# Should indies make the move to $2.99?



## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

I have read literally a thousand blog posts here and on Amazon over the Macmillan flap and other price concerns, and I know a lot of indies set their baseline at $1.99 (many following the model of JA Konrath). And I see here prices are all over the map, including free books.

Realistically, when Amazon raises its royalty structure to 70 percent for books priced $2.99 to $9.99, won't most of us use that range? The only problem is raising prices right now, while still a value compared to the corporate shagging about to come down for bestsellers, might send a message that this tactic forced everybody's prices higher overall. I guess if you sell at $1.99, like I do, it makes sense to simply wait until July and see what happens, but one outlet wants to carry my books but is resistant to that low price 'that devalues ebooks." There's also some perception that a cheap ebook must be an inferior product.

There are other places for discussion about the value of all ebooks, but I'd love to hear thoughts directly from authors who are setting their own prices, and why they choose that price, and if and when you will increase to $2.99 if you're below that. Thanks!

Scott Nicholson
The Red Church
http://www.amazon.com/The-Red-Church-ebook/dp/B0032FPYD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265218435&sr=1-1


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

I'm experimenting with prices just now, to see what the market will bear. To draw reader attention to my new book _The Ryel Saga_ (the revised and expanded single-volume edition of my duology _Wysard_ and _Lord Brother_), I upped the price of the duology to $4.99 each, and made the one-volume book $3.99. I expect sales to be slow for a while (maybe longer than a while), but I honestly think that the sweat of my brain deserves a reasonable compensation.

Still, as noted, it's an experiment. People are still buying the duology, dang it. 

CK

The critic John Ruskin: "The labour of two days is that for which you ask two hundred guineas?"
The painter Whistler: "No. I ask it for the knowledge I have gained in the work of a lifetime."


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

It's really a hard call. I agonized over lowering my eBooks to 99 cents (they were $4.77). But, the sales figures have supported the decision. I'm selling well more than 5x as many eBooks at 1/5th the price. That not only means more exposure, more people out there enjoying it, more of a thrill when I look at my sales numbers, and better rankings on Amazon's bestseller lists, but it also works out to more royalties. It's been a win-win.

On the one hand, I don't want to "devalue" books, they're not 99 cent ringtones. I don't think authors can make a living at 99 cents. They take a whole heck of a lot of work to write, edit, proofread, design a cover, interior layout, eBook conversions, marketing, etc., etc. On the other hand, from a business perspective (and I would like love to make enough to do this for a living), the bottom line is: how much money am I making off of them? I'd rather swallow my pride and sell it for 99 cents if it made me $40,000 a year, rather than sell for $3 or $5 or $10 and make only $20,000 (numbers made up ... I don't make that ... yet!  )

When Amazon raises the royalties to 70%, I will definitely try my books at $2.99. With triple the sales price and double the royalties, I will need to sell 1/6th as many books to break even. Again, the numbers won't lie.

I think that most (not all) authors will raise their prices to $2.99. And I think readers will understand that is the lowest reasonable price for us to price our books (without cutting our own throats and cutting our royalty rate in half). I think people will still consider $2.99 a great bargain for a quality eBook. That being said, $0.99 and $1.99 purchases (made with 1-click) are impulse buys for people. $2.99 may cross the threshold into something they have to think about, which would reduce sales. The question is, by how much? I'd sell 1/2 the books at 6x the royalty. But not 1/10th.


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

David Derrico said:


> It's really a hard call. I agonized over lowering my eBooks to 99 cents (they were $4.77). But, the sales figures have supported the decision. I'm selling well more than 5x as many eBooks at 1/5th the price. That not only means more exposure, more people out there enjoying it, more of a thrill when I look at my sales numbers, and better rankings on Amazon's bestseller lists, but it also works out to more royalties. It's been a win-win.


I ran a 99-cent sale at the outset, back in October, and was on the bestseller list for a while (the entire Kindle catalog list, not just Fantasy...quite a rush!). I'm not sure that added up to increased reader exposure/enjoyment, though; lots of books languish in TBR limbo.

Going with the flow as soon as I determine its direction,

CK


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## Randolphlalonde (Sep 12, 2009)

I'd rather price my books from the craftsman's point of view. From that point of view $0.99 for something that took months or years to create will always make the statement that:

1) The craftsman doesn't believe in the quality of their work.
2) They don't see their contribution as having much value.

So the question from that perspective is; if you believe your work is only worth $0.99, is it worth releasing in the first place?

With much of the work I've seen from authors here, I think they could charge as much as anything a publishing house does and feel justified. There are some mighty fine writers on Kindleboards, and they should expected to be treated as, and paid as skilled craftspeople.

I touch on price a little in an article I recently posted on my blog: http://randolphlalonde.blogspot.com/2010/02/understanding-cost-of-ebooks.html called "Understanding The Cost Of eBooks". The article has also been picked up by Teleread as well: http://www.teleread.org/2010/02/03/the-ebook-wars-the-price-battle-iii-%E2%80%94-one-author%E2%80%99s-view/ and there's a debate going on in the comments section.

The question of price comes up repeatedly wherever there's a discussion about eBooks, and after seeing many points of view, I returned to the craftsman model. I'm still making a living at writing eBooks, so I don't think I'm incorrect in doing so.


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

Well, I have an interesting model for comparison--my indie backlist The Red Church at $1.99 is outselling my NY kindle They Hunger at $5.59 by at least a 10 to 1 margin. Sure, the Red Church is "new" to ebooks, but to me the lower price clearly not only expands my audience but overwhelmingly boosts my income. I don't quite agree that 99 cents devalues my craft--if I can reach one billion English speakers with it, I'd gladly take $330 million or so.

Reality is, an indie competing against a similarly priced Major Pub title is at a serious disadvantage for a number of reasons. And I know books get published or rejected for a number of reasons. If I had my book at the same price as Dean Koontz's, I'd tell all my friends to buy the Koontz instead. And one of his backlist titles is $1.59 right now.

I look not at the 99 cents as a direct compensation for my work--I amortize it over the course of an entire career, assuming at this point I will keep writing, putting out more books, and that ebook outlets remain easily available to indie authors. If Amazon shut down to all but the Big Six, then my model would be ruined. Right now, the only reasonable limits are the number of overall Kindle owners who buy genre fiction. That market is growing rapidly and despite the bumps will remain the fastest-growing sector of the industry for the foreseeable future. If a decent number of people contributed a few quarters to keep me typing, the cumulative benefits are worth far more than remaining as a well-kept but higher-priced secret.

Do I have faith enough to compete on an even keel with major writers? Yes, I do. Do I think lower prices will better my chances? Yes, I do. Thanks for the links, Randolph. I am always open to learning more about this segment of the industry.

Scott Nicholson
The Red Church


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Randolph, I agree with much of what you said, and I certainly believe my stuff is worth more than 99 cents. I know the work I put into it and the quality of the writing and editing. People have told me they were happy purchasing paperbacks at $10, and people have said they got more than their money's worth buying the eBook at $5 or more. I would go toe-to-toe with the majority of "traditionally published" stuff and feel I could charge the same prices.

On the other hand, I think Scott is right. If 100 million people bought my book for 99 cents, netting me "only" $35 million, then I've been well-paid for the years I put into working on that book. Then I'd go write a third and fourth one and make $35 mil each. All at 99 cents. I'd get over my feelings of being "cheap" real fast. The point is, the entire business model is changing. I don't care what the unit price is, only the final royalty number at the end of the year. If I sell a billion copies for a penny each, I'm better compensated as a "craftsman" than if I sold a million copies at $9 each. Call it "devalued" if you want, I'll be off counting my millions.  

(All that being said, I think $2.99 is a nice compromise, I'd like to see that price point stick.)

So the unknowable question is: how big will the eBook market get? How many copies can an indie author sell? I've seen some promising results so far, and even more promising results from other authors. And I know the eBook market is growing, and I believe it will continue to grow for quite some time. I have hope.


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## Christopher Meeks (Aug 2, 2009)

I like this thread because people are considering what their writing is worth, and the debate that sprang up with Macmillian vs. Amazon is getting people to look at what big publishers do. Your blog, Randolph, is wonderfully clear and underscores what some people are doing as independent writers and publishers. I happened to work for a publisher as a senior editor at one time, so I approached creating White Whisker Books as mimicking what a bigger pubisher would do. Thus I have real costs: for editors, for proofreaders, for a book designer, for printing costs, for marketing costs, and occassionally for a publicist. I can't pay for everything by selling my books at $1.99. However, to introduce my work to people, I priced my short story collection, The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea at $1.99 for Kindle.

My hope is that it will lead people to pay a dollar more for my novel, The Brightest Moon of the Century, which just landed on three critics' Top Ten lists for best books of 2009. Even at that price, I'm a long way from breaking even. I've noted that Shelley Stout's "Radium Halos," a novel about the radium dial painters, was first at $1.99, then became extremely popular, and went to $5.99. It's at $4.99 now, and that seems a realistic price for someone who is making a quality book.

A recent Salon.com blog by Laura Miller (at http://www.salon.com/books/laura_miller/2010/02/01/macmillan_vs_amazon) goes into the prices that big publishers pay, adding onto what Randolph says. She shows that only about $5 of a hardback's price goes into printing and distribution costs. If a publisher is grossing 45% of the list price, then a $25.95 hardback would bring in $11.68, which still has to pay for the overhead, royalty to the writer, and more. It's justification for why Macmillan has to raise eBook prices, even if the public doesn't perceive the value.

With 70% going back to the author on a Kindle book come June, more authors might be able to hire the right people for a quality independent book.


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## Randolphlalonde (Sep 12, 2009)

scottnicholson said:


> Well, I have an interesting model for comparison--my indie backlist The Red Church at $1.99 is outselling my NY kindle They Hunger at $5.59 by at least a 10 to 1 margin. Sure, the Red Church is "new" to ebooks, but to me the lower price clearly not only expands my audience but overwhelmingly boosts my income. I don't quite agree that 99 cents devalues my craft--if I can reach one billion English speakers with it, I'd gladly take $330 million or so.
> 
> Reality is, an indie competing against a similarly priced Major Pub title is at a serious disadvantage for a number of reasons. And I know books get published or rejected for a number of reasons. If I had my book at the same price as Dean Koontz's, I'd tell all my friends to buy the Koontz instead. And one of his backlist titles is $1.59 right now.
> 
> ...


The most interesting thing about your side of the argument is... I can't say you're wrong! ha!

Even though I do side with the craftsman/craftswoman perspective, I do have a loss leader (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/3178), that happens to be free, and I use it to introduce myself to new readers. That book only became free after selling over 800 copies at $7.99, however. The reviews, word of mouth and positioning on the top 10 (Mobipocket), overcame price. Thankfully, that book is now in a position to introduce readers who like Space Opera to my work so they feel that the next books are worth the price. Many people don't follow up and buy the rest of the books because most of them never read most of the books they download for free (the industry numbers suggest over 85% - but considering that came from Bantam, it might be a little high), and not everyone enjoys first person perspective, hard SciFi or Space Opera - at least they got to find out for free.

