# Ninety-nine cent books: trash or treasure?



## amygamet (Aug 26, 2012)

Amazon's bending over backwards to encourage authors to price their works higher.  What do you think of $.99 books?  Do you seek them out?  Avoid them?  Do you have different expectations of a book that costs less than a dollar?


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## Alpha72 (May 9, 2012)

I'm curious, what makes you say that Amazon is bending over backwards to make sure writers price their books higher? If anything, I'd say they do the opposite.

But to your question, as a reader I really don't pay much attention to the price. If it's .99, I assume the writer was desperate (or it's a short story). Other than that, I don't give it much thought.


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## Lensman (Aug 28, 2012)

My assumption is that if an author puts his or her books on sale at $0.99 then he or she doesn't value the book, doesn't think it's worth much. I tend to be suspicious of something that's undervalued.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

A low price doesn't necessarily mean that the author is desperate or believes that the work isn't very good. Judging from the Amazon forums, many readers only download free or almost-free books. A low price may therefore mean that the author is simply trying to reach as many readers as possible - particularly important for first-timers. 

Of course, the author may be desperate or trying it on with an inferior piece of work, but I don't think it's safe for readers to make that assumption. By doing so, they may miss out on some gems. Downloading the free sample (or utilising the 'look inside' feature) should in most cases help the reader decide into which category the work falls.


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## Simon Haynes (Mar 14, 2011)

What about a strategy of pricing something at 99c until it gains reviews & also-boughts, and then bumping the price to 2.99?

People may be more likely to give something a shot if it's 99c, provided the cover and the sample check out.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Unless it's a temporary promo, I tend to overlook them. Not only does it make me think the author doesn't value the quality of their work but also, a lot of short stories and novellas are $0.99 and I am not interested in them, nor do I wish to spend my time trying to sort out which ones are full length novels. There's been a couple exceptions, when a book is popular and well reviewed.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

You know, this topic comes up with some regularity.  I've bought books for 99¢.  I've gotten free ones. I've also paid up to $12.99 for authors I know well.  Price is only one tiny factor in those decisions -- mostly it's based on whether I think I'll enjoy the book or not.  Of course, I have to be REALLY SURE if I'm going to shell out $13 and, arguably, I need to be less sure if it's only a couple of bucks.  But I'm way past analyzing how I decide to buy things.  As soon as I think I have a rule, I break it. 

And I don't really care about how publishers decide on the price either. . .that's a discussion that also comes up regularly in the Writer's Cafe. . . not a topic for the Corner. 

All that said, there's good stuff and trash at any price point. Of the "meh" or "really bad" stuff I've read, I'd say it's mostly been between $3 and $7.  If it's cheaper than that, I probably have it because it was something I had on a wishlist anyway and it went on sale. A super-low price isn't usually going to make me pick it up unless it's something I want to read anyway.  

Admittedly, when I first got my Kindle, I had been used to always paying at least $8 for a book, $15-$16 for a hard back if I wanted it as soon as it was released.  The plethora of low priced and free content went a bit to my head and I picked up things that were well outside my usual purchase pattern.  But they were free!  Yeah. . .it turns out that even a free book isn't worth it unless it ends up being something I want to read.  It took me a little while to get over the mindset of "better have a spare something around in case you finish what you're reading now."  And all those questionable free and cheap books were the 'spare something'. 

I've since learned learned to be much more discerning as I internalized the concept of "with a kindle, I'll never be without a book I really want to read again!"  No more emergency bookstore trips while traveling -- yes, I've done that.


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## amygamet (Aug 26, 2012)

Amazon has changed its algorithms over the last year in favor of higher-priced books.  It's harder to make the bestseller lists with a $.99 book than it used to be.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

amygamet said:


> Amazon has changed its algorithms over the last year in favor of higher-priced books. It's harder to make the bestseller lists with a $.99 book than it used to be.


As a reader, I don't really care about that, though. I rarely look at 'best seller lists'. And the recommendations I get from Amazon are 99% spot on to things I might be interested in. When I see things I don't want -- usually because I had looked at something from here just to check it out -- I mark it 'not interested' and those things stop showing up. I get recommended books at all price points based on what I've previously purchased.


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

I have to pretty much agree with Ann on her points here. 

