Fair Pricing For eBooks?

ninjasalesgroup

It all depends upon your reputation and the value of the information you are providing. We had an ebook for sale on SEO Clerks for $1 about using email for marketing. The book is very informative but had no reputation. Now that a few users have had the chance to review the book, we've increased the cost to $4 because of the value from what's provided inside. It's not about the length of the book so much as what's provided to the person reading it.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

I think that I had previously missed this post somehow, but this is also a very important point here. I think that you are absolutely right; as the popularity and the use of the product spreads, then the demand for it becomes heightened, and so the price can be raised. Sounds about right! Supply and demand plus marketing.

7 years ago

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Painterly

I would like to second the points about reputation. As craftsmen, we like to think that value is commensurate with quality. To a certain degree, it is. Unfortunately, this fails to take the "human element" into consideration. People absolutely do judge a book by its cover. Whether or not that's a good thing is a matter for a philosophy class. In commerce, you must consider this! Reputation is a huge factor in whether a potential customer turns over, and how much they're willing to spend. This means that most of us are going to have to set aside any egotistical investment we have in our property and take a hard, honest look at what we've produced. Can your product ride on your name?

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

I think the length matters a tiny bit of course. Of course, the length should not be the important aspect of the price but it does matter especially for the person that wants to buy the ebook. For example, would you really pay $4 for a book that maybe only had one page? Could you trust that the author was able to put a lot of good information in just one page?

7 years ago

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vinaya

The one who created the book has a high opinion about the book just because he created it and thinks the book contain valuable information. Whether the book is valuable or not is actually determined by the reader. I think a first time writer should always set a low price for the book. When the writer gains reputation, has great reviews and good sales, he can increase the price of set higher price for his next book.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

True--we all think our books, or any of our own creations, are of incredibly high value. Why would we produce them in the first place if we did not think they were worth something? That being said, you remind me to keep perspective on this idea and to consider how another person, objectively, would value something I had produced in his or her life. How useful is my content? Is it entertaining? Is it informative? If so, how much would I be willing to pay for it as a consumer and not just a creator. Good point, Vinaya.

7 years ago

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vinaya

I have always published my ebooks on Amazon. If you price your ebook higher than $2.99 you are entitled for70 percent royalties. Therefore, I always set my price above $2.99. My first ebook that has 35 pages with no images inside is priced $2.99 and my another book that has 24 pages with images is also priced $2.99.

7 years ago

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emiaj55

I usually price my instructional Ebooks for about a dollar to five. Those usually have 100 pages and less. They are very detailed from materials used, from where to get them to the making of the actual craft. But in some I add a little more to 25 depending on the length of time I put to it.

6 years ago

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bienn05

Yes, I think there should be a law for those who are retail selling books. The main writer should be the one who will set the price and the retail price should be plus some percentage. This is to avoid over pricing eBooks. This is to avoid opportunist.

7 years ago

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vinaya

The pricing of an ebook should depend on the lenght of the book as well. It is not very good to price a book $10 if it has only 50 pages. Pricing should also depend on the price your competitors are charging for the ebooks on the same topic. If there are already many books on a certain topic available for $1, then you also have to price your ebook $1 to avoid over pricing. sales of the ebook depends on the price.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

I believe that the content of the ebook should be what would decide the appropriate cost of the work. Number of pages does not matter if the content is not solid. So the bone decider should be the quality of the content and how useful it would be to those who need it.

7 years ago

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bienn05

Yes, I agree with you. It is not about the quantity but it is about the quality. If the pricing is about how many pages, I think authors will just put a long and unclear thoughts.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

You are absolutely correct, the number of pages in a book doesn't have any significance when the content is zero in tangible information that would serve a lot of purpose to its readers. Instead of any book or ebook having 1000 pages but possess no useful information, it's best to have a copy with just 20 pages but offers something very good.

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

It's a difficult thing to do because you just don't know what type of price you should charge for the ebook. It really does depend on the subject and the content of the ebook. For example, a fictional ebook might sell for something like $4. But then an ebook containing a lot of tips, advice and interviews and is about how you can make a lot of money by investing in stocks, might be a lot more expensive and might even be around $10-15. It does depend on the content and of course, depends on what price you are comfortable selling the book at.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

In your opinion... What makes one genre more valuable (financially speaking) than others? I think this is a very complicated kind of work because you are dealing with words (and words are in the field of abstract art).

I particularly can't think of a fair line of thought to establish the right kind of value for this.

