I spent last weekend at Penguicon, doing a whole bunch of panels and presentations as well as talking with readers and hobnobbing with my fellow ink-stained wretches authors. As a result of those discussions, I’m trying something new (to me). I’m slashing my fiction prices.
Novels are down to $2.99. Yes, even the brand new git commit murder. Immortal Clay is down to $0.99, because it’s the first in a series.
Novellas are down to $1.99.
Short stories are all 99 cents.
US Kindle users can check my Amazon listing, while others can hit my fiction web site.
How long will this last?
I don’t know. It’s an experiment. Overwhelmingly, the authors I spoke with told me I would make it up on volume. I expect this stunt to slash my fiction income. Much as with my initial experiment in self-publishing, I would be delighted to be proven wrong. I’ll give this not less than 30 days.
Am I likely to try this with my nonfiction? No. The maximum potential audience for a book on PAM or a BSD is much, much, MUCH lower than that for a novel, even a novel in a low-selling genre such as SF.
On the subject of changing the price of your nonfiction, could you please RAISE the price of your paper-and-ink “Windmill Press” books selling for $24.9x on Amazon? $25.01 would be perfect. You see, without Amazon Prime Amazon charges shipping if my book order is $25.00 or less.
For non-linear reading (technical books, textbooks, etc) the Kindle is the worst possible device ever devised. Just peachy for fiction though.
You know, that had never occurred to me.
$25 is a mental barrier for a bunch of people. Market research shows that sales can drop when you cross it.
Maybe I need a Shipping Avoidance Edition of those books.
I can’t imagine how you live without Prime, though. I have Amazon ship me bars of soap and $2 bags of rat snacks. Do you actually, like, go to stores and stuff? đ