0700, Robert Woodward
<robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:

>In article <tfj57f$ee$1@gioia.aioe.org>,
> Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> So is this the last of the $9.99 MMPBs coming out next March 2023 ?
>> https://www.amazon.com/Into-Real-John-Ringo/dp/1982192577/
>>
>> I suspect that the next MMPB price jump will be to $11.99. Our 15%
>> inflation is rolling through everything.
>>
>
>_To End in Fire_ by David Weber and Eric Flint is a $10.99 paperback (it
>is also a 952 page brick so it might not be a trend).

It occurs to me that a 952 MMPB for $10.99 might not be all that bad a
deal.

If I were still purchasing MMPBs, that is.

If it is extra high, as some of my Baldacci's are, that might also be
a factor.
--
"In this connexion, unquestionably the most significant
development was the disintegration, under Christian
influence, of classical conceptions of the family and
of family right."

On Sat, 10 Sep 2022 18:05:19 -0500, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

>So is this the last of the $9.99 MMPBs coming out next March 2023 ?
> https://www.amazon.com/Into-Real-John-Ringo/dp/1982192577/
>
>I suspect that the next MMPB price jump will be to $11.99. Our 15%
>inflation is rolling through everything.

I am sorry to hear that whatever country or alternate reality you are
in is experiencing 15% inflation. Bing produces this:

"The inflation rate in 2019 was 1.76%. The current year-over-year
inflation rate (2021 to 2022) is now 7.48% . If this number holds, $1
today will be equivalent in buying power to $1.07 next year."

so that rate here in the USA (or in reality, whichever applies)
appears to be 1/2 of what you cited.

A better question would be: was it level in August as it was in July?
Has it peaked? Will it go down, as gas prices have?

Note that even I have indeed noticed higher prices for the things I
buy. But what can you expect after the Republicans have been in charge
for four years? The last time they were in charge (for eight years)
they produced The Great Recession, after all.
--
"In this connexion, unquestionably the most significant
development was the disintegration, under Christian
influence, of classical conceptions of the family and
of family right."

I ran the numbers a few months back and came to the conclusion
MMPB prices have not kept pace with inflation over the last 30
years, which may be related to the decline of that format.
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

On Sunday, September 11, 2022 at 1:25:28 PM UTC-4, James Nicoll wrote:
> I ran the numbers a few months back and came to the conclusion
> MMPB prices have not kept pace with inflation over the last 30
> years, which may be related to the decline of that format.

The last time we had this discussion (2013), I wrote:

2013-07-06:
On Saturday, July 6, 2013 8:11:59 PM UTC-4, James Silverton wrote:
> On 7/6/2013 7:24 PM, Ahasuerus wrote:
>
> > On Friday, July 5, 2013 6:09:47 PM UTC-4, James Silverton wrote: [snip]
> >> I have been surprised how long the price of a regular paperback has
> >> remained at $7.99. The $7.99 price was a largely increased new price
> >> about 5 years ago. They used to cost $0.50 to $0.75 in 1960, which would
> >> be $3.80 to $5.60 in last year's money.
> >
> > Average prices and page counts for US-priced mass market paperbacks
> > according to ISFDB*:
> >
> > Year Price Pages 2013$ c/page % per year
> > 1955: $0.31 154 2.69 1.75
> > 1960: $0.39 178 3.07 1.72 -0.34
> > 1965: $0.55 186 4.07 2.19 5.47
> > 1970: $0.81 191 4.86 2.54 3.19
> > 1975: $1.33 207 5.76 2.78 1.88
> > 1980: $2.22 225 6.28 2.79 0.07
> > 1985: $3.38 242 7.32 3.02 1.65
> > 1990: $4.37 277 7.79 2.81 -1.39
> > 1995: $5.55 301 8.48 2.82 0.07
> > 2000: $6.78 327 9.17 2.80 0.14
> > 2005: $7.37 338 8.79 2.60 -1.42
> > 2009: $7.76 333 8.43 2.53 -0.67
> > 2010: $7.90 326 8.44 2.59 2.37
> > 2011: $7.98 347 8.26 2.38 -8.10
> > 2012: $8.09 367 8.21 2.24 -5.88
> > 2013: $8.08 381 8.08 2.12 -5.35
>
> See the column I have added "In present day currency". As I suspected,
> the price of a paper back rose relatively rapidly to a maximum about the
> year 2000 but has stabilized at about $8. In 2012 the price per page was
> 2.2 cents and in 1955 it was 1.6 cents in present day money.

