Newtype-usa Screwing Readers !

[Zagatto]

Finally, one thing I don't understand is the ADV English version is in a form of a standard paperback, and retails for US$9.99; while the original Japanese version from Dengeki is of better quality (including slick outer paper covers), yet retails in Japan for only ¥680 (roughly US$6.80).

This one is easy to explain. It's a simple matter of suppply and demand. The more copies of something you print, the lower the cost per book. I don't have actual sales figures but I'm willing to bet that almost every manga title sells better in Japan than it does in the US. Distribution is probably also less expensive given the population density over there.

So I'm guessing that two major cost factors (printing cost and distribution cost) are both considerably lower in Japan. Another factor may be the licensing costs in North America in addition to the staff needed to translate and handle all the pre-press factors.