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Pros and Cons of Omnibus editions
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the sample pages have to be very, very targeted and be very good quality for a reader to commit that amount of time vs. a single book. and sometimes the beginning isn't the best example. to mitigate that, i've seen authors place the best scene from their book (even for single books) near the front.
btw, after a manga series has been completed, publishers create more economical print omnibuses that also package 3 books in 1.
you'd need to overcome the fact that those 3 books have a review and ratings history that won't be automatically carried over to the omnibus.
1) notwithstanding the initial and subsequent marketing discounts and assuming that the omnibus purchase point would still be higher than 1 book, then book 1 is still a better deal for an introduction to the series. 2) In general, from what I've heard anecdotally, marketing the 1st book in a series as opposed to any others is the most effective.
3) The markdown for 1 book would be smaller than for an omnibus for marketing discounts.
4) In the long run, It might be reasonable to expect a Lower initial purchase rate for omnibus vs the 1st book just b/c of the higher price point.
sorry that i didn't have many pros. i think that the biggest pro for a 3-volume omnibus edition is post-series-completion in order to provide a lower price point to push sales. that seems to be the idea behind manga omnibus editions. those series typically have 13 books at $10-11/tankobon (book) (for example, Biomega: https://www.amazon.com/Biomega-Vol-1-...) and the omnibus edition is 3 volumes in a larger page format priced around $18 now (for example, Inuyasha (but back in 2011 when I bought mine it was $12): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/142.... This series has 18 omnibus editions, so 54 volumes!)you could also achieve a similar sales/marketing "re-launch" result by discounting all 3 books separately but simultaneously w/o incurring the extra cost of production that an omnibus edition would incur.
i've also seen authors publish kindle shorts in the same world as a series to support sales of the series books.
another spontaneous idea of mine is to create an omnibus for volumes 2-4 in order to leave volume 1 as the gateway drug.
I suspect an omnibus of a previous series might be a useful marketing tool for an author publishing a new series.Not sure how it works out in the real world, but I have recently bought a couple of omnibuses for another group's monthly reads. It was a good intro to one of the authors in particular.
I have a an omnibus (kindle only) of my spy thriller trilogy. Not that this has made any headway but the individuals have not either. I have priced attractively, in my view, buy two get one free price point. I don't like my cover but that's a whole other problem.From another thread this would be my target for an Amazon giveaway - if I could run it.
I have an ongoing sci-fi series, 2 out one WIP, but that's a long way from Omnibus.
I have seen quite a few omnibus editions e.g. Bourne from Ludlum and other spy trilogies. The physical books are a bit daunting but perhaps I need to create that version. Quite a few sci-fi too and there have always been collections versions - even very different stories.
If i received book 1 free and really liked it, i will buy the rest. I look for the omnibus and occasionally come across Alex's suggested book 2 through 4, which makes me very happy. The other side of the coin is that unless I know I like the series or the author has already thrilled me with another series, I am unlikely to buy an omnibus.
Lizzie wrote: "If i received book 1 free and really liked it, i will buy the rest. I look for the omnibus and occasionally come across Alex's suggested book 2 through 4, which makes me very happy. The other side ..."@_@ i had no idea a series had an omnibus of vols 2-4. do you recall which series?
You might not see this if you're only collecting three works, but the more an omnibus contains, the more of the series they're getting free through the sample. I understand author complaints about other authors giving away their books for free, but the first collection I put out gave away the entire first book free anyway if they simply downloaded the preview. Since more people will download a free book than a preview, it made sense to put the first book free.Lizzie's suggestion of starting the omnibus with book 2 if book 1 is free is interesting, but the price is always something I consider when pricing collections. I'll usually price my collections cheaper than the total of the individual books, keeping in mind the first book might be free...if they get the first free, it is still cheaper to buy the collection with the first book included again than it is to buy the remaining books separately. Then I get confused when people still buy those titles separately instead of saving money with the collection.
J.J. wrote: "You might not see this if you're only collecting three works, but the more an omnibus contains, the more of the series they're getting free through the sample. I understand author complaints about ..."Usually, since I have the first one free, when I price it out, the next two are the same price as the omnibus. When that happens I prefer to continue with individual books. If it us a 9 book series and an omnibus exists for 3 sets of 3 books then I will buy all omnibus if it saves me money. It is just my preference for symmetry and consistency
Alex wrote: "Lizzie wrote: "If i received book 1 free and really liked it, i will buy the rest. I look for the omnibus and occasionally come across Alex's suggested book 2 through 4, which makes me very happy. ..."I am sorry I dont. But i have seen it for a sci fi and for a mystery co!lection.
Lizzie wrote: "Alex wrote: "Lizzie wrote: "If i received book 1 free and really liked it, i will buy the rest. I look for the omnibus and occasionally come across Alex's suggested book 2 through 4, which makes me..."I just saw it in a young teen fantasy series too. I was on vacation and noticed it when I was online in the middle of a bout of insomnia, but I didn't write it down (didn't want to wake up other people by talking to my phone or turning on a light for paper and pencil.)
Graeme wrote: "Kindle shorts could be a goer."Are Kindle shorts short stories or something else?
Graeme wrote: "Hi All,I seriously looking at investing in publishing an Omnibus edition (all in one book) for A Subtle Agency, A Traitor's War and The Dragon's Den.
I would engage a top level cover maker and d..."
I think an omnibus is a great idea Graeme - especially given the length of your series. It's always beneficial to keep your brand in the limelight.
Maybe consider offering exclusive content in the omnibus? Behind the scenes access as it were? like with DVD's.
Some authors include an additional side story. I bought Joseph Lallo's anthology of his Deacon series because he included a new short story/novella starring one of his characters. I already owned the individual books but a previously released story given to his newsletter subscribers before my time and a new "book" made me willing to buy the collection.
I seriously looking at investing in publishing an Omnibus edition (all in one book) for A Subtle Agency, A Traitor's War and The Dragon's Den.
I would engage a top level cover maker and do a "US Cover" which is a different style from what I have with the original books.
I would use the Omnibus edition to re-launch the series in Q2 2018 while I work on book 4.
What are the Pros and Cons of this approach.
Noting that I am now working exclusively with Creatspace/Pronoun as my publishing platforms.