Urban Fantasy discussion

I've been looking at getting my novel Old Haunts into eBook format, but the publisher refuses to price it any lower than $9.99.

Would you buy my book at that price, and do you think others would?

I'm interested in your opinions as there's a personal cost to me to change the book into the eBook format and I want to see if it's worth it.

bookcover:Old Haunts: A London City Novel|6802400]
Old Haunts: A London City Novel

Thanks

Personally, I only buy e-books that expensive if I either really can't wait to read it or can't get it any other way. I have no idea if it would even be available in Europe either, but if it would, it would probably cost around $2.30 more than that as well (they usually do). So maybe I'm not a good example with these problems, but as I said: if I would buy it, it would be because I have to have it and not many books qualify there...

As for others I have no idea. All I know is that many refuse to buy books with a price that high if it's not for a printed book, especially if a printed one is cheaper. I don't know how that is in your case though! I'm sure you'd get some new readers, e-books are great for that, but I'm not sure with such a high price. It's a hard question! At least it's not a shorter story, but a longer novel.

alot of new books are coming out where they offer you a certain amount free like the first few chapters and then you can buy the rest if you like it. If a book cost 10 or more dollars I always get the sample first and it usually cuts off in the middle of something good going on then you have to buy it to findout what it is. So far Ive bought 2 books that way so I'd say it works lol.

Like I mentioned earlier, I prefer not to spend more than about $7 on an eBook, but depending on how much I've spent lately and how much I want to read the book I'll sometimes splurge. Also I do like supporting new authors so that tempts me to buy new, more expensive stuff.


[just figured I'd repost so all input was in one spot]

don't even get me started on ebook prices. I think they are ridiclous...Some cost even more than the printed book itself. I only get ebooks for like mass market paperback books, like the adult really small paperbacks, like halfway to the grave book size b/c the writing is so small and they cost the same anyways.....but other books I get a printed book and I only get an ebook if I can't stand to wait to get at the bookstore on the release date and want to read it that morning...I am always on the lookout for those free ebooks in the genre I read though. Gotta keep a sharp eye for those.

but I think they should cut the price in half for ebooks, they should be no higher than $5 in my opnion b/c they are ebooks, digital files....I wish they had a deal where if you buy the printed book you get the ebook for free.

Yeah, at this point I'm thinking I won't go ahead with eBook format outside of the kindle version I currently have. Much as I'd like to believe that it'll open up a market for more people to read and enjoy my book, I think the fact is that people go with eBooks to save money, and $9.99 doesn't feel like much of a saving.

It's sad, because the book has had universally positive reviews, and people approach me on twitter to tell me how much they enjoyed it... but in terms of getting the book out there to even more people through eBooks unfortunately there's nothing I can do about the pricing.

I have to ask - does the fact that I donate half my royalties to charity make a difference? I should have mentioned that I'm doing that.

Emmett,

I went onto Amazon to check out the pricing for your book the other day, after you left me that comment, and I gotta say I definitely balked at the $9.99 for an ebook. Of course, I'd definitely go for that option over the $27 hardback.

I try to appreciate that it's a business and writing for a living is hard, and I'd like to support more independent and unknown authors, and I'd like to support mom & pop shops, but I also know my paycheck only goes so far, and, yeah, cheaper is always better. *shrugs*

Anyway, it's nice that you donate money to charity. Which one(s) do you support?


p.s. You should get your publisher to talk to amazon. The two versions of your book are listed separately, and when I first looked for it I only saw the hardback version. Luckily searched again, without the subtitle, but if you can get amazon to link to two, I think you should.

Only if it were "only" available in hardback and the hardback was 20 bucks or something.

If its a paperback, the ebook sellers can kiss my white ass ROFL.

Basically if I can get the paperback/hardcover for the same price then that's what I am going to do.

Emmett wrote: "I have to ask - does the fact that I donate half my royalties to charity make a difference? I should have mentioned that I'm doing that."

