# Will 99 cents become the new "standard" for digital books? [old topic revisited]



## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

[ Please note that this thread was started way back in Dec 2009 - isn't it interesting how some subjects remain relevant? ]

When I was deciding how much lower to drop the selling price of the Kindle version of my SF novel, I had a sort of a mini-revelation. I think that while most of us "Indie" authors might feel that our ebooks are worth much more than 99 cents (especially with all the hard work most of us put into them (mine took 7 years to complete, for example!) it is actually in line with what most digital content, like song tracks and TV episodes, are going for these days. While some might think a book should be worth more than a song or a TV show, is it really? Both songs and TV shows have numerous paid individuals working on them (i.e. many mouths to feed), while a novel is usually created by just a lone author. I think 99 cents might become the new standard for ebooks someday soon, regardless of who wrote it (Indie or published author).

Also, if you sell more books due to the lower price, then there is no "downside" to selling at this price. For instance, I was selling my book at $3 per download (where I made $1 in royalty) and lets say I was averaging 10 books per week, then selling the same book for $1 (where I make 33 cents) would earn the same amount if I simply sell 30 per week, which is certainly reasonable since many more people will "take a gamble" on a $1 book than a $3 one.

So, what do you all think?

p.s. in case you were wondering, I am putting this theory to the ultimate test by lowering my book to 99 cents (as soon as Amazon updates my page later today).


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## Sporadic (May 1, 2009)

I kind of agree with you. 

$0.99 is the sweet spot for a blind buy ebook purchase. The guy who wrote Metagame made it to #15 on the Kindle bestsellers list at $0.01/$0.99 and Boyd Morrison was signed to a deal with Simon and Schuster after he priced his novels at $1.59. It's also a great way to pull people into a series of books.

There are a few downsides. While pricing your works cheap is great method to get your name out there, it's possible that $0.99 will become the expected price for any of your future work. Also, if $0.99 is the default price for ebooks, your release won't be special anymore. All of those people who would be willing to gamble a dollar on an unknown title will disappear.


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

I don't know if it will be the new standard since some people don't like pricing that low. I have mine at $1 but that's because I have an issue with odd numbers. Yes, I'm weird that way.


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

Yes.


Except when they're $ 3.99.

 

Ed Patterson


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

sierra09 said:


> I don't know if it will be the new standard since some people don't like pricing that low. I have mine at $1 but that's because I have an issue with odd numbers. Yes, I'm weird that way.


Well, $1.00 or $0.99 is basically the same (although it has been proven that most people round down when they see prices, so $.99 _seems_ much lower than a full $1.00 (even though it isn't) which is why all retail prices end with .99 or .95. Anyway, what I'm referring to is this: If I go to Itunes and want to download the newest single from my favorite artist, Itunes charges me from $0.99 to $1.29. Awhile back I ordered some TV episodes and they were all $0.99 each. The thing is, people expect things to be *free* on the internet. I can go to Hulu right now and see many of the episodes I downloaded for free, and we all know we can find free music on the internet if we look hard enough. So, with so much free stuff available, I think the price of ebooks will have to come down to around a dollar eventually, if authors and publishers want sales. This is especially true with the Kindle because it is so expensive, most owners would welcome one dollar books. Plus, my $0.99 Itunes song will be played and enjoyed for many months, if not years, while any book I download is usually deleted once I read it (with rare exceptions). So, which has more value? Which is worth more?


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

As a reader, I definitely think a book (full length, novel size) is worth more than a song or even a TV show.  I think $3.99 to $5.99 is a good range for an established indie writer, and will pay that much even for a first book if the book catches my attention or is recommended by people who I respect.  Pricing a first book at 99 cents is a good way to get the audience's attention, but as Sporadic said, it might get people expecting to pay that for all your books, so perhaps 99 cents the first, 1.99 the second, 2.99 the third until you get to 5 or 6.99. Remember, most e-book readers don't want to pay the same or more for an e-book as opposed to a paperback.  I will occasionally pay 9.99 for a book, but I find it hard to go higher.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

scarlet said:


> As a reader, I definitely think a book (full length, novel size) is worth more than a song or even a TV show. I think $3.99 to $5.99 is a good range for an established indie writer, and will pay that much even for a first book if the book catches my attention or is recommended by people who I respect. Pricing a first book at 99 cents is a good way to get the audience's attention, but as Sporadic said, it might get people expecting to pay that for all your books, so perhaps 99 cents the first, 1.99 the second, 2.99 the third until you get to 5 or 6.99. Remember, most e-book readers don't want to pay the same or more for an e-book as opposed to a paperback. I will occasionally pay 9.99 for a book, but I find it hard to go higher.


Scarlet,
My point has more to do with a trend I see coming (where $1 books becomes the "standard") than what I personally think is the best price for my book. Also, in my short experience with Kindle products (a year or so), I saw my sales go up by a factor of 10 when I dropped my price from 5.99 to 2.99 last month (so half the price but ten times the sales). I am hoping something similar will happen when it drops to under a buck later today or tomorrow. Only time will tell...


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Unlike songs or TV episodes where iTunes is setting the price, you indie writers are going to be the ones who set the trend.  So you need to decide what you want to do and stick with it, in conjunction with what's going on in the reader's minds.


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

Well, I always point out this particular title (be careful on this page and no click the one-click button, or you'll max your credit line).

http://www.amazon.com/Selected-Nuclear-Materials-Engineering-ebook/dp/B001QTVXAK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1259784419&sr=1-1

*Selected Nuclear Materials and Engineering Systems (Part 4)* *$6,270.42.*

And believe it or not, it's got a relatively good sales rank and has 3 other similarly priced volumes. This one is on sales, down from $8,000. It's #2 in Crytallagraphy.

*DO BE CAREFUL ON THIS PAGE. I know someone that downloaded a sample and . . . whoops!*​
Ed Patterson


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

scarlet said:


> Unlike songs or TV episodes where iTunes is setting the price, you indie writers are going to be the ones who set the trend. So you need to decide what you want to do and stick with it, in conjunction with what's going on in the reader's minds.


I agree that ultimately the authors will set the "standard" but some of that decision comes from sales, which is controlled by the readers. Already there are numerous posts asking us to "boycott anything over $9.99" and others aiming for even lower numbers. Much of the talk on the Amazon board centers around the high price of Kindle books. Also, if you look at the top 10 selling books on Amazon, almost all of them are either free or $0.99. Now, that doesn't mean they are any good, but they are selling faster than more expensive book and that has to count for something. I think from a writer's perspective, if you have the choice of selling 100 ebooks for $1 vs. 10 books for $10 each, even though you earn the same royalty from both scenarios, most authors would say they prefer to sell more books.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Holy [email protected] - I guess I'm now officially putting my money where my mouth is.

*My book just went live at $0.99*

link: http://www.amazon.com/CYBERDROME-ebook/dp/B0012Q6G5Y

I'm a little nervous since it was selling pretty well at $2.99 and I just cut my royalties by 2/3.
Hope I made the right decision...


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

Royalties are like quarks. We know they exist, but we never really see them. Be reader driven and the pennies will take care of themselves.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

JosephRhea said:


> Holy [email protected] - I guess I'm now officially putting my money where my mouth is.
> 
> *My book just went live at $0.99*
> 
> ...


