People don't buy books because they value their favorite authors eating or having health insurance. They buy the books because they want to read them. > reader

People don't buy books because they value their favorite authors eating or having health insurance. They buy the books because they want to read them. > readers' perception of value in books is fundamentally misaligned with the actual economics of the book trade, to the detriment of both. The actual cost of a book has no bearing on it's value. You could spend a billion on editing, publicity, materials, etc. and if no one wants to read it good luck.