The fallacy of ebook pricing / Happenings In The Outhouse 23-Jan-2015

Over the past few months, I have been conducting a . . . well, unofficial survey.  I've spoken with a number of ebook readers (mainly Kindle with a few Nook sprinkled in) and inquired how they go about finding books to read.  Many said the covers, the descriptions, and even if it's an author they've read before.

There are several articles over the past year or more concerning ebook pricing.  "Ebooks are too high."  "Cheap ebooks are the way of the future."  "If a book isn't free, it's not worth it."  And so on.

Here's what I found with my survey.

Not a single person I met was concerned about the price.  Not one.  They're readers.  One even commented that because of their reading habit, it equalled the amount they paid in cigarettes in a month and quickly decided one had to go.

(Goodbye cigarettes)

For all the fellow indie authors out there, here's a simple message: ebook pricing may not be a big a deal as you think.  These people I talked with didn't care if an ebook was free or $.99 or even $12.99.  They loved reading and would pay to do so.

So let's entertain them.  Sure, we do have to factor in some thoughts on pricing.  I won't argue there.  In late November, I looked at the various wedding planning ebooks that were in the same category as my first ebook Debt-Free I Do: 99 Ways To Have A Memorable Wedding On A Shoestring Budget.  Many of them were priced $2.99 and above.  Mine was $.99.  It sold a few a month.

Then I rose the price to $2.99.  It still sells about the same, but with a much higher royalty.  Go figure.

Now, for me personally as a reader, I do focus on price.  I love free, of course.  And $2.99 is really all I can do because of my budget.  Occasionally, if it's an author I really like, I will pay a little more.  But not very often.

I am so close to the end of Straight Razor I can taste it.  I am around the 56,000 word mark.  Editing will add more to it to raise the word count closer to 70,000, but right now I only have a few thousand more words to write on the first draft.  I told myself at the beginning of this month that I'd love to finish by the end.

It seems that goal is coming true.

What's next, you might ask?

As Paul Sheldon, the fictional author in Stephen King's Misery would say, "You'll have to wait."

But not too long, my friends.