Ben Bova's THE EXILES TRILOGY - on 99cent special for a very short time

[andrewburt]

I realize I never even announced this one here before when we first put it out. It's been one of our best selling titles (and we have 8 of Ben's books already out) but it slipped my mind until now. Anyway, I thought I'd let everyone know Hey, Ben Bova's EXILES TRILOGY is out! And I think the cover turned out really cool; it's one of my favorite of all the titles we've put out.

And, what's more, is we're doing a test on pricing on Amazon, so for a very limited time we're putting the price on this one down to 99 cents to see what it does for sales. So get it while it's hot!

Here's the link on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005V54Z1O

(If you want an .EPUB, or both mobi+epub, or just generally want to support small business and the author, it is available at the regular price directly from our web store, www.ReAnimus.com/store?item=1122 . If the test on Amazon goes well, then we'll propagate the lower price point to all the other places it's sold, B&N, Apple, Sony, Smashwords, etc. etc. etc. But to keep the test simple we're only doing the 99cent price on Amazon, and only for a short time. Because it's one of our best selling titles if it turns out we're going to lose money at 99cents we can't afford to take it in the shorts for too long.)

Here's the info on the book itself:

When all the best of Earth's scientists are forced into exile to a space station to prevent their work from upsetting the status quo, they decide to embark on an even grander adventure to the stars. An epic three-volume saga from a science fiction master, all in one book:

EXILED FROM EARTH
FLIGHT OF EXILES
END OF EXILE

==

So do enjoy the book and our special price. (Not to mention, feel free to spread the word. The better the pricing test goes the more likely we are to put other books at 99 cents. So far I have to say that the number of sales at 99 cents are not yet compensating for the lower price, but the test isn't over yet, and you've got a chance to sway the results here.) Anyway, happy reading!

[JSWolf]

So why is it I can't buy it in ePub for 99 cents? I'm being charged $8.99 to buy this in ePub? Is this a glitch? I'm not paying $8.99 for the ePub when Amazon shopper get it for 99 cents.

[andrewburt]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So why is it I can't buy it in ePub for 99 cents? I'm being charged $8.99 to buy this in ePub? Is this a glitch? I'm not paying $8.99 for the ePub when Amazon shopper get it for 99 cents.

Sorry, I should have been clearer; the pricing test is only on Amazon, so we can control the variables of the test. (The time lag to change prices on all the stores where it's sold is really slow, so we decided to keep it very simple and do the test just on Amazon, where we make the bulk of our sales.) I've edited the OP to clarify that. If the test goes well and proves that 99cents is better then we'll change the prices everywhere else.

[cromag]

Since I'm Kindle-less I'm out.

[ATDrake]

If time lag for pricing adjustments is a factor against holding the sale in other stores, may I ask if there's any particular reason why you're not willing to offer the same pricing in your own direct-buy webstore, where presumably you control when the sale would start and end?

Otherwise, you end up preferentially skewing and biasing the test by cutting out the portion of the potential sales market which uses ePub and/or doesn't shop via Amazon.

I myself have a Kindle, but I consider Amazon's proprietary format to be technically inferior and really not worth paying for in most cases and I do not care at all for certain of their business practices, such as charging customers who happen to live in certain countries an extra $2 per Kindle title*.

As a result, I would not normally† spend my money on titles offered exclusively on sale there which were otherwise available elsewhere, no matter how low the price drops.

However, I'd be quite happy to buy direct at the same price from a publisher or author, who would presumably get more of the money involved in the sale, as I offered to the last time one of these 99-cent Kindle-only Bova specials was advertised here on MR.

Which I passed on, because I never got an answer and as I reiterate, I view an Amazon-only sale as a sign telling me I can save money! Though possibly not in the way the promotional seller intends.

* You can see this for yourself by logging out of your Amazon account and switching your country/region in the storefront drop-down to Middle East (and/or Latin America, IIRC) and seeing how the prices change, which they also do for a number of Western European and other countries as well (but you'd have to enter full fake address info for that).

† I can count on the fingers of two hands the exact number of favourite authors whom I'd be willing to buy in Amazon's Mobi format even on deep discount sale and I wouldn't even have to use my thumbs.

[AndrewH]

This is a great price, but I'd much rather pay for an epub.

[TimW]

I got a copy...thanks Andrew.

[crich70]

I read it yrs ago in paperback. I like that it's now available in kindle format.

[HarryT]

Thanks, Andrew - I've bought it from amazon.co.uk. Why does it cost £1.02 in the UK, by the way? That's an exceedingly odd price!

[sabredog]

Grabbed it

Thanks!

[rhadin]

Please be sure to announce when it will be available for 99 cents in ePub. I'd consider buying them then. Like others, I do not own a Kindle and have no interest in buying from Amazoin. I do like to support small publishers and indie authors, but I see no reason to pay an $8 penalty because I don't shop at Amazon or own a Kindle.

BTW, I'm not sure your test results would be valid in any event. If most of your sales already occur at Amazon, what does increasing Amazon sales by having a lower price demonstrate? However, if you offered the ebooks at the discount price in a store where sales are low and then suddenly sales at that store increase, there would be a direct connection to the price. If they didn't increase, it might demonstrate that readers of what you publish are more likely to be found at Amazon than elsewhere.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by andrewburt

Sorry, I should have been clearer; the pricing test is only on Amazon, so we can control the variables of the test. (The time lag to change prices on all the stores where it's sold is really slow, so we decided to keep it very simple and do the test just on Amazon, where we make the bulk of our sales.) I've edited the OP to clarify that. If the test goes well and proves that 99cents is better then we'll change the prices everywhere else.

At 99 cents, I was ready to buy. But as I will not ever buy an eBook from Amazon, count me out. Why not just make it 99 cents everywhere so you get more sales? There are a lot of people here on MR who use ePub and it's unfair exclude us.

You have direct access to your store. So why not change the price there to 99 cents for all formats and we can then buy it.

[jgaiser]

Got it... Thanks..

[JSWolf]

So according to just this thread, there are now at least five lost sales because you refuse to go to your store and price the ePub at 99 cents.

[djulian]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So according to just this thread, there are now at least five lost sales because you refuse to go to your store and price the ePub at 99 cents.

I'd think of them as five delayed sales. If you are currently willing to buy the book at 99 cents, then when (if) it becomes available at that price as an ePub, you may still buy it.

I think they are attempting is a limited variable pricing study. Perhaps they will later raise the price at Amazon and lower the price at another storefront. This could give them a good indication as to whether they will really get more sales (enough more to justify the lower price) at certain storefronts with a price reduction.

To the OP: Good luck! Let us know how it goes.