I'm in...


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

I debate back and forth every day if I should drop my books to 99 cents and if I'm being an idiot and losing sales at $4.77. On the one hand, I think $3-$6 is a fair price for a well-done indie eBook, but you're right that I'd rather have 5x the sales at 1/5th the price. As Ed said, the pennies will take care of themselves, how much I make isn't the point. Heck, I'd rather sell 2x or 3x the books for 1/5th the price.

I don't want it to seem like I'm cheapening the books, I do believe they're worth what I charge for them.

Honestly, the main thing holding me back at this point is that I know a few very kind Kindleboards readers bought them at $4.77, and I don't want them to feel like they got "ripped off" if I lower the price down to 99 cents a short while later.


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

LOL Ed. Then there is this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Foundations-on-Rock-ebook/dp/B000Q36XMK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1259795103&sr=1-1

I reiterate Ed's warning. Be careful if you go to this page.

LOL maybe we should follow this example eh? 

Nah, I want anyone to be able to read my work without having to delay the rent or skimp on the groceries.

I have seen multiple posts by people who swear by the one and two dollar business models. That's one reason I backed my prices down last month and will leave them down to under two bucks per book for at least the rest of the year. I'll study the numbers then and make a decision about the priceline move.

But regardless of my marketing decision I promise you'll never see one of my books approaching the $200.00 mark. 

Have a great day,
Ricky


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## J Dean (Feb 9, 2009)

Ultimately, it's the quality of the book that should determine its sale.  Ed has rightly said that you need to be reader-driven when you write, and that does make a big difference.  Putting yourself in the reader's shoes will make your book a whole lot more accessible.

And as a die-hard capitalist, I want my book to sell.  I also realize that I need to make a good quality product with a reasonable price.  99 cents isn't that much to ask for a well-written book.

Having said all of that, let me say this:  I get a little bit irked at people who expect you to distribute your book for free.  That's pretty lame, frankly.  I don't mind free snippets or previews of my work, but I'm not going to give everything away.  When people question why I don't do free downloads, I ask them, "Do you do YOUR job for free?"  I want to try to do this for a living, as big a longshot as it may be.  I'm not expecting to become a millionaire, but it would be quite pleasant to use writing as a significant income.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

I dont think .99 cents is a good price for  book.  There isnt enough sales to justify them that low.  Music singles sell more, so they can afford to sell at that low price.


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

The economics people would call this issue one of "price elasticity." How much will sales rise or fall based on a rise or fall in pricing? There's a sweet spot wherein you can maximize profits, but the only way to determine that is by trial. Try 99 cents for a month then $1.99 the next, for example, and see what happens to revenue.

Joe Konrath has a bunch of books available and he's experimented with pricing and, last I checked, decided $1.99 was the sweet spot.

As time goes by the sweet spot might increase as you gain a readership.

As for pricing low to develop a readership, sacrificing maximal profits in the meantime for a bigger pay-off down the road, sounds to me as though it'd work in theory, assuming you've written a mighty fine book.

Then there's that whole loss leader notion for those who have more than one book, the strategy Dennis B. is now using with Soul Identity and Soul Intent. Again, I guess you could experiment to find out whether that really works. (Seems Dennis is doing well with it, though.)


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## matte633 (Nov 30, 2009)

I lowered my novel on Amazon from $2.00 to 99cents, and have sold three times as many books as a result.  People are willing to gamble on an unknown author if it's under a dollar.  Publishers, however, use the 99cents price to sell older books, and to promote the author's NEWEST WORK which will sell for $7.99, etc.


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

Removing price as a barrier is important if you want to be read. After 2 years, my $ 3.99 books sell just as well as my $ .99 books, but that's because I'm a known quantity in some circles. The $ .99 barrier removed allows more readers into my $ 3.99 circle, not that $ 3.99 is exorbitant, not when it cost $ 1.37 for a bottle of diet coke (I need to sell 4 books at $ .99 to get enough royalty to feed my Diet Coke habit). If you take yourself seriously, you'll lower your price. If you take yourself TOO seriousy, you'll raise it.

Edward C. Patterson


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## matte633 (Nov 30, 2009)

Edward..what is it about writing a novel and being addicted to Coke?  My habit is Coke Zero though   Your point makes sense.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Thanks for all the comments, folks.

This price drop on the Kindle version of Cyberdrome is just an experiment for me, but I'm happy to report to you all on what works and what doesn't (I don't mind being the guinea pig here). As for quality, I'm too much of a chicken to put something crappy out there for the world to make fun of. So, suffice it to say that, at the very least, it is a typo-free and grammatically-correct novel (it spend over 2 years in the editing and final polishing process). I realize that in the Indie world, that puts the book above 90% of what's out there (sorry if that was mean-sounding, as I don't wish to offend anyone. 

Another reason for selling at such a low price is that I have a paperback version of Cyberdrome as well, and its price will not be lowered ($14.95). I honestly feel that those of you who spent more than $250 on your kindle should be given a break on the price of the books you want to read. I hope Cyberdrome will be one of those books.

So, what is Cyberdrome? It is a fast-paced, near-future (roughly 30 years from now) technothriller (which right away turned off some of you, while hopefully enticing some others). It is "hard" science fiction in that every piece of technology is an extrapolation of what someone in the world is working on today (I have references for everything), but it reads like a character-based adventure story. These is some sex and minor profanity (nothing offensive) and violence (but mainly against machines) and some lovable and heroic characters die at the end (but hopefully you will see the reason for this happening). I will also say that the free preview (also available at www.cyberdrome.org) will tell you right away of this book is for you. So, if you like Chapter One, you will like the entire book (it only gets better later on). If you don't like it, that's fine too.

Is it worth your $0.99? You decide for yourselves. All I ask from any of you who download Cyberdrome at this price, is please consider writing a review on my Amazon page. If I don't make any money from this, it would be nice to gain a few more reviews.

Thanks for your consideration, and I'll keep you informed of the progress,
Joseph Rhea

p.s. right now Cyberdrome is at #17 in technothrillers (and a dozen or so downloads) after just a few hours at this price.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I read that $.99 has become a common price for iPhone apps. However, there are millions of iPhones and iPod touches, whereas there are a lot fewer ebook readers. Is it possible for an author to actually make a living selling $.99 books?


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

I think the answer to whether or not this price cut will be "successful" will in the numbers. If lower cost equals more sales, then it is a win-win scenario for both author and reader (same income for the author and less money spent by each reader). Also, here on Amazon, there is the additional exposure gained from having a high ranking. I know that my current sales are all from you generous people reading this post, however, those sales have temporarily pushed my book into the top 10 in several Amazon categories. While it is there, more people who don't read forums have a chance to see it and perhaps buy it. Without physical bookshelves to show off our book's cover art, all online sales have to come either from word of mouth or online visibility. A book at the top is more visible and therefore will sell more. It's the standard snowball effect used in sales, where people tend to want what they think other people want. I don't fall for that, and I know many of you here don't either, but it does work for many. Whether it works in this "experiment" or not, only time will tell...

Update: as of 2:30 EST, Cyberdrome is
#7 in Kindle technothrillers
#10 in paperback technothrillers
#10 in high tech science fiction
and #910 in all Kindle sales.


