How Do You Determine the Right Price for a Book?

[Gamal]

I just wrote a piece on setting prices for self published work and attracting new readers. Do you think my idea makes sense? http://t.co/YxFDh5Sa

Thanks in advance.

Have fun.
Gamal

[Jim]

I think you make a good point on the pricing. One author told me the best way to promote books was to keep writing because once a reader finds an author, they're more interested in reading their other works.

i really feel for new authors. There are so many books published, many for free & some of those are quite good. I often get books given to me just so I'll review them & spread the word. Even with best of intentions, I find it difficult to go back & find their other stuff, though. There are too many new books clamoring for my attention & my TBR pile keeps growing at a prodigious rate.

[Gamal]

I hear exactly what you're saying. There might be two or three authors that I like so much that I'll buy their stuff sight unseen. Everyone else has to deal with me looking over their description, and reading the free preview, and fighting for my limited time to read and limited cash flow. I try to keep that in mind when I'm looking at my own sales, but it isn't easy.

Having said all of that, is there any chance you'd like a free copy of my next short story for a possible review?

Have fun
Gamal

[Jim]

I'll send you a PM.

[Joseph]

Gamal, thanks for your article and posting about this.
I currently have an agent pitching my manuscript to all the big houses, but if we don't get any takers I'll be going to the self-publishing route.
If and when I do that process, I wonder: Will I start eating my own cooking? I don't read any self-published stuff now. I have no doubt there are some nuggets of gold out there, but I'd rather have someone else (like Jim!) find 'em for me. There's just too much crap.
On Amazon, you can tell who the amateurs are just from the blurbs. You'll see a verb tense switch in the middle of a paragraph, or maybe a point-of-view change in mid-sentence.
I started my manuscript back in '05. Since then, I've had drafts read by a half dozen friends and had another draft workshopped in a writing class. Most recently, my agent/editor did an excruciating line edit. Every character was studied, every plot twist was questioned.
My point for bringing this up is this: I highly doubt many self-published works have had this kind of scrutiny. As a result, we have a whole bunch of writers putting their first or second or third drafts online and saying, "Hey everybody! Check out my book for only $4.99!" Or maybe $1.99. Or free! Oh, sweet God, just read this!
All that said, good is good and quality speaks for itself. No one ever finished a good yarn and said, "Damn, who published this?"

[Guillermo]

half.com, baby. that's where I get all my stuff dirt cheap.

[Gamal]

Jim wrote: "I think you make a good point on the pricing. One author told me the best way to promote books was to keep writing because once a reader finds an author, they're more interested in reading their o..."

I read that advice when I first started publishing and although I'm only 5 months into it, I think that is only part of the story. If I keep writing there will be more of my work to find, but unless I give people a reason to actually read it my work will vanish in the flood of new books like rain in the ocean. That's why I'm offering my short stories for free. The characters, plots and themes in those stories are introductions to what will be in my novels. I've started to look at my short stories like trailers and so far (1.5 months) it seems to be working...

Thanks for the responses.

Have fun.
G