# What is a fair price for an ebook?



## Stan R Mitchell (Feb 26, 2012)

I'd love to know your all's take on a fair price for an ebook.

The prices seem to range from so low to so high. I'm sure most of you all have bought a 99-cent one that -- even though it was so low -- ended up disappointing you. And on the other end of a spectrum, I'm sure we've all bought 7.99 and higher ebooks that proved pleasing. 

For me, the most I've ever paid was 12.80 (or some weird value like that -- not 12.99 as I remember), but that came with a MAJOR recommendation from a VERY trusted friend. That was a lot for an ebook, in my opinion, but it was an self-improvement type book. I'm not sure I could pay more than $7 -- maybe $8 -- for a fiction ebook.

Anyway, would love to hear your all's opinion on this!


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## Darrell Pitt (Feb 12, 2011)

When I see ebooks at $10 and over I feel rather irate about it. Maybe anything up to the $6-7 mark I'm okay with. Over that and I wonder at the audacity of the publisher (not the author because the author is often the meat in the sandwich).

It is, after all, the creation and distribution of a file - not a hard copy product that costs petrol to distribute and retail rents to sell and staff to pay. 

That's all IMHO


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## Anjasa (Feb 4, 2012)

It depends on how bad I want the book, which depends on who turned me on to it, what reviews it has, if it has themes that I'm interested in. I'm willing to pay more for harder to get books (such as Starlight & Shadows - they were unavailable before they were released in ebook format).

I think the best price is around $3, and $5 or less is nice unless it's a very, very long book.

I will pay more for something I really want, though.


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## Guest (Feb 27, 2012)

Max price for an ebook should be around $10. Above that I won't buy any, especially if the paperback is cheaper (Last time the new Mass Effect book was $7-8 for the paperback, around $11-12 for the ebook, which is clearly a joke.).


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## 4eyesbooks (Jan 9, 2012)

I agree that $3-$5 per book is reasonable.


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## jbcohen (Jul 29, 2011)

Its a matter of supply and demand in my humble opinion.  I can get a lot of great books for $3.50 each from Baen so why should I ever pay one penny more than that.  Amazon is willing to give me some books free, however most of those books tend to be young upstarts trying to make a name for themselves or classics, thus I am not willing to pay anything for these sort of authors.  I am simply not willing to pay what the responders have said in their responses, I am simply not willing to pay $10 for anything, don't care who wrote or how good or bad it is no one is worth that.

This is exactly why I tend to tell new authors to make a name for themselves by taking an idea for a novel and expand it so that it covers multiple books, and write it into a series of novels.  Give the first away for $0 then charge for the remainder of the series such that you recoup the costs for the first one and make additional for the other books in the series.  The first one gives me a chance to see if I like your writting style and see if you can carry one line of thinking without over use of change of scenes.  If you don't want to use this I always tell them to give away one page free or one paragraph so that I can see your writing style before I invest anything.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Looks like it is settling in at 3 to 5 bucks. I will pay up to 8 for something I really want or need, but start thinking of just buying hardcover or paperback at that point.


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## Stan R Mitchell (Feb 26, 2012)

I think you're right, Harry. $3 to $5 typically, with a max of $8. Even for my ridiculously priced book of $12.80, even for as good as it is, it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. 

And I agree with you, it's not that physical print books can't be worth that much, just not ebooks.


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## monkeyluis (Oct 17, 2010)

I was talking with someone the other day about this. While I don't diagramed that over $10 is ludicrous, let's look at it this way. Think of all the fabulous indie books, the kindle daily deal, the other kindle promotions, the the occasional free books. When you think about it this way, the occasional $15 book isn't so bad & evens out over time with the other deals. But yes, publishers shouldn't charge this much anyway. For now I just try & think of the positive with the good deals & then how it averages out. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Martel47 (Jun 14, 2010)

I once paid $23.76 for a single book.  My wife and I have each paid more for a collection with multiple books, but I think that was the highest for a single ebook.  That book is currently listed for $22.78 (it was purchased in June last year).

However, that was for a textbook; it was a few dollars less than the print edition.  But I think this shows that there are a lot of forces at work here.  For some textbooks, I've willingly paid more for the print edition.  For non-school/professional reading, I will never pay more for an ebook than the print version.  I will buy an ebook if it is even slightly cheaper than the print version and I would buy it anyway.  However, if it is over $9.99 I might just decide I don't need the book after all.


