[CrankItTo11]

I feel a bit lost on what to charge for a short new Kindle book.  Here are some facts:

- It is nonfiction, a patient's guide to a rare medical condition (so it has a specific and limited market)
- It is extremely short at about 11,000 words
- I'm using a pen name that I haven't used before as I don't want this associated with my fiction or humor writing (so there is no audience based on author recognition)
- I paid to have it professionally copyedited and for the rights to a nice cover picture. I have about $300 invested. (Not that the reader cares about this, but I would certainly like to break even if possible!)

I initially was going to price it at $2.99.  I am putting a print version out too, and the lowest I could get it while still making a small profit was about $6.50 with Createspace.  It is only about 50 pages, so it is more like a booklet.

As I thought more about it, I thought $2.99 is too high and I am considering lowering it to 99 cents.  Although I clearly state the length of the booklet in the description (both in word count and printed pages), I certainly don't want readers to feel ripped off.  I can't lower the price of the printed version, unfortunately.  At 99 cents, though, I would need to sell a lot of copies to break even, and I'm just not sure the market is large enough for that.

One thing this small guide does have going for it is that it is the ONLY such guide out there - in print or eBook editions. So if someone is looking for a book on this condition, I don't have any competition.  I also know of a very active online community that has specifically been asking for this type of guide.  As I am connected with that community, I do have a good place to market the book.  I do not intend to market this book aggressively, however.  It is not something the general public would find useful - it is really geared to a small and specific population.  (Prevalence is about 13 per million, although current research is showing that it is under-diagnosed.)

I'd love to hear any advice on this.  I don't have any experience publishing nonfiction, so I'm not sure what to expect.

Thanks in advance!

 

[BTackitt]

Nonfiction can get away with higher prices than fiction. If it's a medical condition, readers will pay more if you "show 'em your credentials." Check Amazon to see what comparable nonfiction pieces are going for. that would be your best guide.

 

[Millard]

The fact that it has such a specific target audience probably allows you to go that bit higher, as you're not stuck with the generic promotion of "hit everyone" but can target the communities that are right there, waiting. Of course, if you're really stuck with the price, there's always go the middle ground of $1.99. Maybe that would be better, if you're morally bogged down with worries that while it'd probably shift at $2.99, you feel that's a little too high.