Most major publishing houses offer value books, or those that are offered at a significant discount. Sometimes this is possible because of low demand or discontinued printing status. Other times, publishers tier their pricing to include high-end publications as well as value books. Anthologies could also be considered value books. As a collection of one or several authors and numerous works, these books offer the reader options in what he or she is reading. Romance, science fiction, and mystery genres often offer anthologies of short stories to their readers at discounted prices. This is great way to discover new favorite authors. The Quality Debate
Value books are often criticized for being of poorer quality. Sometimes, with some publishers, this is the case, but it is not necessarily true all the time. Many times, a publishing company will feature a new author in a value book series to capitalize on the popularity of these types of novels. Then, when popularity for that author has built significantly, they can market his or her subsequent titles at higher prices. Sometimes, pricing is not about quality at all, but strategic planning on the part of publishers to market their authors. Especially with romance books, there are category and single title novels. Category novels are those that fit into a specific category, which usually changes monthly. Single title books are those that are stand alones, without a theme or classification under which to fall. Category novels are often offered as value books when you buy a set, whereas single titles don't often share this perk.
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