There are some wonderful books available in both paperback and eBook formats, and thanks to online sales sites, it’s never been easier to pick up a book and read it a minute later. E-books are readily available, easy to transport, and save trees. One of the biggest considerations for readers when making a purchase is that eBooks are affordable, often costing a fraction of the price of paperbacks.

In addition to being a writer, I am also a prolific reader. To tell the truth, I still prefer to have a book in hand, but I also have a large library of eBooks, and my collection would be even greater if some of the eBooks I’d like to buy weren’t overpriced. . When I see an ebook advertised for over $8, I look for another book at a reasonable price. The writer may have sweated over the manuscript for years and put his heart and soul into it, but competition for readers is high, and if the book is overpriced, few people will appreciate the author’s hard work.

You only have to look at an online retail site to see that eBooks in the $1 to $2.99 ​​category have more reviews, while those priced around $10 languish on the virtual shelf waiting for a buyer. Reviews aren’t the only measure of a book’s popularity—many of my readers email me but don’t bother to leave a review on a public site—but you don’t have to be a mathematician to calculate that top-selling book. -Books will attract fewer buyers than those that are reasonably priced. It is a simple matter of economics. Unless the author has a loyal following who would pay any price to read his new work, readers will generally be cautious with their money when buying a book from an author they don’t know.

I’ve seen authors price a book of just over 100 pages at $4 or more, while more substantial deals seem to fly off the shelves at $2.99. The purchase price of your eBook does not reflect the quality of your work; it’s more about competing for attention in a very crowded space where some authors are even willing to give their work away. I don’t agree with the strategy of offering free books. Few people who have gone down that path have seen a real increase in book purchases. When you can get something for free, why would you pay for it? If your book is worth reading, it is worth paying at a realistic price.

Readers expect to be able to buy eBooks at a low price, so don’t disappoint them or they’ll give their hard-earned money to another author who offers a quality product for less. From a royal point of view, a percentage of something is better than a percentage of nothing.