So, on one hand, I believe in the craftsman/woman's argument, but on the other, your philosophy of pricing books to sell can temper or modify my point of view. Anyone who looks at my pricing on Smashwords can see that, because at $1.99 - $2.99 I think I'm charging fairly for a short book (40,000 words - ish), and at $4.99 I'm charging fairly for a full length novel. Readers agree so far, thankfully.

You know it's a complex issue when more than one person can prove themselves right at the same time...


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## ldenglish (Jul 18, 2009)

While we're on the subject of whether or not to raise our prices when Amazon raises its royalty structure to 70%, I read this in the blog of author Charles Stross, who has been delving deeply into the Amazon/MacMillan issue:

"From a distance this looks competitive, but the devil is in the small print; to get the 30% rate (he means the 30% rate for Amazon, 70% rate for authors,) you have to *agree that Amazon is a publisher, license your rights to Amazon to publish through the Kindle platform* . . ."

Any thoughts?


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## BP Myers (Jun 7, 2009)

scottnicholson said:


> Realistically, when Amazon raises its royalty structure to 70 percent for books priced $2.99 to $9.99, won't most of us use that range?


Yes.


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## Christopher Meeks (Aug 2, 2009)

One other thought, and it has to do with math. Because Amazon is encouraging people to move to $2.99 to get the 70% royalty, you'd be making:

   at $1.99: 60 cents
   at $2.99: $2.09

So you'd have to sell three and a half times more books at $1.99 to equal what you'd make at $2.99. You'd have to sell seven times more books if you priced it at 99 cents. For some books, the cheaper price may work. The advantage of having more than one book out there is you can make one a loss leader and hook people with your writing, and they'll pay more for your other books. You have to figure people are eager to spend $9.99 on Michael Connelly and other best-selling authors, so why not a third or even half that price on you?

By the way, some authors become best-sellers because a publisher is marketing with big dollars. I haven't seen an independent literary author become a best-seller on his or her own. I suppose the closest is Boyd Morrisson, but his book, "The Ark," a mystery, is good genre fiction and his numbers on Kindle were still small compared to NY Times bestsellers. Now a big publisher will invest money in his book to create those larger numbers.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

ldenglish said:


> While we're on the subject of whether or not to raise our prices when Amazon raises its royalty structure to 70%, I read this in the blog of author Charles Stross, who has been delving deeply into the Amazon/MacMillan issue:
> 
> "From a distance this looks competitive, but the devil is in the small print; to get the 30% rate (he means the 30% rate for Amazon, 70% rate for authors,) you have to *agree that Amazon is a publisher, license your rights to Amazon to publish through the Kindle platform* . . ."
> 
> Any thoughts?


Then why is one of the parameters pricing parity with the other sites through which you distribute your e-book? I'll have to look at the whole agreement again and see what's what.

At $2.99 with a 35% royalty right now, I have made four to five times the sales I did at $6.99 in December and January. Even if I don't qualify for the 70% royalty for whatever reason, $2.99 seems like a good compromise price. It doesn't matter if my book is worth more. If it doesn't sell because of price, no one is going to make any money. As I tell my mother every time we go sell at the flea market, it doesn't matter what something is worth. All that matters is what someone will pay for it.

Those of you who rely on your writing as your primary income must necessarily have a different perspective on pricing than I do. Those of you who are publishers and have a heavy financial investment for each book you publish must also have a different perspective. For me, I'm thrilled I have readers (not just sales) and that people have enjoyed my work.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I probably won't raise my prices on existing books, but it was always my plan to start low and raise prices as I gained an audience.  Don't panic, dear readers--I look at 6 dollars (approximately) as the upper cap at this moment.  I planned on pricing the next novel in the Executive Lunch series at 2.99 even before Amazon announced the change.

Now, what to do with my next short story collection??  I think shorts sell less than novels in general...and so I had planned on a 1.99 price.  I WANT to rethink that to get the 70 percent...but I always want to sell into the "value" and "frugal" market.  So I'll think hard on this one, but will probably stay at 1.99--or make the book longer to make sure it is in the 2.99 value-range.  I do think that prices are creeping up across the board.  I've seen a few more brave indies raising their prices on a book after sales were good.  So we'll see...


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Those of you who rely on your writing as your primary income


Would that 'twere. 



> For me, I'm thrilled I have readers (not just sales) and that people have enjoyed my work.


Agreed, it's a thrill. I'm toying about with prices and may well lower them soonish, if only for the fun of seeing my numbers change. For now, I'm considering the psychology of integers, and trying to determine whether or why $2.99 is better than $3.00.


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## evpseeker (May 29, 2009)

I'm not an author. I am an avid reader and a consumer, you know, one of those ppl that you want to buy your books.    I'd just like to pipe in with my two cents about what's going on within my Kindle owners group. We have boycotted any and all books from MacMillian and Harper/Collins. We are now buying ALL of our books from Indie authors. Just last night I bought 12 Indie books, Scott Nicholson your book was one of the 12 because of it's price.    I know my group isn't the only one doing this. I'm sure it's being discussed all over the web today and I hope more ppl are buying Indie books. All of the books I bought were priced $1.99 or lower.

So my question is this...... wouldn't any of you rather sell 10 books at $1.99 instead of 3 books at $2.99?

You have the possibility of the 10 ppl that bought your book at $1.99 to tell 5-10 of their friends about it and your sales will snowball from there.

Or you could have 3 ppl tell 5 others about your $2.99 book, watch your sales grow slowly and make less money.

I have a feeling many Indie authors are going to see their sales skyrocket over this price war.  As a consumer I am MUCH more likely to one click buy on a $1.99 book than I am on a $2.99 book. 
Prices aside I would like to wish all of you Indie authors the best on your books and on your sales.


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## Randolphlalonde (Sep 12, 2009)

evpseeker said:


> So my question is this...... wouldn't any of you rather sell 10 books at $1.99 instead of 3 books at $2.99?
> 
> You have the possibility of the 10 ppl that bought your book at $1.99 to tell 5-10 of their friends about it and your sales will snowball from there.


I have a loss leader book that covers this (The First Light Chronicles Omnibus, 187,000 words, about to hit 9,000 downloads today at Smashwords. I'm pretty pleased!). It's free on Smashwords and B&N. Soon, it'll be $0.99 on Kindle because the final revision will be available. I'd make it free there if I were permitted. The rest of the books are priced between $1.99 - $7.99 depending on size, and the exposure I already have on the retailer's site.

My next book, The Sons Of Brightwill, will be premiering for between $2.99 - $4.99, the details haven't been determined yet. I do think that $14.99 is too expensive for most eBooks (99.99%), especially since most conventionally published authors won't see their fair share of that price. With royalties surging to 70% - 85% for Indies, I doubt you'll see my singular eBooks surpass the $4.99 price tag, and collections won't go higher than $9.99. I just don't see a reason for it.

As for the $0.99 price tag, well, it's not a living unless you're selling 3000 books a month at a 35% royalty. Even at that rate, you're not making much of a living at all. Not many authors are going to be able to work on content full time at that price. I know my readership would prefer to see me releasing more than one book a year, instead of working full time for someone else and putting out one every year or two.


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

evpseeker said:


> I'm not an author. I am an avid reader and a consumer, you know, one of those ppl that you want to buy your books.
> 
> So my question is this...... wouldn't any of you rather sell 10 books at $1.99 instead of 3 books at $2.99?
> 
> ...


evpseeker, I'm giving your comments a lot of thought! Thank you.


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## BP Myers (Jun 7, 2009)

evpseeker said:


> You have the possibility of the 10 ppl that bought your book at $1.99 to tell 5-10 of their friends about it and your sales will snowball from there.


Not sure how it works for others (and I know many of the regulars here wax poetic about it) but it hasn't worked that way for me.

In fact, it occurs to me that there would be no reason for authors to constantly bump their own threads here if indeed folks were "talking" about their books, and sharing it with others. Authors bump their threads so that new readers and visitors to Kindleboards will see them. There is no snowball effect.

So I think the preponderence of evidence is . . . it doesn't work that way.


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## evpseeker (May 29, 2009)

Good point BP. 

Not sure how to say this without coming across as hateful, except to preface this by saying... it's not hateful.  

Perhaps the books/authors you are referring to aren't worth talking about? 

I don't talk about every single book I read and I read about 3 books a week. I only talk about them if they were, IMO, really good or really bad. Maybe most ppl are like that as well? I don't know.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

evpseeker said:


> I'm not an author. I am an avid reader and a consumer, you know, one of those ppl that you want to buy your books.  I'd just like to pipe in with my two cents about what's going on within my Kindle owners group. We have boycotted any and all books from MacMillian and Harper/Collins. We are now buying ALL of our books from Indie authors. Just last night I bought 12 Indie books, Scott Nicholson your book was one of the 12 because of it's price.  I know my group isn't the only one doing this. I'm sure it's being discussed all over the web today and I hope more ppl are buying Indie books. All of the books I bought were priced $1.99 or lower.
> 
> So my question is this...... wouldn't any of you rather sell 10 books at $1.99 instead of 3 books at $2.99?
> 
> ...


Thanks for chiming in--and for your show of support! We really do appreciate it. I was just on a thread this morning where someone was disparaging indie authors, their lack of quality and so on--we get that sort of thing a lot from people who would "never buy a self-published or indie author book" so believe me--your words and support mean a lot to all of us!!!

Maria


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

And of course, not everybody in the world is on KB (shocking, I know)...it can be being talked about and shared outside of KB, still necessitating thread-bumping and what-not.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Steph H said:


> And of course, not everybody in the world is on KB (shocking, I know)...it can be being talked about and shared outside of KB, still necessitating thread-bumping and what-not.


If people read two to three books a week, they may comment on my book either in my thread or start a new thread. By the following week, they are talking about the latest book they are reading and have forgotten all about mine.

And don't forget that we all have TBR piles, so sales don't necessarily translate into readers as quickly as we would like. As a reader, I've supported other indie authors by purchasing their books, but sometimes they languish in my TBR for months.


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## BP Myers (Jun 7, 2009)

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> If people read two to three books a week, they may comment on my book either in my thread or start a new thread. By the following week, they are talking about the latest book they are reading and have forgotten all about mine.


My point exactly.

They are not telling five or ten of their friends about it (but for those who do . . . thank you!)


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

Great topic. So many thoughts pop to mind. It's at such times as this one that I wish we could all meet in a coffee shop and chat. It'd probably be a way more efficient exchange and more cathartic. Alas, must wait for teletransportation app.  

I'm wondering if the new $2.99 to $9.99 gets you 70% royalty scheme is going to be rescinded now that Amazon is apparently "capitulating" to the big publishers (assuming the rest of the big six follow MacMillan) and moving to an "agency" model. I hope not.

