# How much would you spend on a self epubbed book?



## Vidya (Feb 14, 2012)

hi everyone,
at one time a lot of people, including me, would spend no more than 2.99 for a self pubbed kindle book. But I think now times have changed.

How high would you be willing to go for a self pubbed ebook that had a blurb or concept that made you really want to read it?


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## Martin Rothery (Nov 2, 2013)

If I was interested enough in the book and the blurb caught my attention, I'd be willing to pay the same price as any normally published book. Just because it was self-published doesn't mean that the quality may be any less than a traditionally published book. Times are changing. There's so much opportunity for authors to get there work out there now, I think they should be given a chance rather than let a bunch of publishing houses dictate what the public gets to read,
It takes a great deal of bravery to launch a self-published book. Who knows, maybe it is one of those books that was destined to a literary great but it just didn't fall into one of the publishing  houses little tick boxes.


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## Aikoi Shelomeck (Nov 2, 2013)

If it interests me enough that I really want to read it, then I'll absolutely be willing to pay as much as a traditionally published book to get it.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Self-publishing covers such a wider range now than it did when I first started reading ebooks in 08.  Many mid-level or even better known authors are re-releasing their back lists as self-published works or have switched to releasing their new works themselves.    I just read a book by Charlie Carillo that he released independently after I first learned of him from reading his first novels released traditionally.  

For an author like him, or Steven Barnes or any of a number of authors I know an enjoy, I would pay similar prices to what I pay per book today for more traditionally published works - from $4 to $8 without really thinking twice about it.  Now others, with whom I don't have an already existing relationship with, I may not be willing to pay that much for a novel when I see it's been self-published.  In these cases, a book available at an introductory price definitely helps; if I like one book, I'm likely to buy future books and probably willing to pay more for them than the that first one.

For me, the amount I'm willing to pay for a book is a direct proportion to a combination of how much I already know and enjoy the author, whether it's a book I'm already looking forward to as the next release in a series, how much I trust a particular publishing house and/or how much I trust the recommendations made by a friend or cyber-friend.

But, all that said, I have paid the same for a self-published book that I would for a traditionally published one .... (so long as the caveats are met.   )


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## Clark Magnan (May 23, 2013)

Self pub doesn't factor in for me. I expect to pay less for an ebook than for paper and I won't pay as much for an author I don't know, or don't have a trusted recommendation for. Those latter scenarios have often been more true of self pub authors, but becoming less and less true.

This assumes that the cover looks professional, the blurb is intriguing and the sample is well written without a single typo. Any skimping on these things, and I either skip or expect to pay clearance prices.


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## Saul Tanpepper (Feb 16, 2012)

The publication route matters not at all for me. If I like what I'm reading, whether the author is indie or not, I'll pay whatever I think the work is worth (which, depending on whether it's one title or multiple ones, collections, box sets, etc, can range from a buck to several tens of dollars). The distinction between self- and trad-pubbed is blurring.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

The publisher is only important to me in that some I have had a long standing relationship with and know I tend to enjoy the books they choose to publish; this is especially true of the mid and smaller houses.  For example, I recognize Kensington Books and Algonquin Books as publishers whose wares I've enjoyed often enough that they get a plus when I'm picking a book to purchase.

Now, as C. A. Magnan said, the other items must hold true - a book must have a professional cover and all other criteria be met even if it's a known author or publisher.  I made an exception on that only once - and that was for the ebook re-issue of a Jack C. Chalker series I loved as a teen but had incredibly horrible cover art (and, I loved the series for decades and they don't appear to have sold well with that cover art) .....


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Geoffrey said:


> For me, the amount I'm willing to pay for a book is a direct proportion to a combination of how much I already know and enjoy the author, whether it's a book I'm already looking forward to as the next release in a series, how much I trust a particular publishing house and/or how much I trust the recommendations made by a friend or cyber-friend.


Agreed. . .. . _how_ the book is published is less important than a whole lot of other factors.

Have I read the author before? Is it recommended by people who's judgement I agree with? Things like that.

I have spent as much as $12 for a new release Kindle book by an author I know and like. Heck, for some authors/series, I pre-order. Admittedly, that price has usually been for a book trade published. But, usually, I buy books in a price range between $3 and $8. Probably most of them are trade published, but I'm sure there are a bunch of indie published ones as well.

OR, small press published -- as from an Amazon imprint. I've found some very good books that way. AND, a lot of times, those books are available to borrow via the KOLL for Amazon Prime members. So that's a great way to try out an author without it costing me anything but time. If I enjoy the books, I'm then willing to spend for later volumes.


