Publishing
Ebook pricing is one of those odd bits of publishing where the number does half the selling before the blurb gets a look-in.
Too cheap, and some readers assume it is disposable. Too dear, and you have to justify the price before they know whether the opening chapter can do the job. The awkward part is that the “right” price is rarely just about sales strategy. It quietly tells people what sort of book they are being asked to buy.
That seems to matter more than we like to admit.
Too cheap, and some readers assume it is disposable. Too dear, and you have to justify the price before they know whether the opening chapter can do the job. The awkward part is that the “right” price is rarely just about sales strategy. It quietly tells people what sort of book they are being asked to buy.
That seems to matter more than we like to admit.
Price does shape the first impression, but it can also be a bit of a blunt instrument. A cheap ebook may just look cheap. A dear one can look lazy if the formatting is poor and the sample chapter hasn’t earned the confidence. Oddly enough, the cover and opening pages often do more of the heavy lifting than the number itself.
Price does some of the work, but it is a blunt instrument. A mediocre book at £1.99 is still a mediocre book. Readers may try it, but they are not fools for long.
What tends to matter more is whether the price matches the promise of the cover, description and sample. If those three are muddled, no number will save it.
What tends to matter more is whether the price matches the promise of the cover, description and sample. If those three are muddled, no number will save it.