I'd appreciate your opinion. How much are you willing to pay for an ebook? Does it matter who the author or publisher is?
Please take the survey to the right and I'll announce the results.
You're welcome to come along on my Blog Book Tour.
Thursday I'll be at L. Diane Wolfe's blog, Spunk on a Stick,
where the topic of discussion will be: Do Looks Matter.
The full schedule is at http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/
Thanks,
Morgan Mandel
30 comments:
When I first got my Kindle a year ago, my max price was £0.71 ($0.99) and I stuck with that for a good six months. Then I got started with a series, book 1 was free, book 2 was £2, book three was £7.50! I paid it...even though it nearly killed me.
Now I'm much more relaxed about paying a little bit more. I paid £5 for Damon Suede's 'Hot Head' a couple of months ago, it's his first novel from a small press and it's the best book I read all last year. I've also paid £7 a throw for three books by Kyell Gold, because I read a collection of short stories that he put out for free on Amazon. Again, small press, niche audience. Worth every penny.
As an indie I look who the publisher is, but I never used to. As a reader I don't honestly care: a book is either good or bad. Some books are worth paying more for, but I think it takes the average kindle user a while to get into the habit of paying a little bit more - these devices are sold off the fact that there are so many free and dirty cheap books available, after all. I think once you've got a reader's loyalty it's not such an issue, I'd happy buy anything else by Suede or Gold without worrying about the price.
Then you are in the camp that it depends on the author. I'd pay more than $4.99 for an author I actually know, or one I really like, but otherwise, I'd order the book or the kindle version from my library. Not everyone has a library with that option. I'm fortunate ours is so great.
Morgan Mandel
I would go to $9.99 for an author I knew had a good story to tell. But if the story was out in paperback for 6.99, I'd buy that at a book store. Most of what I get on Kindle is in the free to 2.99 range. Most of what I buy in print at Amazon is from the Used column, where I can find very good prices.
I miss our local Borders Books! I loved their bargain table.
I love our local library, too. Haven't asked yet about whether they have the software for a Kindle book, but will check it out soon.
For fiction I've limited myself to $2.99 max but I'm a new kindle owner. I still have loads of paper books and haven't yet reconciled myself with paying paperback prices for ebooks.
I've paid higher prices for non-fiction (how to) ebooks, up to about $9.99.
I've paid up to $6.99. It's usually authors I know ( either because I bought books by the same author previously or because i read some free stories by the author and want to read more). As a reader I don't care who the publisher is, if i'm familiar with the author's work. New authors are usually from publishers who's work I've read. However, my ebook purchases are for a niche genre. Fewer non-fiction and no general fiction purchases so far.
Morgan--this is the bad thing about ebooks. We must buy many, if not most, all of them.Yes, we can get some free, and I do, just like everyone else. I can tell you about half were immediately deleted they were so bad. This is another topic, in my opinion, about the kinds and quality of books we sometimes run across.
To be honest, I'd only pay $5.99-$6.99 for an ebook by a very special favorite author. One of my publishers has my ebook at $7.99--that's just crazy, and as a result I haven't sold but a handful in two years. I don't promote it because I think it is too high, and not worth 8 bucks. (I'll get the rights back soon, make some changes, get a new cover, and release it myself.)
I've had good luck buying some 99 cents books.
So, I prefer the $2.99-$3.99 price range, but will go a little higher for the favorite author. But some of those inch up into 9 dollars, and so that makes me angry, and I refuse..no matter how much I want to read it.
I followed a conversation about the after-Christmas uptick in sales of ebooks not happening. Why? When so many readers were getting Kindles and Nooks and others for Christmas?
It's the economy, stupid! (Not my words--a campaign slogan.)
You may not realise how lucky y'all are in the US! Here in the UK we're ripped off by suppliers of e-book READERS (every make & model) who conspire to keep prices in the stratosphere...
For this reason, I didn't vote for the TOP price OR the lowest, as I believe the author deserves suitable remuneration for their work (how do you pay someone 20% royalties on the download of a FREE e-book??)