And I don't get the folks with the mindset that 99 cents automatically means trash or undervaluing or 'not serious about their work'.  Seems a silly line in the sand to just not buy anything at 99 cents, without at least checking out blurbs, reviews or samples.  As Ann said, there is trash and treasure at all price levels.  I've found a lot of good indie authors that have 99 cent novels, even if it's just their 'try my loss leader first-in-series so I can hook you in to the $3.99 or more novels' book. I'm fine with that concept.


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## Loren DeShon (Jun 15, 2011)

Last year I tried a number of 99 cent books.  Roughly speaking, I found 20% to be poor, 60% to be so-so, and 20% to be the equal of almost anything found on a paperback rack in a bookstore.  

FWIW


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Totally depends. I been getting some nice sales over the summer for 99 cents. Books that are usually 6.99 and above.


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

amygamet said:


> Amazon has changed its algorithms over the last year in favor of higher-priced books. It's harder to make the bestseller lists with a $.99 book than it used to be.


Well that's just a theory as Amazon doesn't give this type of info away. Or do you know of some kind of study that's been done as opposed to anecdotal evidence?

FYI, Lawrence Block gives away books from time to time and prices others very low.

I think the bargain pricing will continue as it gets harder and harder to gain visibility in a crowded marketplace. And some of the books will surely be treasures. (But you'll have to dig for 'em.)


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## amygamet (Aug 26, 2012)

You're right, Amazon doesn't publish their algorithms.  I'm just going on what the authors on my email loops are saying--that the $.99 books aren't hitting the bestseller lists like the used to for the same volume of sales.  Some have books priced at $.99 and $3.99, etc., and they're able to see the difference, apples to apples.  Having said that, it's hearsay.  I don't have a reference to provide.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

And, again, none of that matters to me as a reader.   I get that authors like to discuss and analyze such things. . .that's why we have the Writer's Cafe here.  It's stuff that isn't really of interest to the majority of our members who are not authors. 

Still, the answer to the question posed in the thread title is "yes".  Sometimes a 99¢ book is a piece of trash.  And sometimes it's a treasure.  Same can be said for books at pretty much any price point; I've read all kinds. 

I can say this for sure:  if a book looks good, and it's only 99¢ I do NOT say to myself, "well, that looks good, but the last 99¢ book I got wasn't good so I won't buy that one." Nor do I automatically buy every book that comes out at 99¢!  I judge each purchase based on its own merits.  Sometimes the write up will grab me and I'll go for it, and sometimes the write up makes it clear that it's not a book I'd be interested in so I don't.


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

A low price doesn't necessarily mean that the book is poor quality, just as a higher-priced book isn't always great. There are valid reasons to price low—to introduce the first book in a series, for example. I look at the book cover, read the book description, scan the ratings, sometimes sample, and make a decision from there.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

All-Seeing Books said:


> Off topic: I disagree. If everyone priced their books at the bottom, they'd still be hard to find. Changing the price doesn't make it more visible. It just changes the price. And if everyone goes to rock bottom prices, the next one down is free. That'd be great for readers until authors realised they're not making any/enough money to keep publishing. They'd have to stop. Then we'd go back to the way it was before. Fewer books, same authors every year, same stories every year, frustrated authors, frustrated readers.
> 
> I've noticed that authors are considering higher prices. They only went to 99 cents to copy John Locke, thinking they'd sell a million like he did. Now they realise his stories were what sold, not the price, they're raising their prices. Compared to the $15-$20 ebooks from 'traditional' publishers, $2.99-$9.99 is still a bargain.


I agree on everything except the $15-20 ebook price range as an average for "traditionally" published novels. While there are some books that expensive, I would not say it's the norm, even for new releases. I'd say the average price for newly released books from "the big six" are around $12.99 - for older ones, $9.99 or $10.99.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

some 99 cent books are trash.
some 99 cent books are treasure.
some authors use the 99 cent price point because they think that will sell their books
some authors think that the 99 cent price point is "devaluing" their work.
some readers will gobble up every book at 99 cent.
some readers will avoid 99 cent books like the plague.

in the end, there is NO one answer to this question.  it's all in the eye (and wallet) of the beholder. 

and disparaging other people for pricing their books at 99 cents is a good way to get me to not look at your books.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

history_lover said:


> I agree on everything except the $15-20 ebook price range as an average for "traditionally" published novels. While there are some books that expensive, I would not say it's the norm, even for new releases. I'd say the average price for newly released books from "the big six" are around $12.99 - for older ones, $9.99 or $10.99.


