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Sexy and we know it! They’re on the hunt after your heart. Discover 10 brand new passionate tales of friendship, desire, wolves, survival, and redemption. Escape to another world, another place, and another romance…

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VS Nelson Discusses Pricing for eBooks - Is Cheaper Always Better?

Veronica sez: Thoughts on eBook pricing from our Contributor Virginia Nelson - here's hoping for a lively debate. Take it away, Virginia:

Flying Books by josterix - sxc

A few years ago, when I received my very first Kindle I was thrilled to learn there was an enormous amount of e-books for free and for just 99 cents I could fill my imaginary book shelves. Did I take advantage of what was offered? Heck yeah, I did; everyone loves a great deal…

Sadly, title after title, left me somewhat empty and I found myself wading through all those imaginary shelves struggling to find something worth while to read. I began to believe cheaper is not necessary better…

…but then again, every so often I would stumble across an exemplary book which took my breath away. It was about this time I began my in depth investigation on e-book pricing. I knew my print books would be hitting the shelves soon and their pricing would be based upon standard page and word count for their genre. So where would that leave my e-books? I began to ask myself questions like…

If someone offered me a chance to pay 99 cents instead of twenty dollars for the same merchandise, what would I do? And what would this do to my print sales?

To satisfy my own curiosity, I began to investigate e-book pricing further. Article after article written by experts in the field of publication continued to debate the same questions I was asking myself.

Would pricing an e-book for pennies less than the paperback guarantee more sales?

Would pricing an e-book for pennies less than the paperback reduce your paperback sales?

The answer to these two questions was unequivocally YES…

 …and then I read a couple of articles which I strongly agreed with.

By now, e-books had gained popularity and other readers were coming to the same conclusion I had. In addition, the free and 99 cents books were acquiring a reputation I wanted no part of… that being, most of those books were less than desired or at best contained sub-standard writing.

This was attributed to anyone and everyone who ever dreamed of being an author was suddenly claiming the prestigious title with a few clicks of the keyboard. Word began to spread that e-books were not as well written as print books, especially the cheap ones.

Please do not get me wrong, I am still talking in generalities, there are plenty of great well-written e-books out there for a decent price.

The articles I refer to gave me hope by stating e-books pricing should become somewhat standardized within a few years based upon genre and length. The general synopsis was, since there was virtually no cost in producing e-books, pricing would always remain less then their print book companion, but an author should see substantial profits from their e-book sales. In addition, they gave several recommendations for the self published author, including how to price their e-books and what the effects might be for each. This of course grabbed my attention and I eventually applied what I learned from the articles to my e-books.

A synopsis of their theories for self published authors follows.

If you are self published, but have followed traditional publication practices by hiring professional editors and cover artists then you should NOT price your 300 page e-book 99 cents merely to make an abundance of sales, especially if you are writing a series. Chances are you will make sales, but your book will remain on their kindle or other e-book reading device and never be read. Deal shoppers tend to purchase things they never use or it may be returned for a full refund because the reader grabbed the cheap book thinking it was something other than it was.

They, in turn, suggested the e-book version of any well written book regardless of genre or publication method be priced similar to other traditionally published well written books. Not having a publicist or staff to handle things a self published author is required to do a little research to make this system work.

First and foremost, one must correctly identify what sub-genre the book in written in. You would be surprised how many times I have been told, “I really don’t know what sub-genre my novel is… well it’s sort of a romance, kind of a mystery, but it has this and that…”  Yes, I know lots of us cross the genre lines, including me, but you will need to identify genre and sub-genre before you proceed with using this pricing method. If you are still unclear, try looking up your favorite author who you write similar too – or one you have been told by one of your beta readers you write like. This is actually the beginning of the second step in their pricing method.

Now go to Amazon and find a similar e-book by that authors whose page count is similar to yours… make a note of the price. Do this again at least three times with different authors whose work is similar to yours. Total the amounts and divide by the number of books you targeted to get an average sale price.