I'm wondering what sort of algorithms and analytics resulted in Amazon not really wanting to sell books cheaper than $2.99 anyway. Maybe they know that's what the market will bear? That that's the true sweet spot in terms of maximizing profits for most indie books? Or do they simply want to cull the herd of indie authors from their best sellers lists (because most buyers don't buy indie unless the books are nearly given away)?

Sometimes I think Amazon is saving us from ourselves with this pricing race to the bottom (and yes, some indie authors use technical chicanery to price below even 99 cents--at one cent and even at zero). We are authors, after all, not really business people. Must wear more hats, I keep reminding myself, yet it never feels comfy that way.


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## BP Myers (Jun 7, 2009)

Eric C said:


> I'm wondering what sort of algorithms and analytics resulted in Amazon not really wanting to sell books cheaper than $2.99 anyway. Maybe they know that's what the market will bear? That that's the true sweet spot in terms of maximizing profits for most indie books? Or do they simply want to cull the herd of indie authors from their best sellers lists (because most buyers don't buy indie unless the books are nearly given away)?


Unless I'm misunderstanding, folks can still sell their books for less than $2.99 and everything will go along for them the way it was.

And they are not interested in maximizing profits for indie books and authors. Their only interest is in selling more Kindles.

I suspect they just did the math (also taking into account the competetive readers nipping at their heels) and figured they would continue to make more money at the $2.99 price point and up, even with the 70% royalty, and not harm their proprietary Kindle market.

Amazon only does things to help Amazon.


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

BP Myers said:


> Unless I'm misunderstanding, folks can still sell their books for less than $2.99 and everything will go along for them the way it was.


Yes, of course, one could continue selling low, but Amazon is clearing discouraging that with this newly announced royalty scheme.



BP Myers said:


> And they are not interested in maximizing profits for indie books and authors. Their only interest is in selling more Kindles.


How is increasing prices for indie books going to help sell more Kindles?



BP Myers said:


> I suspect they just did the math (also taking into account the competetive readers nipping at their heels) and figured they would continue to make more money at the $2.99 price point and up, even with the 70% royalty, and not harm their proprietary Kindle market.
> 
> Amazon only does things to help Amazon.


Yes, but sometimes the only way for Amazon to help itself is to help its authors in the process.


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## SpearsII (Jan 16, 2010)

This is such a hard question for me and my wife (she writes and I sell...I hope) Her book is a better read then .99$ hands down. I am not just saying that, a reader did also. For me though it is not the only thing to think about. I also factor the cost of production for us. Other then my wife's talent and the hard work spanning two years of research, the book on kindle does not cost us anything to produce. Zip, zilch, nothing. To me this is a big factor for pricing. I don't think I could charge someone 9.99$ for a item that has no production cost for us. I think it need to be about the reader. After all, we are readers. We don't have lots of money and it is a struggle to stay debt free. I am sick of a economy built on debt and buying things one can't afford. This is our way of fighting back. We want to make our books affordable. We know no one has heard of her or has read her style. So we priced the book at .99$.  The beauty of the Indie movement is that it lets people take a chance on something new without sinking the monthly budget. I will likely move up to 2.99 in July but I still have to think long and hard about it because it is not just about us but also the reader. 

David Spears 
PS I reserve the right to change my statements if we sell 10 million copies


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

Hi there,

Does anyone know if you have to have a physical copy of the book to qualify for the 70% royalty? It seemed to me that the clause indicated that it was a qualification. Of course it might just mean that if you have a physical copy, then the ebook version had to be 20% lower.

As for me, I'm not sure what I'll do.

I do know that I am committed to keeping one of my books priced at $1. I released the women's self-defense book to help people. I consider it a case of continuing what I did when I was a younger man, which was help those in need of training.

But there are several issues to consider. We could find ourselves in a position where we are pricing ourselves out of the market. I fear that this will lead to some hard feelings between readers and authors and between factions of the authors as well. What happens if a handful refuse to budge on price, thereby hurting the other authors who make the price point move? Resentment will probably flare up. It's not like we have a guild to answer to, and we are a pretty independent lot.

Then there are the articles out that strongly suggest the price point of $1 and $2 is the best money making model for ebook sales. I've read more than one that cite numbers. Check out the _How many have you sold_ thread. The man that earned $2,000 plus in January sold most at $1.99. Assuming I did the math right, then none of his books were above that price point. It's hard to argue with success.

Still undecided, but leaning toward the $.99 - $1.99 model because of its proven track record.

Have a great day,
Ricky


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

BP Myers said:


> And they are not interested in maximizing profits for indie books and authors. Their only interest is in selling more Kindles.
> 
> Amazon only does things to help Amazon.


I don't quite agree with these statements. First, encouraging higher minimum prices does not help sell Kindles. If that were their only aim, they would want all the free and 99 cent titles they could get. I think selling Kindles is merely a part of Amazon's business model, and that selling eBooks is another, at least equally important part.

I also don't think Amazon only does things to help Amazon. Sure, I'm biased because Amazon letting me publish through DTP and listing me alongside any other book out there has given my novels more exposure in the past month than I've had in the previous decade. They've actually given me hope that maybe I could make a living at this if I work hard and keep promoting and keep writing ... even if no Big 6 publisher will even read past my query letter.

I think Amazon takes a long-term, holistic view, and wants something that allows authors to write (and make a living), publishers to edit and publish (and make a reasonable profit), readers to enjoy more books (and eBooks) at lower prices, and yes of course for Amazon to make a profit too. A profit they are well entitled to, IMO. I think they are much more reader- and customer-friendly than almost any company out there. And I think they look to the long-term health of the publishing industry, as opposed to a get-rich-quick, how can we pump the numbers this quarter, get huge bonuses, and get out type of mentality.

I also think they've done some math and research hopefully showing that readers are willing to still buy eBooks in the $2.99 to $9.99 range. Even though my novels are currently 99 cents, I do believe that $2.99 is more than a fair price for a well-written eBook. And, if I can continue selling 50 copies a day, but at $2.99 @70% royalty ... I can actually (kinda) make a living at this writing thing. I think that's a win-win-win for authors, readers, and Amazon.


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

David Derrico said:


> I also don't think Amazon only does things to help Amazon. Sure, I'm biased because Amazon letting me publish through DTP and listing me alongside any other book out there has given my novels more exposure in the past month than I've had in the previous decade. They've actually given me hope that maybe I could make a living at this if I work hard and keep promoting and keep writing ... even if no Big 6 publisher will even read past my query letter.


Well-said. I sometimes fall into the trap of whining about things Amazon does here and there but overall they've been great news for people like us.

Now I'm heading back to the peanut gallery as we get back to the topic at hand.


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## Michael R. Hicks (Oct 29, 2008)

I guess I must be the "odd data point" that doesn't fit in the paradigm! LOL!

The omnibus version of _In Her Name_ is essentially three books in one, and I've also put out those books separately. I've tried various pricing schemes, but in the end have come to the following conclusions:

- The omnibus version seems to sell best at a list of $7.99. There are two versions of the book on Amazon, one that's discounted (distributed through Mobipocket to the Kindle Store) to $6.39, and one at $7.99 (published through Amazon's DTP). The more expensive one consistently outsells the less expensive one. And on Mobipocket (since the Kindle Store is difficult to gauge because of the ranking volatility), the book has consistently been in the top 10 - and usually the top 5, along with Randolph's books - for the last however many months now.

- I've tried prices from $4.99 to $9.99 for the omnibus version. I haven't gone lower than that, because I feel that the length (325,000 words - again, three books in one) and - I hope! - quality are worth more. Regardless, prices that I tried that were either lower or higher than $7.99 resulted in fewer sales.

- While I mainly put them out there in print just for the heck of it, and made Kindle versions, too, the three standalone novels taken from the omnibus have hardly sold at all, from $1.99 to $4.99. I'm thinking about offering Empire (the first) as a loss leader and the others for $2.99 (and keep the omnibus at $7.99, I suppose). (_Any comments from previous IHN readers on that idea??_)

- I'm not really a fan of the $0.99 option (other than as a special sale price, perhaps) for my books, although I'd be hard pressed to give a concrete reason. For me it may just be pride, that I like to think that each of my books are worth more than that, even if I could make more money at that price. Although, with the luck I've had with *lower* prices, I probably wouldn't sell any more than I do now. I guess my marketing just sucks! LOL!!


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## Author Eyes (Nov 26, 2009)

> I've noted that Shelley Stout's "Radium Halos," a novel about the radium dial painters, was first at $1.99, then became extremely popular, and went to $5.99. It's at $4.99 now, and that seems a realistic price for someone who is making a quality book.


Wow, thank you for the compliment.  My publisher and I are as-we-speak trying to decide whether to lower the price again to boost sales, which have slowed quite a bit. It's hard to know how to proceed...


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## NicolaFurlong (Dec 4, 2009)

As a newbie, I'll be brave and stick in my $2.99 worth. Really appreciate all the info from other indie authors.

I've got three ebooks available, all priced at $2.99. I originally chose this amount for my first two mysteries thinking it was a reasonable fee for ebooks of previously published novels but not too low to be considered 'cheap'. 

Then I self-published a ebook primer on writing mysteries and spent some time considering its price point. Finally, I decided upon $2.99 again. The primer is short but packed with practical info so I didn't want it to come across as being ridiculously low but I wanted it to be at a price that was desirable. A price where an interested reader would buy it without second guessing their decision. Shoot, folks pay much more for a cuppa!

Now I'm about to self-publish a supernatural thriller ebook and I'm not sure what price to choose...


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## Christopher Meeks (Aug 2, 2009)

Shelley, my new rule of thumb is that small publishers and independent publishers have to look at the rollout of a new book differently than what bigger publishers do. Major publishers look at a book much like movie studios do a film. They plan a campaign eight or more months advance, and send out advanced reading copies (ARCs) four months in advance. They have publicists hammering the print reviewers for consideration, and the author might go on a tour, all aimed around the publication date in hopes reviewers, librarians, and readers talk about the book all at the same time. It's fusion.

A small publisher and independents, on the other hand, don't have those kind of resources, so you can do the ARCs and press releases in advance and choose a publication date, but the reality is that it's a longer roll-out. I just received a new review a couple days ago for "The Brightest Moon of the Century" eleven months after the book came out. Figure a good campaign for an independent book might go one year. The goal for all independents with a book you believe in is to show that you believe in it. Your book at $4.99 seems like a steal from what I've read about it. (And I'll read it yet!) 