Agree about 'traditionally' published book prices. $12.99 is about par. I've got a couple on pre-order at that price. Occasionally they'll be $13.99 or $14.99 but that's the most I've seen on anything I've been truly interested in. Of course, JKRowling's new one is on pre-order for $17.99 (which is actually down from $19.99) but that's definitely an exception.


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

As a reader, the story has to grab my interest in the blurb. If it doesn't, price is irrelevant. 

I don't look down at authors that price their work on the cheap side because I know that they're most likely trying to gain an audience. I know that certainly is the case for my two titles.

To the point that someone made about distinguishing between shorts and novels, the author should make it abundantly clear in the description. If they don't, you have every right to be pissed and/or return it.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Lensman said:


> My assumption is that if an author puts his or her books on sale at $0.99 then he or she doesn't value the book, doesn't think it's worth much. I tend to be suspicious of something that's undervalued.


Bad assumption ... you don't understand writers like myself at all well. A 99c price has encouraged a lot of interest in works I'm very proud of.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Tony Richards said:


> Bad assumption ... you don't understand writers like myself at all well. A 99c price has encouraged a lot of interest in works I'm very proud of.


I did not make the original statement but I agree with it. My goal is not to "understand writers like yourself". To me, $0.99 = devalued. Deal with it.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

And, while I don't agree with HL, her thoughts on the matter are completely legitimate.  

Everyone gets to use whatever criteria works for him or her to decide what books to buy -- or even what to consider.  

We recognize that might mean we might miss something we'd like. . . . but we're o.k. with that. . . . there are plenty of books we WILL find.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

This discussion is providing plenty of food for thought.

Like I say somewhere above, I don't think that assuming a low-priced work is devalued in the mind of the author is a safe assumption to make. But a reader is, of course, perfectly entitled to make that assumption.

This presents a dilemma to the author; especially a new one. (I hasten to make clear that I am not seeking to elicit sympathy for authors - I am sure that most readers won't care two hoots about author's dilemmas.) So how does an author price his (or her, but can we take that as read?) work? Does he price it low to try to attract the free or almost-free readers? But then he'll lose potential readers like HL. Or does he price it higher to try to attract readers like HL but at the expense of the first type of reader?

I have absolutely no idea what the answer is...


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Sam. . . . that's a discussion that's been had many times in the Writer's Cafe. . . . . . .and is not really a question for debate here in the Corner as the average reader isn't interested in pricing strategies.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

Sorry. I'll look for the threads in the Cafe


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## MrPLD (Sep 23, 2010)

HillaryRSmith said:


> Just because a book is priced at 99 cents does NOT mean it is undervalued or considered trash by the author. Those of you who make that assumption, read some 99 cent books before you make a judgement.


The trouble is, regardless of the facts at hand, it's the consumer perception that you have to align with. If consumers are swinging away from 99c stories because they have the perception that they're not value-for-money, then you're only making your marketing life twice as hard by trying to convince them otherwise.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

HillaryRSmith said:


> Just because a book is priced at 99 cents does NOT mean it is undervalued or considered trash by the author. Those of you who make that assumption, read some 99 cent books before you make a judgement.


Oh, I have read plenty of $0.99 books (if you don't want us to make assumptions, don't make assumptions about us, please). I got caught in the impulse "it's practically free" buying trap. I believe there were two that I really liked but they were both the first book in a series, the rest of which were $2.99 or higher. So the $0.99 price was only to entice people to give the series a try. I don't think this is the same as pricing every book you put out at $0.99. The other $0.99 books I've enjoyed were all temporary promos, which is also different.

All the others I picked up for $0.99 which was their permanent price were average at best.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Another gentle reminder:  authors should not post here about their books or their pricing decisions. . .that's a discussion for the Cafe.  Posting about YOUR books is considered self promotion and such posts will be removed.

THIS thread, is about how readers perceive the 99¢ price point.  No doubt authors will find much to ponder, but, frankly, we don't care why it is priced as it is in this discussion; we're simply reacting to the price and trying to explain why we have that reaction.


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## M.P. Jones (Dec 28, 2011)

I have no problem buying a 99 cent book.  I expect it to be not as well edited or polished as a 10 dollar book which is not an indie - however what I am primarily interested in is the strength of the idea behind the book and this could as easily come from a cheap book as from an expensive one.