If you are a first time author and this is your very first book, they suggested you deduct a small amount from that price, but not too much. You may also deduct a small amount if your page count differs. Remember, you may not be on the N.Y. Times best selling list, but you hope to be someday…  The thinking is, when a loyal reader of that favorite author of yours’ googles new books, your title will come up. If the pricing, word count and blurb are similar to theirs, there is a good probability the consumer will take a chance on your name and buy your book. Best end result, you just gained a new reader and fan who doesn’t mind paying a little more for a quality enjoyable well written book. 

There is also the good probability your book WILL NOT BE returned. The consumer knew what they were looking for and you correctly identified and priced your book—they received what they paid for and are happy, unlike the deal shopper who had no idea what he or she was getting.  I’m extremely happy to report that out of all the e-books I have sold on Amazon to this date I have had only two returns. And one of the two returning consumers’ sent me a note apologizing for the return; she meant to purchase the second book in the series, but clicked on the first one. My sales record confirmed her statement. 

Additional things I have noticed. (Some tried – some I’m still thinking about)

New York Times and Best Selling author’s new releases sell for more than their older books – even in kindle format. If you are trying to gain new readers and this is your first book, I’m not so sure I would attempt this. If you already have a following and your readers are anticipating your next installment in your series, by all means try raising the cost of your e-book a tiny bit for the first 30 days. When all the hoopla is over, remember to bring the price back down to match the others.

Need to gain a reader base? Try writing a novella or short story and offer it for free or a discounted price. Right before I released my paranormal romance series, Sekhmet’s Guardians, I released a little novella in print and kindle format and signed it up for KDP select. Although, Cupid and Penelope is an urban fantasy and not a paranormal romance I use it as a promotional tool. Although priced like similar novellas I have offered it for free twice, once right before a release, again during Valentines’ day. How many readers my series actually acquired I have no idea, but the response I received was great – that little novella shot up quickly in the rankings during Valentines’ day to number twelve.

The NEW Kindle Countdown Deals – I was thrilled when I discovered this. There have been many times I wanted to offer book one in my series for a discounted price to gain additional readers, but I have never even considered giving a 571 page book away to the general public. This may sound egocentric, but I put way too much work in that novel and I think more of it and myself for that. I choose who gets my books for free. Setting up a sale for a limited time seems like the perfect solution. I can’t give you any specific feedback on this at this time but I should have some data for you soon as I am in the middle of a deal right now.

Update: My deal ended just before I uploaded this article and I’ve already been notified by three of the readers who took advantage of my deal. After reading the first book in the series they sent me a message letting me know they were purchasing the next one in the series. Sales for books 2 & 3 are showing a climb.

A REMINDER Check the similar authors you used in getting your sale price every so often to see if there are maintaining their pricing. While writing this article I revisited my list. Much to my surprise the number one author on my list dropped her older e-published books by $2.00 and she doubles the price of her new releases. She dropped her older titles from 7.99 to 5.99, matching numbers two and three on my list who haven’t changed a thing. It appears I will be adjusting my pricing accordingly.

I’d love to hear from other authors on how you obtained your e-book pricing.

VS sez: And Virginia welcomes feedback from Readers on the topic as well!

Love Those Reader-Writer Events! Some Lesser Known Conferences

From V. S. Nelson:

Every year RWA and other writer organizations put on writer conferences around the world. I’d like to take a minute of your time to highlight a few of my favorites. There are several blog posts on the “majors”, my name for the biggest conferences put on each year. RWA Nationals and RT (Romantic Times) fall into this category, so I will save our time together and mention a few of my favorites you may not know about.

One of my favorites is not a writer’s event at all; it’s a reader’s event held in the Southwest each year. ArizonaDreamin’ is where readers can get to meet and spend time with twenty or so of their favorite authors over the course of a weekend. A small event compared to the majors, but far more cozy and personal than anything you have previously attended. Last year they added an additional day set aside for the “want to be writer” entitled Buildin’ the Dream. The 2014 event key note speaker is Diana Gabaldon. I’ll also be in attendance and presenting a workshop on Sprinting, the key to finishing that manuscript in record time. One of my favorite events during this fun filled weekend is the Man of our Dreams competition.  The tall hunk in the center of the photo is James Magnussen, who won last year’s competition. His dream of becoming the next male cover model is already a reality as he is gracing the covers of several of this year’s upcoming best sellers.

