1) It's self published so I do not have the backing of a big publisher to print 10,000 of them and get the print and shipping costs down. Perhaps someday.
2) It's a trade paperback format, meaning it is the size of a hardback but has a soft, full color cover. The size and the color drive the costs up too.
I choose that format because I am told that large publishers, if they do pick you up later, are much more likely to do so with a self-publisher if he/she hasn't already used one of the typical formats (mass paperback and hardback).
Hope that helps...I'd love to be able to get the price down quite a bit more but just don't have the front cash to do so.