That would get me to buy a more expensive book - cause then the book is only $5, which is an awesome price. I typically buy those little things at registers for various causes so this would be more incentive to buy it.

Emmett wrote: "Yeah, at this point I'm thinking I won't go ahead with eBook format outside of the kindle version I currently have. Much as I'd like to believe that it'll open up a market for more people to read a..."


Ooops I didnt see this comment when I replied. But that does make a difference to a lot of people. I myself have purchased books to give away for the sole purpose of helping a cause.. Like the stuff they do at the Borders near my house.


I understand authors need to make a living but I have never been rich.. and I read A LOT, so I have to go with what I can afford.
The ebook pricing is a very touchy subject (if you couldnt tell by my previous response lol) and no one likes to feel jipped.
And the thing is.. for an ebook to cost more than a paperback to me is mindboggling lol.

This ebook pricing boggles my mind. I get you have to do some additional things to get the format correct but you do it once and that is it. Printing books is far more work and takes more time. In my opinion publishers are screwing readers and authors.

Anyway I will not spend anymore that $7.99 for an e-book when they are priced above that I typically wait and buy a used paper copy or borrow the book from the library. If neither of those options are available I skip it.

I am willing to pay up to $20 for a hard back book but these are rarely a whim purchase normally these are books I plan to keep for a while thus an investment.

Yeah, I have paid that much for a hard back, but only from my absolute favorite authors hehe

Thanks for the feedback. Sad for me, but it is what it is.

Ebook pricing is still finding its level. I have paid 9.99 for some books, especially if I can get a free sample.
I price my books at 6.99 and have dropped the price on one after a few months on the market.

Adrienne wrote: "Mariya wrote: "don't even get me started on ebook prices. I think they are ridiclous...Some cost even more than the printed book itself. I only get ebooks for like mass market paperback books, like..."

I knoe, but ebooks is nothing but a file on your device, no, beautiful cover to hold, flip the pages and all that and for it cost that much is ridcioulous. I barely buy ebooks even though I have a kindle, I do the library ereader feature. I mean the printed version should be the 10 dollar or 20 dollar hardback or paperback, but since this is just a digital file of the book, come on! who would want to pay the same price when you could get a lovely printed copy where you can hold and see the beautiful cover art, you don't get that on the ereader, not really.

I still believe the price should be cut. they advertise that the ebooks are real cheap, cheapter than the books, LIES! Some of the prined books are cheapter than the ebook, that is bullshit.

A lot of people still buy printed books so auhtors are still getting their money, I will still buy printed books, b/c I just can't give up my love for holding a book. But ebooks should be no more than 6.00. no more. I actually think they should be cheaper than that though, b/c again they are just frickin digital files.

I am still new to the kindle and the bookmarking thing to go back and read your fav passages is just not the same as doing it in a printed book, I liked ereaders b/c I read faster on there, easier to read b/c you can adjust the size,(i hate mass market paperbacks....so small) I don't really go back or anything it would takes forever to find the passage or whtever, but in a printed book easier...

I'm sorry, WHERE are you guys finding e-books less than $10? I have a Kindle and personally I think that $10 is a really good deal, where I buy books (I like to read around 500 page books) the paperbacks are around $15 and the hardcovers are anywhere from $20-25, so I'd like to know where you guys are getting books that are so cheap that $10 seems like a rip-off... am I missing a HUGE potential money saver here? And you can probably tell by what I just wrote, I would happily buy an e-book thats $10 (as long as it's over 400 pages).

I only buy ebooks. My eyes have suffered damage due to diabetes and my arthritis is bad enough now that even holding a paperback can be painful. I can't see the print in most books anymore and an ereader enables me to scale the font comfortably.

I don't use a kindle and I wouldn't buy an ebook from Amazon if they were the only distributor for it. I'd do without. I have done without.

But I've paid as much as 12.99 for a new ebook I was waiting for and I'm sure I will again. Don't get me wrong, I grumble about it since I can't resell it, trade it, or gift it like I can a dead tree unless I illegally strip the DRM. I probably wouldn't pay hard back prices for an ebook, but I have paid new release trade paperback prices.