--Chris


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## Author Eyes (Nov 26, 2009)

Chrismeeks said:


> Shelley, my new rule of thumb is that small publishers and independent publishers have to look at the rollout of a new book differently than what bigger publishers do. Major publishers look at a book much like movie studios do a film. They plan a campaign eight or more months advance, and send out advanced reading copies (ARCs) four months in advance. They have publicists hammering the print reviewers for consideration, and the author might go on a tour, all aimed around the publication date in hopes reviewers, librarians, and readers talk about the book all at the same time. It's fusion.
> 
> A small publisher and independents, on the other hand, don't have those kind of resources, so you can do the ARCs and press releases in advance and choose a publication date, but the reality is that it's a longer roll-out. I just received a new review a couple days ago for "The Brightest Moon of the Century" eleven months after the book came out. Figure a good campaign for an independent book might go one year. The goal for all independents with a book you believe in is to show that you believe in it. Your book at $4.99 seems like a steal from what I've read about it. (And I'll read it yet!)
> 
> --Chris


Thanks, Chris. I too have been hard at work to get reviews, book signings, etc. With the tremendous support I've had from readers here at Kindleboards, I'm posting on other message boards hoping to find one with the same impact. So far, I haven't found one.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The secret of pricing is inventory. If you have one book, you need to be caeful with price. If you have five, you can experiment. I have fourteen, so I have FREE ones, $ .99 ones and $ 3.99 ones, for the Kindle and range fom $ 7.50 to $25.00 in the paperbacks. Readership drives my efforts (even my authoring efforts), but there is an advantag in having a catalog to offer in various genres, lengths and media. In this way, you can rely more on selling yourself than kvetching over price. Frankly, its just as hard to give a book away as it is to sell it at $ 3.99. (And I'm not guessing on that score). However, anything above $ 4.00 needs the weight of brand, and my brand is established, but "wee" - so unless it soars, my prices will sit below the salt, while my books will sit above it.

Thanks or asking,

Edward C. Patterson
- a novel is a bridge between an author and a reader. If that bridge needs to be negotiated for coins of the realm, so be it. But it ceases to be worthwhile if all you do is sell bridges, the one in Brooklyn or otherwise. Art, not commerce is lasting, because it is consumed, but never eaten. -

who said that? Why, 'twas "wee" me.


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## Randolphlalonde (Sep 12, 2009)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> The secret of pricing is inventory. If you have one book, you need to be caeful with price. If you have five, you can experiment. I have fourteen, so I have FREE ones, $ .99 ones and $ 3.99 ones, for the Kindle and range fom $ 7.50 to $25.00 in the paperbacks. Readership drives my efforts (even my authoring efforts), but there is an advantag in having a catalog to offer in various genres, lengths and media. In this way, you can rely more on selling yourself than kvetching over price. Frankly, its just as hard to give a book away as it is to sell it at $ 3.99. (And I'm not guessing on that score). However, anything above $ 4.00 needs the weight of brand, and my brand is established, but "wee" - so unless it soars, my prices will sit below the salt, while my books will sit above it.
> 
> Thanks or asking,
> 
> ...


I'm with Ed.

What more do I ever have to say?


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

To be honest, when Amazon announced the new pricing structure, my first thought was that it was merely bait laid out by Amazon in preparation for the Great Kindle Wars of 2010. It wasn't about little indie authors at all. It was to get more of those big authors thinking, "Hmm, my publisher's only giving me about 10-15 percent of my ebook sales." Stephen Covey, Coehlo, and McEwan signed exclusives with Kindle. How long before a really huge one crosses over?

I agree about the different promo approach--I have done eight paper books and there's a timing involved, actually almost a panic, because of the brief shelf life. In digital, there is no reason to hurry. The better you do, the better you do, the more places you show up, the better you do.

There's also a perception that lower prices mean lesser quality, which oddly enough may have a harmful effect, too. Look at Michael's experiences with the $7.99 trilogy.

Another thing--even though we are all indie, we should start being a little more subtle and clever about promoting on forums. To be honest, I tune out those long strings where everybody's listing their new books. Those are ads, not content, and won't be drawing many outside eyeballs.  I'd recommend posting release news in appropriate thread as usual, but if we had these sorts of discussions on Amazon and other public places, people would learn a lot more about the indie life. In other words, talk more about books and writing and less about ourselves, a lesson I'm slowly learning after only 15 years of doing this.

In a way, the Ebook Wars have given us a great window of opportunity, and I hope cumulatively we are able to present ourselves as professional, attentive to industry and consumer concerns, and proudly self-reliant, not desperate or defiant of NY. I guarantee you that's a faster way to respect: act like you already belong!

Scott Nicholson
The Red Church
PS Thanks EVP seeker, and, Chris Meeks, you didn't tell me you released a book!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Randoph, you have inventory?      You make my catalog look like a pamphlet.  

Ed Patterson


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## Sharlow (Dec 20, 2009)

Eric C said:


> Great topic. So many thoughts pop to mind. It's at such times as this one that I wish we could all meet in a coffee shop and chat. It'd probably be a way more efficient exchange and more cathartic. Alas, must wait for teletransportation app.


Well we could all drink coffee as we read this, would that do? Also, one thing that concerns me about all this price raising. It's been my experience both with governments and business, that these organizations like to make a mandatory change voluntary first, with some sort of incentive to get a majority to make that change before making it mandatory. So my view of this is it's a precursor to making it mandatory.


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## Sharlow (Dec 20, 2009)

Well scottnicholson we could start up an author support thread there as well, or something similar that a bunch of us could go to and talk on to educate the readers. I dont know, it sounds like a good idea, but we would need support from a bunch of us to work I would think.


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## evpseeker (May 29, 2009)

MariaESchneider said:


> Thanks for chiming in--and for your show of support! We really do appreciate it. I was just on a thread this morning where someone was disparaging indie authors, their lack of quality and so on--we get that sort of thing a lot from people who would "never buy a self-published or indie author book" so believe me--your words and support mean a lot to all of us!!!
> 
> Maria


You are most welcome.  The people who say those things are only cheating themselves out of some seriously great reads. Thanks to Kindle I have discovered an entire new world of authors I'd never heard of and I've read many different boooks that I would never have thought of reading if they were a DTB. Indie authors rock IMHO!!!


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

Ed, believe it or not I never thought of that (different prices for different books).  I've always figured I'd keep them all at the same price.  I was already planning to do the psychology experiment of bumping prices to around 1.99 after my current coupons expire (as David Derrico said, these aren't ringtones!).  Maybe I'll complicate the experiment some by varying the prices.

I don't sell that many anyway.  We're talking grains of sand in the desert here.


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

Sharlow, I think a Kindle topic on formatting ebooks would help educate consumers about how much they are getting shagged by major publishers. Authors themselves ought to be outraged. If people saw that it takes about an hour or two to format and upload a professional quality ebook, it would shoot down six million arguments that ebooks deserve to be at hardcover prices.

Problem is, a lot of the indie threads get jumped by "cut and paste" promo over and over again that diverts the discussion and loses readers. It also doesn't help when a few sloppy posters throw up quicky text comments with misspellings and bad grammar, not realizing they are an advertisement against them and indie authors in general, reinforcing the fairly common notion that indies simply didn't make the grade. (No one here does that, of course!)

I really don't know if there's anything that could or even should be done. I guess I should just take my advice and keep my side of the street clean. I've always encouraged writers, before they even get that first rejection slip, to already act like they are professionals. About 800 rejection slips later, I am not sure I've really learned anything useful!

Scott Nicholson
The Red Church


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## tommy jonq (Jul 28, 2009)

This isn't just a new trend in the industry, it's a revolution. So no one knows the answer. Besides, there are several different kinds of careers and therefore, several different career goals. One of the single greatest things about being an indie author is that I can change: 1. the cover. 2. the text. even if it means updating an out-of-date pop culture reference. 3. the price. Anytime i feel like it.

Change the price of your book for one month. See what happens.

One advantage of say, 99 cents, is that I know people are buying the book for some other reason besides "It's free." Another advantage is simple: I can undercut Macmillan, Random House, et al from now til doomsday, and still make a profit. And 99 cents pretty much removes 99.99 percent or more of the incentive to illegally copy my books. And I can't help noticing that I've had ZERO returns.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I had an epiphany last night ... or maybe it was just a bad dream since Steve Jobs was in it.  I thought about what that SOB (sweet ole' boo) might have planned for indies.  He's not stupid.  He knows we can undercut the Big Boys, so the price for selling on his site might be quite a bit higher.  And he'll want parity with Amazon, Smashwords, etc.  But, he can and probably will, set a minimum price for us.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Margaret--

I've read a couple of articles that mention that the book publishers set a floor on prices for ALL books sold on apple's site--now i don't know if that is true or not, but the discussion was that they not only protected their own pricing, but had a clause that books under X would not be sold.  There has been no word from apple that indies or backlist authors will be allowed to publish at all.  Some people with experience with apple believe it will be just like getting an app on the store now, but there's been no official word one way or the other.

From what I understand of the argument, the publishers are not threatened by indie or backlist--but they are mad that our low prices (or free) push them out of the various "Best seller" lists --which are essentially free advertising and apparently drive numerous sales.  They want to control those lists and they can't when upstarts come along and offer a bargain. 

But again, I've only seen this mentioned with no pointers back to any apple statement about whether indie authors can upload books, nothing about whether Kindle (stanza) will work on the iPad and so on.  

Lots up in the air at the moment.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

MariaESchneider said:


> Margaret--
> 
> I've read a couple of articles that mention that the book publishers set a floor on prices for ALL books sold on apple's site--now i don't know if that is true or not, but the discussion was that they not only protected their own pricing, but had a clause that books under X would not be sold. There has been no word from apple that indies or backlist authors will be allowed to publish at all. Some people with experience with apple believe it will be just like getting an app on the store now, but there's been no official word one way or the other.
> 
> Lots up in the air at the moment.


Thanks for the update. You're right. He's not going to just open the door for us. IF we wanted to sell through the IPad, we would probably have to go through a publisher to do so.

Yes, lots up in the air. As long as the shhhh....tuff that's up in the air right now doesn't splatter all over us.


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

Well, I just don't foresee Apple ever having more than five percent of the ebook market. And if they minimize their selection to cater to six major publishers and cut out literally millions of books, that's not a good business model, though in the short term it's all about leverage and publicity. Believe me, nobody out there cares whether there's room for the indie or not.

While in a brick store the publishers have an advantage by placing seven thousand Patterson titles at the gate, and paying dearly for the privilege, there's simply no limitation for digital stores. I suspect Amazon will always be open to the indies because we're driving traffic tot heir business and our customers buy underwear and windshield wiper blades there. I also see major publishers moving to a "content ownership" model where they just pay a flat price for a product and cut out the royalty stream. But alongside it, I see more major authors breaking free.

Scott Nicholson
The Red Church


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

scottnicholson said:


> To be honest, when Amazon announced the new pricing structure, my first thought was that it was merely bait laid out by Amazon in preparation for the Great Kindle Wars of 2010. It wasn't about little indie authors at all. It was to get more of those big authors thinking, "Hmm, my publisher's only giving me about 10-15 percent of my ebook sales." Stephen Covey, Coehlo, and McEwan signed exclusives with Kindle. How long before a really huge one crosses over?
> 
> I agree about the different promo approach--I have done eight paper books and there's a timing involved, actually almost a panic, because of the brief shelf life. In digital, there is no reason to hurry. The better you do, the better you do, the more places you show up, the better you do.
> 
> ...


