Is This A Rip-Off?

Can this be considered a form of rip-off by book publishers and authors?

I notice that some authors who have a couple of bestsellers under their belts have opted to increase the prices for their subsequent books very significantly. Maybe it is the publishers who are at fault and not the authors though I suspect both parties are in cahoots.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins sells for only RM39.90. After the phenomenal success of The Girl on the Train, Paula has returned with Into The Water.  And the price for her latest novel is double the price for The Girl on the Train, selling for RM79.90.

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

Kevin Kwan enjoyed huge successes with Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriends.  Both books sell for less than RM40. With fans hooked on to his books, Kevin and his publisher know that they have a captive market and can make a killing with Rich People Problems, the third book in the trilogy. Rich People Problems is selling for an incredible RM89.90, more than double the prices for his first two books.

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan

Of course there are authors who books have been reasonably priced despite the huge successes of their books.  One of the first authors to come into my mind is Dan Brown. Despite the worldwide phenomenal success of Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown’s subsequent books were all priced at about the same price as Da Vinci Code.