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## Stan R Mitchell (Feb 26, 2012)

Wow, monkeyluis. I never thought of the averaging out aspect. That _does _help balance it.


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## Ergodic Mage (Jan 23, 2012)

It varies widely for me.

Non-fiction books I'll spend up to $15 since I get alot of value and reading time from them.
New books from my favorite established authors $7-$10.
Older books from established authors $5-$7.
Books from established "indy" authors up to $5.
First books in a series by established "indy" authors up to $3.
Books by new "indy" authors up to $1.
Classics - hello Gutenberg


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## brianjanuary (Oct 18, 2011)

My POV is that e-books should be priced lower than printed books, simply for that reason. But IMO the .99 price for anything but a short work is a disservice to authors, because I think it cheapens both the author and the work. I've priced my two thrillers at 3.99 and 2.99, which I think is fair, especially considering all the time and work invested!

Brian January


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## Arclight (Jan 6, 2011)

$3-5 or I get it at the library. I never pay $9-11.


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

If it's a new hardcover release I want, I go ahead and pay up to $15, just because I'm not patient enough to wait until the price drops. But that's not often. I usually try to keep ebooks I buy below $10.


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

A price for which the seller is willing to sell the book and for which a buyer is willing to buy the book. The last thing I want is some government functionary, who doesn't read, setting prices for books.


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## Stan R Mitchell (Feb 26, 2012)

So it looks like -- all in all -- that a _fiction _ebook should be priced in the $3 to $5 range if you're an established author. Non-fiction ebooks can cost more, while newer authors should charge less.

Fair enough summary? And any instances when it doesn't hold true?


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## Darlene Jones (Nov 1, 2011)

I don't think ebooks should be free or too cheap. I don't believe authors should sell themselves short. $4.99 seems fair for a well written book.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

$2.99 for an e-Book, up to $9.99 for a paperback and up to $20 for a hardback, if it's a well-known author or a highly recommended book.


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## Jorja Tabu (Feb 6, 2012)

Martel47 said:


> I once paid $23.76 for a single book. My wife and I have each paid more for a collection with multiple books, but I think that was the highest for a single ebook. That book is currently listed for $22.78 (it was purchased in June last year).
> 
> However, that was for a textbook; it was a few dollars less than the print edition.


Textbooks! They'll always be the outliers, in any price scale setting. Ugh.


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## apbschmitz (Apr 22, 2011)

So much supply, so little demand. Eventually readers will wonder why they're not paid to read e-fiction. And for the unknown writer, well, who knows. Maybe it will seem to make sense to buy readers.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

I'm amused, sometimes, at how little some people are willing to pay for books. While it is possible to find quality fiction by solid authors at low prices, I find that its more rare than common. The indie authors I've read, I'm sorry to say, just haven't really cut the mustard. Not all the books where bad and I've read a few worse professionally published books, but the overall the standards and quality have been on the mediocre side.

That said, a lot of the books I purchase and read through the Kindle store cost more than $9.99: _Destiny of the Republic_, _The Prague Cemetery_, _1Q84_, _The Unconquered_, _The Sense of an Ending_. I once purchased a three novel Faulkner Omnibus for $16.99, but otherwise I bulk at anything over $14.99. I'll snag a few Daily Deals now and then, but most of those are going to the back of the long TBR queue.


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## KateEllison (Jul 9, 2011)

Hmmm. Generally I won't pay over $5 for something unless I've already read things by the author and I'm dying to read the book. I will buy a book by an author I'm unfamiliar with IF the book has been recommended by friends, hyped everywhere, or has a summary that I find very, very intriguing.

My general expectations for ebooks are $2.99-$3.99.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Certain legacy authors, I am willing to pay more than I want to for their books. which means up to $13-15. But I have long thought that dtb book prices were getting out of hand, and was refusing to pay $8 for a paperback for a couple of years before buying my K1 almost 4 years ago. I read FAR too voraciously to spend $8-$10 per book I read, and there are 3 other volume readers in my home. Pre-kindles, we were spending $200-$400 per MONTH on books, driving an hour to get to a used book store, or 45 minutes to get to B&N. 

ebook prices I am ok with? 
Books that were printed more than 20 years ago (Star Trek novels specifically) Should never be more than the cover price of when they were first sold. They have already MORE than covered any publishing costs associated with them. Yes, that means they should be $3-$4 each, not $8.

ebooks should NEVER cost more than MMPB personally I feel they should be a buck or 2 under MMPB about 6 months after they come out in MMPB

First books by a brand new indie author, I am willing to pay a maximum of $2.99, but at $2.99 That cover and blurb better scream BUY ME. (no, not literally)

Books by indie authors I have previously read and enjoyed, $5 or so is fair, as I know that unlike legacy authors, they are getting the bulk of the profits themselves.

