[jongoff]

So, like many of the authors here I'd very much like to make my living writing books.  I'm not greedy, though. I'll settle for half the success of J.K. Rowling  

Seriously,though.  What is a fair price for a good book, emphasis on the word "good."  I've currently set the price at 4.95 for my book, which is about 120,000 words (not quite 400 printed pages).  I can sit and adjust the price and play around with it, watch it a week and see how it affects my sales, or I could ask you guys.  What do you think is a fair price?  4.95 is about as high as I'd go for a fiction book of this length. I suppose I'd charge more for something substantially longer, or something of a technical nature, but neither applies in this situation.  Paperbacks cost more because they have to be produced.  At any rate, any feedback you have is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.  

Jon

 

[Carol (was Dara)]

You'll get a different answer depending on who you ask. My personal opinion is that $0.99 is reasonable for shorts and novelettes but I'd go higher for anything longer. In your place I'd set the price around $2.99 and see how that works for you. You can always adjust it later as needed.

 

[Terrence OBrien]

"What is a fair price for a good book, emphasis on the word "good." "

There is no fair price. Fair has no meaning. Different quantities will sell at different prices. One of those prices will yield the greatest amount of revenue.

 

[daringnovelist]

What do I pay? (I'm going by what I do, not what I would do....)

Generally, when I go looking for a book or author I'm interested in on Kindle (this being books or authors I am already interested in), my limit is $5, and I'm more likely to buy in the $3-4 range.  I only spend above $5 for something I really really really want, and then I don't spend more than a paperback.  

For maybes?  Like I'm browsing at Daily Cheap Reads and I come across an author/book I've never heard of?  I still usually grab a sample rather than buy. And once I've read the sample, they're either in the same category as above, and I'll spend $3-5, or I'm not interested at all and won't buy.

The cheaper books factor in, though.  If I see three or four books I want and my money is feeling tight, I will still feel I have money left if the books are cheaper, so I'll keep spending.

I also won't spend 99 cents on a short story unless I really really really want it.  And I'm unlikely to spend 2.99 on a short collection or novelette. (I might spend it on a novella, though.)  I consider a full novel to be anything over 40k (SFWA rules), and though I appreciate knowing what I'm getting in the description, I prefer short novels full of story to long novels full of words. (With the exception of certain authors I already love.)

As a writer, I tend to price to suit my own tastes as a reader.

Camille