But I only buy epubs or pdfs (prefer epubs). I don't mess with kindle formats. They're too much trouble.

But perhaps one person and their reading habits isn't enough. My library list is here:

My Library

You decide for yourself.

Another thing I always look at is whats the price of the hard copy of the book vs. the ebook. 9.99 is already about half of the orginal price for a 27 dollar hard copy.

Thank you Kaitlin, Suz & Chakara. You each give me hope that there are still some people out there who are more interested in content than price.

I agree that pricing needs to be within reason, but when an author like myself has no control over the publisher's pricing structure, it's a welcome relief to know that people like you are out there. Keep being awesome!

My book s 420 pages by the way... :)

Kaitlin - a lot of times the ebook price will go down once the paperback is released. Usually it's about a buck and a half cheaper than the paperback, so it's not much of a savings, but if you can wait to buy the ebook until then, then you can usually get them cheaper.

Plus I've seen a lot of indie authors have their books for $5.99 or less.

Emmett - have you considered self-publishing? Seems like some of the self-published authors get a better deal and more control than you are getting.

Colleen ~blackrose~ wrote: "Kaitlin - a lot of times the ebook price will go down once the paperback is released. Usually it's about a buck and a half cheaper than the paperback, so it's not much of a savings, but if you can..."

I am very much looking to self-publish my next novel. The publisher model, whilst it grants one a bit of legitimacy, ultimately doesn't add anything to the process, and is too driven by their own notions of how they want to be profitable. I recently worked out that I could charge half of what is being charged for my eBook now and net double the royalties. Sadly, the publisher model is just not sustainable for me.

Colleen ~blackrose~ wrote: "Kaitlin - a lot of times the ebook price will go down once the paperback is released. Usually it's about a buck and a half cheaper than the paperback, so it's not much of a savings, but if you can..."

Just realised I didn't answer your question regarding which charities I support - the recipient of half my royalties for Old Haunts is Equality Now.

Kaitlin wrote: "I'm sorry, WHERE are you guys finding e-books less than $10? I have a Kindle and personally I think that $10 is a really good deal, where I buy books (I like to read around 500 page books) the pape..."

barnesandnoble.com is where I shop for a lot of mine. But there are a TON of ebook stores out there that sell ebooks for a lot less than $10 bucks.

Emmett, be careful not to fall into the trap of "if you devalue your product everyone else will too." I know everyone says they don't want to pay more for ebooks, but the truth is there is a point of no return with anything in which the perceived value of the product is undermined if the cost is too inexpensive. It's silly, and it speaks to the type of consumerism that is rampant in our society - but there's a reason it's true.

If you price it too low it'll damage sales.

This is true Suz, but at the same time prices have to be competitive. =)

♥Tricia♥ wrote: "This is true Suz, but at the same time prices have to be competitive. =)"

Agreed.

Amanda Hocking's books are selling like crazy and many of hers are priced at 99 cents. Others at 2.99 each.

On average I spend around 7.99 on ebooks, but I have spent up too 11.99. I personally prefer ebooks at this point, and if its a book I am really interested in have no problem spending the money, if its a book that holds a small appeal I wait for it to come down in price.

I find that I would spend 6.99-7.99 IF it is a mass markey paperback book (the really small paperback books) I dont mind b/c the are harder to read, but for the larger paperbacks/hardbacks I would not spend money on a ebook.

Actually, I used to feel that way Mariya but I have noticed that when a new book comes out that is hardback, that a lot of the times the ebook version is about 5 bucks cheaper and to me that's significant so I get the ebook version.

