SciFi and Fantasy eBook Club discussion
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What price is too high for an ebook?
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Many publishers are gradually working their way back through their "ownings" and producing ebooks in hopes of squeezing more bucks outta them. Unfortunately the authors are often screwed over in this situation. :(
Kenny wrote: "Unfortunately the authors are often screwed over in this situation. :( "Judging from responses to me from other authors, I gather that many of them still have no say whatsoever on when, whether or if their books will become ebooks. Potential sales expectations impact the decision, and if a publisher doesn't expect much of a return on an ebook, they either back-back-back-burner it, or just refuse to consider it.
Back to prices: I'd recently decided to introduce a price differential on my books, a dollar less if bought from my books site... just to see if I can drive more people to my site as opposed to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. We'll see if it has any impact... or if anyone even notices.
Steven wrote: "I'd recently decided to introduce a price differential on my books, a dollar less if bought from my books site... just to see if I can drive more people to my site as opposed to Amazon and Barnes & Noble."I doubt it would get me to change. Amazon is just convenient to use. And then the book is in the Cloud as well. I have gotten a few free books from SmashWords, but that's it.
Randy wrote: "And then the book is in the Cloud as well."You do realize that the books on my site are all ebooks? I don't do printed books: We need trees more than we need paper.
Or are you telling me that you'd go and swipe a version from the cloud before buying from my site? (Just checking.)
I think he's just saying that it is available in "Amazon's Cloud" so readable on all his devices. I definitely consider that an advantage (for keeping my bookmark) when swapping between my devices as I'm reading.
Steven wrote: "You do realize that the books on my site are all ebooks?"Yeah. That *is* the topic at hand.
When I buy an eBook from Amazon, I can send it directly to my Kindle device. No fuss, no muss. And if I delete it from my device, it's still on Amazon (i.e. in "The Cloud"). And I can send it to any of my devices any time from The Cloud.
But if I buy your book, I have to either sideload it via USB, or email it to my device. If I email it to my device, it's still saved in Amazon's "Cloud", but as a document, not a book (categories on Amazon's "Cloud").
I can get a complete list of everything that's in Amazon's "Cloud" (movies, apps, books, documents, etc.) using the "Manage Your Kindle" option on Amazon. I currently have about 4000 items there, which are searchable. And have direct links to the products on Amazon if I want to check the synopsis or check reviews (which wouldn't exist with your listed item).
I get it. I didn't think it was that much trouble to sideload a book to Kindle... but I can see how just buying it from Amazon is that much easier. (I don't use a Kindle, so I'm not familiar with the intricacies of using it with Amazon's "Cloud.")
Actually, with nearly 4000 items in Amazon's Cloud, the "Manage Your Kindle" page can be a chore to load, taking several minutes.
I'll bet. Makes me wonder why you'd put so many books in there! I know people who download hundreds of music albums, when they only actually listen to a few hundred songs total. I only have about 400 songs in my rotation, but I absolutely love and listen to them all.I don't suppose you can archive some of those books, to make it more convenient to work with?
Steven wrote: "I don't suppose you can archive some of those books, to make it more convenient to work with?"Actually, that *is* the archive. I usually have less than a dozen books on my Kindle.
If I delete it from the Cloud, I'd have to buy the book from Amazon again if I wanted to read it.
Amazon also has a Cloud with my MP3 files. Now nearly 3000 of them. I found out earlier this year that Amazon automatically ripped all my previous CD purchases from them and loaded them into that Cloud for me. Nice. But I can create my own playlists from those files, so the large number of files is not a problem.
if its an author i love ill buy it just so i can read it though i dont like to pay over 15 dollars. i think 2.99-5.99 is a good range for most books but and if i dont know the autor i wont pay over 4.99 unless it is recomed by someone i trust
Gah! I've never put too much thought into this before, since I do have HC books that i've paid 25 for- and I adore books in general. But. I got excited by a story this morning and decided I wanted it for my Nook. C'mon! This book is $14?!?! No freaking way. Stupidly unrealistic, i'm sorry.
Finding a book for less than $5.00 + tax in the Nook store is turning into an almost impossible feat. There are some old crime novels from the 50s for $3.59 available and I may just pick one at random and run with it.
