Maths - Pricing Your Book Right!

[Sara]

Following the post of Minimum Content Required, I posted a link to Smashwords. A 'book' was priced at $3 (2.99, to be exact) and it had 3300 words.
So, that works at $0.00091 a word (Priced at $3 for the sake of argument). Which means I should be charging $93 (£60,62) for my 102.000 word novel, and $7.53 (£4,88) for the short story soon to be out. Actually, the short story is a bargain! ONLY £4,88!!!
So, how much should you be charging for your books?

[Tim]

When it comes out next month, mine should be priced at $81.81 (£53.59). I might give you a little discount... ;)

[Sara]

How little a discount?

[Tim]

A few quid at least!

[Sara]

Say £50.

[David]

I went in Sainbury's today and a good selection of paper books were priced at two for £3 or £1.99 each.

I wonder if readers are looking at the word count before buying these short ebooks? And if they aren't how frustrated are they upon discovering?

[Tim]

Sara wrote: "Say £50."

Only if I want to sell any...

[Tim]

David wrote: "I went in Sainbury's today and a good selection of paper books were priced at two for £3 or £1.99 each.

I wonder if readers are looking at the word count before buying these short ebooks? And if t..."

I suspect not. An I'll bet they are complaining, and those complaints are what's driving this minimum word count dictate.

I wonder whether these "books" are published by indies, or whether it's a trick by the big 6 to undermine "cheap" books...

[Sara]

It could also be a 'marketing strategy' where you price your book ridiculously high and then you say you 'dropped down the price'. Don't really know. Amazon has an approximate page count. Smash gives you the word count.
As to who publishes them... who knows.

Was also wondering if people leave a bad review because the story was too short?

[Kath]

I've been reading on Am forum that someone has effectively broken a book into 5 and you can buy it in 'installment'. The first is 4 pages! All are at 77p. The person reckons that they are being offered free at intervals so you could have the whole thing for nothing. People weren't impressed. I reckon this minimum count is mopping up the complains about this.

[Sara]

That is approx. 1800 words. It's less than a chapter. I can understand that people are not happy with that.

[Tim]

Not all serials are bad though. John Scalzi's The Human Division was issued as 13 weekly instalments @ 67p each (£8.71) probably averaging 8-10k each. Bear in mind though that this is from Tor, and the full ebook is currently £13.76!

Also some serials are written in the TV show style, and each episode is a novella in its own right (Yesterday's Gone, Unicorn Western are examples of this). The instalments then get grouped into "seasons". I have to say I find this a more intriguing format than simply serialising a novel...

None of which excuses the 1800 word crap.

[Darren]

I think that the Man From UNDEAD short stories that I have released into the wild came in at about 7k words. They are clearly marked as Agent Ward Short Stories. One review did say that they enjoyed it, but thought that it had been released as a money making scheme. Nobody releases their writing in a bid to lose money. I do have a short short of Agent Ward written, but that's for a anthology or to be bundled with another longer short due out later in the year.

Apart from the shorts and one promo book, I price myself at half a pratchett, which I think is fair.

[Patti (baconater)]

Your books are worth a whole Pratchett.

I enjoy your books a heck of a lot more than the one and only Pratchett ive looked at and still haven't struggled through to the end.

[Tim]

They say that like making money is bad??? (I have a dream of one day making enough money to eat...)

[Sara]

Darren wrote: "I think that the Man From UNDEAD short stories that I have released into the wild came in at about 7k words. They are clearly marked as Agent Ward Short Stories. One review did say that they enjoye..."

I think, as an author, you're ALWAYS on the losing end. Someone will always complain about something. As long as they are a decent lenght and price, if there's enough information on Amazon about the book's lenght etc, it's up to the reader to decide.

[Roger]

Don't you think Amazon should insist on a word count in the description?

I do for all my books so that the reader knows what they are getting.

[Jim]

Tim wrote: "They say that like making money is bad??? (I have a dream of one day making enough money to eat...)"

I want to prove that vast undeserved wealth wouldn't spoil me

[Darren]

Roger wrote: "Don't you think Amazon should insist on a word count in the description?

I do for all my books so that the reader knows what they are getting."

There is the estimated page count.

[Sara]

Jim wrote: "Tim wrote: "They say that like making money is bad??? (I have a dream of one day making enough money to eat...)"

I want to prove that vast undeserved wealth wouldn't spoil me"

Lol!

[Sara]

Darren wrote: "Roger wrote: "Don't you think Amazon should insist on a word count in the description?

I do for all my books so that the reader knows what they are getting."

There is the estimated page count."
Yes, there is that.

[David]

Tim wrote: "They say that like making money is bad??? (I have a dream of one day making enough money to eat...)"

I dream of one day making enough money to retire to a hot country to write while overlooking the ocean rather than the cold wall of my back room.

[Jim]

Sara wrote: "Jim wrote: "Tim wrote: "They say that like making money is bad??? (I have a dream of one day making enough money to eat...)"

I want to prove that vast undeserved wealth wouldn't spoil me"

Lol!"

Don't knock it, I fancy the full Scrooge McDuck experience
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBRrCY...

[Sara]

Jim wrote: "Sara wrote: "Jim wrote: "Tim wrote: "They say that like making money is bad??? (I have a dream of one day making enough money to eat...)"

I want to prove that vast undeserved wealth wouldn't spoil..."

I think I could get used to those daily baths...

[Jim]

"Because I'm worth it"

[Patti (baconater)]

David wrote: "Tim wrote: "They say that like making money is bad??? (I have a dream of one day making enough money to eat...)"

I dream of one day making enough money to retire to a hot country to write while ov..."

I'm currently looking at purchasing a property on the beach just south of Mombassa. Of course, I'll require a writer in residence.

How's your Swahili?

[Jim]

Patti (Fluffy) wrote: "I'm currently looking at purchasing a property on the beach just south of Mombassa. Of course, I'll require a writer in residence.

How's your Swahili? ..."

Kiswahili yangu imeandikwa ni kama ufasaha kama mtu anaweza kutarajia kwa muungwana ya tofauti wangu wengi

[Sara]

Hahaha! GR should introduce a 'translate' button!

[David]

Looks like you're getting a writer/farmer in residence.

[Rosemary (grooving with the Picts)]

Jim wrote: Kiswahili yangu imeandikwa ni kama ufasaha kama mtu anaweza kutarajia kwa muungwana ya tofauti wangu wengi ..."


Many different what??

[Jim]

Rosemary wrote: "Jim wrote: Kiswahili yangu imeandikwa ni kama ufasaha kama mtu anaweza kutarajia kwa muungwana ya tofauti wangu wengi ..."


Many different what??"

I think it is a word that doesn't translate properly, from memory I wrote discrete, which when I translated it backwards came out as different (but in all candor I've forgotten the question :-)