[Sybil Nelson]

I sold 11 print copies of Priscilla the Great yesterday and made the same amount of money as selling ONE ebook version.

 

[Amanda Brice]

11 copies netted you the same amount as 1 e-book? What are you pricing at, and were these sold through extended distribution (third-party bookstores), by any chance?

I make $1.54 per print book sold through Amazon, or 17 cents per print book sold through third-party stores (although it's not up yet at the third parties, so I can't say I actually make 17 cents...in reality I will make 17 cents once it's up, if someone orders it).

Currently my e-book is discounted to $1.99 on a price match, so I'm not quite sure whether I'm making 69 cents or $1.39 (minus the 11 cents delivery cost), but usually I make $1.98 (after the 11 cents delivery cost). So usually I make more from e-books, but certainly not 11 times more.

 

[barbara elsborg]

There's little money in print! Not at this level. I'm published by a couple of companies -
eg for one book
1 trade paperback nets me $1.12
1 ebook same title $2.20

 

[Decon]

11 copies netted you the same amount as 1 e-book? What are you pricing at, and were these sold through extended distribution (third-party bookstores), by any chance?

I make $1.54 per print book sold through Amazon, or 17 cents per print book sold through third-party stores (although it's not up yet at the third parties, so I can't say I actually make 17 cents...in reality I will make 17 cents once it's up, if someone orders it).

Currently my e-book is discounted to $1.99 on a price match, so I'm not quite sure whether I'm making 69 cents or $1.39 (minus the 11 cents delivery cost), but usually I make $1.98 (after the 11 cents delivery cost). So usually I make more from e-books, but certainly not 11 times more.

I only have the proof copies, but have not decided to go ahead. I formatted my 100,000 word book, Survival instinct, to come in at 247 pages in a 9x6. The price came in at $7.99 cost to Amazon, to retail at $9.99 on Amazon. This would give me $2 through Amazon, or $4.00 if marketed for the customers to buy from Create Space. I took the extended distribution, but have not set it up on my account as this would only give me 55c.

For lunch Break thrillers at 62500 words, the Price at cost on Amazon was around $5.50, so to retail at 7.99 would give me $2.49, or $4.49 through Create space. For the extended, it would come in at around $1.

It is a hard choice to make. I want to keep Survival Instinct below $10 to be competitive, so I am not sure what to do.

If you want to know how I got it to come out at those prices through my style of format, then I have a 'How to format for POD'
http://declanconner.com/pod-formatting/

The only thing I can suggest is to either increase your price, or to reformat you book to come in at a lower cost price. It costs nothing to resubmit a new file.

 

[Sybil Nelson]

I had Priscilla the Great priced at $11.99 which got me a mere $.20 per book through expanded distribution. It was probably bought by a book store or library. I raised the price to $12.99 and now I get 60 cents per book. If it is bout through Amazon, I make about $5 per book, which isn't bad. But priced at $2.99 for the ebook, I make $2 per book. Those 11 books I sold yesterday only made me $2.20. But I'm happy that it's being bought.

 

[Amanda Brice]

I look at the extended distribution as a form of promotion. It makes much less money, but if it reaches an audience that wouldn't find it otherwise, it's more than worth it to get the lower royalty.

And let's face it. Some readers are much more comfortable going into their local bookstore and looking for a book there. If they already are looking for your book and don't find it on the shelf, they'll ask the bookseller to order it. They don't realize it nets you less money. And really, that's not their concern.

It may be your concern, but if you don't make it available for extended distribution, you may have lost that sale for good. Now, perhaps you don't care, since it only nets you 20 cents per copy, but chances are that reader wasn't going to buy it on Amazon. We love Amazon, but not everyone does. Many people still like their local bookstore and want to shop at it. And if they can't get the books from it, they'll get a different book.

So you only made 20 cents today, but hopefully that reader will become a fan. Isn't that what we want?