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## MsTee (Jul 30, 2012)

As a reader, although I do buy books for under a dollar, I think $0.99 is devaluing your hard work. Writing takes so much time and energy, and I understand the need to give readers an incentive to read your book, but an author needs to have faith in the quality of her/his work and not 'perhaps the cheap price might hook them.' Reserve these prices for short works. 

I've found a mixture of quality of books with this price. Currently I'm reading one I bought at $0.99 it's going good so far. The author has not quite got a hold of the main character yet, but it's fantasy-themed so the world itself has grabbed my interest. Things will shape up soon enough.


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## Nebula7 (Apr 21, 2011)

I keep all of my Amazon Wish List books in www.ereaderiq.com so when they go on sale I snag them up. Many have gone from 10 bucks down to free for a day. So yes, 99 cent books can be awesome.


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## stjean (Sep 2, 2012)

Any stigma, I think, is residual from years of brick-and-mortar bookstores sticking their remainders in Bargain Bins.  Today, price point is likely to be pure marketing, in the case of a decent book.  Look at Amazon's royalty scheme. 

-Shawn StJean


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Nebula7 said:


> I keep all of my Amazon Wish List books in www.ereaderiq.com so when they go on sale I snag them up. Many have gone from 10 bucks down to free for a day. So yes, 99 cent books can be awesome.


Agreed.


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## dbowz360 (Sep 5, 2012)

I don't think amazon cares, it actually makes authors price lower because of all the free crap it gives away.  I personally don't care about the price more of whether I think I'll like it based off the blurb.  If I was an author I'd never give a novel away at .99 cents, maybe a short story or something.


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## lorezskyline (Apr 19, 2010)

It's difficult to judge on cheap books as probably 50%+ of the books I have read at this price have either turned out to be not my type of thing or of poor quality, but then having said that I make a lot more impulse buys at this price, and it's not just indie authors for example Clive Cussler priced a book at £1.29 (the uk 99 cent equivalent due to tax here I believe) and he was someone obviously i'd heard of but had never really felt the need to try one of his books.  But as it was on offer and I thought what the hell give it a go, tried it and it wasn't to my liking but if it hadn't have been on offer i'd have never tried his work at all.  The opposite happened with Michael Dibdin he priced a book at £1.29 and i've since bought another of his books at full price.  Where as if a book is priced £8+ it's going to have to be an author I know well or have great reccomendations so it's almost certain from the start I am going to enjoy it as it's not an umpulse buy it's written by someone I already know I am going to enjoy


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## beccabananna (Sep 5, 2012)

A treasure for me


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Nebula7 said:


> I keep all of my Amazon Wish List books in www.ereaderiq.com so when they go on sale I snag them up. Many have gone from 10 bucks down to free for a day. So yes, 99 cent books can be awesome.


Those are temporary promos, not the same thing. Many quality products have temporary promotional sales, it does not necessarily devalue the product. It's very different from having a your normal set price as $0.99.


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## Nebula7 (Apr 21, 2011)

> Those are temporary promos, not the same thing. Many quality products have temporary promotional sales, it does not necessarily devalue the product. It's very different from having a your normal set price as $0.99.


Yes, you are right. For a more accurate answer I'd say I would never buy a 99 cent book unless it's something I'd pay $10 for. It would still have to have an overwhelmingly high rating (and not just by the authors family and friends) and fit the genre I read.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I've started keeping track on my blog of the 99 cent ones I've enjoyed as well as those under 5 dollars.  The 99 cent one is a single post and it gets tiring to keep up with it because VERY often it's just a promo (that comes and goes!).  The under 5 dollar one started as a single post and I just add reviews as I read books and find them.  It's messy because I read a lot of genres.   Someone should come along and organize them.  And my other paperwork while they are at it...

I guess my feeling is that I find more good books in the 2.99 and up, but I don't know why this is.  Some of them I actually got for free during the various freebie promos.  Some are trad, most are not.  I read/try to read a LOT of books.  I'm a very particular reader and rarely finish any two or one star reads.  I just stop.  Three stars I sometimes stop.  I can be enjoying the book and just decide it's not quite interesting enough--but there's plenty to like.    Right now I start about 5 books for every one I finish (and these don't include samples--they are books I've downloaded AFTER sampling or for some other reason thought I'd like it.)    Some are library books, some are lendable, some are bought.  

For me, price hasn't indicated anything at all, really.  I'll sample and sometimes I still get burned by books that are eye-rolling bad either because of plot, lack of characterization, etc.  

