Quote:
Originally Posted by Cinisajoy
We could argue prices all day. I know one Independent that has always charged $9.99 for his ebooks, both fiction and non-fiction. I know others that charge 99 cents. Most are somewhere in between.
One author charges various prices depending on which of his series. I think at last count he has written or will write 50+ books in 4 years. Including 2 trads.
But yes, being cheaper than trad helped launch the successful indies.
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Pricing is really an interesting topic and was the focus of the kobo survey and seems to be a BIG focus of their latest promo ops. While I do think pricing is very important, what I find odd is that few ad places or retailers put in much effort for the higher priced items. There's obviously a market for them, even if it is a smaller market. As an example, I frequently browse regularly priced titles. While I may not BUY them and almost never right that instant, I'm still in the market, even if it is as a library reader. I get the "low hanging fruit" thing, but I don't get ignoring customers who will 1. spend on the higher books and 2. convert from lower priced to higher. I am mostly number 2. If I find a series I like, I am much more willing to pay a higher price for the next in the series, yet there is so little focus on ads that combine an entire series or work to pair books one and two. Authors can do it with a boxed set, of course, but then ad places don't want to advertise them outside the free, 99 cent or maybe 1.99 range. Yet, I've found that if people KNOW about boxed sets, they will buy them (most boxed set prices represent some sort of discount).
As an advertiser, I've found that topic and presentation are almost as important as price (excluding free. To some extent you can count on a certain number of downloads simply because it is free). Reviews of a 6.99 book can sell as many or close to as many books as a 99 cent special. Of course, a review is more than just vetting the cover and blurb, which means more work is put into it, but the earning potential is higher as well.
(edited to add: I don't take reviews as 'ads' and do not accept payment of any kind from author or publisher. I have just noticed that it is possible to cultivate an audience other than "free" and 99 cents if there is value-ad. I am an affiliate so in that regard, I make more money from higher priced books.)