iBookstore pricing revealed

[Elfwreck]

Smashwords’ iPad Deal Details eBook Pricing Structure

If your book is not available in print, you can price your book at any price you like. Free is an acceptable price at Apple.

If you do have print editions, here are the rules you must follow:

For ebooks, if you publish print counterparts elsewhere as mass market paperbacks (small, airport size) or trade paperback, then allowable pricing bands are as follows:

For all print books published with a list price of $22.00 or less, your Smashwords ebook price cannot be greater than $9.99 during the first twelve (12) months after publication in those print formats. Thereafter, you, the publisher may set whatever price you want, provided Apple doesn’t deem it unrealistic.

For any mass market or trade paperback books with a list price greater than $22.00, you can set whatever price you want.

If your book is only available in Hardcover, and the Hardcover price is under $22.00 (U.S.), then the maximum allowable price for your ebook is $9.99.

If your price is $22.01-$24.00, the maximum ebook price is $10.99;
$24.01-$25.00 is $11.99;
$25.01-$27.50 is $12.99;
$27.51-$30.00 is $14.99;
$30.01-$35.00 is $16.99;
$35.01-$40.00 is $19.99.

If your hardcover book is priced above $40.00, you can price your Apple ebook at any price you like.

So: Max price for mmpb & most trade paperbacks is $10. But there's no requirement to make that $6 just because the mmpb sells for $8.

And that $14.99 cap we were hearing about is also a myth; it just covers a lot of bestsellers--the $29.99 ones. Textbooks, often costing more than $40 for paper, can be priced to anything the publisher wants, along with mmpb/trades priced higher than $22. (Some RPG books are in this category, and some workbooks.)

[Yoshi 1080]

The pricing seems reasonable to me.

[jibril]

Excuse my ignorance, what is smashwords?

[Tamara]

Originally Posted by jibril

Excuse my ignorance, what is smashwords?

Smashwords.com - you can get free and paid ebooks from them in a variety of formats.

[grooks]

www.smashwords.com

[MacDude]

Buying books from an online vendor (Amazon, B&N ect.) tends to be a habit. I always check out Amazon first just because it's where I am used to going not that it's the best.

Because both Amazon and B&N are going to have readers for the iPad I think Apple should give anyone that buys an iPad a 5% discount on the first 20 books they buy. This would get people used to trying Apple first.

Last night I made of list of some of the books I want to put on the iPad, priced checked them at both Amazon and B&N. Eight out of ten were the same price with B&N being lower on the other two. It will be interesting to see how Apple compares when the store goes live.