*** 

I recently returned from Vegas where I attended the first annual RNC conference sponsored and put on by none other than the world’s most publicized cover model, Jimmy Thomas, who has graced over five thousand book covers. RNC promises to become RT’s rival if the next few years are as great as the first! Five full days are packed full of workshops, costume balls, photo shoots, parties, a book fair and more. RNC will keep you entertained and send you home rejoicing in your memories. In addition,  InD’tale Magazine hosts their annual RONE Awards at this event.  You never know what you are going to find (or experience) at this event.

The evening of August 8^th this past year while attending RNC, I found myself being escorted down the isle by Bat Girl and a handsome military man only to get married. No kidding, Jimmy found out my lifemate and I were planning on sneaking off and doing what people do in Vegas and turned our little wedding into an event none of us will ever forget. Surprise, Jimmy Thomas, cover model extraordinaire, conducted the wedding in a loin cloth. In case you didn’t know, Jimmy is also a licensed minister in two states. Who knows what surprises Jimmy has in store for next year? Guess I’ll have to return to find out.

***

 Attending your first writer’s conference can be rather intimating, even for the experienced social bug. The idea of being in the same room with some of the world’s best selling authors, editors and agents can be over-whelming. As I previously mentioned, RWA chapters across the states put on some fantastic conferences throughout the year. Choosing just one or two to write about is never easy, so I decided to discuss the first one I went to, which I might add, has been described by the NY agents as fun and relaxing. Held bi-annually in Arizona,  Desert Dreams proves to be a champion for the first time attendee.  There is something about the old west that makes people relax, forget all the formalities and concentrate on having a good old’ time and Desert Dreams does exactly that. You will even find the NY agents and editors relaxed and dressed in jeans while accepting pitches from new and experienced authors alike. Sylvia Day, Jennifer Ashley, Christie Craig along with many more authors will be in attendance. Pitches will be taken by representatives from Random House, the Laura Bradford Agency, and many more agents and publishers.  To read more about this event and who will be in attendance, please go HERE.

 Veronica Scott sez:  The latest from V. S. Nelson is the SEKHMET'S GUARDIANS series...

Halloween Memories from Our Authors

Veronica sez: We thought it would be fun to share a few of our own favorite Halloween memories with you today. This little ghost guy is a favorite pin of mine, that my Dad gave me when I was a kid - have a safe and sane (but spooky!) holiday!!!

Robert C. Roman:

Mine is a mix of funny and little-kid-sweet-romantic. 

Three Halloweens ago, my wife stayed home to give out candy, and I took our little boys (aged 2 and 5, respectively) trick-or-treating for the first time in our new neighborhood. Our older boy, Lucien, had been trick or treating once before, but this was the younger, Viktor's, first time ever.

 Our neighborhood is four cul-de-sacs and two half-block dead end streets all connected by a single lane, and we're nearly at one end of all of it. We started through our cul-de-sac, picking up a few pieces of candy every few houses, as most of them were dark. After one lap of the cul-de-sac, the boys were a little dispirited by all the closed houses, and we were considering going back in, but after waving to Mommy, the little ones decided to press on.

 Ah, such a fateful decision. Halfway to the next cul-de-sac, we ran into a strange procession. Every child in the neighborhood, from my older son's bus stop partners to the few trick-or-treating teenagers, being led along the street by a tiny moppet no bigger than my two year old. She took one look at the boys, grabbed Lucien by the hand, and said 'C'mon! We're gonna get free candy!'
 And so my son met his first girlfriend, Carter, the tiny force of nature. She towed him around the neighborhood not once, but twice, and thereafter to innumerable play-dates and parties for the next two-and-a-half years, including one spur-of-the-moment Halloween party (she grabbed kids and pulled them inside when they trick-or-treated her house).

Diane Burton:

I was a young single and went to a girlfriend’s house to watch movies on Halloween. She wanted to watch a movie that I think was called “The Hand” about a dismembered hand that crawled around and killed people. In one scene, it crept up the back of the driver’s seat and strangled the driver.  It was in black and white, which made it that much more creepy, made in the 1930s I think. Anyway, after the movie was over I had to drive home. I just knew that hand would creep up the back of the seat and strangle me.  Fastest I ever drove home.