I have recalculated the values in the third column using the BLS inflation
calculator at http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm as of 2013.
I have also added a fourth column to show "per page" prices and a fifth
one to show the change in per page prices per year.

The executive summary is that per page prices climbed faster than
inflation between 1960 and 1985, fell behind in the late 1980s, held steady
in the 1990s, fell behind again in the 2000s and have been in a relative free
fall the last few years.

It would appear that two relatively recent phenomena have contributed to
the changes. First, mass market paperbacks have become much thicker
over the years (shocking, I know.) Second, many books that would have
appeared as mmpbs just a few years ago are now published as trade
paperbacks, which presumably helps keep the price of mmpbs lower than
it would have been otherwise.

To illustrate the second point, lets run another simple query. ISFDB knows
of 986 mmpbs and 928 trade paperbacks (1.06:1) published in 2000. For
2012 the same numbers are 1068 and 3116 (1:2.92). Unfortunately, the
picture is blurred by the recent rise of small presses which are much more
likely to publish trade paperbacks than mmps, so it's not a perfect
comparison.
===========================================================

Of course, that was 9 years ago. A lot has changed since 2013.

On 9/11/2022 11:52 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> On Sat, 10 Sep 2022 18:05:19 -0500, Lynn McGuire
> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> So is this the last of the $9.99 MMPBs coming out next March 2023 ?
>> https://www.amazon.com/Into-Real-John-Ringo/dp/1982192577/
>>
>> I suspect that the next MMPB price jump will be to $11.99. Our 15%
>> inflation is rolling through everything.
>
> I am sorry to hear that whatever country or alternate reality you are
> in is experiencing 15% inflation. Bing produces this:
>
> "The inflation rate in 2019 was 1.76%. The current year-over-year
> inflation rate (2021 to 2022) is now 7.48% . If this number holds, $1
> today will be equivalent in buying power to $1.07 next year."
>
> so that rate here in the USA (or in reality, whichever applies)
> appears to be 1/2 of what you cited.
>
> A better question would be: was it level in August as it was in July?
> Has it peaked? Will it go down, as gas prices have?
>
> Note that even I have indeed noticed higher prices for the things I
> buy. But what can you expect after the Republicans have been in charge
> for four years? The last time they were in charge (for eight years)
> they produced The Great Recession, after all.

Here is the real inflation rate.
http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/inflation-charts

Have you heard the expression, "the calm before the storm" ?

The dumbrocrats just passed an extremely inflationary bill oddly named
an anti-inflation bill.

Winter is coming. The efforts to keep Europe warm will cost more than
you can believe.

Lynn

On Sunday, September 11, 2022 at 3:06:14 PM UTC-4, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> On 9/11/2022 11:52 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> > On Sat, 10 Sep 2022 18:05:19 -0500, Lynn McGuire
> > <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> So is this the last of the $9.99 MMPBs coming out next March 2023 ?
> >> https://www.amazon.com/Into-Real-John-Ringo/dp/1982192577/
> >>
> >> I suspect that the next MMPB price jump will be to $11.99. Our 15%
> >> inflation is rolling through everything.
> >
> > I am sorry to hear that whatever country or alternate reality you are
> > in is experiencing 15% inflation. Bing produces this:
> >
> > "The inflation rate in 2019 was 1.76%. The current year-over-year
> > inflation rate (2021 to 2022) is now 7.48% . If this number holds, $1
> > today will be equivalent in buying power to $1.07 next year."
> >
> > so that rate here in the USA (or in reality, whichever applies)
> > appears to be 1/2 of what you cited.
> >
> > A better question would be: was it level in August as it was in July?
> > Has it peaked? Will it go down, as gas prices have?
> >
> > Note that even I have indeed noticed higher prices for the things I
> > buy. But what can you expect after the Republicans have been in charge
> > for four years? The last time they were in charge (for eight years)
> > they produced The Great Recession, after all.
> Here is the real inflation rate.
> http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/inflation-charts

