What I want to try to explain is why Australian books cost as much as they do. This is because readers tend to know very little about the process of book production and the various factors that drive up prices. (As a secondary point, lower prices do not guarantee higher sales. There is a limit to the number of books even the biggest bibliophile can read in a year. Books require a significant investment on the part of the reader, both in terms of money and time, and so publishers need to worry about quality control as much as affordable pricing.)