That Argh E-Book Pricing Poll
About a thousand years ago, I put up a poll on e-books. It’s there to your right. Then I forgot about it. I just looked at it again and it’s a flawed poll (I didn’t put all the pricing choices on there because . . . I forget why), plus given the span of time, people have probably changed their opinions, but what I’ve noticed is that the most popular choice for a fair price now–$2.99 to $3.99–has changed from the most popular choice previously: $6.99 to $7.99. That’s not good, said the published writer.
I’m wondering if that’s in part because of the Amazon/Hachette mess (don’t get me started) which may be lowering the perception of what an e-book is worth, or if it’s a result of the low-priced self-published books flooding the market (some of which are excellent, not judging here), or if it’s just a general tightening of pocketbooks. Whatever, it’s bad news for publishers because it’s going to make it more difficult to sell a book at a price where it turns a profit, and than in turn is bad for writers. I’ve talked before about how printing/digital costs don’t determine how much a book costs, but that doesn’t really matter when you’re trying to establish a good price point because perception is reality: if people believe something is too much to pay, it really is too much for them to pay.
I will admit to deciding not to buy an e-book because it was just too damn expensive, although I’d have made the same call if it had been a print book. On the other hand, I tend to buy every Terry Pratchett book when it comes out regardless of price, and I’d pay a lot to replace my Margery Allinghams and Michael Gilberts and Emma Lathens digitally. So “fair price” to me depends on what book I’m buying, and I’m sure that’s true of a lot of people, but if the majority of people who read this blog (people who are regular readers of fiction, I’m assuming) truly believe that paying more than $3.99 for an e-book is unfair, then that’s where they’ll decide to decline on most books. And if that’s true, things are looking grim for publishing. Fortunately for me, I’m great at ignoring polls (especially this flawed amateur one) and statistics and reality in general, and I think both print and digital publishing will adapt and come through this just fine. But still . . .
What’s your take on this? (That is, on e-book pricing and the future of publishing, not on my grasp of reality.)
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i buy my favorite authors regardless of price :)
Personally speaking, I'm willing to spend more on a physical copy due to the fact that when I buy it I can actually hold it and see it in my hands. It is also something I can keep for many years and then give away to share with a friend for instance. Not everyone uses e-readers but all avid readers read period. So, it is much simpler to give them a physical copy. I've also had a problem in the past with receiving an e-book on my e-reader only to have it removed due to a problem with either the e-reader or the company and then was unable to get it back. The most that I have spent on a new release in physical copy was close to $20 as far as novels go and the most I have spent on a digital copy was either $3 or $4.
i buy my favorite authors regardless of price, and even then i wait until the mass market paperbacks come out so i can get the under $10 price. after that, anything over $5 has to be something i really want for a reason (book club or a recommendation) and not something that just looks interesting. i don't experiment with books over $5. i also didn't do that in print format. i shopped sales, or used bookstores, or used the library. since we can't recycle digital books like we did print, i feel like digital books that are more than a couple of years old should drop in price to under $5. and i really think that more of them would sell if that happened.
Jessica wrote: "i buy my favorite authors regardless of price, and even then i wait until the mass market paperbacks come out so i can get the under $10 price. after that, anything over $5 has to be something i re..."I get a good portion of mine from used book stores as well. Definitely shop around. For the most part in my opinion, a lot of the e-books are the same price or close to the same price no matter where they are purchased from.
The problem for me is the flood of new, largely unedited authors. Many are not worth more than 99 cents. If you're a 'proven' author to me, but not a literary one, then I'll pay more. $4-5.99 seems fair as it was the mass market paperback price of my young adulthood. By "literary" I mean you are so fancy dancy that you probably would never be published in mass paperback, maybe trade only or hardcover. If you are that, and reviews are good enough to make me think I'll really love your book, then I'll pay up to $7.99 gladly for e.Ebooks are less convenient to the collector and serious reader. It's far more pleasurable to look around my physical library than my Kindle. I spend a lot of money and time on my phyisical library. But there is a cost in terms of linear feet of shelving, dusting, clutter, etc to having too many books in print. I'm glad I have the ebook option now for the , well, trashier stuff I would not have wanted in my library visibly anyway. The stuff I read when I have the flu or during long plane rides. The stuff I want to get cheaply.
Your books, generally do not fall in that pile though! So I'll pay up to $7.99 or maybe a little more for a new book of yours - in print.
P.s. Typos due to iPad argh!
Another point: If it's a book that I truly want to own then I buy the physical copy even if I already own the e-book. Otherwise the e-book is treated more like a library book that I don't ever read again unless I get a major urge to do so and "check the book out".
But me being a reader that went from paper back to digital I think some where in the middle works book even a dovetail that cost over 7.99 is priced to high.
I have paid the 7.99 before but not the hard bond price most go digtail because the cost is lower and they can buy more. A small book 5.99 is good even 6.99 is good but if you jump to high on your cost people will not buy as much are water for the price to go down.
So for me it would be somewhere in the middle and everybody is happy.