Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
Those prices are already affecting sales, because a lot of ebook buyers are looking at the Agency 6, and saying, hmm, $13 for a single ebook, or $13 for four non-DRM'd Smashwords ebooks... even if three of them turn out to be a waste of time, I haven't lost any money. If two of them are good, I'm ahead; if I've gotten lucky and all four are good, I'm way ahead.
|
This is almost the problem authors and publishers are facing in a nutshell. I say almost because Elfwreck assumes the ebooker will spend $13 for 4 Smashwords titles. And that's the rub --
In the beginning, when I received my Sony 505 as a gift 3.5 years ago, I bought ebooks at Fictionwise, at the Sony store, and other ebooksellers. But that has all changed. I did upgrade my device to a Sony 950 and gave my wife the 505, but whereas I spent $300 on the new 950, I have been steadily spending less on buying ebooks.
I still "buy" ebooks but the cost for 90% or more of them is $0.00. Just look at all the posts for free ebooks that are available from Amazon, B&N, Sony, etc. that appear here on MR. I'm not talking about the "classics" that MR members edit and proofread and then post to the MR library; I'm talking about new ebooks that authors and publishers are offering for free. There are so many of them available, that it would be impossible for me to read even half of them before I die. There simply isn't enough time available.
Just consider how many ebooks are being made available for free at Smashwords alone. There are thousands.
My point is this: I look at the Agency 6 pricing, I look at author pricing at Smashwords (I'm flabbergasted at how many unknown authors are setting prices at $5.99 and up at Smashwords and of those, how many, if you read the sample, are clearly unedited ramblings rather than coherent stories), and I say to myself, "Why spend $14.99 on an Agency 6 title, or even $9.99, or why spend $3.99 on a Smashwords title, when I have hundreds of free ebooks to choose among?"
How does an author combat that price point? How do the Agency 6 combat it?
I do pay and am willing to pay a good price for ebooks from authors who are must reads for me. For example, now that I have tasted Vicki Tyley's mysteries and Shayne Parkinson's historical fiction, I will gladly pay a reasonable price for their next ebook. But I got to that point because of the free ebooks.
This is a conundrum for authors and publishers.