Very good points Scott--I think you're right. Amazon is after current and backlist authors, no so much Indie. Why? Just plain common sense. Backlist authors bring fans to the table and can more easily generate more fans. In other words, it isn't a direct insult to Indies, just a business thing.

As for the subtle and clever/promoting...I used to think those threads were a little bizarre and too...ad-like. But...they work. I've seen a number of people post that they like the threads and although I only post once or twice a month, it does *seem* to help sales. There are conversations happening there and that always helps generate interest and possible sales.

BTW, I notice you post the link to your book in your sig line on Amazon a lot. Be aware, several of us have been reported and asked by Amazon to stop that practice. If someone hits that report button, Amazon will delete all your posts. Amazon allows us to post a non-hotlink to our author page, but explicitly dis-allows a direct product link that self promotes. That said, you've been very careful about it and I don't think you're posting where anyone is going to hit that report button. But I didn't think I was posting in incorrect places either and after about 3 weeks, I got the letter from Amazon and every single post (with a link or not) was pulled.

Maria

P.S. As always, your mileage may vary!


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

scottnicholson said:


> I suspect Amazon will always be open to the indies because we're driving traffic to their business and our customers buy underwear and windshield wiper blades there.


Also, Amazon DID make over $500 last month directly on their cut of my book sales ... sure, that's not a huge chunk of change for them, but add up a few thousand indie authors, and you start talking about real money ... money that Apple will lose out on if they don't allow indie authors in their e-bookstore.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I think $2.99 is very reasonable, but a natural conseuquence will be that I will be more selective. Frequently the .99c ones just get grabbed "in case their good". At 2.99 with an author you don't know you're going to wait for good reviews by people you trust, especially over time as the "slush pile" grows.


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## tjc (Aug 6, 2009)

As an avid reader, I wanted to add a few comments that will hopefully be helpful.

One of the main reasons I purchased my kindle is because I could obtain so many books for free or for only a couple dollars. Before getting my kindle, I would purchase books at discount stores, used, or check them out from the library. Most of the books I purchased were around $2 - $3. Rarely have I spent more than $7 on a book (hard copy or paperback), unless it was a textbook in college.

*The amount I am able to spend on a book is not a reflection of how much I think the book is worth. * I just read way too fast for my wallet to keep up. 

Now that I have my kindle, I have hundreds of books that I've downloaded for free. Other than one Koontz book (I think it was around $1.99) and a Bible, the only books that I have purchased for my kindle have been indie authors I discovered on this site. I believe they have all been $2.99 or less. In most cases, the books were part of a series and the first book in the series was offered at a lower price than the others. I found that this was an excellent way to get me hooked and I had absolutely no problem paying more for the other books in the series. Since my favorite "big name" authors' books cost more on the kindle than I would normally spend, I will probably continue to purchase their books used or at discount stores. But, I have found so many indie authors that I enjoy, I'd rather spend my money on purchasing your books and supporting you (however small my contribution).

Several authors have expressed that it is better to sell more books at a lesser price than to sell a couple books at a higher price and this is the same for a reader. I would much rather be able to purchase lots of books than to be limited to just a couple.

I think it is an excellent idea for Amazon to increase the amount indie authors receive if they price their books at $2.99 or above. My understanding is that you get 35% of each purchase. If I spend $2 on a book, you get $.70. If I spend $3, you get $1.05. Not much more goes to you, but I've spent an extra $1. If Amazon ups the amount to 70% on books priced $2.99 or above you get $2.10 for a $3 book. So, my extra dollar means you get $1.40 more than if I purchase it at $2, so I would much rather spend the extra dollar to put more money into your pocket.

Tabitha


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Tabitha--

Thank you for your input!!!  Very valuable.  I buy books much like you do--I pretty much shop for the cheapest price and if it isn't kindle, I give in and buy it used or if it's a very new book, I get it from the library.  I know there are many different buying types--but thanks for adding your two cents to this conversation!!!

maria


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

Hachette has joined MacMillan in switching (with Amazon's "capitulation" as they put it) to an agency model in which they'll set their own prices, and I expect the rest of the Big Six will soon follow suit, so I fear the new royalty scheme will be rescinded, or at least revised. It'll only stay intact I think if Amazon still wants the indie book prices raised.

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/agents/breaking_hachette_book_group_to_transition_to_agency_model_151128.asp


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Eric C said:


> Hachette has joined MacMillan in switching (with Amazon's "capitulation" as they put it) to an agency model in which they'll set their own prices, and I expect the rest of the Big Six will soon follow suit, so I fear the new royalty scheme will be rescinded, or at least revised. It'll only stay intact I think if Amazon still wants the indie book prices raised.
> 
> http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/agents/breaking_hachette_book_group_to_transition_to_agency_model_151128.asp


amazon knew this was coming--and again, it isn't indie authors they are after (as in self-published). They are after the massive backlist that authors control. They are also probably after any authors that might want to experiment with going Kindle only rather than thru their current publisher. Meanwhile, they still make decent money of indie authors and are happy to have us along for the ride. IMO.


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

MariaESchneider said:


> amazon knew this was coming--and again, it isn't indie authors they are after (as in self-published). They are after the massive backlist that authors control. They are also probably after any authors that might want to experiment with going Kindle only rather than thru their current publisher. Meanwhile, they still make decent money of indie authors and are happy to have us along for the ride. IMO.


That's an interesting view, Maria, and perhaps you're right (and I hope you're right, because I want that 70% royalty rate) that Amazon saw the writing on the wall and knew all along that an agency model would be the future; but that begs the question: Why did Amazon throw a hissy at MacMillan if they knew they'd have to cave in the end?

My suspicion is it was no hissy at all but a planned response. They would've looked very wimpy indeed if all they'd done was roll over when MacMillan came forward with their new plan. Plus Amazon can now claim the high ground with readers when they complain about the higher prices of ebooks. They can blame the higher prices on the major publishers.


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## TC Beacham (Nov 23, 2009)

Bumping this thread now that we're getting closer to June and I've been experimenting with a $.99 special this spring.

Pricing is really tricky. I support Amazon in wanting to boost prices to $2.99 (that's what I was charging before the special), and I suspect that bargain basement prices hurt authors in the long run. But WOW, what a difference in sales! With a day and a half to go this month, I've sold WAY more in March than I sold previously. I saw the sale as advertising that still pays a little - a good plan to get the word out. It certainly has worked, but what next?

As we move toward June and Amazon's new terms, I am wondering what other indie authors plan to do.


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

No, I don't plan to go up to $2.99. Heck, I'm probably going to have to put my new book that I priced at $1.99 down to $1 because it's sales just are nothing compared to the ones priced .99 lower. If I would go to $2.99, there would probably be nothing and right now I certainly can't have that.


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## TC Beacham (Nov 23, 2009)

sierra09 said:


> No, I don't plan to go up to $2.99. Heck, I'm probably going to have to put my new book that I priced at $1.99 down to $1 because it's sales just are nothing compared to the ones priced .99 lower. If I would go to $2.99, there would probably be nothing and right now I certainly can't have that.


It's all such a mystery to me - I really think indie books should be priced around $5, but the present market doesn't seem to work that way.


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

I priced my indie on Amazon for 99 cents on the Kindle ($13.00 for the paperback..alas, CreateSpace is not as flexible when it comes to pricing....) The problem, when your working on your own and your just starting out, is getting potential readers attention. Like anything else nowadays, you're trying to build your brand...one of the advantages of ebooks is that, for all intents and purposes, there are no publishing costs, so you can charge less and still turn a profit.
I was charging $5.00 initially, until C.S. Marks made the suggestion that I drop the price to $0.99 (thanks again, BTW) - since then it's been doing better. If selling at a low price builds an audience, then it's worth the loss in revenue. Even if Amazon changes their royalty structure, it makes for sense for newbies like me to keep price as low as possible - as for whether or not it gives the impression of being an inferior product, why not let the readers judge for themselves?

http://www.jonconnington.com


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## TC Beacham (Nov 23, 2009)

jonconnington said:


> I priced my indie on Amazon for 99 cents on the Kindle ($13.00 for the paperback..alas, CreateSpace is not as flexible when it comes to pricing....) The problem, when your working on your own and your just starting out, is getting potential readers attention. Like anything else nowadays, you're trying to build your brand...one of the advantages of ebooks is that, for all intents and purposes, there are no publishing costs, so you can charge less and still turn a profit.
> I was charging $5.00 initially, until C.S. Marks made the suggestion that I drop the price to $0.99 (thanks again, BTW) - since then it's been doing better. If selling at a low price builds an audience, then it's worth the loss in revenue. Even if Amazon changes their royalty structure, it makes for sense for newbies like me to keep price as low as possible - as for whether or not it gives the impression of being an inferior product, why not let the readers judge for themselves?
> 
> http://www.jonconnington.com


Maybe it's a timing issue - knowing when to make changes in pricing. I'm still feeling my way.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

You know that $13.00 for a paperback or an Indie published book is reasonable. In the old days (2 years ago) a papeback independantly published would start at 25.00 or more regadless of size.

Ed Patterson

My biggest tome, BTW, The Dragon's Pool (740 pages) is $25.00, but its a big 'un and number 3 of 5. However, the virtual nature of our ephemeral paperback sales, makes the discount all the more relishing when it comes to our eBooks. I price the $25.00 slugger on the Kindle for $3.99, and that's expensive. $ .99 will be good enough for most of my books. My readers find that price comfortable, so I'll hold the line. And when some will raise prices for the extra $ .35 per book (which will most liing halve their volume in a wash), my focus shall remain the same. The reader and being read.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

I've decided to try the $2.99, but if sales tank, . . .

Sierra09, are there instructions for how to achieve the changing book covers you have in your signature on the site?  I'm hoping to have a 2d book out within a week or so, and that certainly looks like the best way to have both of the covers show up.


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

I'll certainly be trying out the $2.99 pricing.  

I do think Amazon somewhat dropped the ball.  Usually they set the price for their products, not everyone else.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I am selling almost as many copies at $1.99 as I sold at $0.99, so I'm going to have to take the plunge and go to $2.99 starting April 1.  The data is pointing a gun at my head.

Then again, I think for me part of the issue is that going down to $0.99 never got me the extreme sales bump some of you guys get.  I did OK, but never got into the top 1000 that way.  It would be harder to give up the lower price if I had two books in the top 1000 like TC Beacham.