The page itself says they are using 32 year old methodology.

Can you specify which changes since then you think are invalid?
The economy has changed a lot over 1/3 of a century.

Pt

Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> writes:
>On 9/11/2022 11:52 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>> On Sat, 10 Sep 2022 18:05:19 -0500, Lynn McGuire
>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> So is this the last of the $9.99 MMPBs coming out next March 2023 ?
>>> https://www.amazon.com/Into-Real-John-Ringo/dp/1982192577/
>>>
>>> I suspect that the next MMPB price jump will be to $11.99. Our 15%
>>> inflation is rolling through everything.
>>
>> I am sorry to hear that whatever country or alternate reality you are
>> in is experiencing 15% inflation. Bing produces this:
>>
>> "The inflation rate in 2019 was 1.76%. The current year-over-year
>> inflation rate (2021 to 2022) is now 7.48% . If this number holds, $1
>> today will be equivalent in buying power to $1.07 next year."
>>
>> so that rate here in the USA (or in reality, whichever applies)
>> appears to be 1/2 of what you cited.
>>
>> A better question would be: was it level in August as it was in July?
>> Has it peaked? Will it go down, as gas prices have?
>>
>> Note that even I have indeed noticed higher prices for the things I
>> buy. But what can you expect after the Republicans have been in charge
>> for four years? The last time they were in charge (for eight years)
>> they produced The Great Recession, after all.
>
>Here is the real inflation rate.
> http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/inflation-charts
>
>Have you heard the expression, "the calm before the storm" ?s

I suspect that everyone has heard the expression. What does
that have to do with your citation of a random website claiming
flaws in the BLS algorithms? It seems pretty far from the
mainstream economic thinking.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowstats.com

>
>Winter is coming. The efforts to keep Europe warm will cost more than
>you can believe.

Which has nothing to do directly with inflation, but rather with
Russian adventurism in eastern europe (which is the main cause
of the current inflation almost all of which is due to increased
energy prices, the remainder of it is related to the supply
side interruptions during the pandemic).

On 9/11/2022 12:03 AM, Robert Woodward wrote:
> In article <tfj57f$ee$1@gioia.aioe.org>,
> Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> So is this the last of the $9.99 MMPBs coming out next March 2023 ?
>> https://www.amazon.com/Into-Real-John-Ringo/dp/1982192577/
>>
>> I suspect that the next MMPB price jump will be to $11.99. Our 15%
>> inflation is rolling through everything.
>>
>
> _To End in Fire_ by David Weber and Eric Flint is a $10.99 paperback (it
> is also a 952 page brick so it might not be a trend).

I missed that one and I have a copy of it in my SBR.

The previous book, also in my SBR, is "Cauldron of Ghosts", an 823
pager, plus an 11 page cast of characters for $8.99.

Lynn

In article <tfl5m4$jqb$1@reader2.panix.com>,
jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll) wrote:

> I ran the numbers a few months back and came to the conclusion
> MMPB prices have not kept pace with inflation over the last 30
> years, which may be related to the decline of that format.

And how has the prices of hardcovers compare to inflation over the last
30 years?