Frank, A Woman of the Iron People looked pretty interesting, and it would have been a good choice except for sales tax pushing to total cost over $5.00.
Frank, A Woman of the Iron People looked pretty interesting, and it would have been a good choice except for sales tax pushing to total cost over $5.00.
Greg wrote: "Finding a book for less than $5.00 + tax in the Nook store is turning into an almost impossible feat. There are some old crime novels from the 50s for $3.59 available and I may just pick one at ra..."I don't know if you'd consider short stories, but you might find options in shorter length. I know I've got some up for well under $5.00 on BN.
Edit: Actually, try this link--I found a ton of books for under $5.00 under eNook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s?view=...
Bargains are at Smashwords this week. March 3 - 9 is their ebook sale.All of my books are in the sale, either free or 75% off.
It's because of Read an Ebook Week. I have a free book for REBW on my site, too. (Oop... did I say that out loud?)
Clay wrote: "I found this a bit interesting, concerning prices" http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/..."Excellent info. Thank you!
Clay wrote: "I found this a bit interesting, concerning prices" http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/..."Fascinating indeed, many thanks
Yep, very interesting. I'm glad prices have stabilized at a lower rate. I just could not see paying $10 or for an ebook. I'm happy with $8 for a big-name author's book, $4 - $7 for lesser-known, full-length novels. I don't think they should be any less than that - the author deserves a decent wage for their work.
Clay wrote: "I found this a bit interesting, concerning prices" http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/..."
The author's conclusions seem overly broad based on a survey of less than a year. Another interpretation is: prices go up for back-to-school season and then drop. Or that prices track snowfall or flu cases.
The author's conclusions seem overly broad based on a survey of less than a year. Another interpretation is: prices go up for back-to-school season and then drop. Or that prices track snowfall or flu cases.
I am happy when the ebook is a dollar or two less than the hard copy. If they are the same price, I might think twice, and bump the book further down my queue. Maybe I'll buy it later if I'm still thinking about it and really want to read it. Generally, that means I pay about $8-$10 for a book, sometimes less.If there isn't a paperback to compare to, the $6-$9 range is my comfort spot. $4ish if I'm trying a new author.
I haven't noticed a big change in ebook prices. Most "new" books still cost between $11.99 for books out in trade paperback and up to $14.99 for those out in hardcover. But I'm not usually a "bestsellers" reader.
They've definitely dropped following the settlement of the lawsuits over the price fixing.
Randy wrote: "For some books, free is too high. :("I think I read one of those. Well, the first 4 pages.
Hey! Don't talk about my book that way! :) :) :)
Frank wrote: "Randy wrote: "For some books, free is too high. :("I think I read one of those. Well, the first 4 pages."
Agreed, guys - and the worst of it is that Amazon occasionally send me requests to review them!
I take the position that if a book it too bad to finish, then an honest review would be so offensive as to fall into the "Two wrongs don't make a right" category. So I keep silent. The question is, should I let the authors know by some non-public route that I really don't ever want to hear from (or even of) them again?
My Kindle has "Crap bought by accident" and "Too bad to finish" categories. So far, I haven't put those where Goodreads members can see them - but its tempting!
Kathy wrote: "You're probably better off saying as little as possible. The worst authors tend to be the ones who can't take critisism."Yep. I rarely post negative reviews and I think that is true of most readers. I do think that tends to skew the ratings a bit though.
I read this thread and get angry at the prices we pay for DTBs here in New Zealand. We generally pay from $25 to $40 (US$20-35) for a paperback, believe it or not. So when I can buy an ebook of the same title for $15 I am absolutely ecstatic....
Kathy wrote: "Kenny, it's safe enough to put a rating without doing a review."A low rating is still one star - this evening's discussion covers books that deserve a five-cowpat scale!
Kenny wrote: "I rarely post negative reviews and I think that is true of most readers. I do think that tends to skew the ratings a bit though."
I tend to think that's a disservice to good books as well as other prospective readers. If a book is bad, bad rating might save others the time and money. In addition, one major problem faced by better books, especially independent e-books, would seem to be distinguishing themselves from the rest of the pack. If Goodreads or Amazon ratings are a Caucus Race, it doesn't help the cream rise to the top.
