Mark Mathes: Indie Book Pricing Suggestions. Amazon First 90 Days, Then Go Wide.
- Sarasota Fiction Writers
- Apr 25
- 3 min read
Updated: May 1
By Mark Mathes
Where do you start with pricing your independent book? Read on for many factors to consider. Start by considering the different royalty rates from the distributors, beginning with Amazon.
Consider your markets
Domestic/North America
International
Libraries, schools, special collections? Amazon won’t get you there. Start with IngramSpark.
Find your genre and fit in.
Rom com fiction is priced lower than nonfiction biography and memoir.
Distribution platforms
Choose the platform and identify paperback and ebook
Amazon
KDP Select Unlimited Some perks but you can’t sell your ebook elsewhere.
Kindle
Amazon discount campaigns
Amazon rules and guidelines for pricing e-books here.
• Between $0.99 and $2.98, they pay the Author a 35% royalty
• Between $2.99 and $9.99, they pay the Author a 70% royalty
• Over $10.00, they pay the Author a 35% royalty
There are basically three tiers:
• Maximize copies: $0.99 – $3.99
• Middle ground: $4.99 – $6.99
• Maximize perceived value: $7.99 – $9.99
Thus, I suggest you aim for the sweet spot of $2.99 to $5.99 for ebooks on Amazon. Use pre-orders and use discount/free programs they offer in your first 90 days in Kindle Select/Unlimited. Then drop the exclusivity and launch ebook on other platforms.
Ingram Spark
Bookstore rate [Retailers expect 45 to 55% discount from your cover price]
Library [often higher than your retail price] IngramSpark suggests pricing your library rate at 2.5 times higher than when selling through retail store.
Draft 2 Digital
D2D publishes your book for no upfront cost. They take 10% of sales.
Bookshop.org Recently expanded to offer ebooks in addition to paperback and hardcover. You can get you book in their new ebook program via Ingram Spark or D2D above.
Many indie authors choose to make thor books available wide and deep, wherever book browsers and buyers like to buy their books and ebooks. Thus:
Barnes and Noble: Strong domestic, some POD.
Apple Books: Apple runs hot and cold on support of book sales.
Kobo: Strong in Canada, UK, Eurozone where Amazon is weak.
Google Play: Google forced the sampling of book contents.
Paperback ranges
Your biggest concern is your printing and distribution costs when pricing paperback.
For example, BW printing is $4.48. Color is $8.83. Add your distribution costs.
Here are PB ranges:
High price $17.99-$19.99
Average $14.99-$16.99
Cheap $11.99-$13.99
Dirt cheap $7.99-$10.99
Pricing for author personal sales at book festivals, libraries etc. Round up/down to next dollar.
$9.95 = $10.00
$14.00 = $15.00
Consider group rates or quantity discounts for book clubs. Ask the publisher about quantity discounts for your book club, class or organization.
Add this to your copyright page.
For international sales in local currencies, round up.
Define sales strategy
Pre-launch order sale
Launch day/week
Sales discounts of 1-5 days during first 90 days
Use a book marketing calendar to plan campaigns
Price ranges for ebooks:
Non-fiction: $4.99 - $9.99
Fiction: $2.99 - $5.99
Short stories or novellas: May be priced lower, around $1.99 - $3.99
Price ranges for paperbacks:
Non-fiction: $12.99 - $19.99
General fiction: $9.99 - $14.99
Technical or academic books: May be priced higher due to specialized content
Considerations
How to research pricing:
Check Amazon KDP: Utilize the platform's pricing tools to see what similar books are selling for in your genre.
Analyze comps for pricing and sales on related book on Publisher Rocket Software.
Look at other online retailers: Compare pricing on platforms like Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.
Important factors to consider when setting your price:
Production costs: While not the sole determining factor, consider the cost of printing and formatting your book.
Royalty rates: Understand the royalty percentage you will receive from different platforms. D2D takes 10%. Amazon as much as 70%.
Ingram Spark pricing suggestions. Here.
They have a useful calculator to with pricing for the US, Canada, UK, Eurozone, Australia and more.
Kindlepreneur ebook pricing guide and calculator here.
The Scribe Guide to Pricing Books. 9-page PDF.
mark mathes
PO Box 1053
Sarasota, FL 34320
—mark mathes 020225
80 published books since 2015. Many as editor at regional independent Pelican Publishing in my hometown New Orleans.
My website: writing, editing, publishing website with tips, trends, Florida author news
My publishing career of 5 decades. LinkedIn. Connect there?
Interview I did about publishing trends with author/podcaster Richard Bonte, one of my clients.
President of Sarasota Fiction Writers. I'll send you my most recent newsletter.
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