ANY indie author should have one or two books priced at a max of about $1.99 so that people who have never read one of their books are willing to take a chance on them. (loss leader)

Price is not the first deciding factor for me though.
Cover: If it doesn't grab me I don't care if the book is free, Cover will make me spend time on the book page where I then go to
Blurb: needs to be "Spot on" so that I will read the 
Sample: if this final part shows lack of ability, lack of style and lack of grammar, nothing would make me buy it, but if it's all good, then I look at 
Price.


(textbooks do not count as I have no choice in buying those, you have to buy what is required for a class. I have spent up to $240 on one freaking textbook. usually IF there is an e-format, they will knock about 20% off the DTB version if you are lucky)


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## Matt Larkin (Sep 27, 2011)

For a full-length novel I think $5 is fair. I'd pay more for an author I really like, though I'd be annoyed if it was more than about $9-10 (certainly if the book is not a new release).


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

I'd pay up to $15 for an author I really want to read.


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## jbcohen (Jul 29, 2011)

$15 I would never pay that much even if I really wanted to read something by that author, no one is worth that.  I wont pay more than $3.50 and rarely I pay $6.  And yes I can get enough at those price points to keep me busy for a very long time.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Same or less as the price of the cheapest paper version is my stance on it.  Posted more about it in the other pricing thread, so I won't elaborate here.


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## JRainey (Feb 1, 2011)

The absolute highest I'll pay is $9.99, and that's for an author I know I like or a book that has been very highly recommend to me. Other than that, I stay in the $0.99-$6.00 range.


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## tahliaN (Nov 6, 2011)

JRainey said:


> The absolute highest I'll pay is $9.99,





Geemont said:


> I'm amused, sometimes, at how little some people are willing to pay for books. While it is possible to find quality fiction by solid authors at low prices, I find that its more rare than common. The indie authors I've read, I'm sorry to say, just haven't really cut the mustard.





Steampunk said:


> True, but don't tar them all with the same brush. Many indies are authors publishing back lists that were traditionally published years ago, others have some titles traditionally published & do other titles the indie way, so they are every bit as good as those publshed by a trad publshing house. It's a matter of sorting out the good ones. For a list of indie books that do cut the mustard, according to professionals in the publishing business see http://awesomeindies.wordpress.com
> 
> When I see ebooks at $10 and over, I wonder at the audacity of the publisher (not the author because the author is often the meat in the sandwich).


This brings us to a point that we need to take into account ie the publisher. 
Indies can be cheaper (less than $5) because they don't have the overheads, as someone said, the author gets most of the money. 
Small publishers need to get a minimum of $5 to cover their overheads and bigger publishers have big overheads, and that's what you're paying for, so their books are more expensive again. I don't think ebooks should be over $10, but the price differences are because of the publisher not the author. If you limit yourself to less than $5, you'll never read anything by an author published by a major publishing company.

There's also book length. Often indie authors have some short stories priced at 99c or free. These are a good price for the length and allow you to test the authors writing abilities. Then they price novellas and short story collections at $2.99, also a reasonable price for the length. For full length works the price will be $3.99 or $4.99, and rarely more than that. A full length work that is the first in a series will also often be at $2.99 or 99c for a short period to encourage readers to try it out, with the idea that if you like the book you will want the rest of the series.

So it's not just a matter of price, you need to be prepared for the cheaper books to be shorter in length.


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## WillCorcoran (Feb 28, 2012)

Agree that non-fiction can go for more, but it still takes a lot for me to buy something over $6.


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## Guest (Feb 29, 2012)

I'm not willing to pay over five dollars for an electronic book. Why buy more when you can have a physical, paper copy? Even the conveniance of having it instantly downloaded is not enough of a draw. To me paying a lot for something that is just letters on a screen, seems wasteful, while I can justify it for a paper book.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm paying for a story.  However the story is delivered to me (paper, digital, audio) is irrelevant to me.  I have the same max price, which is what I would pay for the paperback.  Which is what I always bought.  So, about $7.99 or less.  I also bought a lot of books used.  Thou  I don't buy paper books anymore, so it's kind of arbitrary, but it is what I feel comfortable paying.

