{"id":2832,"date":"2011-12-17T06:02:36","date_gmt":"2011-12-17T11:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.allandouglas.com\/blog\/?p=2832"},"modified":"2025-04-21T01:56:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T05:56:41","slug":"pricing-of-ebooks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/pricing-of-ebooks\/","title":{"rendered":"Practical Pricing of eBooks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ebookLately I\u2019ve been reading quite a few articles offering advice on pricing an eBook.\u00a0 They range from the adamant insistence that all eBooks should be 99 cents to the almost snobbish claims that artistic integrity demands that eBooks be priced the same as paper books \u2013 and hard bounds at that!\u00a0 Most of the proponents of a particular view have a good point to make, but these points are all too often used to whitewash the entire spectrum of eBook genres and their authors with a one-size must fit all attitude.\u00a0 I vigorously disagree with that, and I\u2019d like to chime in on some of the other views I\u2019ve heard discussed and add one or two of my own.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The Cheaper the Better<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start with the \u201ceverything should be 99 cents\u201d school of thought. There are several very successful authors insisting that the 99 cent pricing model is highly responsible for their success.\u00a0 And that may be, but to make it work they need to be churning out a new novel every month or so and they must quickly develop a large following so they can make enough income to live on while they devote themselves to writing novels as fast as possible.\u00a0 It takes a lot of sales, at 35 cents a pop (a 99 cent book’s royalty),\u00a0 each and every month to keep the mortgage paid; even more if you want to eat as well.<\/p>\n

Less prolific authors will have a very hard time making this mass-production business model work.<\/p>\n

Is It Too Cheap?<\/h2>\n

A few pundits have asserted that any novel that is priced at less than $3.00 just screams out that it is self-published crap and they\u2019d rather pay more for a \u201cprofessional\u201d book.\u00a0 I take offense at this statement because I know full well that there are a lot of self-published books that are very well written, and professionally edited.\u00a0 But I have bought some eBooks that were, in all honestly, hastily written and barely edited crap.\u00a0 However, many years ago I learned an amazing lesson about perceived value.<\/p>\n

At the time I was focusing my energies on making wooden fountain pens.\u00a0 These were hot with aficionados of fine writing instruments and big wheels who wanted to impress others.\u00a0 I made some very nice pens, but I decided to undercut my competition on price.\u00a0 My sales were disappointing.\u00a0 One weekend I was doing a show and ended up in the booth next to another pen turner.\u00a0 His sales were brisk, and his work was no better than mine.\u00a0 Finally I asked him what he was doing differently.\u00a0 He said, \u201cYou do excellent work, and your sales technique is OK, but you need to double your prices.\u201d\u00a0 What?\u00a0 How in the world could that help?\u00a0 He patiently explained that it has to do with perception of quality.\u00a0 People looking for a fine item expect to pay a certain amount for it.\u00a0 When they encounter something that looks good but costs considerably less, they\u2019ll pass it by because they assume it is inferior.\u00a0 People who want something cheap won\u2019t buy these anyway, they\u2019ll go to Wal-Mart and get a package of Bic\u2019s.\u00a0 Kind of snobby, but that\u2019s how it works.\u00a0 I doubled my prices and they began selling well.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think this business model works well for fiction novels.\u00a0 I do not mean to be insulting here, but most fiction is sort of the \u201cdisposable\u201d end of literature.\u00a0 Most people I know will read a novel once and move on.\u00a0 Non-fiction is most often bought as a reference which will be used over and over again, kept handy and referred to often during a project or study.\u00a0 Non-fiction writers can shoot themselves in the foot if they\u2019re producing worthwhile books and selling them really cheaply.\u00a0 I\u2019m not talking about PLR knock-offs, but good, original, non-fiction.<\/p>\n

How Much is Too Much?<\/h2>\n

I will admit that as a consumer of other author\u2019s novels, I rather like the idea of having a wide variety of titles to choose from and all offered at minimal expense.\u00a0 However, I am not opposed to paying a reasonable fee for a good piece of entertainment.\u00a0 What is \u201creasonable\u201d will vary from person to person.\u00a0 For me and my financial standing, $2.00 to $3.00 is a comfortable expense for a good eBook.\u00a0 $4.00 to $5.00 is doable if the book is something exceptional.\u00a0 However, just the other day I finished a Kindle sample from a Sci-Fi author who is highly rated and has many books available.\u00a0 I enjoyed the sample so I popped into the Kindle store to buy the book.\u00a0 Upon arrival I found that the full eBook (just a single book mind you, not a series) was priced at $11.99!\u00a0 GASP!\u00a0 I waited until my heart rate returned to normal and the dark spots no longer floated before my eyes to check and make sure I had not misunderstood.\u00a0 Nope, that\u2019s what it said.\u00a0 I hit HOME and moved on to my next sample.\u00a0 Yes, he was a good writer, yes it seemed to be a good story, but it wasn\u2019t *that* special.<\/p>\n