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
�-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

In article <q84shhtft7tgj9drcj3se3p7pqfatu8kn8@4ax.com>,
Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:

> On Sat, 10 Sep 2022 22:03:51 -0700, Robert Woodward
> <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:
>
> >In article <tfj57f$ee$1@gioia.aioe.org>,
> > Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> So is this the last of the $9.99 MMPBs coming out next March 2023 ?
> >> https://www.amazon.com/Into-Real-John-Ringo/dp/1982192577/
> >>
> >> I suspect that the next MMPB price jump will be to $11.99. Our 15%
> >> inflation is rolling through everything.
> >>
> >
> >_To End in Fire_ by David Weber and Eric Flint is a $10.99 paperback (it
> >is also a 952 page brick so it might not be a trend).
>
> It occurs to me that a 952 MMPB for $10.99 might not be all that bad a
> deal.
>
> If I were still purchasing MMPBs, that is.
>
> If it is extra high, as some of my Baldacci's are, that might also be
> a factor.

Baen is still using a standard MMPB size for all MMPBs.

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
-------------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

In article <robertaw-08A4D1.21534511092022@news.individual.net>,
Robert Woodward <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:
>In article <tfl5m4$jqb$1@reader2.panix.com>,
> jdnicoll@panix.com (James Nicoll) wrote:
>
>> I ran the numbers a few months back and came to the conclusion
>> MMPB prices have not kept pace with inflation over the last 30
>> years, which may be related to the decline of that format.
>
>And how has the prices of hardcovers compare to inflation over the last
>30 years?
>
I don't know...
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

On Sun, 11 Sep 2022 14:06:06 -0500, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 9/11/2022 11:52 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>> On Sat, 10 Sep 2022 18:05:19 -0500, Lynn McGuire
>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> So is this the last of the $9.99 MMPBs coming out next March 2023 ?
>>> https://www.amazon.com/Into-Real-John-Ringo/dp/1982192577/
>>>
>>> I suspect that the next MMPB price jump will be to $11.99. Our 15%
>>> inflation is rolling through everything.
>>
>> I am sorry to hear that whatever country or alternate reality you are
>> in is experiencing 15% inflation. Bing produces this:
>>
>> "The inflation rate in 2019 was 1.76%. The current year-over-year
>> inflation rate (2021 to 2022) is now 7.48% . If this number holds, $1
>> today will be equivalent in buying power to $1.07 next year."
>>
>> so that rate here in the USA (or in reality, whichever applies)
>> appears to be 1/2 of what you cited.
>>
>> A better question would be: was it level in August as it was in July?
>> Has it peaked? Will it go down, as gas prices have?
>>
>> Note that even I have indeed noticed higher prices for the things I
>> buy. But what can you expect after the Republicans have been in charge
>> for four years? The last time they were in charge (for eight years)
>> they produced The Great Recession, after all.
>
>Here is the real inflation rate.
> http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/inflation-charts
>
>Have you heard the expression, "the calm before the storm" ?

In an alternate reality where alternate data applies.

>The dumbrocrats just passed an extremely inflationary bill oddly named
>an anti-inflation bill.

You really need to watch that Republican propaganda.

The reason they don't like the bill isn't because it causes inflation
-- inflation benefits rich people and their entire 2022 campaign is
based on it, so the more the merrier -- but because it might put some
money into the pockets of people who are not rich, and the Republicans
Can't Have That.

>Winter is coming. The efforts to keep Europe warm will cost more than
>you can believe.

In your reality, perhaps. The rest of us will wait and see and laugh
at you when the inflation rate goes down and the Dems increase their
control of Congress (both Houses) and take a few States away from
voters who happened to like Roe v Wade and are not amused by
Republican shenanigans any longer. Perhaps.
--
"In this connexion, unquestionably the most significant
development was the disintegration, under Christian
influence, of classical conceptions of the family and
of family right."

On 9/11/2022 12:25 PM, James Nicoll wrote:
> I ran the numbers a few months back and came to the conclusion
> MMPB prices have not kept pace with inflation over the last 30
> years, which may be related to the decline of that format.