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

I can pay my electric bill with my royalties, and according to Stephen King, that's a sign of success.  

Ed Patterson


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> I can pay my electric bill with my royalties, and according to Stephen King, that's a sign of success.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Electric bills? I can't even pay for my Starbuck's coffee addiction with my royalties, so that must make me really unsuccessful! 
Luckily I have a day job to do that.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Well, I've ordered Cyberdrome so your next sip of coffee is on me?


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

My first Royalty check date 2002 from anotherchapter.com was for $1.75 (for the month). Never cashed it. Have it framed. It was the first afterall, and it ws the day I graduated from "writer" to "author."  

Ed Patterson


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

scarlet said:


> Well, I've ordered Cyberdome so your next sip of coffee is on me?


Thank you so much, Scarlet! 
However, I certainly hope you ordered Cyberdrome and not "Cyberdome" (missing the 'r') 
Also, I drink Starbuck's Peppermint Mochas, so at 35cents royalty per download, I'll need about 10 more sales before I can afford that next drink - but thanks for contributing to my addiction. 

BTW-
Update: as of 3:20 EST, Cyberdrome is
#7 in Kindle technothrillers
#8 in high tech science fiction
#9 in all technothrillers
and #805 in all Kindle sales!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

JosephRhea said:


> Thank you so much, Scarlet!
> However, I certainly hope you ordered Cyberdrome and not "Cyberdome" (missing the 'r')
> Also, I drink Starbuck's Peppermint Mochas, so at 35cents royalty per download, I'll need about 10 more sales before I can afford that next drink - but thanks for contributing to my addiction.


I ordered the right book (I checked the authors' names) and have fixed my original post so the link will work right.

Sorry about that.


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## KathyBell (Nov 7, 2009)

Joseph, I am happy to see your book climbing the ranks at the new price. I think for every new author, visions of royalties dance in their heads but the reality is that first novel builds readership rather than retirement, LOL...oh, I suppose the two could equate if the loyal readers buy your next installment at full price!

I too will order Cyberdrome when I get home, the premise reminds me of the 1999 movie 'The Thirteenth Floor" which was so greatly overshadowed by the release of "The Matrix" (my all time favourite movie) the same year. 

Best of luck with the new promotion, we reduced the price of Regression down to 99 cents again because we wanted to keep up the momentum. It's about getting the word out, more than making money at this point.

Kathy


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

KathyBell said:


> Joseph, I am happy to see your book climbing the ranks at the new price. I think for every new author, visions of royalties dance in their heads but the reality is that first novel builds readership rather than retirement, LOL...oh, I suppose the two could equate if the loyal readers buy your next installment at full price!
> 
> I too will order Cyberdrome when I get home, the premise reminds me of the 1999 movie 'The Thirteenth Floor" which was so greatly overshadowed by the release of "The Matrix" (my all time favourite movie) the same year.
> 
> ...


Kathy,
I see we are both double-boarding today 
I already downloaded Regression for my PC-Kindle, and if I like it, I will order the paperback as well. I still prefer "solid" books and I also like to support my fellow authors (especially the talented ones!)
Joe


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> I can pay my electric bill with my royalties, and according to Stephen King, that's a sign of success.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Every month? That _IS_ success!

(Or, you have no lights. )


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

I live in an all electric apartment too. But I'm getting a 30% increase in PA in January, I'll need my readers but two extra books per month.  

Ed Patterson


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## Guest (Dec 3, 2009)

I've commented on this before. I'd just like to reiterate a few points. But let me start by saying that if you don't really care about making money (or losing money for that matter) and just want to be read, price your books however you see fit. It is your book after all. You can do whatever you want with it. Be happy!

But if you hope to actually make some cash (and I pay my truck payment each month from my profits, thank you very much. ) then 99 cent is not generally in your best interest.

*I'll give you an example:*

I have an RPG project that is sold in PDF format. It was written by a freelancer, whom I paid. It was illustrated by an artist, whom I paid. I then spent my time editing and formatting the project. And yes, I place a value on my time when calculating profit/loss ratios. When I was done, the project went to my proofreader. Finally, there are marketing costs, both in my time to write and distribute press releases and the purchase of paid advertising on RPG sites. So my total costs for the project are $500.

Now the e-retailer takes 30% of the sales price. The industry norm for this type of a product is around $5. That is what other publishers sell similar products for. That is what consumers in the industry relatively expect to pay. At $4.99, I only need to sell 143 copies to recoop my costs. Now I know based on my own sales history and market research that I can sell than many copies easily in under 90 days. A 90 day turnaround allows me to keep my cash flow positive, so that I can continue to fund new projects. And once that break even point is hit, everything over it is pure profit.  So I want to hit that break even point as soon as possible.

If I drop the price to 99 cents, I have to sell over 700 copies to break even. That means I need to sell 5 times the number of products to achieve the same result.

Now I have to ask, is this feasible?

No, it isn't. Because of the nature of the average consumer. Most people don't place online orders for 99 cents at a time. A small portion of the buying public will do this, but the average consumer will "wait" until they build a cart. Which means they delay purchases. The longer they delay, the less likely they buy. The average gamer will jump on a $5 product that peeks their interest, but will "wait" on what they will consider a "throwaway" supplement for 99 cents until they are going to make a bigger purchase.

Now the advantage of the Kindle is that the Amazon one-click does encourage that 99 cent individual purchases. But while the portion of the Kindle owning public is dedicated enough to randomly shop for a 99 cent book at a time, the typical buyer is still going to wait until they have decided to make multiple purchases, or at least until they are already going to Amazon to buy something else.

Of course, you may argue that you aren't paying an author or other people, so that doesn't matter. But you should still be placing a value on your time. Time spend formating, proofreading, editing, rewriting, marketing, etc should be valued. Because time you spend on those things is time away from writing your next book! And hopefully, you ARE paying for a good editor or proofreader and at least getting a decide cover artist. Most writers are not also illustrators, after all, and a hideous cover can be a death knell for a book. And don't forget all the incidental expenses. Accounting (assuming you intend to pay your taxes), the cost of maintaining a website, promotion, etc.

So to get to the point, no, I don't see 99 cents becoming the standard. I think it may quickly become a standard among self-publishers, but those of us that run businesses aren't going to adopt that strategy. And keep in mind that self-publishing has generally always had a bad reputation because of poor quality (brought on by the lack of editing, proofreading, etc that comes from having no money!). If anything, 99 cents may become the signal to readers that something is self-published, particularly on the Kindle.

Now someone will argue that there are bad "mainstream" books too. Of course there are. But most mainstream books have a certain minimum standard. The majority of the millions of self-published titles don't even have minimum standards. A reader that "takes a chance" of five 99 cent books and gets burnt every time will eventually just rule out those books. The members of Kindleboards are not a good barometer of the norms, because they actually interact with the authors on a regular basis and have a more sympathetic view of self-published books. But there are tens of thousands of people who DON'T feel sympathy for self-publishers, even if it is only 99 cents.

So in the long term, 99 cents can be a detrimental strategy to the larger consumer base, because as the market becomes even more glutted with self-publishers people just won't want to be bothered. And since you aren't investing money in your production or marketing, instead hoping 99 cents will "sell' your book, you end up in the virtual dollar discount pile.


