[Hitch]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Trust me: nobody is going to spend $20 on an eBook from an unknown author; that's a ridiculously high price. I'm not surprised you're not selling any in paper form if that's the price you're charging!

Indeed. I hate to rain on your parade, Tiamat, but Harry's correct. You say it's a scientific, one-of-a-kind book, and if that's right, then you'll get your $20--but not right out of the gate. There's an unyielding resistance among eBook buyers on pricing. Even for renowned authors and experts, there's a price resistance at $9.99. For unknowns? For unknowns, without any reviews, comments, etc., I'd say that you'd be lucky to get $5.99. If that.

Originally Posted by Tiamat

Seven Dollars. Doesn't seem much to me for a scientific one of a kind book. It costs $20 for a printed book and they recommend 55%+ just for someone to do the transaction. Seems a bit steep to me, it took years and years to research and put together the concept.

I see this from authors a lot--"hey, it took me XXX months/years/decades to write this book, these people should pay for my time." Unfortunately, the reality is that even though you may spend five years of your life writing it, it's still only worth what people will pay. They'll assess your writing, your verbiage, your command of the vernacular, and they'll evaluate your ideas and concepts. Then, they'll decide what they are willing to pay. I hate to say it, I do, but I think you should prepare for very slow sales--if any at all--at $20.

As an analogy: I love fashion design. I could sit down at a sewing machine and come up with a gown. I could spend six months on it. And I could put it up for sale on Amazon. You know what it would be worth? MAYBE $50.00. Why? Because I'm a crap seamstress. It doesn't matter if I put in 700+ hours creating the dress; because the workmanship wouldn't be good enough. The same thing happens with hundreds, thousands, and hundred-thousands of books. I know this because I see them. Many of them.

I have never read a book yet, out of hundreds, that retailed for under $10. In a figure of speech. Lots of the 125 year old books only cost $5 back then and maybe a couple of paperbacks.

Well, I have thousands of books in my home. Literally. I stopped counting at 3,000. I have fiction and non-fiction. I can readily admit that the vast majority of the fiction library were under $10.00. Not in non-fiction so much; but still. Like all voracious readers, I price-shopped.

I don't understand the concept of $1 books and Amazon wants 70 cents out of it?

If you price the book at $0.99USD, yes; it's 35% (to you) and 65% to Amazon. After all, they are making, literally, pennies off a book priced that way. However, you are playing (selling) in their sandbox. Their website, which is supported by millions of dollars of customer service, order personnel, web designers, etc. You couldn't pay enough to have a competitive website, with their kind of foot traffic. So, of course, they want more than $0.33 when you sell a book, using all of their bandwidth, website, ads, mailers, newsletters, promos, etc.

I would doubt if they hold onto the $ for 30 days... Yeah, make interest off of everyone's money that must be a good kick back. That's like those employers that only pay you every two weeks or more.

How would you propose that they pay? Every day? Every sale? That's crazy talk. Once a month makes sense. Hell, if you think Amazon is unfair, try Apple. They won't send you bupkus until you hit $500 in sales.

I use to have to wait months to get paid as a contractor. They want everything now and then drag their feet to pay you.

Same thing, if you mean a construction contractor. Only sane way to pay, at the end of the month. Otherwise, you'd go insane. (I used to build hotels, before the life I have now.)

Why not just tell me how to waste my time setting it up and then I'll find out the hard way? Hey, what could happen, I'll fail and have to succumb to highway robbery and practically give it away and be bound by an open ended contract (You do know what that means don't you?) and being electronic and people's attitude that will just download it for free. Oh, but I can write 10 more and then I'll deserve to profit after becoming a career author that millions read. I just want to give it a whirl, ya'll are no fun.

Knock yourself out. However, you might want to consider that the people you speak with here are highly representative of most voracious eBook readers.

Originally Posted by dickloraine

Okay, I didn't understand all of what you said. But if you sell your ebook between I think 2.99 and 9.99 you get 70% of the price. <snip>
Of course try it if you want, but be aware that you are then directly accountable if you screw up.

Yup. Between $2.99 and $9.99 = 70% to the publisher/author.

I'd note, though, for @Tiamat, that you should compare what royalties would be, from a proper publisher, before you complain about only getting a buck or two. Trust me, evne if Random House published your book, you'd earn a boatload less than you will if you price the book at, say, $5.99 and take 70% of that.

Best of luck.

Hitch