7 years ago

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Painterly

It's a matter of practical value. Fiction is a dime a dozen. There's no end to the story-telling going on out there. The great, the okay, and the awful all produce a tremendous glut of stories for you to consume. It is the very definition of over saturation. Practical information, on the other hand, requires education and experience to produce. There is an inherent rarity to it which is amplified by the fact that there are absolutely "levels" of expertise. One man's how-to book may be good in its own right, but not as good as the next man's. The fact that people need this material to overcome a challenge also means there is a greater drive to purchase the material. No one needs an amusing story, but you may have a real need to figure out how to manage your asthma symptoms or deal with termite damage to the floor struts.

7 years ago

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SiamSEO

I think that this is a perfect answer for the question! It's indeed not very easy to see how a book could be worth more than another one, but taking into consideration the real life use and usability of it you can get some ideas. Sure, entertainment doesn't need to really make your life be any different per se, and still be worth it, but that's not really what the consumers consider when making a purchase.

7 years ago

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Russet

Economics has the answer built in. What makes something valuable is how many people will buy it for the price. It doesn't really matter why they are willing to pay for it, to a large extent we never know. The job of the ebook retailer is to find the price point that maximizes profit. Whether that is many people paying less, or fewer people paying more.

Observing my own behavior it is not just about broad categories. Some fiction I don't want even for free, other fiction I have paid up to $12 for an ebook. Some non-fiction is crap, other non-fiction i have paid over $100 for.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

Really good points here, and you echo what others have also said below about the content dictating the price of the books. I was thinking somewhere between four and ten dollars, and I am writing fiction, primarily. I figure I could aim sort of high at first and then drop the price if it does not seem to be selling. Obviously, I am going to have to experiment with this, just like all of my other online ventures, to be sure.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

I think the price line you've drawn seems to me to be fair (mainly because it is an affordable value). But in what ways did you base your decision? I mean, only in the reading genre? I never know how to decide that.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

I actually looked at some paperback books, and then I went to lulu.com, a print on demand publisher, and compared my book(s) to others in the same ilk. I have a book with them that I am selling as a hard copy right now, actually. After a lot of comparing and a bit of research, I started getting a price range. You can't just give your stuff away, but you need to find the balanced margin so people but it at all, so it is a tough decision.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

Thanks for the tips.

I think that making comparisons is always a good idea. I definitely need to expand this practice in the next time I'm setting a price for it. Deciding a value on my own has never been something that I did because I think it can be very unfair (for me and my readers).

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

Point taken here--I am still trying to figure this out, as I said. The print on demand company where I do the books makes price suggestions, and I am basing what I am going to end up pricing it on some of what they say, so, I guess you could say, in that way I am getting some "consultation". I absolutely want this to be fair to readers and customers!

7 years ago

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wiseagent

Do you think the prices that are usually suggested to you are fair prices or something above average? This price-related concern can be something that easily causes a lot of headaches, doesn't it? Haha!

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

From what I have seen, they seem reasonable. I asked myself would I pay that amount for an ebook, and I am broke as a joke, and in most instances, I was able to answer yes. I guess that, at the end of the day, I decided that I just can't ask possible customers or clients to pay something I wouldn't pay, if that makes sense.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

You just gave me a very interesting idea because until today I had never asked myself something like this: "Would I pay this price for an ebook?".

Now I wondered why I never thought of it. haha!

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

It's most likely the first and last time I will think of something before you do, wiseagent, lol. Seriously, though, thanks for the conversation and insights regarding this topic.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

Yeah, I think you have to leave some free ideas so I can say that I'm the author of them, Joe Milford... Don't be so selfish, Haha!

So... You're welcome and that's why we're here, isn't it? To exchange ideas and help us. Thanks you too.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

Yes--it is why we are here. It's very encouraging to have conversations like this and to keep a positive thread going. You made me laugh with this post of yours, and it is in good spirits. Supporting each other in spirit IS a very good thing--we are all working hard and struggling to earn and learn, so it's really cool to have an exchange which bolsters my energy. Thank you.

7 years ago

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nnacrter

Hoping 50% price eBooks for all students out there who are starving to be fed by knowledge.

7 years ago

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Tronia

It definitely matters on the subject matter among other factors. Another one is the actual length of the eBook and the overall quality. I think that it's impossible to tell you how much exactly you should be charging for a 100-page eBook because it varies so much. Your best solution would be to do some market research. Go on websites that sell eBooks like Amazon and look at the books that are similar to yours in length and on the subject. Then see the pricing and work around that number

I hope that this helps a bit!

7 years ago

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galegatling

This is probably the best and if not the only way to find out how you could set a price for your e-Books if ever you wish to list them online. The genre and type of story would definitely be a factor of course. And also, there are e-Books that come in parts and sequels. So if your e-Books have different versions or upcoming sequels, that would also most-likely have to be considered as well.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

Yes--this did help very much, and I had started the market research a bit before I posted this forum. Still, thanks for this advice it is sound advice. I went to several websites, like Amazon, private publishers, Barnes and Noble, lulu.com, Cafe Press, etc. This research really helped me start to configure things in terms of pricing, but I not yet quite done deciding yet.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

Tronia,
I know that the length of a book does not necessarily mean it comes with any inherent quality; however, I do consider that when coming up with a price because it does take a great deal of effort to put together a lengthy piece of fiction or collection of poems. I have been doing that market research you mentioned, The Amazon suggestion was definitely a good one, and it gave me some real and useful perspective. It's still a tough decision to put the final price on the book, but I am much more informed now that I was before I posted this forum!