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

Well, my time is valuable, if we include the education to get up through a Master in Sinology and two years at an expensive Ivy league school for part of a Ph. D., plus 37 years of tinkering with a manuscript. So, I think I'm raising the price of The Academician to $ 230.00 a copy tomorrow . . . nah! $ .99 cents lets me share my vision. After all, I never did get to teach, because I did this silly Director of Marketing stint for 38 years - and I've learned one thing about book selling - Marketing logic doesn't apply. That's why the publishing industry is slipping down the tubes. They think their selling toothpaste and squeezing the tubes dry. No. Reader's buy a piece of me, and go for $ .99 a slice, except when I go for $ 3.99, but those slices take longer to digest.  

Miss Chatty


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## KathyBell (Nov 7, 2009)

JosephRhea said:


> if I like it, I will order the paperback as well. I still prefer "solid" books Joe


Joe, you've hit upon a key point for myself and any others who have both print and digital copies available to purchase...the conversions of ebook sales to print sales help increase the revenues even when offering the ebook at a lower price. I've so far found a conversion rate of about 5%. Thankfully those sales are not actually coming through Amazon, who takes a significant cut, but rather right from the Northern Sanctum website because the people want first printing, first edition signed copies rather than POD unsigned US editions (I am Canadian, and POD is not really economically feasible in the Canadian marketplace so a first print run was done in July). The ebooks are a very limited portion of this endeavour, almost icing on the cake, and the print copies are where the real value is, especially since ebook sales do not count toward any Canadian statistics, nor do Amazon sales.

I have a book signing tomorrow evening at a Chapters subsidiary (Canada's answer to Borders), and another on Saturday at an independent bookstore in another town. I do one or two events per month because I have a young, large family...I could do two per week if I had time, the book stores have been very supportive, including taking in copies on consignment at most retail locations I've approached. This is where many indies falter...if you want into a bookstore, you must do it on consignment and carry that invoice for 60-90 days. Every bookstore I've approached has wanted to preview the book before putting it on their shelves, they have a reputation to uphold, but have been more than welcoming when I've entered their brick and mortar establishments. Once enough copies have processed through their sales records, then Chapters will list the book in their regular catalogue and distribution network.

Bardsandsages, I am curious if those truck payments are made from the royalties across ALL products, or for one specific product? I expect having multiple titles available across various genres or even disciplines increases your target market such that you have a bit more flexibility within each individual title. Diversity in one's portfolio allows for greater security! I know nothing about the RPG world. Does the number of RPG products published each year approach the number of fiction titles published annually?

I commend you on the resources listed on your website, and the 'extra-curricular' activities such as the contest, etc.

R. Reed, the Kindle sales numbers are not official, but are rumoured to be at about 2 million...and are garnering record sales entering the holiday season. Those are pretty encouraging statistics. And, I must admit, the one click purchase is something you don't stop to think about when the book is only 99 cents, I've done it a bunch of times now, having just gotten my Kindle! Impulse buying is easy when less than a coffee!


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

bardsandsages said:


> So to get to the point, no, I don't see 99 cents becoming the standard ... And keep in mind that self-publishing has generally always had a bad reputation because of poor quality (brought on by the lack of editing, proofreading, etc that comes from having no money!). If anything, 99 cents may become the signal to readers that something is self-published, particularly on the Kindle ... A reader that "takes a chance" of five 99 cent books and gets burnt every time will eventually just rule out those books.


I see this as a genuine possibility, particularly if there is a flood of indie publishing in the coming year or two. There could well be a tidal wave of crap about to swamp the system, sufficient to keep the market for indie books minimal.

On the other hand I think some remedies are already falling into place with review blogs dedicated to indie books and Amazon's system, which highlights the best sellers and allows for customer reviews.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Kathy,
I'm impressed (and a bit jealous) that you do so many book signings. I mentioned on another post that I'm just not good at self promotion. Part of that is simple lack of time (job in science and 2 small kids) but the other reason is that I since I'm not "doing this for a living," I would sort of like for Cyberdrome to be a bit of an "underdog" - something that isn't shoved into people's faces, but maybe discovered and enjoyed by a few dozen and then spread by word of mouth. Books like that are probably destined for obscurity, but maybe not. Time will tell...


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

Better to live in relative obscurity than in total obscurity.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

I found this kind of funny: Apparently the Amazon "machine" is trying to help me sell my book, but doing it in an odd way. 
Below is what they are now putting on my book's page since the price drop 2 days ago:

Print List Price:	$14.95
Kindle Price:	$0.99 & includes wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save:	$13.96 (93%) 

Comparing an ebook's price to the printed version is strange, however, with savings like that, who wouldn't buy it? 
I may have to go buy a copy myself!


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

We don;t get that advantage if the book's POD is an Amazon company like CreateSpace. The Kindle page lists the Digital price only, with no YOU SAVE. If that were the case, my readers would be saving enough for college educations between my print and eBooks. (Well, my most expensive one is 17.45 and that's for 740 page read - so that's not too bad).

Ed Patterson


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## luvkin (Sep 25, 2009)

I for one do hope that 99 cents becomes the new standard.  After paying a good amount for the K2, I will buy many more books at 99 cents than at 9.99 or even 5.99.  I used to buy paperbacks and share them with many family members and friends which I can no longer do.


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## Sam Landstrom (May 29, 2009)

I think FREE is going to be the eventual standard. That's just the expectation for digital media. My plan is to have a free book (loss leader referred to in this thread) and one that I charge some amount I haven't determined yet. Probably 3+. Naturally, your loss leader needs to be very good and you moneymaker needs to be at least good enough to not get trounced by the reviewers. Looks like you have the first book, now just crank that other one out.


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> We don;t get that advantage if the book's POD is an Amazon company like CreateSpace. The Kindle page lists the Digital price only, with no YOU SAVE. If that were the case, my readers would be saving enough for college educations between my print and eBooks. (Well, my most expensive one is 17.45 and that's for 740 page read - so that's not too bad).
> 
> Ed Patterson


Hmm, I took a peek and this is what my Kindle Page says:
Digital List Price: $1.00 What's this? 
Print List Price: $11.05 
Kindle Price: $1.00 & includes wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet 
You Save: $10.05 (91%)

I never noticed until I looked tonight.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Here is another way to look at this issue. I can only speak from my point of view, of course, which is an "intentionally-indie" writer who simply wants to see his hard work read by as many people as possible. I assume most of the other writers out there who have paperback versions of their books, have sent numerous free copies out to reviewers and/or competitions. You spent some of your own money in hopes of getting some positive reviews and recognition. Lowering the Kindle version of Cyberdrome five days ago cost me absolutely nothing, and as of this morning I have sold over 50 additional copies, which is 50 potential reviews. In fact, it not only didn't cost me anything, I actually made $20 so far by doing so. Does that sound like a bad deal to you?

Now you could say that if I had kept my price at $7.99 (or even $2.99 that I had last month) I would have earned much more in the past five days, but at those prices, Cyberdrome was just another Indie science fiction book among thousands, and was therefore nearly invisible to most Kindle owners. My sudden boost to the top 20 (or even top 10 in several categories) has made my book much more visible, and that was my goal. Eventually, depending on how the sales keep going (and depending on how many people bother to write me a review) I will probably raise the price back up to something more reasonable like $2.99, but for now, 99 cents is the "sweet spot" for me and my particular goals.

p.s. By "intentionally-indie" writer I mean that I wanted to self-publish this particular book, not because I didn't believe in it, I just didn't have the time or energy deal with slush piles or trying to find an agent. My next book will be different I suspect...


