Print price increase and we’re sorry

We apologize for any stuttering of the heart our Canadian fans and readers may have experienced recently when perusing the prices for our print books.

But truly, it’s not our fault. While there has been a slight increase in printing cost which took effect January 1, the real problem is our falling Loonie.

In its most simple analysis, it would seem world markets seem to think the Canadian economy is in tight tandem with the oil market. Which of course is just plain stupid. 78% of Canada’s GDP is derived from service industries. Not oil. But, hey, when did the greedy idiots on any stock exchange ever pay attention to common sense and facts?

And so, as of today, our beloved Loonie is trading at 1.43US. What that means is Five Rivers’ book prices of 2012, when our currency was often on par with or above the Yankee Dollar, now only buys about 3/4 of what it did. Employing that good common sense which is the benchmark of the Canadian way of life, it becomes abundantly clear Five Rivers cannot continue to offer our print books at the same retail price as the US market. Well, not unless we want to close our doors forever.

That’s right. The silver lining. The lemonade.

So if Canadian print books are going to cost more, why not make that extra cost count, and offer something truly worthy of those extra hard-earned Loonies. Here’s what we’re planning for the upcoming year.

We’re all bibliophiles here. We love books. We love reading them, looking at them, fondling them…. Ahem. Yes. Well. We do love the old artform of print. And it is our mission this year to explore that nearly-lost art-form and offer a new vision of that to our fans who wish to still have print in their homes.

Some of the titles we’re releasing this year will not only be available in digital, but in hardcover, some with either specially commissioned B&W or colour original artwork and imaginative layouts, some with quality photographic reproductions. Our theory is if we’re going to go to the trouble to create a print book, make it something that will last, become an heirloom.

And in the meantime our digital offerings will also have all that wonderful illustrative content, but remain affordable for those who just simply want a good read and have no wish to collect and enter the uncharted territory of the bibliophile.

So yes, price increase for print. But we’re working on making that extra cost worthy of your loyalty.