Serious question: can someone explain it for me?
Regards
Paul McD
Oh,and BTW ... isn't ACME where Wile E. Coyote buys all the fantastic stuff he uses to trap Road Runner????
Now, I must preface my comments with admitting I am a cheapskate. LOL! I rarely pay more than $4.99 for an e-book. I've only done it twice since I owned my Kindle. The first book was a friend's and the other a nonfiction title on real estate investing.
The majority of books on my Kindle were either free or less than $3.
I won't pay more than $7 a paperback so the idea of more than that for e version is out of the question.
Like the others I've downloaded some bad freebies and .99 deals BUT I've also discovered authors I very much enjoy. Honestly, the same has happened with print books.
I'm lucky my library offers e-books also.
I'm looking at some ebooks right now - non-fiction - that are $12.99. I have samples of them and I'll buy at least one. I did balk at a book for $25 but I won't say I'd never pay that much.
I won't limit myself only to cheap ebooks and anyone who thinks they should be free, the next time you go to work tell your boss you'll do it for free. He's also entitled to free labor just like you figure an author should be. (I doubt anyone on this list thinks that way, but I know there are people who do believe anything online should be free)
I think if you set a limit on how much you'll pay you're cutting yourself off from some really good books
A few months ago before going on vacation I bought 6 ebooks at $6, and then realized I could get many more books if I only buy ebooks at $0.99. There are so many good ones, many better written than the expensive ebooks. So I promised myself I won't buy any book at more than $1.99. I'm selling my novels at 99 cents, and they are great books very well written with characters that you won't forget, based on what reviewers told me.
I have authors who I can't wait for their next release so I've paid the e-book release amount but I self published my novel I priced it a two bucks.
Most of the books I purchase for my iPad are eight bucks or lower. Ten is about my limit. However, I did purchase Jennifer Hillier's Creep for eleven bucks, but she's a really sweet blogger buddy.
We've got some great comments here, and very diversified.
I'm still not sure if my new book is priced right, but it could be a lot higher.
I'm late on the ball here but you have the same questions I do. I will be self-publishing shortly and I have no idea how to price the darn things. My gut instinct is to go for $2.99. I remember my publisher telling me awhile back then when my book that is supposed to be published with them next year (or is it the year after...), the Kindle book will be priced at $6.99. Frankly, I think that's way too high.
Hi Morgan,
For me, it depends on the author. I'll pay more to get something I know I really want. The quality control on the more inexpensive ebooks is all over the map.
I don't think authors should rush to get something out there. It's better to put out a quality product that shows you're a professional.
Maggie
www.maggietoussaint.com
I don't mind paying 5.99 and lower, but I don't want to go higher unless it's one of my favorite authors.
Maggie - I agree - don't rush to get something out there. Take your time and put out a quality product.
Steph
I agree with Steph, but I buy mostly .99 - 2.99 for my Nook. What I love best about e-books is I can start a a long-time series from book one, and catch up without paying a huge amount of money.
Oh, and a lot of those books are self-published so the author keeps all the cash. I know more than a few writers who sell 10,000+ e-books a month so that's not pocket change.
Great book very intresting!
I'm shooting for that 10,000 mark a month that Dani mentions!
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
I pay according to how much I want the book. After all, this is someone's work - often months and MONTHS of work - I resent the idea that we can buy the same content for $30 or $0.99 just because one happens to have cardboard covers. That's saying we value paper way over content, right?
Thanks for sharing such an interesting information.
Good points, Sally.
Morgan Mandel
Hi Everyone,
I am in agreement with most of what has been written here. Around $2.99 and up to 3.99 would be my maximum, unless I know the author then I would pay up to about $6.99 but anything over that is too much for an e-book.
Regards
Margaret
I've paid as high as $14.99, but prefer those under $9.99.
I don't think I'd ever go so high as $14.99. It would have to be a family member's book or a very good friend's.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
I think 2.99 seems like a good price. I've become a convert to the e-format and a Kindle found its way to the house.
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
Great post, I enjoyed ready reading it, Keep posting good stuff like this.
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