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

All of which goes back to the mantra of an authors selling books. We don't sell titles, we sell ourselves. I go generally for $ .99 a slice, but after the first slice you know what to expect with a second. 

Ed Patterson


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Alright here is the deal my fellow Kindlers. 

Last month I lowered the Kindle version of my SF novel, Cyberdrome, from $7.99 to $2.99 and sold 10 times the previous amount. Then, after starting this thread, I decided to try lowering it all the way down to $0.99 and sold more copies in a week than I thought possible. Well, since I have Smashwords versions available now at $2.99, the party here at Amazon has to end. Starting tomorrow, Cyberdrome will go back to what most authors and readers think is a "fair price" of $4.95 (which happens to be $10 off the paperback price). If you still want to get in on the super low price of 0.99, then you had better go check out the book right now. This is not a "plug" really, because I honestly don't want to sell you something you won't like, but there are plenty of free samples all over the place, so you make the call. 

I imagine I will temporarily drop the price again in the future, because I certainly made a lot of friends doing so this time.

Thanks to all,
Joseph Rhea


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## KathyBell (Nov 7, 2009)

Joe, Cyberdrome did well when you dropped the price...you broke the top 1000! I wonder if you could use the product description space to greater advantage...the PODBRAM review is very well written and gives a good synopsis of the story, if you posted that as a review in the formal product description section, it might help drive people's purchases because the synopsis itself is quite short.  

I am curious about Smashwords...have you found it to be effective at all as a selling resource? I recognize we are supposed to link from our own pages, and promote through word of mouth, twitter, facebook, etc, but really...do you get unsolicited sales, or are they all from direct referrals? Looking at the statistics, the Smashwords page for my book does not get many visits, meanwhile the Kindle version is still selling 7-10 copies a day without any effort on my part. Since ebooks sales are not my primary goal, I hesistate to spend huge amounts of time promoting the Smashwords version myself, especially when the Kindle copies are moving well. Since Regression is part of a trilogy, getting that first installment out there en masse is invaluable!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Thanks for the suggestion about updating my product description page, Kathy. I added the PODBRAM review just now (though it will take some time to see it, I'm sure).
Regarding Smashwords, I originally didn't want to spend the time and effort to make a Kindle version of my book, but now I'm glad that I did (I've had many more sales of the ebook version than the paperback, even before the price cut). I consider Smashwords just another avenue, and considering that I am spending ZERO time "selling" my book, I can use all the avenues I can get. I wish I had your energy (and maybe your enthusiasm too). Between my day job and raising two small children, my free time is nearly gone. I honestly don't know how you manage it all...


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

Smashwords is a great tool for having a system of discounting or even giving your book as a gift (ie. Operation eBook Drop - 20,000 coupons dropped). It's also good to get your book distributed to B&N, Sony, Shortcovers and Fictionwise. As for stand along sales (not free - which I call "select"), but one's where I get a royalty, I've had perhaps 100 sales, which is small fraction compared with my overall total (which stands at 3,064 as of this morning). However, Smashwords has a large vision and, unlike B&N which is a bookstore online, or Amazon which is a search engine/distribuor on line - Smashwords is the "meatgrinder" - their term for it — place that takes your manuscript and makes it universally available to the eBook world. How you get into reader's hands is still (as is always) up to you. No magic formula there. But, it's a good thing, IMHO and IMNSHO.

Edward C. Patterson


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## GregoryMose (Nov 16, 2009)

Thanks for being the Guinea Pig! I'm reluctant, but it's Christmas, so I'm going to give it a try and lower the price of my novel Stunt Road to 99 cents. Same price as some lousy soulless pop song. But as Ed says, relative obscurity is better than total obscurity. Price should be active by tomorrow. Grumble. 

Gregory Mose
www.gregorymose.com


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

As the originator of this thread, I have to say that I am happy with all the opposing viewpoints, both from readers of ebooks and from the authors as well. While I still see a trend coming to lower ebook prices well below what the comparable paperback version would cost, I think most of us agree that 0.99 is not that price (or at least we authors hope it isn't). Most likely, $0.99 ebooks would only be profitable if everyone on the planet had Kindles and we authors had the potential to sell millions of copies (like the mp3's I compared them to.) As a few people have suggested, a large preview combined with a realistic price seems to the the best answer.  Following Smashwords suggestions, I am giving any potential readers of my novel, Cyberdrome, a full 50% free preview, and set the price at $4.95 (which in my case is exactly $10 off the paperback price) for the Kindle version (with a full image gallery and nearly identical to the paperback) and $3.95 for all other text-only versions from Smashwords. I know I wont sell as many copies at that price, but it leaves me room for temporary promotional discounts. Also, a free %50 preview will give anyone a lot to read for free and then really find out for themselves if the book is worth paying the additional $4 to $5 to finish reading.

Anyway, that's what I'm doing right now. Next month it could be different...


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

Many authors in addition to publishers will not be happy with .99 cent titles


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## KathyBell (Nov 7, 2009)

Although 99 cents does not make much money, it does generate an audience who will hopefully pick up the next installment of my series at full price, or enjoy the ebook version enough to convert to print.

I don't think my book would be at #301 overall in Kindle sales if it was not priced at 99 cents. Over the past few days the sales suddenly doubled...then tripled...and now are happening every 15 minutes! I am thrilled!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Well, I see one problem with lowering your book down to $0.99 for a short while - no one wants to pay full price afterward. 

So, since I really liked seeing Cyberdrome in the top 10 in several categories last week (and who needs royalties anyway, right?) 
I am once again *lowering the Kindle price for Cyberdrome from $4.95 to $0.99* -at least through the holidays. 
Sale starts again tomorrow (12/16) at Amazon.

Also, as mentioned in another thread, Cyberdrome is available right now at Smashwords for $0.99 with a discount code.
Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7021
and use coupon code *YU33C* when you purchase to get the discount.

Thanks again,
Joseph Rhea


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

After listening to the success others have had, I recently pulled the trigger and lowered my novels







 to 99 cents each as well. Yes, it's a very low price point and certainly not enough for authors to live on, but if it allows more people to check out the novels and enjoy them, then I'm happy.

Early indications are fairly positive... and it is fun getting that "thrill" of seeing new sales. Thanks to everyone who's bought them so far!


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## jrector (May 24, 2009)

Maybe for the self-published books on the site, but I don't think there will be a standard for traditionally published ebooks any time soon.  Apparently $9.99 is too low of a price and Amazon and the publishers are all losing money on ebooks.  My guess is it'll settle around $14.99, same as trade paper, but not until there is a sandard format that includes all e-readers.


