I was looking over my books on Amazon late one night last week. I was paying particular attention to the sales report, and I was even looking over the report at Smashwords.
What struck me was how many times I’d sold copies of my ESL book when it was priced at $9.99, which is where I put it when it first came out in April 2013. Since then I’ve gradually lowered it until it was where it’s been for some time, at $4.95. The book’s one of my bestsellers and does very well in Europe. In fact, probably the only reason I get 3 to 4 checks from Amazon each month is because of how good that book performs.
What struck me was how many times I’d sold copies of my ESL book when it was priced at $9.99, which is where I put it when it first came out in April 2013. Since then I’ve gradually lowered it until it was where it’s been for some time, at $4.95. The book’s one of my bestsellers and does very well in Europe. In fact, probably the only reason I get 3 to 4 checks from Amazon each month is because of how good that book performs.
For those who don’t know, here’s an explanation: You get different deposits for the different Amazon stores, like Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, and more. There are a total of 11 different Amazon worldwide sites, giving you 8 currency options. You have to get up to $10 or the equivalent in each of those currencies to get a check that month.
So the book’s performing well in Europe, but could it be performing better, or possibly worse? A price change is probably the easiest way to do that, and the other night I changed the prices of 3 books of mine:
So the book’s performing well in Europe, but could it be performing better, or possibly worse? A price change is probably the easiest way to do that, and the other night I changed the prices of 3 books of mine:
- The ESL Book went from $4.95 to $9.99
- Tribes and Trappers went from $4.99 to $7.99
- Priests and Prospectors went from $4.99 to $7.99
What I Expect from My eBook Price Increase
So what will happen? I expect sales, already pretty slow, to slow even more. Hell, some titles could stop selling altogether!
So what? What difference does it make? My two Montana history eBooks books sell about as well as glasses to a blind man; I don’t think my relatives even buy them!
So instead of getting a few bucks off each sale, why not get $5? After all, I didn’t really write those books to sell anyway, I wrote them because I wanted to.
And what about the ESL book? Lots of people find that book useful, and doubling the price might turn them away.
But to be honest I kind of have a hands-off attitude with my China books. I’m not an ESL teacher anymore so I don’t really think about other ESL teachers. Those that are smart will realize my book will help them; those that don’t, well, they’re teaching ESL, right?
So what? What difference does it make? My two Montana history eBooks books sell about as well as glasses to a blind man; I don’t think my relatives even buy them!
So instead of getting a few bucks off each sale, why not get $5? After all, I didn’t really write those books to sell anyway, I wrote them because I wanted to.
And what about the ESL book? Lots of people find that book useful, and doubling the price might turn them away.
But to be honest I kind of have a hands-off attitude with my China books. I’m not an ESL teacher anymore so I don’t really think about other ESL teachers. Those that are smart will realize my book will help them; those that don’t, well, they’re teaching ESL, right?
My Sales Status 1 Week After the Price Change
So I wrote most of that about a week ago and have been saving it. Since the price change has gone into effect I’ve gotten the following sales on Amazon US:
So it would seem people are still buying the ESL book and the sales for the two MT books have actually increased. Whether those are new buyers who never saw the book before or they’ve been looking at it for sometime, I don’t know. Either way, they bought the books at a higher price.
I think a lot of eBook authors sell themselves short. This happens a lot with authors always giving away books for free and then wondering why no one buys them later, and it also happens with authors pricing their books too low. Some buyers are actually turned off by low-priced books, thinking them inferior.
- ESL Book: 2 additional sales;
- Tribes and Trappers: 2 additional sales;
- Priests and Prospectors: 1 sale.
So it would seem people are still buying the ESL book and the sales for the two MT books have actually increased. Whether those are new buyers who never saw the book before or they’ve been looking at it for sometime, I don’t know. Either way, they bought the books at a higher price.
I think a lot of eBook authors sell themselves short. This happens a lot with authors always giving away books for free and then wondering why no one buys them later, and it also happens with authors pricing their books too low. Some buyers are actually turned off by low-priced books, thinking them inferior.
Be Wary of Frequent eBook Price Changes
You have to be a little careful about changing prices too much. Many readers out there use tools that track the price changes of books, and they buy accordingly. After all, if a book changes price a lot or goes free a lot, why not wait a bit until you can get a deal?
That’s great for readers, but if authors want to really reap the benefits of their eBooks then I suggest putting higher prices that stay put. Resist the temptation to move them around. If you’re so worried about eBook sales that you change the price, do what I do: write another book. Each time I put a new book out I worry about that one and forget the last. I’m telling you, it works!
So if you think you’re selling yourself short, or those books just won’t sell, try raising the price before lowering it. Not as many people do it that way, and perhaps you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results!
That’s great for readers, but if authors want to really reap the benefits of their eBooks then I suggest putting higher prices that stay put. Resist the temptation to move them around. If you’re so worried about eBook sales that you change the price, do what I do: write another book. Each time I put a new book out I worry about that one and forget the last. I’m telling you, it works!
So if you think you’re selling yourself short, or those books just won’t sell, try raising the price before lowering it. Not as many people do it that way, and perhaps you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results!
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