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

I suppose it depends how you describe self published. I avoid amazon digital platform do it yourself published books. I've been burned to many times by poorly edited works. I had several that we're good for length of sample and got more and more errors as time went on. One even started misspelling the main characters name. And not intentionally. If I run across one available  on prime I will risk an attempt. But I won't pay for ones anymore that I haven't already had an experience with the author.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

LauraB said:


> I suppose it depends how you describe self published. I avoid amazon digital platform do it yourself published books. I've been burned to many times by poorly edited works. I had several that we're good for length of sample and got more and more errors as time went on. One even started misspelling the main characters name. And not intentionally. If I run across one available on prime I will risk an attempt. But I won't pay for ones anymore that I haven't already had an experience with the author.


Agreed. . . . one of the real risks on a random, very inexpensive book, is that it's worth about what you pay. Or less.

I've been a kindle owner for over 5 years now, and I admit that, in the dawn of Kindle time, I picked up lots of free and 99¢ ebooks. Most of them were junk. Pure Junk. So I quickly learned to be much more discriminating. Now, price is the last thing I look at; once I've decided I'm probably interested in reading the book, I use the price only to decide whether to click 'buy' now, or put it on my wishlist for later. If it's a KOLL book, it goes on my KOLL wish list, from which I pick a book each month.

Which reminds me. . . .we just turned over to November. . . . I need to go pick a new one.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Price isn't the number one factor in my book-buying decisions.  I don't pay any attention to the "publisher" of a book when I'm browsing.  If the cover has caught my attention, the blurb sounds interesting, it's a genre I like, and the sample renders properly on my Kindle, I'll buy it.  Yay if it is .99 or on sale, but I've paid "hardback" prices for new releases if it is something I want to read.

If a crappy cover, blurb with errors, or sample with formatting problems scream "Hey, I'm a self-published book and my author didn't bother to learn how to upload it correctly" I'm not even going to try it for free.

I don't buy single short stories or novellas from anyone for any price.  I want a "book" for my time and money, but that's just me.


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## stevene9 (Nov 9, 2008)

I agree with everyone else. Self published doesn't matter to me. I treat it like any other book.

Steve


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

Up to $7.99 for a fiction ebook.
Up to $11.99 or so for non fiction.

I don't care if it's self pubbed or not, as long as the cover and blurb catch my eye.


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## ElleChambers (Nov 5, 2013)

Since I'm broke, I can't go over the $2.99 price point. But if I had a lot of disposable income, I'd be willing to pay up to $5 for an ebook.


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## belindaf (Jan 27, 2011)

It's interesting that people mention being burned by indie books when there's the sample option that will give you enough of an idea if the book is worth its salt, at least in content and grammar. I know, it's one more step, but I've read so many great independent authors who chose to publish that way not because they couldn't publish traditionally, but because they didn't want to. I've spent up to $4 on indie titles. Mostly I get review copies so I have more books to read than time to read them, but anything under $5, if the blurb draws me in, seems fair to me. I know the work that goes into producing these books. I also know if no one supports indie art, it dies. I do my best to support the authors who write compelling indie fiction.


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## CRL (Nov 8, 2013)

When I can get a professionally written/professionally published book(s) every day for $0.99-$2.99, I probably wouldn't spend anything.


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## Mandy (Dec 27, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I've been a kindle owner for over 5 years now, and I admit that, in the dawn of Kindle time, I picked up lots of free and 99¢ ebooks. Most of them were junk. Pure Junk. So I quickly learned to be much more discriminating. Now, price is the last thing I look at; once I've decided I'm probably interested in reading the book, I use the price only to decide whether to click 'buy' now, or put it on my wishlist for later. If it's a KOLL book, it goes on my KOLL wish list, from which I pick a book each month.


This.

I went crazy downloading free books until I realized that the huge selection of freebies wasn't just a passing fad. I'd also noticed that the quality of many of the free books was often very poor, so I, too, became much more discriminating.

For a while, I still sought out the free-99 cent range, but lately I've noticed that my spending habits have changed. Like Ann, the price has become one of the last things I look at. If I'm interested in the book, unless the price is exceptionally high, I'll probably buy it. I've spent far more on ebooks in the last half of this year than I have since I first bought my K2.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

belindaf said:


> It's interesting that people mention being burned by indie books when there's the sample option that will give you enough of an idea if the book is worth its salt, at least in content and grammar. I know, it's one more step, but I've read so many great independent authors who chose to publish that way not because they couldn't publish traditionally, but because they didn't want to. I've spent up to $4 on indie titles. Mostly I get review copies so I have more books to read than time to read them, but anything under $5, if the blurb draws me in, seems fair to me. I know the work that goes into producing these books. I also know if no one supports indie art, it dies. I do my best to support the authors who write compelling indie fiction.


I sample all the time and I've still been burned by books that turn out to be full of plot holes or "jump the shark" or get so tangled they are not worth finishing. Sometimes the sample is the strongest part--whether self or trad published.