 

[Sybil Nelson]

Very true. I do hope it was a bookstore that bought them. Not that it would be bad if it was a library. I wonder if there is a way to find out. In either case, it means more potential fans.

 

[Amanda Brice]

Honestly, I personally would love it if a library bought my book. Sure, it means less immediate sales, but like you said, way more access to potential fans.

Lots of people find new authors through libraries, and then once they read that first book they love, put that author on their auto-buy list. I know I definitately have. So I find you through the library, take a chance on you because it's free, and then buy everything else you've ever written.

Win-win!

 

[Angela Carlie]

I haven't sold many print copies and have chosen not to print books for my next novel later this summer.

Another problem with print books -- They are totally not compatible with gym equipment like treadmills. It's super hard to keep them open while trying to job and then to turn the page is a whole other story. lol eReaders are the way to go!

 

[Wendy Jenae]

I look at the extended distribution as a form of promotion. It makes much less money, but if it reaches an audience that wouldn't find it otherwise, it's more than worth it to get the lower royalty.

I agree!

Also, I would say, take the focus off of how much money you're making with them and see print books as a tool to help promote yourself and to give you credibility as a published author.

The truth still remains that if you tell people you are an author and they ask to see your book, you will garner more respect if you hand them a print book or send them the link to your print book page on AMazon.

When you're doing a book giveaway, it is more meaningful to your fans to receive an autographed copy of a print book than an ebook attachment.

Having a print version of your book is valuable in so many ways. No need to look at them as being a problem.

 

[Guest]

My print book priced at $19.95 nets about $15 on Amazon.

It's 5.5 x 8.5 with 244 pages.

I sell it as an individual as a "used" book, describing it as "new" direct from publisher.

Amazon adds about $3 or so for postage since I'm mailing the book, bringing my take to over $18 for a $19.95 book.

 

[Amanda Brice]

You have to know your genre and what the price range tends to be in that genre, but a 244-page book for $19.95 would never fly in my genre.

 

[RM Prioleau]

You have to know your genre and what the price range tends to be in that genre, but a 244-page book for $19.95 would never fly in my genre.

I have to admit, that's a pretty steep price. Is it a hardcover or something?

 

[Guest]

Genre does affect your book price.

Just pointing out that my method brings about a 75% royalty from Amazon.

Price your genre book at $9.95, or whatever, and you'll still get a 75% royalty.

Price your book at $4.95 and get a 75% royalty.

Etc., etc.

 

[Guest]

Book is a travel guide, priced in line with Fodor's, Frommer's, Lonely Planet, etc.

 

[tensen]

I only have the proof copies, but have not decided to go ahead. I formatted my 100,000 word book, Survival instinct, to come in at 247 pages in a 9x6. The price came in at $7.99 cost to Amazon, to retail at $9.99 on Amazon. This would give me $2 through Amazon, or $4.00 if marketed for the customers to buy from Create Space. I took the extended distribution, but have not set it up on my account as this would only give me 55c.

A 100k book for only $9.99? That is a great deal. I would have priced it at least at $14.95.

 

[Amanda Brice]

The price you should sell at depends strongly on average prices in your market.

$14.95 is not unheard of for a 100K trade paperback, but if you write in a genre where very, very few people buy trade paperbacks and MMPB at $8.99 is what's most common, then you're unlikely to make many, if any, sales. In that case, then even if you're not making as much per sale, then you'd be advised to price it at $8.99 or $9.99 just to stay competitive (assuming that you actually can afford to sell at that price...it's all dependent on page count).

 

[William Peter Grasso]

I hear what you're saying, Sybil...

I'm still waiting to see whether my relatively low paperback price--$8.95 for 350 pages--generates any market. It's a little early to tell--it's only been out in paperback two weeks. At any rate, thank goodness for POD and the overhead-eliminating admin abilities of my wife.

The ebook version sells slow but steady and priced at $2.99 generates almost ten times the royalty of a createspace paperback sold through amazon (where almost all my sales come from).