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

David Derrico said:


> After listening to the success others have had, I recently pulled the trigger and lowered my novels
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think I've read this entire thread and, if I'm not mistaken, every comment concerning lowering the price to 99 cents is positive, but I submit it's not positive in every case. If you've written a stellar book, then I can see how this might be an excellent strategy to expand your readership and increase your revenue in the long run, but if you haven't, then it will prove detrimental in the long run because all you'll be doing is making a wee bit of money from a whole lot of people who will never buy another book from you (despite, perhaps, when you're actually writing better books). Of course with so many new customers flooding into our market you likely won't be able to tell if you're hurting yourself for some time to come.

Here's something contrarian to think about: if you're averaging less than four stars after ten reviews or more (not counting the scores from your friends, relatives or anyone likely to be generous for non-book-quality reasons) then maybe now is not the time to emphasize market share.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Eric C said:


> I think I've read this entire thread and, if I'm not mistaken, every comment concerning lowering the price to 99 cents is positive, but I submit it's not positive in every case. If you've written a stellar book, then I can see how this might be an excellent strategy to expand your readership and increase your revenue in the long run, but if you haven't, then it will prove detrimental in the long run because all you'll be doing is making a wee bit of money from a whole lot of people who will never buy another book from you (despite, perhaps, when you're actually writing better books). Of course with so many new customers flooding into our market you likely won't be able to tell if you're hurting yourself for some time to come.
> 
> Here's something contrarian to think about: if you're averaging less than four stars after ten reviews or more (not counting the scores from your friends, relatives or anyone likely to be generous for non-book-quality reasons) then maybe now is not the time to emphasize market share.


I completely agree with your statement, Eric. If your book is not ready for public scrutiny, then enticing others to buy it (by lowering the price or even giving it away) will probably result in a lot of bad reviews, which nobody wants and nobody needs (paraphrasing Dr. Seuss there) .

However, as you stated, if your book is ready to face the public and stand on it's own merits, then lowering the price for awhile seems to be a good way to get both sales and positive reviews (which will result in more sales later on when your book goes back to a more "reasonable" price).

At least that is what I am hoping for...


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

Agree completely with you too, Joseph.


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## J Dean (Feb 9, 2009)

I could probably sell more if I could get more visible.  Problem is, nobody seems to want to let me tell them about it.  I pulled down the contact info. for several book clubs, and they all responded with a "Thank you very much" and dropped it.


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## Guest (Dec 17, 2009)

J Dean said:


> I could probably sell more if I could get more visible. Problem is, nobody seems to want to let me tell them about it. I pulled down the contact info. for several book clubs, and they all responded with a "Thank you very much" and dropped it.


And lowering your price will not make you more visible either. You can give it away for free, but unless you actually market the book to increase its visibility nobody outside of these boards will know about it! Of course, you need money to market effectively (not substantial amounts, but enough to pay for a few banners or ads in the right places).

But that is a discussion for another....longer...thread


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## J Dean (Feb 9, 2009)

bardsandsages said:


> And lowering your price will not make you more visible either. You can give it away for free, but unless you actually market the book to increase its visibility nobody outside of these boards will know about it! Of course, you need money to market effectively (not substantial amounts, but enough to pay for a few banners or ads in the right places).
> 
> But that is a discussion for another....longer...thread


Agreed, madam. And one that I might start up in a few....


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

bardsandsages said:


> And lowering your price will not make you more visible either. You can give it away for free, but unless you actually market the book to increase its visibility nobody outside of these boards will know about it! Of course, you need money to market effectively (not substantial amounts, but enough to pay for a few banners or ads in the right places).
> 
> But that is a discussion for another....longer...thread


That's so true. In fact, any title that I give away for FREE, I keep in a catagory called "Select," because one would think that if you make it Free everyone will instantly want it and download it. Not so. You need to market the Free ones also. I kept titles on my website for a few years and shouted FREE, come READ, and guess what - people don;t respond to things just because they're free.They must "Select it," just as if it had a price tag on it. My little FREE Book (which I also sell) is out on the street for a little under a year and I needed to market it just as hard as any of the others. (I'm proud of that litle bugger as it has been "selected" by over 800 readers).

Ed Patterson


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

You know, for those of us with only a single completed novel (like me) the question of pricing becomes even harder, 
in that I can't "give" one book away hoping to draw readers to my other higher-priced books.

Also, If I was trying to live off my writing (as some here are trying to do) I probably would not have gambled on lowering 
my book to $0.99 - even temporarily. However, now that I have and it has sold so well at that price, I fear that it is 
going to be difficult to ask anyone to pay more for it later on. *100 downloads in the first week* is quite amazing to me, 
but then I tried to raise the price a bit and the sales stopped. So now it is back to $0.99 for the rest of the month, 
but then what happens next month? I can hope that the few hundred downloads will result in a bunch of reviews on my 
book's Amazon page, but a lot of people don't bother doing that.

If the reviews don't start coming in next month, I will need a new strategy for 2010. Unfortunately, when I started writing, 
I didn't think I would have to spend so much time and effort *selling* the book. But, I guess that's what separates the 
successful Indie authors from the rest...


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

If you have one books only (all of us had only one at one time), start writing article about the work - characterization, themes, how it relates to the economy or global warming or toasters in Brazil, and blog, blog, blog. That's your free piece unti you can get lost leaders.

Hope that helps. (I did that and it works)
Ed Patterson


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> If you have one books only (all of us had only one at one time), start writing article about the work - characterization, themes, how it relates to the economy or global warming or toasters in Brazil, and blog, blog, blog. That's your free piece unti you can get lost leaders.
> 
> Hope that helps. (I did that and it works)
> Ed Patterson


Wise words (as always) Ed.

I think I'm secretly hoping for that old *internet snow-ball effect*, where a few of the hundred or so current readers will like Cyberdrome so much, they will mention it on other threads themselves (I have done this for others). Then someone from those threads will do the same, and so on and so on. Eventually, one of those thread posts leads a Hollywood producer to offer to buy the film rights from me.

Hey, I can dream big, can't I?


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## KathyBell (Nov 7, 2009)

It has been an exhausting week on a personal level for me, but a little smile hits my face each time I check my Amazon stats and ranking... Regression briefly broke the top 200 today, and almost 600 copies are out there now on kindles, plus another 400 in print. That, for me, is awesome to think so many people are sharing in something I created. It is amazingly cool to see my name listed in the top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy books available (I'm #72) on the Amazon website, right up there with Sookie Stackhouse and The Host, etc.

I, too, am not planning on making a living from writing, so the decision to sell my Kindle book at 99 cents is not a matter of putting food on the table. To expect to make a living as an author is pie in the sky to me, although I certainly would not object if the opportunity arose. The price gets people to purchase, which makes Regression climb the charts, which encourages other people to purchase...a positive feedback loop which I am not fueling with any promotion right now so is definitely building on its own power. With this in mind, I must respectfully disagree with the statement a decreased price does NOT increase visibility...prospective purchasers see my book listed in the top 5 SciFi Kindle Adventure, top 5 scifi high tech, top 50 all scifi, top 100 scifi/fantasy, etc. whereas I doubt I would have attained those rankings at a high price point.

So, what do I want from being an author...to be honest, I don't know. I fell into the role while on maternity leave, and never planned on seeing any huge success, so this all is just a big cherry on top of the book I managed to bring to fruition!