I spend up to 5 dollars on an ebook. Once it goes above that, I can start doing things like free shipping of print copies by ordering several at a time, a combo of used books and new books, and so on. So whether it's trad or not, I usually stay very close the the 5 dollars or under. This is necessary due to finances. For a trad book above that, I'll be looking at the library. Because of price points, I do buy more indie fiction than traditionally published works right now. But I'm very choosy. I rely on the sample and price more than the cover.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Here is my little secret to how to find good indie books.    Do they have a freebie?  If they do, I will pick it up first.  If I like the writing and the style and the book overall, I will buy more from them.
That is usually a good test.


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## belindaf (Jan 27, 2011)

MariaESchneider said:


> I sample all the time and I've still been burned by books that turn out to be full of plot holes or "jump the shark" or get so tangled they are not worth finishing. Sometimes the sample is the strongest part--whether self or trad published.
> 
> I spend up to 5 dollars on an ebook. Once it goes above that, I can start doing things like free shipping of print copies by ordering several at a time, a combo of used books and new books, and so on. So whether it's trad or not, I usually stay very close the the 5 dollars or under. This is necessary due to finances. For a trad book above that, I'll be looking at the library. Because of price points, I do buy more indie fiction than traditionally published works right now. But I'm very choosy. I rely on the sample and price more than the cover.


I absolutely understand that, too. The sample will only really tell you if the mechanics are solid. There are never guarantees about plot. I wish more people would review because that's the closest a reader gets to an endorsement when searching for a book by an unknown author (to them). I always review, but I hear a lot of non-writers say that they find writing a review intimidating, or they just aren't comfortable doing it. A few words go a long way.


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## belindaf (Jan 27, 2011)

cinisajoy said:


> Here is my little secret to how to find good indie books. Do they have a freebie? If they do, I will pick it up first. If I like the writing and the style and the book overall, I will buy more from them.
> That is usually a good test.


I actually found a great author that way. Michael Robertson Jr. is very good for creepy stories. Final Draft was great, about a group of horror writers blackmailed into a collaboration, and The Phone was good, for a novella, but I really wished it were longer. I'm reading Regret right now. I like him enough to keep reading him and I got the first book of his for free. The blurb hooked me.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I do get a lot of books from lendleme.  That allows me to sample as far as I want.  It also opens the door to a few books that are lendable but not free.  I get quite a few books from lendlme.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Geoffrey said:


> Self-publishing covers such a wider range now than it did when I first started reading ebooks in 08. Many mid-level or even better known authors are re-releasing their back lists as self-published works or have switched to releasing their new works themselves. I just read a book by Charlie Carillo that he released independently after I first learned of him from reading his first novels released traditionally.
> 
> For an author like him, or Steven Barnes or any of a number of authors I know an enjoy, I would pay similar prices to what I pay per book today for more traditionally published works - from $4 to $8 without really thinking twice about it. Now others, with whom I don't have an already existing relationship with, I may not be willing to pay that much for a novel when I see it's been self-published. In these cases, a book available at an introductory price definitely helps; if I like one book, I'm likely to buy future books and probably willing to pay more for them than the that first one.
> 
> ...


This


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

I don't care if it's free or expensive or whether it's self-pubbed or not. If the cover/blurb interest me, or somebody recommends it, I'll check out the sample. If I like that, I'll take a chance and download or buy it.

Most of the time now, I don't even notice whether a book is self-pubbed or not, except where the covers are obviously DIY and/or the blurb is full of errors. But I'd never get past them anyway.


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## Daniel Harvell (Jun 21, 2013)

As a self-published author, pricing is something I continually look at. My original price for my first novel was $2.99, but several well-read friends encouraged me to raise it because they believed the quality of the book called for it. I bumped up the price to $3.99 for a few weeks but found book sales dipped a bit. I'm currently running a $.99 special and that's getting the book more attention than it's seen in a couple of months. Price is definitely a determining factor for many people - one friend even told me that he'd been holding off buying the book at $2.99 because he was on a tight budget, but at $.99, it was affordable. A dollar or two makes a big psychological difference.


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## Chris P. O&#039;Grady (Oct 28, 2013)

Geoffrey said:


> Self-publishing covers such a wider range now than it did when I first started reading ebooks in 08. Many mid-level or even better known authors are re-releasing their back lists as self-published works or have switched to releasing their new works themselves. I just read a book by Charlie Carillo that he released independently after I first learned of him from reading his first novels released traditionally.
> 
> For an author like him, or Steven Barnes or any of a number of authors I know an enjoy, I would pay similar prices to what I pay per book today for more traditionally published works - from $4 to $8 without really thinking twice about it. Now others, with whom I don't have an already existing relationship with, I may not be willing to pay that much for a novel when I see it's been self-published. In these cases, a book available at an introductory price definitely helps; if I like one book, I'm likely to buy future books and probably willing to pay more for them than the that first one.
> 
> ...