With the number of books being offered growing by leaps and bounds, commanding an exceptionally high price will take developing some exceptionally committed fans.<\/p>\n

Setting a Hook with Pricing<\/h2>\n

What does seem to work well for lesser known authors is to set a low price (even free) on their first novel, then a higher (but sane) price on subsequent work.\u00a0 Some offer several free short stories as an introduction.<\/p>\n

Amazon does not allow you to set a price of free on an eBook, but if you offer the same book for free on Smashwords or through your web site, then report yourself (there is a \u2018report a lower price\u2019 button near the bottom of the product listing page)\u00a0 Amazon will price match the book in their listing.\u00a0 Just be careful not to set up the 70% royalty option when you submit the book; that can put you into a situation where they have to pay you a royalty on a free book and they\u2019ll put the boot to you for cheating.<\/p>\n

Even a 99 cent novel will be enticing enough for most people to give you a whirl, if you dance well they\u2019ll remain your partner through many more numbers.\u00a0 If you step on their toes, even a bargain basement price tag won\u2019t bring them back.<\/p>\n

Having Said All That\u2026<\/h2>\n

I am picky.\u00a0 I am selective about what topics I spend my time reading.\u00a0 I am insistent about the quality of the writing.\u00a0 Misspelled words, wrong words, editing fragments, and grammatical errors serve as stumbling blocks that trip up the flow of the story and spoil it for me.\u00a0 I have discussed book topics with others who are just the opposite.<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t care about spelling, editing, or grammar (some would not know the difference) they are after a feeling.\u00a0 They read for emotion.\u00a0 The printed stuff is just the vehicle that takes them on the journey.\u00a0 Most of these have voluminous appetites and will go through several books a week.\u00a0 Low prices win points with them and they love the markets opened up by self-publishing.<\/p>\n

Virtual vs Physical<\/h2>\n

Most people I\u2019ve talked to feel that pricing of eBooks should be lower than paper books.\u00a0 Paper books represent a manufacturing process above and beyond the production of the manuscript.\u00a0 It involves paper and ink and printing presses and bindery work.\u00a0 Then there is storage and shipping and handling.\u00a0 And in the end you have a physical object that you hold in your hands, or put on a shelf or share with as many friends as you want just by handing it to them.\u00a0 An eBook is a collection of electrons imprinted into a memory medium.\u00a0 The file can be copied indefinitely and distributed to buyers at little or no cost to the distributor.<\/p>\n

Claiming that an eBook is exactly the same book as a paperback or hard cover book and therefore should carry the same price tag seems nonsensical to me.\u00a0 Distributors like Amazon and Barnes & Noble seem to agree because they insist that eBook prices be at least 20% off the price of paper versions (although that doesn’t seem to be holding for books from The Big Six lately).\u00a0 The author may have put the same amount of work into producing either a paperback or an eBook, but the distribution channels, and their expenses, are vastly different.<\/p>\n

In Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Is there a Golden pricing model for all eBooks?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Determining a fair price for a book requires considering the author\u2019s notoriety and skill, the genre and target audience, and the author\u2019s proclivity for production.\u00a0 However, there is no rule that says that once you\u2019ve set a price you have to leave it there.\u00a0 Feel free to play with it.\u00a0 Offer a special price to coincide with a promotional effort, when sales pick up, tweak the price to match the new popularity.\u00a0 And keep writing; having multiple books in your genre offered through all the major channels helps to establish you as a respected author.<\/p>\n

These are my thoughts on the topic of eBook pricing, what say you?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lately I’ve been reading quite a few articles offering advice on pricing an eBook.  They range from the adamant insistence that all eBooks should be 99 cents to the almost snobbish claims that artistic integrity demands that eBooks be priced the same as paper books – and hard bounds at that!  Most of the proponents … Continue reading “Practical Pricing of eBooks”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[3,8,27],"class_list":["post-2832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-publishing-2","tag-books","tag-ebook","tag-financial"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21619,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2832\/revisions\/21619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}