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## Author Eyes (Nov 26, 2009)

Right now, mine is still at .99. I haven't discussed it yet with my publisher, but I hope she keeps it at that price at least for a while longer.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

I have had my science fiction novel all over the price range in the last year (from $7.99 to $0.99), and this is what I've found: $2.99 has always made the most money for me. At that price, my book tends to bounce between the top 3,000 and 6,000, but I still average about 8-10 books a day. I went down to $1.99 several times and while the sales went up 25%, my royalties were cut by 1/3, so not a good place for me. A couple of weeks ago I went to $0.99 just to see what would happen. In less than 48 hours, to my utter amazement, my book jumped to the top 300 (#290 !!) and was #1 in every genre I could possibly occupy. Sales jumped to about 50 per day, but the "rush" only lasted 2 days, and then climbed slowly to around #1,500 (selling 15-20 books per day). That wasn't bad, but with 1/3 the royalties, I needed to sell 25-30 per day (more than one per hour) just to break even with my previous $2.99 sales. So, now I am back to my "happy place" at $2.99, and with the royalty boost coming up soon, it's where I plan to stay. I fully admit that it's not as exciting sitting way up there above 5,000 (the thin air is good for you, right?), but if the money is actually better, why should I leave?

I hope this helps some of you, and that you all find your own "happy place" soon.


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## Gus Flory (Oct 13, 2009)

So when are all of you 99ers going to make the jump? I'm finally gaining some traction so I'm going to stick it out at 99 cents right up until the royalties change.

As for me, I've made all the typical rookie mistakes, i.e., self-promotion on Amazon threads, formatting errors, typos in the text, price changes... After my missteps, I gave up on making self-serving posts around the Internet after seeing only a few sales here and there, and seeing how readers don't care much for that. 

I've got only one review after giving away plenty of copies and wishing I hadn't now that I've fixed some of my formatting blunders in my CreateSpace hard copy.

But now I'm slowly gaining sales each month, pushing over the 100 mark for the month of March. Not sure why, and hoping it's word of mouth.

I have to say I'm really proud of my book and feel that I've written something cool and special (but we all feel that way, I'm sure). I'm thinking once my audience (males ages 14-40 who love sci-fi, adventure and military themes) finds me, I'm ready for a break out.

Then at 70 percent of $2.99, I'll be ready for the big time. Woo hoo!


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## Greenkeeper (Mar 16, 2010)

I predict that at least for a short time there may be some backlash from consumers when the majority of authors raise their prices to a minimum of $2.99 to get the 70% royalty. During this I plan on keeping my prices low to see what happens. As this attitude fades and $2.99 becomes the norm I'll likely join everybody else.

Of course at this point, having been on the market for less than a month I'd rather "sell" 10 free copies (coupon FP62U at Smashwords ) instead of actually selling 1 if it means gaining a wider readership. It has nothing to do with me thinking my work has no value and everything to do with being a complete unknown who wants as many people to read my work as possible.


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## JA Konrath (Apr 2, 2009)

It's March 31 at 8:24 A.M., and so far I've made over $4000 this month selling ebooks for $1.99.

Will I go up to $2.99 in June? Hell, yeah.

Here are some thoughts and guesses.

1. Value has nothing to do with cover price. NOTHING. Value is the amount of money a book earns. A $1.99 ebook that sells 10,000 copies is more valuable than a $4.99 ebook that sells 1500. Authors need to stop thinking they're devaluing their work by selling it for less.

2. Cheap ebooks are gateway drugs. The ebooks that my publishers own the rights to are priced between $4.70 and $9.99, and they're all doing very well because readers are getting hooked on my $1.99 books and then buying the more expensive titles. I know this for two reasons. First, because my traditionally published ebooks didn't spike until I started getting popular with my self-published cheap ebooks. Second, because I've gotten dozens of emails from readers telling me that's what they did.

3. As an experiment, I raised one of my ebooks to $4.99. It made more money, even though it sold fewer copies, this month than last month at $1.99. And this is without the new agency royalty rate. Even if my sales dip, I'm pretty sure I'll be pulling in $10,000 per month, or close to it, when I go to $2.99.

4. The difference between $1.99 and $2.99 isn't that big a deal, especially in comparison to what the major publishers are pricing at. Remember, once the agency model takes hold, Big NY Publishing wants to sell ebooks at $12.99. I predict fewer sales for Big NY Authors, more for indie authors, even if we go up to $2.99.

5. If enough indie authors go up to $2.99, it should be no different than raising gas prices unilaterally. Gas has to really become outrageously expensive before people start buying less.

6. Worst case scenario, I can always change the prices back to $1.99.

I've been part of the traditional publishing world for over a decade, and what's happening right now with ebooks is unprecedented. Not only do authors have a chance to directly reach a large number of readers for the first time in history, but NY Publishing is so short-sighted they're making it easy for us to compete with them. 

I was crunching the numbers, and I realized I won't ever sell erights to a novel for less than $150,000. Because I'm pretty sure that's what I can earn in five years on my own. That's mind-blowing. 

My ebook The List has sold 12,000 copies in a year. At the agency rate, that's $24k annually, assuming my numbers stay the same. But I don't think they'll stay the same. I think they'll go up. Even when I raise the price to $2.99. Ereaders haven't hit their stride yet. In five years, I predict they'll be the way the majority of people read novels. I'd be foolish to share those royalties with a publisher...


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## Marie-Nicole Ryan (Mar 29, 2010)

evpseeker said:


> I'm not an author. I am an avid reader and a consumer, you know, one of those ppl that you want to buy your books.  I'd just like to pipe in with my two cents about what's going on within my Kindle owners group. We have boycotted any and all books from MacMillian and Harper/Collins. We are now buying ALL of our books from Indie authors. Just last night I bought 12 Indie books, Scott Nicholson your book was one of the 12 because of it's price.  I know my group isn't the only one doing this. I'm sure it's being discussed all over the web today and I hope more ppl are buying Indie books. All of the books I bought were priced $1.99 or lower.
> 
> So my question is this...... wouldn't any of you rather sell 10 books at $1.99 instead of 3 books at $2.99?
> 
> ...


Definitely somethings to pay attenion to. I have one book at $1.99 and another at $.99 for a short time) so I've been finding this discussion about raising prices in the future quite interesting.

Marie-Nicole Ryan
http://marienicoleryan.com


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Jack, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Your success is inspirational to us all. And I think you hit it right on the money: the e-book market is only going to grow in the future, and big publishers are making it easy for us by raising prices, blocking TTS, insisting on invasive DRM, delaying e-book releases, poor quality scans w/o proofreading, etc. So I think $2.99 is a very reasonable price point for an indie, a whole ten bucks under what the big guys want to charge. Readers are already figuring out that, in the case of quality indies, if they take a little time to sample and find good ones, the quality difference is nowhere near $10 - in many cases it's $0 or the indie work is better, with higher-quality formatting, TTS, no DRM, etc.

And you're right ... even though my personal "squeal number" isn't as high as yours, I wouldn't sell my e-book rights to a traditional publisher for the tiny advances they typically give unknown authors. If I can make that much just this year, and perhaps for many years in the future, I'd be crazy to sell it to them for cheap -- especially when they'll likely kill my e-book sales by jacking up the price, putting on DRM, disabling TTS, etc....


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

Wow, 12,000 copies&#8230;you're living the life most of us can only dream. Writing is easy, promotion is the hard part.

I do agree that ebooks are going to revolutionize publishing the way the mp3 did music&#8230;I hope one day that whatever I sell will be enough to support myself full time, but right now I feel like one of those bands that advertise themselves on MySpace, handing out free downloads building some semblance of a fanbase while working at their day jobs&#8230;

Still, being able to keep the price low is a definite plus when you're trying to build some kind of readership. $13.00 may not seem that expensive for a paperback, but factor in shipping costs, not to mention having to wait for the delivery and it becomes less attractive, especially if you're a new author from a POD press. But 99 cents, with instantly delivery, makes it a different proposition entirely. And I know it sounds corny, but right now the money doesn't really matter to me. I just want people to READ my book. You can't really put a price on the feeling of satisfaction when someone - a total stranger - is willing to buy your words and read them for his or her own enjoyment. Maybe I'll feel differently in a few years, when I'm little more jaded, but for now I'm just enjoying the ride.

http://www.jonconnington.com


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

Yes, I think it I'll be making the move. Going to test the $1.99 market for a while first. I am right in thinking that to qualify: less than 3MB at $1.99 and between 3-10MB at $2.99?


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

I believe to qualify for 70% royalties, the minimum price is $2.99, regardless of size.

The minimum allowable price (at 35%) is $0.99 for files under 3 MB (most of them), $1.99 for 3-10MB, and $2.99 for 10MB and up.


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

David, when I went to change the price for PORTAL there was a note about the qualification being size dependent. I am confused now.


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## Sharlow (Dec 20, 2009)

I'm not sure I'm going to make the jump now. I went to $1.99 for a month and the sales came down to a grinding halt. Now that I changed back to 0.99, I've started getting sales, so I'm not to sure at all now.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

It seems I won't have any choice in the matter. All of my books are over ten megs. That means It's 2.99 or bust for me!
That's okay(I guess), hopefully enough readers will have enjoyed my work that they'll review it and talk it up to their friends.
If not, well, I'll still sell 'em--just not in as impressive a quantity.

I would like to add that length has nothing to do with quality or value. A long book that is poorly written only compounds the agony. A brief one that is compelling, engaging, and thought-provoking is a bargain at any price. 

(Now, if one has managed to write a lengthy epic that is also compelling, engaging, and thought-provoking...WELL!)


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## MinaVE (Apr 20, 2010)

Thoughts from an international purchaser/author:

I can't price my books at 2.99.  I wish I could, but a chunk of my target readers lives in Asia-Pacific, where Amazon adds $2 automatically on top of the list price. That'll make my chick lit-type ebook $4.99, while my first novel which is still in print and on the shelves (same genre and length) can be bought for about $3.37.

I had to factor that extra $2 into the pricing, and even then had difficulty finding a good balance to it.

As a reader and buyer though, I probably _would_ buy your books at $4.99, if I'm so inclined. MMPBs here go for about $7, so a good book that's cheaper than that will be a good buy for me.


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

Sharlow said:


> I'm not sure I'm going to make the jump now. I went to $1.99 for a month and the sales came down to a grinding halt. Now that I changed back to 0.99, I've started getting sales, so I'm not to sure at all now.


You need to consider the competition. That experiment would work much better if a whole bunch of other authors colluded--you know, like the major publishers--and raised prices at the same time as you. Even without collusion, it's likely what'll happen come the end of June when the new royalty scheme kicks in. So it's worth trying your price experiment again then.

I've a hunch though that the only indie authors who'll thrive at $2.99 are those who establish a real readership, as opposed to soliciting cheap, one-time 99 cent impulse purchases, with readers coming back hungry for more. That is to say, a minority of indie authors will stick to $2.99 for most of their books.