I tend to think that's a disservice to good books as well as other prospective readers. If a book is bad, bad rating might save others the time and money. In addition, one major problem faced by better books, especially independent e-books, would seem to be distinguishing themselves from the rest of the pack. If Goodreads or Amazon ratings are a Caucus Race, it doesn't help the cream rise to the top.
G33z3r wrote: "it doesn't help the cream rise to the top. "And there's the problem! But its not that simple. I reviewed something recently (better not name it here) that I found very disappointing. I read it because I saw some comments elsewhere that led me to expect much more and much better. But that said, was it genuinely bad or just not to my taste? And I have certainly read far worse - but not finished and therefore not reviewed it!
And who am I to define 'genuinely bad' anyway? The item in question had very few typos, the sentences genuinely were sentences - not lengthy, carefully structured or erudite, but at least they were sentences - and there was some excitement and some 'flow' to the work. It did not appeal because it was far too much 'action hero' for me - I like something with some more structure and more description to it (not too much - I recently criticised another popular fantasy work for having too much politics) but I like to see something beyond pure action scenes, no matter how much effort the author has put in to maintaining internal consistency and avoiding simple spelling and grammar errors.
Enough! The point I am making is that there is a lot of subjectivity here. Is there such a thing as a 'good book' in absolute terms? If there is, it probably belongs to a more literary genre than F/SF - but that is quite a big 'if'.
And is there such a thing as a bad book? Undoubtedly yes! But in daring to say so, the reviewer must either put aside his/her own preferences and prejudices, or at the very least declare them, and make clear that the review they are writing is a personal opinion - and has no higher status than that unless and until the reviewer is widely accepted and his/her good taste is well established within a particular aspect of the fairly broad F/SF genre.
I think I have passed beyond the original parameters of this conference - time to end, unless someone wants to set up a discussion group for reviewers trying to find common ground and absolute standards, above and beyond personal preferences?
If you're not willing to pay it it's too high.;)
There is a great price for The Way of Kings on kindle, right now. Don't know how long.
$2.99 http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003P2W...
For my current series, I'm pricing my short stories at .99 cents. I wonder if there is such a thing as a price that is too low. I justify my price since it will cost about $7 to download each story once the series is complete.I do think that it is best to set a price based on how long the story is and how much work was put into it. It's difficult to determine the value though, especially when you aren't a well-established author.
I read a short story recently that I thought was overpriced; I got it free thanks to a video game pre-order. It was good, but not worth the price on amazon.
I'm kinda doing the same thing Scott (though I should drop a couple that aren't to 99 cents) I'm working on a couple of essay collections as well as an interconnected short story collection. Once the collections are completed the full collections will be offered at reasonable prices for the books.
It's helped me, I sold 9 copies this month of book 1 of my series. March is the first month that the book has been out, this is new for me! I hope that people enjoy my fantasy fiction.I think people are less likely to spend a lot of money on a book that they've never heard of, unless the blurb is really enticing. Keeping a lower cost means less of a risk for readers to choose something they end up not enjoying.
Hi, I had my books priced at 99c 77p UK, until I realised that at the lower commision rate resulted in very little profit. For over a month now my books have been priced at 1.99 uk $2.99. I've sold more books this month than the previous three months combined. This is likely down to promoting and being more prevalent on good reads, but the point is, the higher price has not put people off buying my books.
Someone just purchased one of my short story collections on paperback at $5 U.S. I was pleasantly surprised! I do agree with you David, cost is not necessarily going to be a negative factor. It all depends on what you write, the cover art, and what the person feels like.
I'd like to charge more, but as an unknown Author I think $2.99 is reasonable for me and the reader. And I believe the profit is roughly what an author would get for a printed book via a publisher anyway. I'm based in the UK, and I don't know why, as Goodreads is worldwide, but almost all my sales have been UK. Only one or two sales in the US
Scott wrote: "I do think that it is best to set a price based on how long the story is and how much work was put into it."Longer isn't always better. :(
And your level of productivity is irrelevant to the reader.
SciFi and Fantasy eBook Club
Books mentioned in this topic
First Flight (other topics)The Biofab War (other topics)
A Woman of the Iron People (other topics)
Catalyst (other topics)
Parallel Stories (other topics)
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I am also see several free e-books that were, originally , available in the Baen's Free Library.