(If anyone wants to see the lists of bargain reads that *I* liked, it's on the left sidebar of my blog at bearmountainbooks.com  There's a link for 99 cent reads and one for under 5.  It's messy and I don't want to post the links because it can easily be viewed as self promo.  But I wish more blogs would have lists like this.  I often do shop and sample in the under 5 categories and price is a factor in what I end up buying.  Not in what I end up ENJOYING, but what I end up buying.)


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## Lyndsay (Jul 25, 2012)

I've read many 99p and free books myself and I find that they are only on offer for a limited time for so cheap, after which they return to their normal prices. It's not about quick or rubbish reads, it's just a quick way of generating publicity and a great incentive to introduce a wider range of readers to books that they may not have necessarily bought otherwise. They're just as great quality as the more expensive ones!


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## ebookauthor (Sep 6, 2012)

I, personally, look at a lot of free and $.99 books and have found many (most) to be completely worth reading.  Some, I will admit, are not worth the time and/or trouble, but many of them (so priced not because the author is desperate but because many folks won't pay a lot to read an unknown) are great reads!  I am not at all put off by a low or free price.  If the story sounds good and the cover grabs my interest, it is well worth my time to check it out!


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## SuseHocking (Sep 11, 2012)

I've found that most of the cheaper books have been worth reading. Sure, you get the odd one that definitely wasn't, but not in general. I like to support indie authors and often they have their books for 99c when they start out, just to get a feel for the market or whatever. I've found some of my fave books on kindle when they 99c.


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## K. A. Jordan (Aug 5, 2010)

I always sample first. I've picked up some really good books at $.99 - usually they were the first of a series. I picked up a real stinker the other day - published by a bird in a tux.  

Last week, I picked up a free book by an Aussie - JD Nixon - it was a 'Stephanie Plum' type of story. I loved it, bought all the rest of the series. I looked at the prices to make sure they were reasonable. But I still SAMPLED.   

My "impulse" upper limit is $5.99 - above that I don't just sample, I look at reviews. I have to be really interested before I buy. However, I buy a lot more books now, even political commentary - which might be fiction, or non-fiction depending on the author.   Those books run about $25.

So my book buying habits have expanded considerably, and price is just one concideration.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

If a book is something I'm likely to want to read and I see it for 99 cents, I'll grab it -- and I'll chose it over books I find equally interesting that are priced higher. So many books I really want to read have had temporary discounts to four dollars or lower, it's been a boon. At 99 cents, frankly, I'll buy a book I already own in hard copy but haven't read yet or might like to reread! A deep discount will definitely get me to plump for one desired book over another, or to sample a book that looks promising because of reviews.

I'm looking at traditionally published work that has been recommended to me or well-reviewed, though; I won't buy most indies for 99 cents and I wouldn't buy them for $10 either, unless they're by an author I'm already familiar with or they have been rapturously reviewed/recommended by a trusted source. If I were going to jump for a self-published book I'd never heard of, however, I'd be much more likely to get the 99-cent one; I don't see it as "devaluing the work," I see it as  having a clear grasp of good marketing. I would assume an author with no track record pricing a self-published work very high was somewhat delusional about how many he was likely to sell.


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## K.M. Malloy (Sep 2, 2012)

I think 99 cent books can be trash or treasure, just like trad published books. I've read several books that were 99 cents. About half were good, and only a couple were great, but, this is about the same hate/like/love rating I have whenever I get a traditionally published book, so it all depends on the author's skill as a writer and story teller.

I don't think a low price means a book is a piece of garbage, but I do get suspicious of a high priced ebook. I've seen some ebooks priced in the $20 range, which is just ridiculous. Unless a book is extremely long, I'm talking in the 600 plus pages range, I don't think it should ever be priced over $5. It just makes me think that the publisher inflated the price just because they were selling a name and therefore think its okay to price an ebook at three times the amount at what it should be. That being said, I have read some really talented authors with great stories that have all their books listed in the 99 cent range, which I don't think is doing a justice to their work because these books are treasures.

It's been said here before, but really the perception of a 99 cent book as trash or treasure is in the mind of the reader. I personally don't think low price makes a difference on whether or not a book will be good or bad.


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## LTucker (Aug 8, 2012)

The main problem with 99c is that there IS a lot of garbage priced at 99c. You might look at 20-30 99c ebooks before finding something you want to read.