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## Dlight (Apr 21, 2010)

I still wonder if the $2.99 - $9.99 price range is intended as some kind of separator for different types of Kindle titles. I think perhaps this will set a range that will separate out book-length works from shorter works.  As a consumer, buying a novella, or short story or subscription to a blog for 99 cents - would make me think book-length works should sell for more.  It's almost like, if it's $2.99 - $9.99 then you can consider it a book.  Anything less than that is something else, a shorter work of some kind, or a specialty title.
I also think that $2.99 is a fair price for an indie novel.  Reviews will weed out those that are not worth the money.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

Dlight said:


> I still wonder if the $2.99 - $9.99 price range is intended as some kind of separator for different types of Kindle titles. I think perhaps this will set a range that will separate out book-length works from shorter works. As a consumer, buying a novella, or short story or subscription to a blog for 99 cents - would make me think book-length works should sell for more. It's almost like, if it's $2.99 - $9.99 then you can consider it a book. Anything less than that is something else, a shorter work of some kind, or a specialty title.
> I also think that $2.99 is a fair price for an indie novel. Reviews will weed out those that are not worth the money.


The new file size rule and other things makes me think that part of the reason Amazon is doing it is to recoup actual costs on their end. Take Archer's file sizes for example--she'll have to pay Amazon a percentage AND pay for the transfer after the new pricing is in effect. Amazon knows very well by now how much it costs to transfer and how long it takes because they have been bearing that cost. I'm guessing that if Archer had her very large books at 99 cents, Amazon isn't getting very much of the 70 cents--perhaps too much of it is eaten in transfer and storage costs. Thus they welcome us to the new era where we pay the transfer cost, but get to keep a larger percentage...but the books cost more.

I think it is harder for international sales. Too many people were unaware of the tax/wire charge fee that was going to be tacked on. So the long and short of it is that prices are going to be forced up!


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## jonfmerz (Mar 30, 2009)

I'm in an interesting position with this since my next traditionally published novel is actually coming out from St. Martin's, which is part of Macmillan.  God knows what they're going to price the ebook at, but I'd imagine since the print release is a trade paperback, they will most likely publish it around $9.99.  From my own experience publishing my novel Parallax last year, I started at $9.99 and did quite well with sales on Amazon and direct through my fan base.  I then lowered the price to $4.99 once sales slowed, but saw no real action to warrant staying at that price point.  I came down to $1.99 following the Konrath model, but will increase my prices to $2.99 come July for novel-length works.  Novellas will stay at $1.99 and my short stories will stay at $0.99.  

Personally, I think that's a great range.  You can test the waters with a 0.99 cent story, maybe move up to the $1.99 novella, and feel good about purchasing a novel for only $2.99.  It's fair to both the consumer and to the creator.  I don't consider $2.99 to be a prohibitive price point to consumers.  But if I only had novels out there and no other way for people to test me out, I might not make the jump, I don't know.

Additionally, I've got some non-fiction ebooks coming out, so it should be an interesting few months ahead...


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## Toni Leland (Apr 22, 2010)

MariaESchneider said:


> Thanks for chiming in--and for your show of support! We really do appreciate it. I was just on a thread this morning where someone was disparaging indie authors, their lack of quality and so on--we get that sort of thing a lot from people who would "never buy a self-published or indie author book" so believe me--your words and support mean a lot to all of us!!!
> 
> Maria


I know this thread has wandered off topic a bit, but let me just say this: Every writer has to start somewhere. A writer grows with each book or story, fine-tuning the craft and bolstering his or her confidence. Indies are a wonderful group of artists, and the fact that we can offer our work to the reading public, whether in print or digital form, is one of the things that will encourage us to continue our craft. What a delight to hear comments from evpseeker with insights from a reader with no preconceived notions!


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## historywesternromancelvr (Apr 6, 2010)

I'm going to keep my books at $0.99.  The reason I'm not increasing the price of my books is because I'm going through financially difficult times, and I love to read.  So I search for good deals.  Since I will more likely by a $0.99 book than a $2.99 book, I can't see charging what I'm not willing to pay as a consumer.  At $1.99, it's iffy.  The book has to sound really good and/or I have to know the author to spend $1.99.  So for me, I charge what I'd like to spend.    Yeah, I guess you could say I'm cheap.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

One of my great novels is at $2.99. Another is at $1.99 (for now). My trilogy is $4.99, with the individual novels at $1.99. I have one novel at $0.99, but it barely sells. My $2.99 and $1.99 novels sell much better than the $0.99 one.


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## Author Eyes (Nov 26, 2009)

Right now, we have Radium Halos back at $2.99, and it seems to have flat-lined for a while.


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## TC Beacham (Nov 23, 2009)

Haven't decided what to do - sales are WAY better at $.99

I'm wondering if Amazon is rethinking those terms in light of the recent pricing wars.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

I'm a newbie at this, so I really can't say what sales will be like for me, but I'm inclined to keep mine at $1.99.  I don't think it devalues the book.  The more you sell, the more you make, just like others have mentioned.

Even if I only sell 3 each day, that's $63 a month.  More than I was making biting my nails and sending out query letters!  LOL!

Vicki


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

Amen, Vicky.


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## Ben Lacy (Apr 20, 2010)

If Amazon allows the major publishers to continue to give away free e-books, then there's no way an Indie can get away with charging $2.99 unless they have some level of established popularity and a very good marketing campaign. Supply and demand will out and demand is going to move to the lowest price.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

> If Amazon allows the major publishers to continue to give away free e-books, then there's no way an Indie can get away with charging $2.99 unless they have some level of established popularity and a very good marketing campaign. Supply and demand will out and demand is going to move to the lowest price.


I don't necessarily think this is true. I would buy a book at $2.99 or even more if I read the 'free download' part and got hooked on the novel. Heck, I buy books from the bookstore shelves at a lot more than $2.99, and I don't care if the author is well known. I care if I read a little and can't put it down. (It's like a drug! Ahhh!)

I don't think indie authors are sunk if they go up to $2.99... I'm just not sure if the amount of each month's check will go up or down with the change in price. 

Vicki


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

I have suspected all along Amazon wants more established authors to bolt from their publishers and I fully believe Amazon wants to become a publisher in its own right. And why not? They have everything you need except a few editors. They can't do any worse than major publishers.

The $2.99 is just a window to help offset costs. I think they are more than willing to let the 99 centers keep on because those people (us) are frantically driving people to Amazon to buy e-books, and maybe pick up some shaving cream and motor oil while we're here. I don't think it's altruistic so much as a good business move. And I suspect Apple will also be making some exclusive deals with big authors.

I just don't see much point in staying at 99 cents forever if you want to be a serious writer, because even if you sell tens of thousands of copies, I am not sure you'd ever make a living. If all you want is readers, it's fine, though I'll probably leave my story collections at 99 cents because the market is small anyway.

Scott


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

scottnicholson said:


> I just don't see much point in staying at 99 cents forever if you want to be a serious writer, because even if you sell tens of thousands of copies, I am not sure you'd ever make a living. If all you want is readers, it's fine ...


"A rising tide lifts all boats," JFK said, and today the ebook market is 2-3% of the total book market, but many people who ought to know suggest that in two years it'll be 20% and 50% within as soon as five years. So if no new authors enter the fray then we can all add a zero to our incomes in two years, right? And onward and upward after that.

Of course more authors will enter the fray, but though it seems we are legion there is actually a limited supply of idiots who spend their days, or huge chunks of their free time, making up stories.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Welcome to KindleBoards, R.E.!

(We invite you to start a thread here in the Book Bazaar for your book--when you've done that, I'll give you the official Welcome Letter.  Or my co-mod Ann will, she's been beating me to the punch lately!)

Betsy


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> (We invite you to start a thread here in the Book Bazaar for your book--when you've done that, I'll give you the official Welcome Letter. Or my co-mod Ann will, she's been beating me to the punch lately!)
> 
> Betsy


Well, Betsy, then you should quit spiking the punch!


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## Deb Baker (Aug 5, 2009)

I'm published both ways - with a traditional New York publisher and as an indie with one of my mysteries that went out of print. In March, I made the price move from $1.99 to $2.99 and I didn't see a flicker in sales. Still selling strong. Try it.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Deb Baker said:


> I'm published both ways - with a traditional New York publisher and as an indie with one of my mysteries that went out of print. In March, I made the price move from $1.99 to $2.99 and I didn't see a flicker in sales. Still selling strong. Try it.


Deb, another new author on KindleBoards! As I said below, we invite you to start a thread here in the Book Bazaar about your book(s), at which time we'll give you the official welcome letter.

And for some reason your post appeared twice, I removed the second one!

Betsy


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## AnnaM (Jul 15, 2009)

I think the bigger question is whether Amazon will also change the ranking algorithm in June/July.

Right now it is fairly easy to push a book onto the top 100 lists with a 99 cent price (free is even better). Will the bar be raised for inclusion on those lists? Will there be a system where the bestseller lists are only for the "$2.99 and over" books, and there is a separate list for "bestseller bargains under $2.99"?

If Amazon wants to put a floor on prices, and legitimize those books that sell at higher prices, this is what they could do . . . basically they will begin to marginalize books that sell for less than $2.99.

Amazon is in business to make money, and they make more money on a book that sells for $2.99 (versus 99 cents). If they can persuade consumers to buy nearly as many at the $2.99 price point (or more than 50% less) their revenues will increase. I believe they have done the statistical analysis to find the sweet spot,and $2.99 is the price at which demand doesn't drop significantly overall.

This will get interesting.


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## HaemishM (Dec 9, 2009)

My intention is to split my pricing. Since I'm writing a series of books, once the second is released in the next couple of weeks, I will price it at $2.99. The original book in the series will stay at $.99 cents for the duration. I figure I can get more readers to bite on that initial book for less than a buck, and hopefully they will like it enough to recognize that I'm a good purchase risk for a second book. Books in the series after the first will be $2.99.

I'm glad that Amazon is changing the royalty structure, though I do wish they'd apply it to all books up and down the pricing ladder.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Right now, all three books in the trilogy are priced differently. Elfhunter is still 99cents, Fire-heart is 2.99 (has been for a long time) and Ravenshade is 1.99. I notice no difference in sales between FH and RS. However, they are all part of one story. Therefore, it stands to reason that folks will want to finish it. If I had three separate titles that weren't thus connected, things would probably be different.


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## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

evpseeker said:


> I'm not an author. I am an avid reader and a consumer, you know, one of those ppl that you want to buy your books.  I'd just like to pipe in with my two cents about what's going on within my Kindle owners group. We have boycotted any and all books from MacMillian and Harper/Collins. We are now buying ALL of our books from Indie authors. Just last night I bought 12 Indie books, Scott Nicholson your book was one of the 12 because of it's price.  I know my group isn't the only one doing this. I'm sure it's being discussed all over the web today and I hope more ppl are buying Indie books. All of the books I bought were priced $1.99 or lower.
> 
> So my question is this...... wouldn't any of you rather sell 10 books at $1.99 instead of 3 books at $2.99?
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for your perspective.