My earliest Perry Rhodan book from 1969 is 60 cents.
https://www.amazon.com/Enterprise-Stardust-Perry-Rhodan-Scheer/dp/B0007I83EU/

Book number two, also 1969, is 75 cents.

Lynn

On Sunday, September 11, 2022 at 9:06:14 PM UTC+2, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> On 9/11/2022 11:52 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> > On Sat, 10 Sep 2022 18:05:19 -0500, Lynn McGuire
> > <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> So is this the last of the $9.99 MMPBs coming out next March 2023 ?
> >> https://www.amazon.com/Into-Real-John-Ringo/dp/1982192577/
> >>
> >> I suspect that the next MMPB price jump will be to $11.99. Our 15%
> >> inflation is rolling through everything.
> >
> > I am sorry to hear that whatever country or alternate reality you are
> > in is experiencing 15% inflation. Bing produces this:
> >
> > "The inflation rate in 2019 was 1.76%. The current year-over-year
> > inflation rate (2021 to 2022) is now 7.48% . If this number holds, $1
> > today will be equivalent in buying power to $1.07 next year."
> >
> > so that rate here in the USA (or in reality, whichever applies)
> > appears to be 1/2 of what you cited.
> >
> > A better question would be: was it level in August as it was in July?
> > Has it peaked? Will it go down, as gas prices have?
> >
> > Note that even I have indeed noticed higher prices for the things I
> > buy. But what can you expect after the Republicans have been in charge
> > for four years? The last time they were in charge (for eight years)
> > they produced The Great Recession, after all.
> Here is the real inflation rate.
> http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/inflation-charts
>
> Have you heard the expression, "the calm before the storm" ?
>
> The dumbrocrats just passed an extremely inflationary bill oddly named
> an anti-inflation bill.
>
> Winter is coming. The efforts to keep Europe warm will cost more than
> you can believe.
>
> Lynn

Wikipedia:

Reception
Positive
Economist and former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy Paul Craig Roberts has cited John Williams' estimates in a review of unemployment rates in 2013.[8] Williams' work has also been cited by author Wayne Allyn Root.[9] Williams has been featured on Fox Business Network and his work has been cited by CNBC.[10][11]

Negative
A number of economists and finance experts have claimed that the Shadowstats CPI is conceptually wrong and that their usage leads to easily disproven and absurd conclusions.[4][12][13][14][15]

University of Maryland Professor Katharine Abraham, who previously headed the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agency responsible for publishing official unemployment and inflation data, says of Williams' claims about data manipulation that "[t]he culture of the Bureau of Labor Statistics is so strong that it's not going to happen." Steve Landefeld, former director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Commerce Department agency that prepares quarterly GDP reports, said in response to an article about Williams, "the bureau rigorously follows guidelines designed to ensure its work remains totally transparent and absolutely unbiased." In the same article, UC San Diego economist Valerie Ramey, a member of the Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee, defended the methodological changes, claiming they were only made "after academic economists did decades of research and said they should be done."[2]

Senior Fellow of the Niskanen Center Ed Dolan has found these alternatives to be "implausibly high" in spite of potential errors in the official data, especially when cross checked with data on nominal interest rates and physical output.[16][17] Shadowstats measure of inflation has also been unfavorably compared with alternative private measures such as the Billions Prices Project which tracks millions of online retail prices from around the world in real time.[18][19][20] In addition, despite claims of much higher inflation than official reports suggest, and even potential hyperinflation in the future,[21][22] Shadowstats has not changed its $175 per year subscription fee since at least 2006, leading some to humor its own claims.[23][24]

Responding to prior criticisms made by economist James Hamilton, John Williams explained in a private phone call that Shadowstats does not actually recalculate BLS data, rather, the Shadowstats CPI merely adds a constant to the officially reported numbers.[25]

I’m not going back and recalculating the CPI. All I’m doing is going back to the government’s estimates of what the effect would be and using that as an add factor to the reported statistics.