Betsy


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## Richard Parks (Feb 29, 2012)

Absolutely. If you're buying a book, what you're really buying is the story. If you were just buying the delivery system (the physical paper book), then we could buy blank books and be just as happy. While I do expect my ebooks to be cheaper than a paper book, lower overhead doesn't mean no overhead. Indie authors generally have lower overhead than publishers but they still have costs to cover.

I also agree with the remark upstream about New authors having at least one or two books at a lower price to serve as an introduction. That's fair. After that, not so much. If the writer doesn't value their own work, why should anyone else?


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## Brad Murgen (Oct 17, 2011)

Generally $10 is the max I'll pay for an eBook, and that's usually for something I really want.  Usually don't go over $7-8 otherwise.  I know that you're really paying for a story, but if they can sell the paperback for $8, they can sell the eBook version for that too.


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

I don't know that there is such a thing as fair price. Quite frankly, the product is what really matters and that's a case by case thing. Now that being said, I've paid quite a lot for a number of non-fiction books. There was a fiction ebook, about a year ago, that I was going to pay $18 for but they ended up dropping the price. On the whole, I tend to pay more for YA and children's fiction than the rest. I think this is due to how often I'm forced to buy hardbacks of these. For day to day buys I tend to keep it around 5.


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## Iwritelotsofbooks (Nov 17, 2010)

I'm in the $9.99 or less crowd.  Fact is, ten bucks is still a fifteen dollar discount from new hardcovers.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

For an ebook my high comfort zone is 9.99 for an author I really want to read with a superior book and I guess I might rarely pay 12.99 for a very special ebook. Usually I like to stay under $8 and I have had some great reads below 5.99 and even some Free on a promo. My deciding factor is the quality of the book and my time which is limited so I don't want to read a dud just because it was cheap.

Any fiction above 9.99 I might just buy the hard cover and either sell it or donate it.

I also like non-fiction history and science books which I buy as hardcovers.


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## cheriereich (Feb 12, 2011)

The most I've spent so far is $14.99, I think, but I wasn't all that comfortable with the price, but I wanted to read the book as an ebook instead of hardback. I prefer lower than $9.99 for a sweet spot at $3.99-$5.99 for full-length novels. Of course, I buy cheaper books too, but it can take me a while to get to them unless it is something I must read now.


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## DH_Sayer (Dec 20, 2011)

If I want it (and why would I buy an ebook I didn't want?), I have to say I'd go as high as physical book prices...$15 or so. It's greatly appreciated when it's lower than that, though.


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## jpflug (Jan 25, 2012)

There are a couple of things that influence this...One is that as authors, we overvalue our own work, so some authors (not a majority) are raising their prices because, hey, they put the time in and why shouldn't they get paid for it. This isn't an invalid point, but its important that we remember that book cost (paperback and hardback) is mostly spent on production of the book and promotion and not to the author! For us, as ebook authors, to ask for the same price as a paperback indicates two things...that we overvalue our intellectual property, or that we are working with a publisher that demands we price at a higher value. For many authors who are already traditionally published OR become traditionally published after independent publishing makes them a success (e.g. Amanda Hocking), the prices rise as a result of having to contend with demands from publishers. Amanda hocking made a million on .99 books....then, when she became traditionally published, her newest series came out (in ebook format) at 8.99 a book and up! 

We have to consider book cost here and that simply isnt the same for an ebook. Sure, we have to pay a cover artist (if we use one, which I do) and we put the work in, but the cost can't be outrageous. My first book is priced at .99 cents. I think that is too LOW...but its a teaser basically and its for advertising my writing, so who cares? I think that the pricing range for writers should really fall in the .99-5.99 range, fairly (5.99 is a touch high for my comfort and .99 is a touch low). Just my thought


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## Derek Clendening (Mar 1, 2012)

Stan R Mitchell said:


> I'd love to know your all's take on a fair price for an ebook.
> 
> The prices seem to range from so low to so high. I'm sure most of you all have bought a 99-cent one that -- even though it was so low -- ended up disappointing you. And on the other end of a spectrum, I'm sure we've all bought 7.99 and higher ebooks that proved pleasing.
> 
> ...


If it's a book I really want, I'm willing to pay up to $10. Maybe more depending on the situation (like a boxed set or something like that).

I think $3.99 is a pretty good price. I that's a pretty average price for me.


