Do you think $0.99 Kindle books are disrespectful?

Mom · Jul 2, 2011

I decided to release an unpublished book as a Kindle book. I did it because I am just "done" with it and am so busy working on other projects that excite me much more. I still think it's a great story, though, I and want it out there.

Now, I have no published novels. Anyone that is familiar with my writing knows me a humor writer, and this isn't a humor book.

So given these circumstances, I thought it was smart to take the 35% commission and just charge 99 cents. I'm not expecting to make much more than pocket change (if that), and if I charge more I think the book will just have fewer readers.

Well, reading the Kindle boards I saw a lot of posters that seemed to be upset that some authors would "give away" their books for 99 cents. Doing so "devalues" all e-books and makes them seem less legitimate. I quietly and slowly backed out of that board.

I had honestly never thought of it from that perspective and I'm curious if this is a widely held view or if there are just a few vocal authors out there that feel this way. I don't agree with this viewpoint. I mean, do bargain books devalue all literature? Do libraries - which give it away for free - devalue reading?

I'm not trying to start any drama - I swear. I am just very interested to hear what you all have to say on the subject. Do you think that 99 cent Kindle books are devaluing all e-books? Do you see them as disrespectful in some way (to somebody)?

I just want to wrap my head around this unexpected POV.

Thanks!

mscelina · Jul 2, 2011

I don't. It's your book. You've self-published and you've set the price you prefer for your work. As an e-published author and the managing editor of a busy e-publishing house, I don't find it disrespectful at all. It's a pricing strategy, one that you're not alone in implementing.

In fact, I don't consider it really my business.

Hope that helps.

dgaughran · Jul 2, 2011

A writer is entitled to charge whatever they like.

Sullivan Lee · Jul 2, 2011

Not at all disrespectful.
People self-publish so they can play with the rules. I don't know what the ideal price is, but low pricing is a tool, so use it. What, are people going to be so offended by a low price that they won't buy a book they really want, if it is 99-cents? Does Walmart insult us? (well...) Are sales disrespectful?

Alitriona · Jul 2, 2011

I don't think it's disrespectful. I've never heard it put that way but I don't go on the kindle boards. It's up to you what you charge for your work if you are self-published.

Personally speaking and no offence intended but I do find it irritating as a writer who would like to make a living at writing. I believe my writing is worth more than 99 cents because of the amount of time and energy that went into creating it. I'm not saying 99 cents books are all lower quality. I'm saying there are lots that could sell at a higher price. I don't understand why some writers would constantly try to drive the price of books down. Sure they will sell a few more books but over all I feel it does a disservice to all writers and the value of writing as a profession.

I wouldn't presume to come along and tell people what they should charge, it's up to them. So irritating not disrespectful and I usually keep my mouth shut on the subject but you did ask.

brainstorm77 · Jul 2, 2011

No. I know of at least one e pub who has marked down some of their backlist to 99cents on Kindle.

If you are self-pubbing, you have the right to charge what you want or nothing if you like.

CACTUSWENDY · Jul 2, 2011

Well, look at it this way. IMHO It's your work and your call. The good thing about the prices is that you are free to change it when ever you want. Since you are unknown and this is your 'first' one, you can get a following so when you do the next ones you can charge more. (If you desire.)

$.99 beats $0.0 any day in the week. If your work was just sitting in your computer gathering dust you would be making nothing. I would just be thrilled to have someone read mine. But that is just me.

I don't think it cheapens or degrades any work at the lesser prices. Best wishes.

Capital · Jul 2, 2011

Of course not. Anyone who says there is a certain price that "validates" books is full of funky things. What people might pay for a book is another story. I'd pay my day job paycheck for the next ASOIAF installment. Thankfully, it's only like $15.

As far as price on SP e-books, I'm surprised they set the floor at $0.99. Given the huge supply of new authors, I'd allow it as low as $0.10.

thothguard51 · Jul 2, 2011

Just my humble opinion...

When I see e-books at .99 cents my first thought is that the author does not value their time. I know, that is not for me to decide, but what is an authors time worth?

Unless I know who the writer is, or have read something by them previously, I always wonder if this is another example of a book published before it or the author is ready.

But that is just my feelings and obviously, a lot of readers do not share this thought...

Capital · Jul 2, 2011

thothguard51 said:
Just my humble opinion...