To me personally it all depends on which version is the lowest price, and that's what I will buy.. unless I absolutely cant go outdoors or don't want to wait for it via snail mail. =P

Most of the time the hardback is always cheapter than the ebook, I get it on amazon, seeing it is usually always cheaper price there. But I usually borrow the book first before reading unless I am dying to read it, meaning if it is a first book in a series I will borrow from library first, after that I will buy if it is in a series and I like the series so if young adult I will buy the hardback, adult I am still undecided. I may buy the ebook since I hate the mass market paperback books.

Suz wrote: "...If you price it too low it'll damage sales"

Don't be so sure about that one
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/ne...
Way to go Maya!

Honestly if you write a story that you love set a price that you think is fair, send a few free copies to some bloggers and I think you would have a great chance. I know I have have found many good books through bloggers who have similar read tastes to my own.

Best of luck!

Thank you all for your input on this. It's clearly a contentious issue. For my next book I will definitely self-publish through eBook and make sure the pricing is attractive, whilst not so low that I don't end up having nothing much to donate.

It's been a really interesting learning experience going through this - you learn a fair amount about how things actually work, and what is the best fit for you. I think I'll always be a little proud of having my own book on the shelf to look at, and who knows? I might even do a limited run of "Special Edition" copies of my next book full of extra stuff (possibly a short story) and signed by yours truly. I think that would be a cool way to go - if someone is paying for the book as a physical copy they get something other people do not, making it of higher value.

Yeah, I think I'll do that!!

Dawn wrote: "Suz wrote: "...If you price it too low it'll damage sales"

Don't be so sure about that one..."

I'm very happy for her and hope that her story becomes more the rule than the exception it currently is.

I meant only to call Emmett's attention to the phenomenon of Perceived Value Pricing. Ask anyone whose done a lot of marketing - it's out there and there is a reason it exists.

For example - your perception is that no ebook is worth the up to 20.00 that you would pay for a hard back. Conversely, someone like myself wouldn't pay 5.00 for a hard back due to the pain involved in holding it, storing it, moving it, etc. For you the hard back has more value than an ebook, for me the hardback is a resource wasteful, medieval torture device. Perception. Neither of us is universally right or wrong.

I'm a bit late to this discussion, but the current ebook pricing model, despite having been explained to my by several writers in a way that legitimises the costs, just doesnt cut it.
Before apple came onto the scene and let publishers price ebooks how they liked (whilst taking a whopping 30% of the sale price) ebooks were considerably cheaper.
I was able to buy digital copies of books for £3.50 - £5, always at least 15% cheaper than the trade paperback even for new releases.
Noting that hardcovers are not generally printed in the UK, i was more than happy to buy the digital file (i have no physical room left for new dead tree purchases).
Now most kindle books unless self published start AT or above the imaginary hardback copy - most of the time these dont exist here, yet the digital copy price is what they would be.

I recently went to purchase the 8th book in a series I adore on release day. Two copies were available, Paperback at £4.75 or Kindle edition at £13.50.
I went for the paperback, naturally, and having no room to keep it promply gave it into a second hand shop for resale - sadly removing a potential sale for the author of a fantastic book.

Well i hope i'm staying on topic but i have a kindle and i find it exactly like if i brought a book in the US. I'm from Bermuda and book are a $3 minimum mark up in comparison to most books that i buy in US which paper back $7.99 or $9.99 with hardback cover always costing more. Then when i was in Canada their books are a $2 dollar markup from US prices. Since getting the Kindle i pay the paperback US price which is fine with me and if i can't get it on amazon i buy/order her in Bermuda.

I am late to the conversation. E-Book pricing has really cut down on my spending. I use to buy all of my books from fictionwise.com and then the Agency Model came along and most of the big 5 books disappeared from fictionwise. I can understand why the price needed to be more comparable, but it's like you a borrowing the ebook and down really own it. If the retailer you purchased it from can remove it from your online library at anytime, how can they justify the cost. I think the $9.99 price point that Amazon had was a good one, but can see $12.99 for new HD releases in ebook format. What I can't see is paying upwards of $9.99 for an ebook that is $7.99 in paperback.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I was happy to see the Agency model take over the ebook industry. Authors and publishers should price ebooks at whatever they think is "reasonable", and the customers will decide whether they've chosen well through their purchases.

yeah, Kevin, I'd say you're in the minority there: most people don't want to pay more for the same product. go peruse amazon, and there are now plenty of times where the ebook costs anywhere from a few pennies to a few dollars more than a new copy of the physical book. that makes the cheap used copies right there next to it a far more attractive choice, and on the secondhand sales, neither the publisher nor the hardworking author makes a dime.