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## Reba (Nov 9, 2009)

Gratz, KathyBell! You're success is wonderful and fills us all with hope for our own literary dreams! Thank you for sharing your story


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## KLBrady (Sep 7, 2009)

I've gone back and forth with myself over the price. My book, The Bum Magnet, was priced at $1.99 for the first month or so that it was out (it's only been out about two weeks now). Then I raised it to $4.99 and I've still be getting sales but only about a third of what they were. 

I don't know that I'll ever try to go the traditional route again, but I was told by an editor at Simon & Schuster that when they look at your sales, they do look at how much your books sold for to determine whether your a commercially viable author. If the price is too low, it won't work in your favor necessarily.

So, I'm not sure what to do because I'd like to have the option sometime in the future if indeed I decide to go that route. My book is very well-reviewed so far (mostly 5-star ratings), so I believe that I can draw in readers for the long haul. But I also know this indie publishing stuff is EXHAUSTING and I'd sure like to have a big house behind me at some point. 

I may drop the price for another month and see how it goes. My goal is first and foremost to build a readership. I just don't want to do it so cheaply that I lose commercial viability because they won't want to pay more than 99 cent for my books in the future. Decisions...Decisions.


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

You should have a wide variety of prices. I sell The jade owl at $ 3.99, and The Academician at $ .99 - a eBooks. Yet today I had a The Jade Owl sale in DTB for $ 21.00. There are many variables, so you need to remain flexible, including "select" that is offer ny work that a reader wants to read for no cost at all. 

Ed Patterson


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

KLBrady said:


> I've gone back and forth with myself over the price. My book, The Bum Magnet, was priced at $1.99 for the first month or so that it was out (it's only been out about two weeks now). Then I raised it to $4.99 and I've still be getting sales but only about a third of what they were.
> 
> I don't know that I'll ever try to go the traditional route again, but I was told by an editor at Simon & Schuster that when they look at your sales, they do look at how much your books sold for to determine whether your a commercially viable author. If the price is too low, it won't work in your favor necessarily.
> 
> ...


I certainly understand the desire to remain "commercially viable" and when I started this thread, I honestly did not intend to sell my novel for $0.99 - it was more a desire to find out what others thought of selling at that price and whether or not it was a coming trend.

It's not that I necessarily think $0.99 is too low a price for an indie ebook, (I know that "supply and demand" is what drives retail prices in every other field, so why not here?) - it was more that I was concerned with potential readers passing over anything listed so low - that they would think that something being sold for less than a dollar would be poorly written and therefore not worth their time. Judging from some of the replies in this thread, I see that several people do think this way.

Many of us who dropped the price of our ebooks this past month (possibly because of feedback from this very thread), are, in fact, now seeing *huge* increases in sales (I know this goes for both Kathy Bell and I) but the downside is that we have started a trend where it might be impossible (or at least very difficult) to raise our prices later on without killing sales. I have personally vowed to end my book's $0.99 sale at the end of this month (going back to a still reasonable price of between $3 to $4) but I know it is going to kill me to see sales drop again. Being "at the top" of the Amazon sales ranking is quite intoxicating, even if you are not profiting financially from the position. I know I am gong to miss it when it is gone...

Anyway, I think I'm rambling now, so I will stop there. 
JR


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## KathyBell (Nov 7, 2009)

The sales of my DTB have been steadily increasing since the visibility of Regression improved. Being in the top rankings for the genre has certainly directed people to the print version, as well as fuelling sales of the Kindle version. The reviews from those sales have started to come in, and so far have been gratifyingly positive. I am awaiting the unavoidable two and three star reviews on Amazon because I know the personal response from some readers has been very poor, but that is to be expected. No one book can satisfy all readers all of the time.

From the perspective of commercial viability, I have to wonder if the book would have sold ~250 copies priced at $2.99 to equivalate the income we'll see this month? Perhaps now it might, because of the current visibility the sales may maintain momentum. But, I think we are going to stay with 99 cents for a while longer, considering the cheap price as payment for the reviews hopefully to be garnered. No different than the freebees given out by publishers to advance reviewers including vine voices, except less costly.

Again, I am creating a readership for the next book in my series, while it sounds like most others have a complete standalone book. I suppose that changes your motivations, since there is not the second installment to compensate for the loss leading first book. I think once you have established a readership, people will be willing to pay normal pricing for your next book even if not part of a series. When they can click on your name and see a selection of novels, it lends validity, especially if those books have perhaps hundreds of reviews obtained through promotional pricing. Also, once you have reached a threshold of reviews, then increasing the price might not hurt sales...unless the review says "I paid 99 cents", prospective purchasers will think "Oh, those people paid (price), and liked it, so I'll try too." Not sure what that threshold might be, 25? 50? 100?

<edit> Joseph, how do you know which sales are from Kindleboards?

Gotta go work on the script version , entering it in a screenwriting competition closing at the end of the month...Happy holidays to everyone, may you enjoy your Kindle in warmth and comfort, curled up with a good book


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Kathy, 
Actually, the DTB version of Cyberdrome also started selling really well last week (sorry trees!), so I guess there are true monetary benefits to being more visible on Amazon's rankings. 

As for your question, "How do you know which sales are from Kindleboards?" the answer is that I don't know, but since I am not advertising the price drop anywhere outside of here and the Amazon boards, it is probably a valid assumption. 

Of course, like many others, I do have several websites (one linked below), numerous "authors" pages (AuthorsDen, LibraryThing, WritersWrule, Smashwords, etc) and the book is listed on Google Books and it has a Facebook page, but so far, none of those currently list the Kindle price at $0.99 (I know, they should, and I'm probably missing sales by not doing so.) So, in my case, all of the recent sales are most likely from people on these boards (and I thank you all!)

Anyway, good luck with the script for Regression. My book actually started out as a film treatment way back when, so I hope to get back to finishing that someday soon myself. I also have Regression on my Kindle-for-PC so I hope to read it over the winter break. Looks fun!

JR


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

So far, after dropping my prices down from $4.77 to $0.99 each, I have seen sales go up about 6x or 7x. The past few days have been especially good for some reason, I hope the upswing is permanent and not just a random spike. But I told myself that I'd much rather sell 5 books for $1 each than 1 book for $5. Right now, I'm just excited to get them out there, see them moving up the rankings, and start getting some more feedback (no new Amazon reviews, unfortunately). Hopefully a few more people will start putting reviews up on Amazon.

Yeah, the royalties are very small, but I stopped fixating on the idea of making a living at this a long time ago. I read that only 200 authors make a living solely from their writing... there are almost 10x that many players in the NFL, and probably more than 200 lottery winners in any given year, just to put that number into perspective. If it happens, fantastic, but for now I write because I enjoy it, and if a few people grab the books on Amazon and enjoy them, so much the better.


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## Guest (Dec 23, 2009)

David Derrico said:


> I read that only 200 authors make a living solely from their writing...


I don't know where that number came from, but probably from someone trying to justify to self-publishers why they should not expect to make any money. I don't make a "living" on my books, but I do turn a nice profit that supplements my income. Most professional writers do not live exclusively on their writing, but they do earn enough to pay some bills.

Just because someone does not work exclusively at writing does not mean they don't profit from it.


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

Yeah, that number sounds fishy to me also. I don't live by my writing and never intended nor intend to do so. However, my royalties cover the electric bill, which in Stephen King's definition of things, is success (that and if the check doesn't bounce).