When I see e-books at .99 cents my first thought is that the author does not value their time. I know, that is not for me to decide, but what is an authors time worth?

Many artists give away their art for free

They do it for the luvz.

I do agree that there is a stigma against cheap things, though. There are many anecdotes of higher prices leading to higher cales which is economically counter-intuitive, but art isn't like your usual utility.

thothguard51 · Jul 2, 2011

Giving art away for free is totally different than placing a price on the art.

When you put price on art, you then place value on it. It says to me, the artist values their time, their skill, their craft. So when I see work at 99 cents, I always wonder how the author values their knowledge, skill, craft.

But like I said, that is just my view, and unlikely change even if I go the self pubbed route and devalue my time at 99 cents just say I got a few sales...

Mom · Jul 2, 2011

Great discussion - thank you all for your honest opinions!

I did hesitate to set the price at 99 cents because of COURSE I believe it is worth more. Of course!! But, as a totally unknown author in this genre, why on earth would I expect consumers to think it was worth more.

Truth is, I almost certainly will lose money on this book. The reason? I paid to have it professionally copyedited. That wasn't cheap, but well worth it (in my opinion) for a book that wasn't going through a traditional publishing process. It's been through scores of beta readers. It's been worked and re-worked more times than I can count. It took about 3 years to write, and (yes) I do believe my time has value. BUT it was just sitting on my computer collecting dust for a lot of reasons not worth mentioning. And, as I mentioned, I had really moved on from it as a writer and wanted to focus my energy on other things.

Frankly, I don't see this as an opportunity to make a profit, I see it as an opportunity to get the story into the hands of readers. That's all. I love the story. I loved writing the story. Now if it can make a few readers happy, perhaps even build a small fan base, then it has more than served it's purpose.

Emptyeye · Jul 2, 2011

Yeah, it's not disrespectful at all.

Note that I'm presuming this is novel-length. Short stories/novelettes/novellas are a whole other story, where charging $.99 actually makes a lot of sense. Either way, though, it's not disrespectful, and really, you shouldn't care about what others think of your pricing anyway (Unless they are/are not going to buy because of said pricing).

fourlittlebees · Jul 2, 2011

The problem, as the authors on the Kindle boards see it, is that with the number of people who price their books at $0.99 hoping it will draw in more readers, there becomes an expectation that ALL self-pubbed books will be $0.99, and no one is going to make a living at selling nothing but $0.99 books, not even Amanda Hocking. She played the pricing before anyone else did, found a system, made it big, and in the meantime, set up an expectation.

This is the reason that publishers wanted the agency model and to break free of Amazon pricing for Kindle books: They wanted to remove the expectation that all e-book versions would be $9.99 or less. When that expectation is there for the readers, it becomes impossible to price higher and make any kind of decent money.

The pricing model and self-pub vs. traditional publishing is something I've been watching, and I can't WAIT to see what happens with Hocking when her books under her St. Martin's contract start coming out. Will she still have the same numbers in her audience when the books are priced at conventional hardcover prices?

It really is fascinating to watch. Personally, I don't have an opinion other than watching how the industry evolves.

Amadan · Jul 2, 2011

Disrespectful? No. Desperate and short-selling yourself? Yes.

If you don't think your book is worth more than $0.99, obviously no one else will.

Re: giving away stuff. Of course artists often give away free artwork, just like professional authors frequently write short stories and sometimes even entire novels that they post for free on their websites. That's part of an overall marketing strategy, though. They don't set the default value of their work at "zero."

Re: Publishers selling backlist titles at $0.99. Yes, backlist titles. They're called loss-leaders. I pick up a lot of ebooks for $0.99 when an author has a new book in a series coming out and the publisher promotes it by selling the first book in the series for $0.99.

Of course every self-pubbed author has the right to set whatever price he or she wants, or even give their work away for free, but it reminds me of writers who used to sometimes write in to magazines offering to write a story for a lower per-word rate, just to get published. Basically, they're undercutting other writers, and saying their own work isn't worth the going rate.

benbradley · Jul 2, 2011

Mom said:
...Well, reading the Kindle boards I saw a lot of posters that seemed to be upset that some authors would "give away" their books for 99 cents. Doing so "devalues" all e-books and makes them seem less legitimate. I quietly and slowly backed out of that board.

Here's my opportunity to play armchair psychologist:

These people see all ebooks as somehow "equal," they see their own higher prices as "fair," and thus other, lower priced ebooks are unfair competition. Other authors undercutting their prices. I can just about hear them say "There ought to be a law."

I had honestly never thought of it from that perspective and I'm curious if this is a widely held view or if there are just a few vocal authors out there that feel this way. I don't agree with this viewpoint. I mean, do bargain books devalue all literature? Do libraries - which give it away for free - devalue reading?

It looks to me like they're in their own little clan and somehow adopted this idea, or one person posted saying that, those who agreed started posting, and anyone who said otherwise got shouted down, or just stayed in LurkLand as you did.

Libraries are very different from authors giving away their works. Libraries PAY for the books in their collections, unless the author or publisher donates a copy to them, and even with a donation there's no guarantee if it will end up on the shelves waiting to be checked out, or (more likely) tossed into a box in the back to be sold for a dollar or 25 cents at the next Library Book Sale. If it's on the shelf, it's because someone in charge at the library approved it, thought it was good enough to be available, and would be useful, entertaining or otherwise in demand by the public.

There's the ebook thing that's still getting sorted out for libraries, but from what I've heard they pay for a certain number of patrons to "check out" an ebook. Just like a print book, the author and publisher get paid even though the patron does not pay (other than through taxes that everyone pays to support the library).

thothguard51 said:
Giving art away for free is totally different than placing a price on the art.

When you put price on art, you then place value on it. It says to me, the artist values their time, their skill, their craft. So when I see work at 99 cents, I always wonder how the author values their knowledge, skill, craft.

But like I said, that is just my view, and unlikely change even if I go the self pubbed route and devalue my time at 99 cents just say I got a few sales...

I wonder what an ebook price of $99.00 would say.

Probably "from an academic press" and required for certain college courses.

PorterStarrByrd · Jul 2, 2011

Honestly, a lot of what I have seen in that price range is worth .99 .. or less

It's tough to know whether your book is really ready for publishing. I've seen enough e-published crap thats make looking for a good book tedious. It's there in every price range.

I wish there was some filter that could separate the quality work that has not found an agent of traditional publisher willing to invest in it, from books that are poorly written and/or under-edited. Most have good stories that are not fun to read.

Bottom line though, It's your book. If you want to drag in pennies instead of dollars, you certainly can do so without being disrespectful to anyone except yourself. If you publish it before it is ready you disrespect yourself by building a reputation that will be hard to overcome. If you charge what you think it is worth, which should be more than .99 if it is worth putting out before the customers, then you may or may not pull in enough sales to make more than you would with the cheap book.

I'd be interested in how this works out regardless of respect and disrespect issues.

CACTUSWENDY · Jul 2, 2011

I should have added.....mine is a novella, not a novel. If that makes any difference.

Mom · Jul 2, 2011

It is a full length novel, albeit on the short side at about 70,000 words.

Thank you, all, for contributing to this thread. It's helping me to understand where the "other side" is coming from.

With an unknown author, I am asking readers to take a huge leap of faith to invest their time and money into reading my book. I'm humbled to think anyone would read my words (again, as total unknown in the genre). I don't see the 99 cent price tag as disrespecting my work. I see it as an opportunity to get more readers.

Now if I were writing a book that was a spinoff from one of my websites that has a sizable following, I'd likely charge a bit more... those readers would know what they were getting into. But with a debut novel in an genre outside my usual writing style, I am selling an unknown. I should be so LUCKY as to have readers that want to spend their valuable time entering my world and reading my book.

I do feel the novel is ready for publication, otherwise I wouldn't have put it out there. It's actually my fourth book, but learning the craft of writing a novel takes time. The first three just aren't ready (nor will they ever be ready) for public consumption. The book did receive some interest from some great agents. A few years back, I sent it out to a handful of agents. It had about a 30% request rate for fulls or partials, which I didn't think was too bad. Two agents, after seeing the full, wanted to see revisions. Ultimately, though, it was never picked up by an agent. Then life got in the way and I had to postpone this particular project. By the time I resurrected it, I had mentally and emotionally moved on to other projects - but I did still want this story to get out there. So I hired a copyeditor to ensure a professional product and submitted it to Kindle.

I'm sure no matter how one prices their own e-books, someone will have an opinion on it or be offended by it. I don't mind those that disagree, but I am still a bit puzzled by those that are offended. (No one here has fallen into the "offended" category yet, that I can tell...)

valeriec80 · Jul 2, 2011

FWIW, I feel like you must have seen a very narrow segment of the Kindle Boards. There's a whole school of people there who sell at the $.99 price point. Often people refer to this (on KB) as the Victorine method, after Victorine Lieske, who propelled herself onto the NY Times Bestseller List selling at $.99. I also frequently see threads there about joining the $.99 club, etc.

There's no $.99 stigma on the Kindle Boards, trust me.

If you'd like to read a well-reasoned argument against $.99, however, read this: http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=4696

Mom · Jul 2, 2011

valeriec80 said:
FWIW, I feel like you must have seen a very narrow segment of the Kindle Boards. There's a whole school of people there who sell at the $.99 price point. Often people refer to this (on KB) as the Victorine method, after Victorine Lieske, who propelled herself onto the NY Times Bestseller List selling at $.99. I also frequently see threads there about joining the $.99 club, etc.

There's no $.99 stigma on the Kindle Boards, trust me.

If you'd like to read a well-reasoned argument against $.99, however, read this: http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=4696

You know, I probably did just click on a few unfortunate threads. It seemed like way too much drama, so I thought I'd ask about it over here. Maybe I should give lurking on those boards another shot.

Thanks for the link. I like the number crunching he did -- mmmm...data.... However, one thing he didn't (and likely couldn't) taken into account is how many people would buy a 99 cent book versus a $4.99 book. (And, frankly, I don't KNOW if a lower price is associated with higher or lower sales in the world of Kindle. I am sure there are too many variables to have a simple equation.)

It was interesting to read his perspective as he seems to have a lot of success. He's definitely a very prolific writer! I can't believe he writes four books a year but only writes for an hour every day. Whoa. I don't know how I'd get it through beta readers, rewrites, and editors that quickly. He must have it down to a science.

Old Hack · Jul 2, 2011

Capital said:
As far as price on SP e-books, I'm surprised they set the floor at $0.99. Given the huge supply of new authors, I'd allow it as low as $0.10.

Amazon is in this to make money: at 10c a book it's not going to do that.

fourlittlebees said:
The pricing model and self-pub vs. traditional publishing is something I've been watching, and I can't WAIT to see what happens with Hocking when her books under her St. Martin's contract start coming out. Will she still have the same numbers in her audience when the books are priced at conventional hardcover prices?

I would love to see a breakdown of Hocking's sales which show how many were sold to people who were readers, pure and simple, and how many were sold to people who were interested in self-publishing and wanted to see what was special about her books. I suspect that second market sector is large; and I suspect that it won't step in and buy her SMP books.

PorterStarrByrd said:
I wish there was some filter that could separate the quality work that has not found an agent of traditional publisher willing to invest in it, from books that are poorly written and/or under-edited.

There is so much I could write about that.

valeriec80 said:
If you'd like to read a well-reasoned argument against $.99, however, read this: http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=4696

There's a lot of maths in that article but I wouldn't say it's well-reasoned. It's full of assumption and rhetoric.

Nick Russell · Jul 3, 2011

I priced my mystery Big Lake at 99 cents as an introductory price, and have sold about 300 copies since June 22. I also converted three of my previously published non-fiction print books to Kindle format and priced them at $2.99 and $3.99. The sales have not been huge on them, but every day I sell a couple of copies. I have a sequel to Big Lake in the works, which I will probably price at $2.99.

Marketing is a strategy. Experimenting with book prices is part of that strategy. There is nothing disrespectful about it at all.

shaldna · Jul 3, 2011

A marketing tool that has worked well for a lot of writers is to price the first book of a series at .99c and then the second book at a higher price. This draws readers in with the lower price band and if they really like it then they might well spend the extra money for the second one.

Osiander · Jul 3, 2011

No, it's not disrespectful. It's clear that the $0.99-$2.99 books exist in a separate category from conventional books. They're not cannibalising sales at higher price points.

I use price points as an Amazon filter, to an extent. If it's at a low price point, it's a flag that it's self published.

Do you think $0.99 Kindle books are disrespectful?

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