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## vikiana (Oct 5, 2012)

This is very variable to say which is right and which is wrong. It happened before to buy a 99 cent book and it was a very good one. I had and one for free in addition. If the book is cheap there are lots of reasons. The author might be desperate,or the paper quality of the book to be low,or the book can be on promotion and so on. People should not be lead by the price! I can pay 12 dollars for a book but I can pay a dollar for the same thing if i know the book is worth it.


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## vikiana (Oct 5, 2012)

Alpha72 said:


> I'm curious, what makes you say that Amazon is bending over backwards to make sure writers price their books higher? If anything, I'd say they do the opposite.
> 
> But to your question, as a reader I really don't pay much attention to the price. If it's .99, I assume the writer was desperate (or it's a short story). Other than that, I don't give it much thought.


 i seek them out because in many cases the books are pretty good and for much lower price than the others!


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## vikiana (Oct 5, 2012)

It's good when you look at a book with such a low price just to make fast all over through the pages and then to judge about the quality of the book.


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## vikiana (Oct 5, 2012)

MariaESchneider said:


> I've started keeping track on my blog of the 99 cent ones I've enjoyed as well as those under 5 dollars. The 99 cent one is a single post and it gets tiring to keep up with it because VERY often it's just a promo (that comes and goes!). The under 5 dollar one started as a single post and I just add reviews as I read books and find them. It's messy because I read a lot of genres. Someone should come along and organize them. And my other paperwork while they are at it...
> 
> I guess my feeling is that I find more good books in the 2.99 and up, but I don't know why this is. Some of them I actually got for free during the various freebie promos. Some are trad, most are not. I read/try to read a LOT of books. I'm a very particular reader and rarely finish any two or one star reads. I just stop. Three stars I sometimes stop. I can be enjoying the book and just decide it's not quite interesting enough--but there's plenty to like. Right now I start about 5 books for every one I finish (and these don't include samples--they are books I've downloaded AFTER sampling or for some other reason thought I'd like it.) Some are library books, some are lendable, some are bought.
> 
> ...





Eric C said:


> Well that's just a theory as Amazon doesn't give this type of info away. Or do you know of some kind of study that's been done as opposed to anecdotal evidence?
> 
> FYI, Lawrence Block gives away books from time to time and prices others very low.
> 
> I think the bargain pricing will continue as it gets harder and harder to gain visibility in a crowded marketplace. And some of the books will surely be treasures. (But you'll have to dig for 'em.)


 i realy liked what I have read here on these lines. I'm so much agree with you baout everything!


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## Lee Donoghue (Sep 13, 2012)

Personally, I don't consider the price anywhere near as much as I do the cover, the blurb and the reviews. Yes, I could buy a 99c or free book, but only if it is something I think I will like - I only think twice if a price seems too high, rather than too low.

Having said that, I find I have an almost subconscious expectation that a 99c book isn't likely to be as good as a higher priced one. Not necessarily the case of course, just an initial reaction. How do you feel about free books - does a 99c book tempt you more or less than one that is free, or do you have a similar impression for each?


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## vikiana (Oct 5, 2012)

Tracy Leach said:


> As a reader, although I do buy books for under a dollar, I think $0.99 is devaluing your hard work. Writing takes so much time and energy, and I understand the need to give readers an incentive to read your book, but an author needs to have faith in the quality of her/his work and not 'perhaps the cheap price might hook them.' Reserve these prices for short works.
> 
> I've found a mixture of quality of books with this price. Currently I'm reading one I bought at $0.99 it's going good so far. The author has not quite got a hold of the main character yet, but it's fantasy-themed so the world itself has grabbed my interest. Things will shape up soon enough.





Sam Kates said:


> A low price doesn't necessarily mean that the author is desperate or believes that the work isn't very good. Judging from the Amazon forums, many readers only download free or almost-free books. A low price may therefore mean that the author is simply trying to reach as many readers as possible - particularly important for first-timers.
> 
> Of course, the author may be desperate or trying it on with an inferior piece of work, but I don't think it's safe for readers to make that assumption. By doing so, they may miss out on some gems. Downloading the free sample (or utilising the 'look inside' feature) should in most cases help the reader decide into which category the work falls.


In agreement of what you said I just wan tto add it is so hard to give the right judgement about a book just relaying on her price. You should see and the cove,and go fast through the pages as well. Everything is dependent


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