Book pricing revisited: ebooks…
Book pricing is always debated among self-published authors and the marketing gurus who pretend to advise them; traditionally published authors have no control over it—their publishers determine pricing, often to their detriment. But we can include both groups of authors (and hopefully exclude the gurus) by asking, “What should be the price of a quality ebook?”
Note that I’m focusing on ebooks. I no longer understand print-book pricing because that’s all over the board and no longer makes any sense. Also note the inclusion of the word “quality.” Whether self- or traditionally published, there’s a lot of garbage books out there that are often overpriced to make them appear to be quality literature—most celeb books are trash, for example.
For both, self- and traditionally published, let me start on an equal footing: I’m assuming that we’re deciding on the correct pricing for a fully edited novel, both copy- and content-edited, and one that has an attractive cover. I’m also ignoring additional publishing costs: Forget about trying to recuperate those editing and cover-art costs or anticipated marketing costs. And let me focus on a novel that has between sixty and seventy kwords (many traditionally published novels are padded to the extreme because the traditional publisher wants to make it “worth their while” to put out a print version—that’s a quote from one of my traditional publishers, by the way).
Such a novel in ebook format should be priced in the $3 to $5 range, independent of genre. I have many years of experience that goes into determining that range as a reader and a writer. As a reader, if I see a novel in ebook format priced outside that range, I rarely purchase it. When less than $3, I might take a chance; when more than $5, forget about it!
Traditional publishers’ ebook prices are usually far more than $5, which is absurd! An ebook is just an efile. Self-published books are usually better reading bargains, costing about the same as an on-demand movie, and it provides many more hours of quality entertainment.
My ebooks are generally in the range I’ve indicated. (Fortunately, my traditional publishers also keep their ebooks within that range as well.) Recent ones I’ve published and distributed using Draft2Digital reflect the inflationary pressures of our times (what doesn’t these days?) and are priced at $3.99.
Ebooks are usually purchased online, of course, but no one can claim they’re not browsable before purchasing. Just like in a bookstore, readers can read the blurbs and peek inside to see if they think the ebook is worth buying (or that the author can at least write). I do that all the time (while I mostly ignore the reviews, especially on Amazon).
There are borrowing opportunities for ebooks as well, just like in a public library. Draft2Digital distributes to many library and lending services, and many public libraries now offer ebooks. (They tend to cater to Big Five ebooks, though, which is unfortunate, because those are usually overpriced, so libraries’ number of offers have to be limited because of fixed budgets—the cost of the ebook determines what it costs to lend the ebook.) That’s all an argument for self-published authors to keep their ebook prices in the range I’ve indicated. Smart consumers know value when they see it.
There was a time when ebook sales plateaued and print sales didn’t. Covid changed all that because people favored online purchases. Buy an ebook online and you’re reading it almost immediately; buy a print book and you’re waiting for it to be delivered (or the reader becomes the delivery man). Avid readers often read ebooks only because of that difference.
Authors, please price your ebook novel accordingly and take advantage of digital publishing. You will be a happier author by doing so.
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Fear the Asian Evil. Former Scotland Yard Inspector Steve Morgan’s next case at Bristol PD involves the attempted murder of a journalist who happens to be the sister-in-law of one of his sergeants. Its prelude, though, involves a fishing trip made during a vacation when Steve and his girlfriend’ father find a dead Chinese spy afloat in the North Sea. That leads to frictions with MI5 that distract from solving what should be the routine case of the woman’s attempted murder. The hunt for spies and ordinary policework clash until they come together. Available wherever quality ebooks are sold (just not on Amazon).
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
