The biggest threat facing authors and publishers today is not piracy, it's

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by MartinC

Good point. But what if, in ten years time, serious readers are all choosing from the audiobook department because of the reputation ebooks have gained for cheap tat? Amazon is already well on the way to becoming the new ebay.

Then people like me get Stephen Hawkins to read our books via a computer program and flood that market too.

John Locke seems to be doing okay with 70p ebooks, they're all in the top 100 sellers anyway. But he can bang them out every couple of months, so he doesn't really need to make as much per book as someone who spends years writing one.

I don't like the big rush to the bottom either, it spoiled Ebay as a selling venue for old tat years ago. But there is a lot to be said for impulse purchases. If it's cheap you just buy it if it looks vaguely interesting. And with so many good writers selling within impulse purchase prices, you will always struggle to sell at a higher price.

[Frida Fantastic]

I don't like the rush to the bottom, but face it, people will not pay for a lot for an unknown unless they already know what they're getting into.

These are my preferred pricing averages for e-books (in Canadian dollars):
Ernest Hemingway: $8.99 (trad publishing, well-known)
Mid-list author: $5.99 (trad publishing, don't know)
J. A. Konrath: $5.99 (indie published, well-known)
Unknown indie book: $3.99 (indie published, not well-known, but I might buy if I already have seen the author's work)
Get the name out: $0.99 (I'm more willing to impulse buy, take a chance, and read you on the bus for a few minutes. If I don't like you, I'm not too hurt.)

I personally don't pirate books. I'll only pirate a book if it's impossible for me to buy it.
As you see, I am more willing to pay more money for traditionally published books, just because the books have been pre-vetted. It'll likely change as the big publishing houses become less relevant, and alternative vetted ways emerge (niche stamp of approvals?). I'll pay more for a book if it got recognized by some bodies that I trust rather than through informal networks.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by bashfulbanshee

Get the name out: $0.99 (I'm more willing to impulse buy, take a chance, and read you on the bus for a few minutes. If I don't like you, I'm not too hurt.)

There is a danger in that too. If you attract impulse purchases from people outside your target audience they are likely to take their mistake out on you personally by leaving bad reviews. That could conceivably cost you sales from people who are in your target audience.

[queentess]

Originally Posted by MartinC

Good point. But what if, in ten years time, serious readers are all choosing from the audiobook department because of the reputation ebooks have gained for cheap tat? Amazon is already well on the way to becoming the new ebay.

"Serious readers" choose audiobooks? I've nothing particular against audiobooks (my husband loves them), but I can't get into them at all. It's irritating to me to listen to someone read when I can read quicker on my own. I don't believe the markets intersect enough for audiobooks to be a substitution for ebooks. And besides that, the audiobooks are just audio versions of books.... so if the books are poorly done, how are the audiobooks going to be better?

Amazon is becoming the new eBay? How so? I don't understand the negative connotation you're trying to apply there.

[queentess]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

There is a danger in that too. If you attract impulse purchases from people outside your target audience they are likely to take their mistake out on you personally by leaving bad reviews. That could conceivably cost you sales from people who are in your target audience.

Yeah. I sometimes venture outside my preferred genres when I see something cheap and/or enticing. But if it's something I don't end up liking because I don't like the genre, I don't leave a review. On the other hand, if it's something outside my preferences and I enjoyed it, I make sure to make that clear in any review. But it's funny to venture into the Writer's Corner and see all the people bemoan only getting 1 review and 50 downloads...

[Freeshadow]

Originally Posted by queentess

"Serious readers" choose audiobooks? (...)
I can't get into them at all. It's irritating to me to listen to someone read when I can read quicker on my own.

So much a +1 on that