I have purchased hundreds of ebooks but I find I do not enjoy fantasy and science fiction in that format on my Kindle or my laptop. I like to hold these type books in my hand so I generally get them from the library. Also, I wait for a 33% off Borders coupon.

I would not pay $10 for an ebook there are too many choices out there for less. Most readers have long TBR piles so you have to distract them with some kind of offer they can't refuse or buzz they can't ignor just to compete.

I don't think there's any reason an ebook should be MORE than a print book. A print book requires paper and print and shipping, etc, etc. However: I was surprised at how many ebooks aren't more expensive than print. I won't buy an ebook if I can get it cheaper physically. However, there are some smaller press books that you can't get in the bookstore without ordering and waiting for.

I got my Kindle about 10 months ago and all of my fiction purchases have been Kindle e-books. Mostly I'm waiting for the hard covers to come out in paperback because that is when the prices of the e-book drops down to paperback pricing, but not always.

I'm really glad not to have physical books to deal with anymore. And as one person on this thread has said, I'm beginning to have physical issues with paper books that don't exist with holding my Kindle. I no longer can manage the larger hard cover books because of the weight.

I do think that over time prices of e-books will change as fewer hard covers and even paperbacks will get sold, but until the Best Seller lists change to include the sale of e-books while a book is hard cover only, that isn't going to happen.

Ebooks will also get more bells and whistles. Video clips. Bonus art. Interviews with authors.

I think for some series, like the Dresden files, additional short stories will be offered. Print short stories are sometimes difficult to find, but I hope ebooks will change that.

Bettielee wrote: "I don't think there's any reason an ebook should be MORE than a print book. A print book requires paper and print and shipping, etc, etc. However: I was surprised at how many ebooks aren't more exp..."

that's exactly my point, when a printed book, is at orgiinal price $17-20 or on sale for 10-12. I understand that for printed and cover art and what ever type of paper for the book they are using for thousands of copies, but an ebook? I just don't get it. I think its a rip=off.

Mariya wrote: "Bettielee wrote: "I don't think there's any reason an ebook should be MORE than a print book. A print book requires paper and print and shipping, etc, etc. However: I was surprised at how many eboo..."

the royalities are not as flexible. i am sure that best selling authors advances have to be recovered regardless of format. I don't get why the prices are so high when the book is not produced in print but only ebook. I don't understand what they are trying to recover cost wise.

Printing and shipping a physical book isn't the most expensive part of the process. It's the writing, editing, and marketing that need to be recovered, and those don't change with ebooks.

Kevin, and that is why an ebook should not cost more than a paperback does.

I don't have problems with them costing the same as the paperback. I do think that with most author's back lists reissuing books as ebooks probably ought to result in a book that costs a couple of bucks less than a paperback would.

There are editing costs with ebooks. I've read more than one book where it was obvious that no one had read the book before it was issued because of hyphens in the wrong places and words run together.

I'm not arguing for a specific price level between the two. Some people may find ebooks more valuable than paperbacks and would be willing to pay a higher price, others prefer paperback. Each author will need to make that decision based on their fanbase.

Actually, authors make less royalty on ebooks vs. print books, according to this link . It doesn't make sense to me. And authors don't set the prices of either format (except self-publishers I guess).

I've noticed that at least one publisher is now charging $14.99 for e-books for their big names (like Nora Roberts) while the books are only in hard cover. They have hit my line in the sand. I won't be buying books at that price point until the price comes down.

I did buy some at the $12.99 price, but not that many. It really is too bad.