This!


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## Sandra K. Williams (Jun 15, 2013)

belindaf said:


> It's interesting that people mention being burned by indie books when there's the sample option that will give you enough of an idea if the book is worth its salt, at least in content and grammar.


Some writers polish the first chapters and skimp on the rest. One author in particular skips words or mixes up _if_s and _off_s and a host of other words toward the end of the book. We're talking one error every other paragraph. That's a book I paid $4.99 for, and I hear the author may be raising prices. No way will I pay good money to an author who puts out a shoddy product at a premium (for an indie) price.

Now, if those books were reasonably error-free, $5 or $7 wouldn't be exorbitant.


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## Mandy (Dec 27, 2009)

belindaf said:


> It's interesting that people mention being burned by indie books when there's the sample option that will give you enough of an idea if the book is worth its salt, at least in content and grammar.


The sample option is an excellent feature for many people, but others just don't care for it. I can probably count on one hand how many times I've downloaded a sample, and even then, it usually wasn't to see if a particular book would interest me.

I no longer freely download the free or low-cost books because it's true - readers do get burned with low-quality books. We often sift through a lot of "rocks" before finding a gem. While I love Amazon's self-publishing platform, I do wish there was a bit of quality control in place. I'm not so much worried about the plot of a book, because with _any_ book, you either like the author's writing or you don't. But I do mind the books that are absolutely riddled with grammar and punctuation errors. As a paying customer, I shouldn't have to preview a book to see if it is riddled with errors. But if an indie book is at least reasonably well-edited (and the reviews usually clue you in on this) and grabs my attention, I consider its worth no less than trad-pub books.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

A reminder that this is a discussion from a reader's point of view--how much would you PAY. Not how you, as an author, decided to price your book. That would be a discussion for the Writers' Café.

I rarely sample. When I browsed paper books, I never read the opening of the book before buying it--I don't want to pre-read part of the book. I read the blurb, checked out the cover and used reviews and recommendations and my gut reaction to pick books.

Not much has changed now that I buy ebooks. I rely on the cover, the blurb and my prior experience with the author or her books.  For new indie authors, that typically is my experience here on KBoards and reviews. For new trad-published authors, that's generally reviews and recommendations from friends.

For a known author, I'll pay up to what I used to pay for paperbacks--about $7 or $8. For unknowns, it depends, but probably not more than $2-3. I look for deals. I love the Kindle Daily Deals.

Betsy


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## Mandy (Dec 27, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I love the Kindle Daily Deals.


I am addicted to the Kindle Daily Deals. As a matter of fact, I may have pouted a little this week when some days were targeted towards men, teens, and children.


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

I don't look at price much with books. I look at my time invested in reading a book. I use samples but have been burned a lot through Amazon's DP, especially early on. I got the first kindle, with the roller, so it was a while ago! I really haven't given independent published (via Amazon's platform) authors much attention in recent years because of it.  My last worst example, and the last straw was a sample that was moving along well, ended, I bought the book for about $8 and about 200 locations later the typos started. And they continued. And they got worse, and worse, then the main characters name started having typos in it.  Seriously. Over and over. The book ended in a cliff hanger, had a sequel.  So I looked at the sequel. It was ok. Bought it, just to see, yep, about 300 locations in the typos started... Called Amazon and got forwarded on to a publishing tech rep and he and I went through the book and started flagging errors, I got a refund ( gift credit for my time) the book got pulled, and now  I almost never spend my time reading  them. 

I have to say I'm not surprised author's have a difficult time publishing  quality work on Amazon's platform does anyone remember how bad some of Amazons free Works were? The edits and typos were horrid!


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## 67499 (Feb 4, 2013)

I buy books to keep and re-read, so blurbs and recommendations mean less to me than a quick read of the first few pages.  If I like what I read, if the writer makes me want to read more, I buy, and pay for an e-book up to what I'd pay for the paperback from a bricks-and-mortar place.


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## elaineorr (Mar 18, 2012)

I weigh prices a lot. The $2.99 that many self-published authors use as a price point gives a false expectation for what we "should" pay. However, I have discovered many authors through short-time lower prices (often through Book Bub offerings) and if I like an author I will pay more for another book. However, the best sellers are priced why beyond what I would pay for an ebook. Seeing that a book is available (if beyond what I can pay) does take me to the library to borrow the book, usually in paper, but not always. I get occasional digital copies of audio books and (even better) CDs to use in the car. The latter is always from the library.


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

Mandy said:


> I am addicted to the Kindle Daily Deals. As a matter of fact, I may have pouted a little this week when some days were targeted towards men, teens, and children.


That's me too, Mandy.  I check every day, although I usually forget on weekends.


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