Ed Patterson


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Certainly many more people can and do make supplemental incomes from their writing, I guess I was just trying to explain where my own expectation levels are. In other words, we shouldn't consider ourselves "failures" if we don't make a living from writing, and I shouldn't quit my day job and write with the expectation that I will become a millionaire. As I said, I write because I enjoy it, and if some people buy and enjoy the book and I make some supplemental income, I consider that gravy. And I don't price the books based on, "What will earn me enough to make a living at it?" If more people buy and enjoy the books at 99 cents, then that's great. I don't rely on the small amount of money I make from royalties to put food on the table. That's just my thought process.

I don't know if the 200 number is perfectly accurate, but from multiple sources that I've read, it seems pretty close. Most "traditionally published" authors don't make a living at it either. So I'm certainly not advocating that over indie publishing. I certainly appreciate the level of control we get in doing things on our own... heck, we couldn't even be having this conversation if we were traditionally published -- the price would be whatever the publisher set it at. I'm glad we are able to discuss it and react to changing trends.


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## Sharlow (Dec 20, 2009)

Remembering the good old day's. It's funny with all the threads that seem to continually pop up about pricing books. They always seem to remind me of this thread. It seems that the same questions have been going on here for quite sometime.


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

Here's a great site for the $ .99 crowd with a Buy One, Get One FREE program.

http://excusememissptd.blogspot.com/p/99-cent-ebooks.html

Edward C. Patterson


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## Sharlow (Dec 20, 2009)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Here's a great site for the $ .99 crowd with a Buy One, Get One FREE program.
> 
> http://excusememissptd.blogspot.com/p/99-cent-ebooks.html
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


Nice looking site. Never seen it before. Looks like a lot of us are on it. Hey, wait a dang minute...I'm not on it.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Thanks for digging up this blast from the past. It's interesting to look back at our thought processes back then.

Of course, things change (like the 70% royalties, and the real possibility of multiple indie authors making a good living now), and I don't feel exactly the same way now as I did then. (For example, I've gone to $2.99 since the 70% royalty change.)


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## Sharlow (Dec 20, 2009)

The 70% has definitely changed the entire ball game. It is kind of funny that back then $1.99 was considered the sweet spot, and now no one even talks about $1.99, it's like completely orphaned now.


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

When I started out the sweet spot was $ 3.99.


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## tonyaplank (Jun 14, 2010)

Sharlow said:


> Nice looking site. Never seen it before. Looks like a lot of us are on it. Hey, wait a dang minute...I'm not on it.


That blogger started a thread here a while back asking who all wanted to be featured. Find that thread and sign up - or else just email him. I'm sure he'll include you!


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

The site is driven from books here on kidleboard. Here's the link./ Just follow the format and I'm sure you can be added.

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,50791.0/topicseen.html

Funny - this thread and that one have been within one of each other list all weekend.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Aidan (Jan 26, 2011)

I think as the market evolves and the digital platform for reading books becomes more widespread the 0.99 price model will become pretty much standard, that is to say as more and more customers are buying at this price they will query anything over and above that price.
Apple and i-tunes is a prime example of how buying power from the consumer dictates price and what people are prepared to pay for an item and there will be no coming back from a lower price to a higher price for i-tunes apps, I'm not overly pleased about this for books, I've always believed that you should or can set the price for an item that you think is fair, however as many people have stated there are ten times more people willing to pay a dollar than pay $2.99.

On the flip side though it makes you work harder at promoting something more, on something you actually make less from.


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## Sharlow (Dec 20, 2009)

tonyaplank said:


> That blogger started a thread here a while back asking who all wanted to be featured. Find that thread and sign up - or else just email him. I'm sure he'll include you!


I remember seeing that..Opps.. Thanks for pointing that out to me.


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## dltanner99 (Sep 9, 2010)

I think there is definitely a niche for pulp-style fiction at $.99, but when I lowered my massive tome to try even $1.99, I got more returns and bad reviews of "too long" and "very [sic] voring". If you try that rate and you sell successfully without suffering the consequences as I did, I say go for it. As for me, I already have more attention than I want, at $3.99. You will definitely attract more readers, but I am basically a hermit at heart. I make as much with one sale at $3.99 as 8 at $.99. There is a tipping point, at which you can't profit as much. Mine is $1.99 vs. $2.99 - I get the same number of sales on my monster trilogy, either way, so I choose to stay at $2.99. Many are succesful at the lowest rate, but I'm not one of them.


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Sharlow said:


> Remembering the good old day's. It's funny with all the threads that seem to continually pop up about pricing books. They always seem to remind me of this thread. It seems that the same questions have been going on here for quite sometime.


Wow. I didn't realize this old thread had resurfaced. But since it was one of the first threads talking about 99 cent books (and I'm the guy who started it way back in Dec 09) I will add a fitting update:

The old saying, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" comes to mind, because after several weeks of trying to get my Amazon price back up to $4.99 (after what was supposed to be a 2-week $0.99 sale), I have decided to permanently lowered the price of the Kindle version to $0.99. Likewise, I have lowered the paperback price from $14.95 to $8.99.

Why did I make this decision after admitting that I have always sold more books at $0.99 but made *much* more money at 4.99?

Two words: "Crack up" as in the novel, Crack up by Eric Christopherson. It is simply the *best-written book* I've read in a long while, Indie or mainstream, and far superior to anything I will ever write. My thinking was, if Eric is selling this excellent novel for $0.99, and doing very well at the price, then who am I asking people to pay more for Cyberdrome?

So far, it is actually paying off--the royalties are about the same as before the drop but I'm selling 5 times as many books per day. For me, that's a great trade.

Anyway, back to your originally scheduled programming...


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Umm, no.

99 cents is a great promotional price, but I see $2.99 as the indie standard price, and I doubt that'll change.

$0.99 is also great for shorter works... and for the first book in a series...

But a standard for all eBooks? I don't see that happening, no.


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## Paul Clayton (Sep 12, 2009)

I too see $2.99 as the floor.  Although 99 cents is good for promotional efforts.  I do have the first book in my series (Calling Crow) currenty priced at 99 cents, but I don't intend to keep it there forever.  Howeve, I have some promos coming up.  If this book ascends to the heights, kept aloft by the mysterious winds of commerce, as Victorine's has, selling hundreds of copies a day...  I may rethink that.  But I would only price one book at 99 cents.  For a while... and if it wasn't in the top thousand, I'd probably put the price back to the 'standard' Indie price of $2.99.  My 99 cents.


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## Sharlow (Dec 20, 2009)

I think books are in flux all the time. Some times they will do good at 2.99, other times they will do good at 4.99, but this also apples to the 0.99. I think we do ourselves a disservice by creating rules that are not as flexible as our books are.

Some genres like those higher prices, and others wont support them. Fantasy comes to mind with higher prices. But since it all is in flux, other things come in that influence your books. Your Branding, your covers, your blurb, etc. etc. etc.

I'd advice anyone not to get into rigid thinking, and just like the stock market things can change in seconds. I spent a year listening to advice that was motivated to rigid thinking. In Dec. I decided to flush all that, because it was time to try something new. Now instead of getting a royalty check for $40-150, I will be getting a royalty check for $3,500. The best part is next month I'm sure will be even more.


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