Baraka_Guru

Okay, I work for a small book publisher, so I know a bit about how this works (or doesn't...) Regardless of how the Canadian dollar fluctuates, the cost of doing business stays the same (actually, it usually goes up). For example, even though the dollar opened at $0.94 this morning, it doesn't change the fact that the cost of paper is still high (especially now that printers are switching to 100% post-consumer products as a default stock), as is distribution (fuel prices, warehousing, compensating sales reps and marketing admin.).

There was a report released by a major bank (RBC, I think) that revealed how despite the strong dollar, the purchasing power of Canadians is staying the same. Prices are not going down. Economics is a complex and interconnected thing. So, yeah, gripe about books (and greeting cards) all you want, but bear in mind that running a publishing-based business isn't cheap. Books and cards take a lot of paper to make and they're heavy to ship.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot