The random—and not so random—musings of a quirky Regency romance writer.
No one with that many people in her head can possibly be normal...

Monday, August 20, 2012

~Blog Poll~ E-book Pricing: Where's the Sweet Spot?

This is a topic that I've seen discussed in multiple forums, usually in a general sense. Since I write romance I want to know what romance readers/writers think. 

What are you willing to pay for a romance eBook? What price makes you click away and look for something else? Do you feel eBooks should be free since there's no printing involved? 

Personally, I won't pay more than $5 and I am more likely to pay that for a historical romance than any other genre. Money's always tight around here, though, so it's unlikely I'll even pay that much unless it's for an author I already adore. I definitely think eBooks should be priced considerably lower than their print counterparts. 

What are your thoughts? What is the perfect price for a romance eBook? $4.99? Less than that? Free? Please take a moment to vote in my little blog poll (top right in the sidebar on the blogspot end of my blog) or comment here. 

To my readers/followers outside the US, I apologize for the USD specificity of the poll. I welcome your comments on the subject of eBook pricing.

Edited 8/21/2012, 10:27am to add
I just saw this interesting article, shared by a friend on facebook...
What do you think?

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Daughtry ~ Breakdown

2 comments:

Jennifer Thibeault said...

Once I find an author I like, I'll pay just about anything for my next fix. On the other hand, I will frequently sample new authors at a low price point, from free to about $4.99, if the concept seems intriguing. If an author can hook me at a low price point, they have a fan for life and I will not only spend my money on their other books but I will also encourage others to do the same. If the author's writing turns me off in some way, I don't feel so bad about wasting my money.

Annalea said...

I'm pretty late to this party, but I thought I'd chime in. According to my SIL (a published author), ebooks at $2.99 sell the best.

I know, in my own experience, if I pay more than $3.99, I'm usually disappointed in the value for the money. I'm happiest to pay $2.99 . . . that's a pretty decent price for an author (one young adult author became a millionaire via the Kindle store selling her books for $3), and it's low enough that if I don't like the book, I don't feel robbed.

That said, I really like it when an author has the first book in a series for .99. That way I can try it out, and I'll usually get hooked, and then happily pay $2 more for each book in the rest of the series.

Last note: when I see ebooks online for $5+, I get grumpy. I know what it takes to publish an ebook (I'm a freelance editor/writing coach/proofreader), and know intimately what data storage and transactions cost. Charging more than about $3 for a quick read romance novel is simply extortionate. If a book is a reference book/recipe book . . . something that lends itself to multiple readings and lots of use, I'll pay up to $9.99. But, for example, Georgette Heyer's Kindle editions priced at near-$9, and Sarah Eden's books for $12-14 make me feel like the publishers are manipulating me--big time. (I recognize that it's not usually at the author's discretion to price the books, when there's a publisher involved.)

So, there's my .05. Have a great day!

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