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## Rick Gualtieri (Oct 31, 2011)

I've paid over $12 for some eBooks from authors I follow. However, as of late I find myself questioning those decisions more and more...especially since the last few were definitely not worth $12.  Going forward, I think it'll be unlikely for me to go over $10 and even that's stretching it (especially since the last four novels I've read, all good reads, averaged about $2.99 each).


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

I'll pay up to six dollars for an e-book. I won't pay more than I would pay for a paperback. Besides, in paying more for a dead tree book, you have to consider printing and warehousing costs. You don't have those kinds of expenses with e-books.


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## Pavel Kravchenko (Mar 2, 2012)

I routinely pay 15-16 bucks for paperbacks at the store. I sometimes shell out $25 for hardcover. In both cases, I end up with reams of paper, which I need space for, which I need to dust periodically, which I need to hire movers for if I move. I don't really understand why people think e-book should be so cheap in comparison. Yes, there's the "overhead," the cost of paper, etc., but how about all the convenience? E-books save trips to the store, save trees, save space and labor, while providing essentially the same experience. Isn't that why we bought the e-reader?

Personally, I think hardcovers are way overpriced and are pretty much for collectors rather than readers, but as a reader, I would gladly pay for e-books the same money I pay for paperbacks. That said, as a new author, this is a great learning thread. I think a price adjustment may be in order. Thanks to the OP.


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## jpflug (Jan 25, 2012)

Pavel Kravchenko said:


> I routinely pay 15-16 bucks for paperbacks at the store. I sometimes shell out $25 for hardcover. In both cases, I end up with reams of paper, which I need space for, which I need to dust periodically, which I need to hire movers for if I move. I don't really understand why people think e-book should be so cheap in comparison. Yes, there's the "overhead," the cost of paper, etc., but how about all the convenience? E-books save trips to the store, save trees, save space and labor, while providing essentially the same experience. Isn't that why we bought the e-reader?
> 
> Personally, I think hardcovers are way overpriced and are pretty much for collectors rather than readers, but as a reader, I would gladly pay for e-books the same money I pay for paperbacks. That said, as a new author, this is a great learning thread. I think a price adjustment may be in order. Thanks to the OP.


It's true that they are more convenient, but its undeniable that authors traditionally published have no choice but to charge more because of overhead. As electronic book authors, we should be willing to offer our fans a lower price, especially considering that our royalty is higher. (especially on 2.99-9.99 ebooks) I think that it is incorrect to say that we should get paid more than a traditional author (in more ways than one) and be charging the same price that people are paying for a hardcopy.


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## Pavel Kravchenko (Mar 2, 2012)

jpflug said:


> It's true that they are more convenient, but its undeniable that authors traditionally published have no choice but to charge more because of overhead. As electronic book authors, we should be willing to offer our fans a lower price, especially considering that our royalty is higher. (especially on 2.99-9.99 ebooks) I think that it is incorrect to say that we should get paid more than a traditional author (in more ways than one) and be charging the same price that people are paying for a hardcopy.


I disagree with that reasoning. You are basically saying that since writers traditionally get paid like a dollar per book, we, as e-book authors, are obligated to follow the same model. However, the model is way different. Indy e-book publishers are not really expected to match the sales figures of traditional publications. And a big part of that overhead is the money poured into promotion, which isn't just dead cost (like paper, for example), but an investment which generates higher sales numbers. So I think an established e-book author shouldn't have to look over his shoulder at the paper sellers all the time. Once again, though, this is very different for someone just starting out.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Geemont said:


> I'm amused, sometimes, at how little some people are willing to pay for books. While it is possible to find quality fiction by solid authors at low prices, I find that its more rare than common. The indie authors I've read, I'm sorry to say, just haven't really cut the mustard. Not all the books where bad and I've read a few worse professionally published books, but the overall the standards and quality have been on the mediocre side.
> 
> That said, a lot of the books I purchase and read through the Kindle store cost more than $9.99: _Destiny of the Republic_, _The Prague Cemetery_, _1Q84_, _The Unconquered_, _The Sense of an Ending_. I once purchased a three novel Faulkner Omnibus for $16.99, but otherwise I bulk at anything over $14.99. I'll snag a few Daily Deals now and then, but most of those are going to the back of the long TBR queue.


Yup, same with me.


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## C.J. Greene (Feb 28, 2012)

Hope this doesn't distract from the main topic at hand, but I wanted to ask this question about low value books (shorts and novellas). What do you consider appropriate against length?

$0.99
$1.99
$2.99

Is there a certain length where you would feel like you didn't get your money's worth?