If I dropped my book price down to $1.99 from $2.99 for the month of May, as an example, would you be more willing to try it?
Just curious, as I am a new Indie author and am trying to figure out what works best.

http://www.amazon.com/Whisper-Scream-ebook/dp/B003DQPKSK
http://www.karenberner.cm


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## HaemishM (Dec 9, 2009)

The problem with the difference in royalties from $2.99 to $1.99 with the new royalty scheme is that you have to sell 3 times as many books at $1.99 to make the same amount of royalties as 1 copy at $2.99. For indie authors, we aren't talking about a lot money being made anyway - none of the indie authors are getting rich selling eBooks at $2.99 (royalty ending up being about $2 a book vs. $.69 cents at $1.99). There will likely be less impulse buys at $2.99 this is true. If the book just plain doesn't sell at $2.99, taking the royalty cut may be necessary but certainly not preferable. 

Indie authors will have to figure out their personal sweet spot.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

KarenW.B. said:


> If I dropped my book price down to $1.99 from $2.99 for the month of May, as an example, would you be more willing to try it?
> Just curious, as I am a new Indie author and am trying to figure out what works best.


Yes, I think most people would say they'd rather try a book for $1.99 than $2.99. But would it be enough sales to make up for the lower royalties?

The answer to that question will vary from author to author. It also depends on how much you're doing to get the word out about your book, if you're getting the word out to the right demographic, and of course how well written it is, how good the cover art is, and if the description is captivating.

If you're not sure about it, try doing a "For a Limited Time Only" price cut, announce it everywhere, and see if the increase in sales is worth it.

Vicki


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## ScottLCollins (Dec 7, 2009)

I'll continue to buy at 2.99. Under a buck is great, but I have no problem spending 3 dollars on hours worth of entertainment. Heck, I spend almost $20 just to go to a 2 hour movie.


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## RonnellDPorter (Apr 20, 2010)

Ironically I just did the opposite; when I published on Kindle last November I priced at $2.99, and I just lowered it to $.99 last week


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

Amazon will do whatever makes the most money. Right now it's in their best interests to build a massive catalog of titles, even if they are 99 cent books. But the top will also be coming way down way fast, too. I expect next year that most bigtime backlist will be around $2.99 anyway. Once the publishers start caving and then realize they are raking in cash while giving authors a laughable royalty rate, they will start shedding two things: employees, and the pretense of artificially high prices.

Right now indie authors have only one major competitive advantage, and that is price. As the top comes down, that advantage will be lost, and the only advantage we will have is no overhead. Still, I can't see making 30-cent royalties as any sort of long-term viable model.

Scott


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## Lisa Hinsley (Jan 11, 2010)

I played around with the price of Coombe's Wood a bit since I uploaded in October. Right now it's at 99 cents, and has been for a couple of months. I'm raising it at the beginning of May, partly to see what happens, partly to settle the price for when Amazon change their policies. 

My short stories will stay at 99 cents, with no plans to change. My new book - will be coming in a couple of months - will probably start at 99 cents and move up to $3.99 after a month. 

I think it's going to be a learning process for everyone, and it'll be interesting to see what works after the dust has settled.

Lisa


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## ScottLCollins (Dec 7, 2009)

My novel is also priced at 99 cents right now, but I'll be moving it up to 2.99 by the time the new royalty model arrives. I'll see what kind of affect that has on sales to see if I keep it there.


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## amanda_hocking (Apr 24, 2010)

This has been an incredibly informative topic, and I've really learned a lot. So thanks to everyone from that.

But I'm brand new to the whole epublishing thing, and I feel like a lot of the advice has been coming from more "established" authors. Which is good, but I'm not sure if your pricing applies the same as someone like me.

I have two books up on Amazon (they're in a series) and the first one went up 10 days ago. It's selling for $.99, and I've sold 25 copies. To be honest, that thrills me, because I wasn't sure if any random stranger would ever pay _anything_ to read it. I do plan on playing around with pricing a bit more with later books in the series (keeping book 1 at $.99 and putting book 3 at $1.99 or $2.99.)

But I'm curious about other brand new authors who started their price points higher than mine. What kind of sales did you have the first month with your books at $1.99 or $2.99? Would you charge less if you did it over again? Or would you recommend $1.99 or more?

And for the sake of argument, we're assuming that the books we're discussing are properly formatted and edited with decent covers, etc. We're pretending that all books are equal.


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## NoLongerHere (Apr 26, 2010)

Bye


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## amanda_hocking (Apr 24, 2010)

REC -

Thanks. That does help. It gives me some things to think about. 

-Amanda


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

amanda_hocking said:


> But I'm curious about other brand new authors who started their price points higher than mine. What kind of sales did you have the first month with your books at $1.99 or $2.99? Would you charge less if you did it over again? Or would you recommend $1.99 or more?


I'm a brand new author, never published traditionally. I put my first book, the mystery, out in February at $1.99, and it sold 8+ copies per day that partial month (and continues to average that). I then put my western historical romance out this month at $1.99, and it has sold 3+ copies per day for the partial month. Another difference is that from the beginning the mystery had good reviews and I think rather a lot for a new book by an unknown (it now has 24), whereas the romance has only 1 to date, although that 1 is very nice. So I think a lot has to do with the individual book. How popular is the genre, does the story have a built in audience (my mystery had automatic appeal to dog lovers), etc. I suspect my romance would do much better at $.99 but haven't experimented with prices at all.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I'll tell you, my books in January of 2009 were priced at $3.99. Then I experimented with the $ .99 price as a sale promotion. However, reader response to the price was so overwhelmingly favorable that I decided that, with the exception of 3 of my 15 books, I would keep the price at $ .99, because all I had accomplished was lowering a barrier. Therehave been discussions that $ .99 cheapens an authors efforts and spells "amateur" and low quality. Some people will hold to that, and that's their prerogative. Truth is in the hands of the reader and not in the self-proclaimed psychologist. The price of my books is the investment in time the reader must make, and I insist that they make it (high price that). The $ .99 is a token - a passing of the plate in my chapels and cathedrals. And like most parsons among the flock, I try to be generous and charitable, and evaluating price to length or the amount of time I took to write a work, is a one sided perception. Mine. So you'll pay the toll of $ .99 to read a book that has been in the works for 37 years (haven't worked out how much that is per year). However, the journey the reader takes is the true cost. Some will like them. Some will not. Well, there are 750,000 books published by Indie authors in 2009, so no one is twisting anyones arm. But to keep the reader's attention in a book that spans over 500 pages, is priceless if they enjoy it. Dog food, if they don't.

Ed Patterson


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

My book started out at $2.99. I did this because I'd heard about the upcoming changes and figured I'd just start off there. 

After a little while I dropped the price to $.99 as an experiment. I sold a lot more copies afterward. Of course, I also discovered kindleboards at about the same time, so who knows how much influence either had over the increase in sales? Both probably played a part. But for about two weeks, I stayed in the mid to low 4 digits in sales ranking. 

Either way, the $.99 price was never intended to be permanent. The price will be going back to $2.99. Not sure if I will wait until June or do it next month, though.


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## Jasmine Giacomo Author (Apr 21, 2010)

This is a great thread; I'm learning a lot and I enjoyed all the various perspectives and opinions I've just read. I'm planning on releasing my first kindle novel soon, and I'm still a little undecided on the price, so everyone's motivation for choosing their price was of particular interest to me too. Thanks for sharing, everyone.

I'm put in mind of a battle, perhaps one stolen from the _Patriot_ movie. The army upon the field known as Amazon Kindle has two sides to it: some of those on one side, known as the Traditional Army, are trained well and have practiced under fire. They have seasoned veterans in their ranks as well as in command. However, they also have a number of Indie Militia on the same side. These guys are looked down on for being undisciplined, rowdy, and unfocused as a combat group. They're known for running away when things get tough.

The other side of the battle is populated by the redcoats, whom we know as readers. When the battle begins in June as the royalty percentage hikes to 70% on $2.99 books, a good portion of the Indies will go out first, hiking their prices in an experimental charge. The redcoat readers will shove back, demanding their low-price books. And while the Traditional Army sits back and sniggers, some of the Indies will break and run, lowering their prices back down in order to avoid slaughter among their monthly purchase numbers.

I'm not experienced enough to tell what this quirky vision means, but what I'm hoping is that enough Indies will make a permanent move to the higher price and convey the statement that this is the new $1.99, so get used to it. Consumers have put up with price hikes for as long as there's been commerce, and the more united the front is that steps forward to $2.99, the sooner the cheap-book-buying public will stop grumbling and get on with their reading.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

I'm a writer... but I'm also a cheap book grumbler.

On the other hand, I buy new paperback and hardcover books all the time.  I buy hardcover books at the thrift store for $3.99 each.  So, for me, if it's a good read, I would pay $2.99 for an ebook without a problem.  It just depends on if the beginning has a strong hook and is well written.  Don't get me started on adverbs again...  grrrr!

Vicki


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

"Adverbs are pernicious weeds."

- Stephen King _On Writing_

Ed Patterson


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> "Adverbs are purnicious weeds."
> 
> - Stephen King _On Writing_
> 
> Ed Patterson


I just finished that book! Great read. I totally agree with him on that.  Actually, he had a lot of great things to say. Very insightful. Although he does have a potty mouth. Heehee!

Vicki


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> "Adverbs are purnicious weeds."


Really? Stephen King can't spell "pernicious" and neither can any of the high-falutin' editors and proofreaders that work on his books?


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Well that's what happens when I type with my good eye shut. My blind does what it wants.  

Edrawd Apptreson


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

I blam all my typos and mispeled words on my faulty keeboard.  Darn thing... there it goes again.

Vicki


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

My thinking is you have to sell twice as many books at 99 cents as $1.99 to make the same money. You can say it's an advantage because you get more readers, but you also can never be sure if those 99 cent readers would have paid more. In other words, you only have a finite audience, whether it's hundreds or thousands, and if they buy it at half price, you lost half your income. That's facile thinking, but as simple math, it makes sense. All I know is that my NY ebook at $5.59 is barely moving at all, and there's no way I'd put my own books that high.

I've been tempted to try a 99 cent novel and see what happens. My 99 cents story collections sell between 1 and 3 copies a day, but I expect them to sell less--oddly, they are "catching up" to the novels, and I am beginning to suspect is purely due to the lower price alone, because the story market is clearly small. I'm officially launching a new novel May 11 (Drummer Boy) and I may move one down to 99 cents for a month just to test.

It's also going to be dicier soon because Apple and Amazon will not want to be undercut elsewhere, so you'll have to move your price in all the outlets.

Scott


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Go for it, Scott. I was on the fence a year ago, but was convinced by Dennis Betchelder, he of the 10,000 $ .01 sales on Soul Identity. I was skeptical, scared and thought it would be a temporary thing. But my priority are readers, not royaties or the pinciples of value and worth. I am what I am - my books are what they are, and readers are golden. 

Ed Patterson


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