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Confusion about eBook price vs audio book fixed list price.
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S.R.With most commercial vendors, pricing per format varies. Usually, the audio book on CD is priced highest, followed by the audio download version, then the traditional print format, with the e-Book format being the least expensive.
Many readers prefer a specific format. Some read only traditional print books, while others may read e-Books exclusively. I think that most audio book aficionados choose them regardless of the price of the other formats.
If I were you, I would not worry about the price of one format impacting the sales of another. The reader's personal preference will probably still remain the deciding factor in the majority of cases of format choice.
So far I have not had audio editions of my books made; my resources are limited. Before anyone says anything: I know about the royalty sharing possibility and will be looking into that.
However, I do have e-book and POD editions available. As you point out S.R. the lowest possible POD price is set by Amazon/CreateSpace. But I have set the e-book price lower. I agree with Jennifer and Jim that it is doubtful the difference in price would impact upon sales. In other discussions I have found those who purchase audio editions do so for specific reasons. Some find it easier in their busy lives to listen while doing something else. Others have physical limitations (eyes, strength, etc. - I suppose this could be seen as penalising them but that is a market decision rather than yours.). Then there are those who simply prefer to listen.
I would say you are missing out by not lowering your e-book price.
However, I do have e-book and POD editions available. As you point out S.R. the lowest possible POD price is set by Amazon/CreateSpace. But I have set the e-book price lower. I agree with Jennifer and Jim that it is doubtful the difference in price would impact upon sales. In other discussions I have found those who purchase audio editions do so for specific reasons. Some find it easier in their busy lives to listen while doing something else. Others have physical limitations (eyes, strength, etc. - I suppose this could be seen as penalising them but that is a market decision rather than yours.). Then there are those who simply prefer to listen.
I would say you are missing out by not lowering your e-book price.
Hi SR, This is an interesting point you make.
I also have a short story collection Impromptu Scribe currently on sale in e-book format that I would like to produce / have produced in audiobook format.
I too find the issue of not knowing at what level an audiobook will be priced - in advance of making a decision as to whether to invest in the up-front production costs - to be counter-intuitive.
However, whether you go through ACX and select narrators yourself or go straight to an audio production company and have them do the whole gamut, the issue of variable retail pricing does not seem to be resolved.
Do any other contributors with experience of producing an audiobook either via ACX or independently have any comments to make re: establishing a benchmark for retail pricing parameters ?
It does after all have an ultimate effect on your royalties which in print & ebook format you can at least calculate in advance of publishing, and modify by changing the retail price as and when you want, once published.
Inevitably you cede far more control over the production process and end result than with print & e-book formats, not to mention that many audiobook fans will 'follow' their favourite narrators as much as their favourite authors.
The list price, established by the publisher, is targeted toward commercial distribution, not for individual consumption. All formats (print, e-Book, and audio) are sold on-consignment to vendors at a discount based upon the size of the order. Unsold units are returned to the distributor after a time period previously agreed upon.Each vendor establishes its selling price based upon its fixed and variable overhead, anticipated volume, and established profit margin. Pricing in foreign markets is determined by the strength of each country's economy, unique business practices, and its currency's rate of exchange versus the U.S. dollar.
S.R. wrote: "Here's my problem with the audio book. I asked the narrators at ACX if any of them wanted to produce an audio book for my title, "A Strange Feeling of Déjà Vu." Everybody was willing to produce an ..."
I do not have an answer for you S.R. but just wanted say how good it is to see someone taking other people into consideration when deciding such matters.
I do not have an answer for you S.R. but just wanted say how good it is to see someone taking other people into consideration when deciding such matters.
Again, different audiences and different purposes.Audio book afficionados will buy the audiobook regardless of how its priced. They're used to paying a higher price.
Somebody who wants the audio book wants the audio book. It's not even comparable to ebook versus print (although I price ebook well below print). They may be blind. They may have their only "reading" time be an on-road commute. They may be severely dyslexic like my father and have problems reading for pleasure. They may just like listening to books over reading them.
In any case, trust me, they aren't going to go "Oh, but the ebook's cheaper, I'll just get that instead." Audio books are a somewhat specialist thing.
"If I drop the eBook price to let's say 2.99 then why should a reader pay 6.95 to listen to a narrator read the same book that they can read for 2.99. I have a 7-year contract with the narrator and I'm afraid of hurting his royalty, which is the only way he will get paid."Someone above said it but I suspect the people in the market for audio books are not the same people that are looking for ebooks or printed books. It's a totally different market I believe.
That's a really good point. My wife found a really talented voice actor to do her audio version, and during the process the woman contacted her a few times with concerns about a typo or two she found, and at least once a place where the words felt awkward. It was a really nice experience for my wife.But you're totally right, once it's done, it's done.
S.R. wrote: "One thing I would like to mention to the group with all this talk about audio books. If you are thinking about getting an audio book produced for your eBook make sure your eBook is written the way ..."
Thank you for that insight S.R. I had no idea the two had to be exactly the same. Makes sense but just had not thought it through. Probably because it will be a while before I may consider having audio editions.
Thank you for that insight S.R. I had no idea the two had to be exactly the same. Makes sense but just had not thought it through. Probably because it will be a while before I may consider having audio editions.
Restrictions and standard procedures vary by publisher and individual contract. In my particular case, I was required to write an abridgement of the print and electronic formats (111,000 words) for the audio formats, not to exceed 85,000 words, in order to limit listening time to a maximum of eight hours.
The edited proofs of all formats (print, electronic, and audio) were sent to me for review and exchanged back and forth until I was satisfied that all errors and concerns, pointed out by me, were resolved. None were scheduled for production and distribution by the publisher until I finally signed a approval/release form.
Jim wrote: "Restrictions and standard procedures vary by publisher and individual contract.
In my particular case, I was required to write an abridgement of the print and electronic formats (111,000 words) f..."
Presumably therefore your print and e editions are different to the audio? Thank you for this extra information. My books are no where near 111,000 words but it is good to know there is a constraint.
In my particular case, I was required to write an abridgement of the print and electronic formats (111,000 words) f..."
Presumably therefore your print and e editions are different to the audio? Thank you for this extra information. My books are no where near 111,000 words but it is good to know there is a constraint.
Tanya wrote: "Jim wrote: "Restrictions and standard procedures vary by publisher and individual contract. In my particular case, I was required to write an abridgement of the print and electronic formats (111,..."
The constraints are imposed by the publisher. If you contract with someone on your own, they'll do whatever you want. My wife found someone through acx.com and the voice actor did the whole book.
Tanya wrote: "Jim wrote: "Restrictions and standard procedures vary by publisher and individual contract. In my particular case, I was required to write an abridgement of the print and electronic formats (111,..."
Tanya,
The difficult part for me was shortening the original novel by 26,000 words in such a manner that the primary storyline remained intact and the narration still flowed smoothly enough so that a listener, who had not read the 111,000 word print format, would not even be aware that the audio format was an abridgement, if he had not looked at the package. Fortunatey, I received extremely helpful advice and suggestions from the conceptual editor, which proved instrumental in allowing me to acheive the goal. The process took five weeks.
Audio books and ebooks are purchased for different reasons, often by different audiences. Many people want to have the book in both formats.
Audio books cost considerably more to produce than ebooks, as you know.
Lower the ebook price. $6.95 is far more than somebody will pay for a "short read" ebook unless the writer is, you know, somebody like Stephen King. You're hurting sales of the ebook far more than lowering the price would hurt sales of the audio book, IMO.