Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Ebook Pricing

There's been debate recently about ebook pricing. What do you guys think? Are ebooks too expensive? What factors go into your buying decisions? 

Would love to hear your thoughts!

4 comments:

J.K. Hogan said...

I have more of a problem with the price not being commensurate with what you're getting. Will I pay $7.99 for a 300-500pp novel? Absolutely.

Will I pay $5.99 for a 150-200pp novel? Probably not.

I think publishers should have more care with pricing when it comes to length. I've seen way to many "novels" that I consider to be more novella length selling for $5.99 or more. I'm a speed reader, and I'd eat up something like that in an hour or two. So I definitely wouldn't pay that much.

I figure as long as the prices stay under that of print books, people will keep buying them.

Keira Andrews said...

J.K., that's interesting you should mention being a speed reader, as I was just discussing this with a friend recently. She flies through books, but I tend to take my time and savour them – particularly a book I'm really enjoying. So our feelings on value for money tend to differ. It's interesting.

I think publishers should have more care with pricing when it comes to length.

I agree 100%. As an author I have no control over pricing, but I do always check the word count brackets for different price points and aim to hit the high end so I'm giving readers the most bang for their buck.

Thanks for weighing in! :)

jeayci said...

I'm not sure I'd call myself a "speed reader" but I'm definitely a pretty speedy one. So what J.K. said rings true for me, too.

And yet... I hate to read lots of "filler" words that are obviously used to pad the length. Or poorly edited books that ramble when they could have gotten to the point sooner and cleaner.

So while I think a correlation between book length and price makes sense in a "perfect" world, this isn't one. I consider a tight, well-written, well-edited 150-200 page novel a much greater value than a rambling shambles of a 300-500 page novel. And I can understand the temptation for an author to leave those extra hundred pages in, rather than cut them in editing, if they get paid more for it.

So, ideally, what I'd love to see is a high standard for all writing and editing. Period. And then I think setting price by length works more smoothly. :)

Keira Andrews said...

I consider a tight, well-written, well-edited 150-200 page novel a much greater value than a rambling shambles of a 300-500 page novel.

I completely agree, jeayci.

what I'd love to see is a high standard for all writing and editing. Period. And then I think setting price by length works more smoothly.

From your lips (or fingers) to the industry's ears! You hit the nail on the head. Thanks for sharing! :)

Related Posts with Thumbnails