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

/shrug There's plenty of pricing discussions in the writing cafe about those things.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Authors, remember, here in the Book Corner you are answering as READERS, not writers. Do not answer with your thoughts as a writer, toss that hat aside.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

BTackitt said:


> Authors, remember, here in the Book Corner you are answering as READERS, not writers. Do not answer with your thoughts as a writer, toss that hat aside.


*nods in agreement*


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## Aenea (Dec 24, 2011)

I paid $12.00 once. It was the last book in a trilogy that was very good. I usually max out around 7 or 8 dollars, though. I wonder if the authors are making out big on ebooks, or if it's just the publishers that are raking in the money. I think the authors should make as much on an ebook as they do on a paperback. Actually, I think the publishers should make the same profit, too. If they would just deduct all the expenses that they're not paying for and sell them at reasonable prices, everybody would be happy.


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## Matthew Bennett (Mar 4, 2012)

I have paid up to $20 for an e-book (downloaded from someone's site). On Kindle, up to $10 for novels at the minute, I think, although I have a couple on my 'to read' list which cost more than that. In terms of physical books, last month I paid €28,50 for a hardback copy of a French novel as a gift for a friend's birthday (in French, difficult to get hold of down here in the south of Spain).

It seems there are a lot of people posting who are quite willing to pay $3–$5 for a novel and then have an upper limit of $10, and few mention the ~$7 in the middle, which makes the $7.99 price publishers put on more well-known authors novels (say, Vince Flynn) interesting. Either people are willing to pay more than $5 for a decent novel on Kindle even when they say they're not, or publishers are missing a trick by pricing their works a couple of dollars too high. In the same way, indie authors might be missing a trick by believing they have to price their novels below the $5 mark when their readers would be happy to pay up to $7.xx if they're decent stories. Does anybody know if publishers have done any research on Kindle price points? They might have some really good data on this question.

Also, price is a signal. Has anyone paid $7 for a novel thinking that it should be a great read and then been disappointed? Or pais $3 for a novel and then thought "Wow, I so would have paid $7 for that…!"?

As a reader, I'm quite happy to pay $7–$10 or so for a well-told story.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Folks. . . . .remember we're in the Book CORNER. . . . .no self promotion allowed so don't be telling us what YOUR books sell for, talk about what you think is a fair price for someone else's books. 

Posts have been deleted.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

For ebooks, $5 is my personal price limit. There are *so* many reasonably priced ebooks to choose from that I rarely will pay more than that. If it's a _must_-read and the ebook's priced too high, then I check to see if it's available at the library in ebook or paper.


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## WaxedPoetic (Mar 4, 2012)

Never more than a cup of coffee!  But that would include a starbucks venti latte.  So never more than 5 bucks?


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

WaxedPoetic said:


> Never more than a cup of coffee! But that would include a starbucks venti latte. So never more than 5 bucks?


A venti costs more than $5 here 

It takes me a lot longer to read a novel than it does to drink and digest a venti latte, so I'm happy to pay more for it.


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## KLDillon2056 (Mar 3, 2012)

Although I am hesitant at times, I'm essentially fine with purchasing an e-book 9.99 or less. Though, I'd preferred if everything was a flat charge for instance..

Short story (Singular): .99

Anthologies/collections/Novels: 2.99-9.99 

I've bought one e-book for 12.99. And, I haven't even gotten to reading it yet  

Personally, I think when publishers price their authors e-books 10.99 and up, there's more of a chance for people to download and torrent the book instead of buy it.


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## jwest (Nov 14, 2011)

This is a tougher question than it first appears, because it depends on perceived value. If I've gotten to the point where I am willing to pay for a book, I've already decided the premise was interesting and have taken advantage of the "Look Inside" feature. If everything is still a go, then I won't balk at paying top price for a novel. I'll routinely pay anywhere from .99 cents to $10.99 for an eBook. I tend to read slow, so if I pay at the upper end of my range, that means on average I've got a solid 2 weeks of nightly entertainment lined up. Even if the book is so awesome that I end up reading it over a weekend, that still equals several hours of enjoyment. When I go to a movie I'll pay the same and often more for 1.5 to 2 hours of entertainment. When I buy a song I like, it costs me .99 cents, but unless I want to hate that song within a day, I have to purchase 10-15 others in order to mix it up. I guess what I am saying is that reading is one of the cheapest, yet most satisfying, forms of entertainment.


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