7 years ago

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wiseagent

I think one of the most important aspects to be observed before setting a price is the subject being addressed. But I think in general it's always tricky to set a price because I think this kind of work turns out to be unfair in some way (but most of the time we don't realize it).

After all, how do you actually establish the value of words? How to qualify them in numbers?

7 years ago

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Barida

Like I said in one of my comments, it is all about checking how some of the books on that particular niche goes for. Understanding how things happen around a particular industry is what I try to read meaning into before setting prices of e-books.

7 years ago

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Soulwatcher

I wouldn't spend more than a few dollars for ebooks. The who reason why paperback books cost so much is because of the printing and shipping of the books. How ever I see places like amazon charging the same piece for a ebook as a regular book and there is no way that I am ever going to pay it!

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

Soulwatcher,
I do agree with your logic here, and I have seen those practices online a well for ebooks. I am doing print and ebooks, and I do have to charge more for the paperbacks for precisely the reasons that you mentioned above. When I do the paperbacks, of course the on demand publisher has to recoup their money due to production costs. The ebooks, however, I think are more marketable, and I think I stand a chance to make more money with those in the long run. They seem to be the most convenient choice for the customer.

7 years ago

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Soulwatcher

Yeah I do think you can make some money if you charge $3 per ebook and you sell 1k copies that's 3k in your pocket, But if you charge $9.99 and only sell 10 copies that's only $99 in your pocket! Which is why I suggested a lower price so you can sell more units and make more money.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

This is a really good point, and I am glad I revisited this thread and saw this. That is just smart marketing, and I think that thinking like this comes from a good business sense and some experience in business in general. This is really something to think about, and I plan on taking your advice regarding this approach to sales. This seems like common sense, but for some reason, it did not occur to me in my desire to move my books and make a profit.

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

That is definitely probably the best thing to consider when setting the price of an ebook. Are people prepared to spend that much on a virtual book? Like you, I certainly would not pay more than a few dollars for an ebook because of the fact that it is a virtual book and not a physical one. The cost of one should really be low because of the fact the author does not have to consider the costs of storage, printing, shipping etc.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

I totally agree with and understand your reasoning here. I may have mentioned this, but I am attempting to put the books out in both forms, ebooks and in print, and as I finish this one up, it's about 200 pages, so I am just trying to find a balance and get my money's worth for the effort and ideas. Still, I do not blame customers and consumers for feeling this way about ebooks at all. You have a good point. That does not mean I have to like it, lol.

7 years ago

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galegatling

200 pages? That seems to be..a lot don't you think? But oh well, it's an e-Book so why not. And also, I haven't tried writing an e-Book but from what I mostly see online, the common ones only have more or less 100 pages. I don't know if there is a rule or guide when it comes to how many number of pages you can write for an e-Book though.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

It is a lot! I know; however, it is a science fiction novel about the hollow earth and some of its inhabitants coming up to our surface for a variety of reasons. It's like an H.G. Wells or Jules Verne type of thing, and I want to turn it into a series. I am doing another edit on it, and I am going to build a new blog site at Word Press, so it is on hiatus for a moment, but I am trying to appeal to the conspiracy theory/science fiction/dystopia crowd. I am selling hard copy too, so this is an experiment on my part! Wish me luck!

7 years ago

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wiseagent

It's very likely that the vast majority of ebook readers will think just like you and I particularly believe this kind of thinking is totally justifiable (considering the fact that there is no spending on physical material).

A high value wouldn't be self-justifiable.

7 years ago

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nnacrter

Hoping 50% price eBooks for all students out there who are starving to be fed by knowledge.

7 years ago

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Steve5

Lots of readers prefer low priced books that give value to their money. Instead of worrying about the price, reflect on your book's quality.

If it delivers and the readers ask for more, then they'll be more understanding of a higher price because they know it's worth it. But if they don't know your book and it's overpriced, then it will make them look elsewhere instead.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

You are absolutely right, the printing process that is involved in producing a hard copy of any book makes it a lot more expensive compared to electronic books. I have actually being in the book printing industry and personally produced a magazine as a project. I knew what it cost to to produce about 50 pages of a magazine, so the cost of printed books is bound to be higher.

7 years ago

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PixelClerks

Fair Pricing For eBooks?

Fair Pricing For eBooks?

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