That's a tough topic, Leighanne. I think most indie authors struggle over this exact issue. I priced my first book at $2.99 even though there is resistance to pricing so low. Once I put my second book up, I dropped my first book to $.99 thinking more people would buy it.

They have, but I won't know for a while if it was really worth it. I think it depends on what you want to do. The more books you have, the more visible your books will be. I think you need to do what feels right to you.

There are indie's out there that think $2.99 and under is the discount bin and true fans don't exist within that demographic. I say, tell that to Amanda Hocking.

It's all about strategy and what works best for you. You can always change your mind if things aren't going how you want them to. =-)

i think when you are starting out it is more about developing a readership, than worrying about revenue. I know my publisher follows that philosophy and with some success. A colleague of mine, Michael parker, 'sold' over 30,000 units on a KDP give away of his Book North Slope. When his title returned to the paid kindle list, he reached No 1 on A.com. His agent has since been contacted by Harlequin. Need I say more.

where can we buy your book at because I was unable to find it anywhere?

It is on smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...

Thanks!

Thanks christie, im using my phone to do this and couldnt copy and paste the link. :)

Glad to help!

I've been wondering about that actually, I haven't decided what to do with my book. I'm having it critiqued by a small group right now and then I have an agency wanting to look at it but if it gets rejected I am thinking of just self publishing. I just wanted to know if there's much success in it or not...

There r lots of self published authors out there, since publishing mine ive met and talk to several. Its kind of like having a family, we all support each other and help each other. When i finished my book i sent it to a company for review and they wanted to publish it, i just couldnt afford what they asked up front. As an author just starting out i went with self publishing. If ur books take off big and all you could always contact a publishing company then. There are so many wonderful people out there that like to help indie authors get their book out there, including myself. We may not get all the benifits from self publishing that some agencies give but to me we have the better end of the stick. Email me if you have any questions, im more than happy to talk and help out if i can. :)

Considering I have heard a few authors that just released thier first book last fall say that they are now paying mortgages and quiting jobs, I think there is.

It hasn't gone quite so smoothly for me, but I am still optomistic. And if you think about the crapy advances publishers are offering now days, it makes more sense to give indie publishing a try. Building a fan base takes time and more books. That is what I am focusing on.

Thanks! I have noticed a huge increase in indie books on Amazon and I have purchased a few and some were absolutely amazing. It's just so hard to decide what to do. I'm not even at that point since right now I'm having my small group of friends critiquing it I've been debating sending it to the agency or just publishing it. I know that some people who write good books get picked up by agencies who self publish as well. It's such a hard topic. I appreciate what you guys are saying. I've read on Amazon some people who say they've made tons of money but most have several ebooks available. So I guess it's really on how you get word out of your book and if it appeals to anyone. And like you said earlier, price.

My book is only an ebook right now, and theres only one (tho i have others in the works) but its been out for less than a month and ive sold 54 copies. Ive only advertised on here and to my close friends and family. Getting ur book out there is the hardest thing for me. I dont have internet all the time and as im my own advertising team its challenging, but thats where the 'indie author family' comes in. There are so many people out there, and several on this site, that are willing to help indie authors. I talked to a lady who only reads the work of indie authors. Price wise, like christie said ealier in this feed, starting off small prices get more hits (2.99 is my max on ebook lol) and you can always change the price later once more people know about it.

Congrats! That's great to hear. I hope your success contiues to grow!

Me too, i just enjoy writing and sharing it with others is the best part. Dont plan on making millions, but the little extra income is always nice lol

Hows ur next book coming along christie?

I know what you mean. Thanks for asking about my book. I'm about a quarter into Genesis, and I am loving it so far. The story just gets deeper the further I delve. I had no idea it would turn into this when I started it. lol.

Are you working on a sequel?

Well it's really comforting to hear some good news. 54 is a lot in my opinion. :D I'll have to check it out I saw there was a link to it up higher.

Yea and about a 1/3 of the way through, its really fun writing. I cant wait to read yours! Thanks Sarah, if you get a chance to read it id love to know what you think.

Sarah, definitely do. Believe is a well written book, well worth your time.

E. ... you'd best get writing, we're all waiting for book two!

... which raises the question; how do you guys prevent 'book marketing' a necessary evil, getting in the way of precious writing time?

Im a stay at home mom so i split my time like i would if i had a job, which technically i do lol two infact.

I haven't had the chance to read yours yet. I've been too busy trying to write mine, work full time and deal with health problems within my family. There is just not enough time in the day. lol.

Marketing is a tricky question. I think you could spend hours doing it but I don't have those to give. I heard that you should make a plan and stick to it, but always give your writing enough of your time. I'm still trying to figure this out.

I'm trying to get the balance right between marketing and writing the actual books. So far not so good. But I see it like this; the more people who know of your book the more people willing to buy it when it finally comes out.

Hi, I did not purchase a copy of this book as I was lucky enough to get a copy from my book group for review but had I seen it on line and read the description, I would have purchased it.
I am an avid reader and read most of my books online these days for the comfort of instant gratification as I don't have to wait for them to arrive or go shopping in actual stores. I agree with you that initially it is good to lower the price as most readers would give it a go and once you have established a fan base, we as readers don't mind paying a bit more to read it. Personally I won't pay over $2.99 for unknown authors so if you don't like it then you don't feel like you have lost much but with known authors, I don't mind paying extra for series that I enjoy reading and watch to find out what happens next. Hope this helps from a readers point of view. I also find a lot of my books using Goodreads recommendations and also other peoples reviews that I am following. :)

Hi, I stumbled across this discussion thread and thought I'd add my 2 cents.

I'm also a just-starting-out Indie author and I have my ebooks priced low - $1.99, and free. I do this because when I'm buying ebooks I absolutely refuse to go over $3.99 for an ebook - especially traditionally published. Knowing what it takes to produce an ebook, I think pricing out at $12.99 and so on is ridiculous. If it's in print - Indie or published - then I'm more willing to shell out because I get a physical copy.

My husband says the same as yours - "your book should be more because of the all your hardwork". I don't feel like I'm devaluing my work though. I'd rather have ten people buy and read my book because it's $1.99 than to make it $12.99 and have no one read it. I'll never make a living from my writing and I'm okay with that. I just want people to read it and hopefully enjoy what they read. And for what it takes to make an ebook (besides the writing of it), I think our prices are fair.

Just my thoughts.

If you want to sell e-books, the vast majority are sold at Amazon. They pay a 70% royalty less six cents for delivery for books priced from $2.99 through $9.99 but only 35% for prices below and above that window. I like to call it the sweet spot.

When I first offered my book, I priced it at $2.99 thinking I'd have the advantage of being a bargain. Well, there are hordes of folks being bargains at the bottom of the sweet spot, and that means there is no advantage to being priced there. At that price I was making $2.04 per book. I did the math to see what price I needed to set to make $3.00 per book, and that turned out to be $4.35. I did not see a decrease in sales at the higher price, and that is where I am still priced today.

I entered my book into Kindle Select program. That means that Amazon Prime members can borrow it from the Kindle Owners Lending Library for free. Each time they do so, I get a fee. That has been averaging $2.34 per borrow ... still not bad. One of the advantages with this plan is that for each 90-day period for which your book is enrolled, you can offer your book for free for up to five days. I have friends who rose to the top 10 on the Kindle free list and found themselves in the top 100 Kindle paid list when their free days ended. I haven't done a free period yet but am contemplating it.

If I was going to be below $2.99, I'd go to 99 cents. Some folks have made a killing at that level. John Locke and Amanda Hocking come to mind. There is no doubt, though, that they are the exceptions.