Quote:
Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash
The cases in which price is the only criteria for me is backwards from what you describe - if it's free, I'll download it if it seems even slightly interesting.
For books that cost money, it's kind of a scale factoring in desire & price in inverse proportions. The more I want it, the less price matters. The only reason I check the publisher is because some houses are known for putting out crappy ebooks.
I do have budget considerations, and I try to maximize my ebook dollars, but that alone isn't enough to move me too much in either direction. Last night I spent this week's ebook budget on one book because I just discovered an author I really like and I think he's more than worth the price I paid.
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I think this process is exactly right with some modification. If the book is by an unknown-to-me author and not from a publisher with whom I am familiar, then I give price more credence in the decision-making process, and I won't spend more than $2.99 for the book. And the $2.99 is like pulling teeth. I am more inclined to spend 99 cents to $1.99.
If I buy an author's book at 99 cents (or free) and find that I like the book and the writing style, I will then buy other books by the author at prices up to $4.99. This is what happened recently with the author
Jana DeLeon. During ebook week, I was able to buy her
Trouble in Mudbug for free, rather than the usual $3.99. So I bought it, read it, liked it, and immediately went and bought her other available books,
Mischief in Mudbug, Showdown in Mudbug, Rumble on the Bayou, and
Unlucky at $3.99 each -- and I have enjoyed all of them (I give them 4 out of 5 stars).
But had I not been able to get the first book for free, I would not have bought any of her books.
This same pattern occurred for me with the fantasy books by
Richard S. Tuttle. I originally got one of his books for free (or close to free, I can't remember now), found I really liked the stories and the writing style, and subsequently purchased every one of his 27 other books at $5.99 each.
In both instances, the authors were unknown and self-published. I would not have gambled on either one except for being able to get the first ebook for free or close to free. So I do think price is an important consideration, but not the controlling consideration unless the price is above $2.99.