I share your point of view when it comes to prices, but I think I know why those books are so expensive. From my publishing days, I know what you have to pay for the ALIEN license alone, so I imagine it’s the same for every other well known franchise. So , if you want to make a cut as a publisher, you not only have to earn enough for producing the book itself, but also to pay the license. And the shorter the book is, the more difficult it is to make that happen, so you have to go to the maximum with your price. (Which, as a result, may throw a lot of potential buyers off). It’s a difficult balancing act, and most of the time, the licensee looses money.
I share your point of view when it comes to prices, but I think I know why those books are so expensive. From my publishing days, I know what you have to pay for the ALIEN license alone, so I imagine it’s the same for every other well known franchise. So , if you want to make a cut as a publisher, you not only have to earn enough for producing the book itself, but also to pay the license. And the shorter the book is, the more difficult it is to make that happen, so you have to go to the maximum with your price. (Which, as a result, may throw a lot of potential buyers off). It’s a difficult balancing act, and most of the time, the licensee looses money.