Heather Long:

When my daughter was 4 years old, we took her to Disney World. She dressed up like Belle and we went to the Mickey's Very Scary Halloween Party. All of the characters at the park bowed to the 'princess' and she trick or treated at the different attractions, we also got to watch the Boo To You Halloween Parade which is opened by a headless horseman racing up the street--and my daughter declared after it raced past--that poor horse, he needs a better rider. That man couldn't keep his head.

It's as hysterical to me today as it was then.

Jessica Subject:

My Halloween memory is...

We used to live on a street perpendicular to Elm St. And one Halloween, one of the residents had decked his house out, and he dressed up like Freddy Krueger. I didn't get scared, but a lot of the parents did when he jumped out at them. It was more funny than anything.

Maureen Bonatch:

One of my favorite memories was when I was pretty young and my older sister, Kathy, took me through a 'haunted house'.  I'm sure it was probably pretty lame as haunted houses go, since it was done by the church bazaar, but not when you're about seven.   A group of us were walking through it and we were at the end of the line, I turned around and Frankenstein was right behind us, arms outstretched, moaning and coming right for us! I became slightly hysterical, as seven year olds can, and Frankenstein ended up having to 'ditch the scary monster act' and kneel down to console me, lol.  

(P.S.  my parents home, where I grew up was and still is Elm Street..after I reluctantly watched the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie I slept with the lamp on for a week...  umm..I was probably about twenty years old, lol)

Mimi Sebastian:

Here's my memory from childhood. I was at my uncle's house in New York and like many of the brownstone type houses, all the backs faced an alley. My cousins and I used to play on the alley street with the neighbor kids, but one night around Halloween, all the adults had gone back inside the house and I stayed outside alone, leaning against the fence, glancing down the street. It was particularly dark. Suddenly, I saw a light appear in the middle of the street about ten yards away from me, almost like a flashlight or lantern, approaching slowly, but I didn't see anyone holding the light. I was somewhat frozen to the spot until I heard laughter coming from the same direction as the light. That pretty much unstuck my feet and I raced back into the house. I don't know what the heck it was, if it just a neighbor taking a stroll, but in my child's mind, it's provided a scary memory to this day!

Stephanie Beck:

My favorite costume is a tiny cow sleeper that all my kids wore when they were babies on their first Halloweens. I've never been big on the holiday, but who doesn't like candy and tiny adorable cows?

Virginia Nelson:

Back when I was a young teen, I got with a bunch of other kids who wanted to set up a haunted farm house (mostly  boys who wanted to scare their girlfriends), so we went out to the old deserted place, decorated it then several of us took our positions in the house... I was lying on the bed with a phony knife in my chest, fake blood all over the room... everyone set the stage and the kids coming out to the house got the scare of a life time...

Afterwards, we all left, went out for something to eat then returned to the old deserted farm house to clean up. The joke was on us because this time the girls who we had scared came back, cleaned up our mess and rearranged everything including the killing scenes. Scared the dickens out of this 13 year old and others when we walked in and saw three people lying on the floor in a pile of fresh blood and a hobo looking guy standing over them.

That was the last time I set up a haunted house for anyone...

New Contributor Virginia Nelson Checking In!

I am so thrilled to be a part of Paranormal Romantics and this fantastic group of authors!

Since this is my first time writing anything for this blog, I thought it would be appropriate if I introduced myself to you.

Hi, I’m Virginia, but you can call me V; all my friends do. Virginia is so formal and when someone yells out my name, I often picture my mother screaming at me when she was upset at something I had done, which I might add, was quite often. Needless to say I was a tad on the bratty side… Still am in many ways. Guess that is because I see life as an adventure – one that must be experienced. And what an adventurous life I have led.

  

In my short sixty years, I’ve lived and worked in a dozen countries. Did I mention I also like to travel? (Maybe, I inherited some gypsy blood from someone down the line that I don’t know about. lol) Anyway, I’ve never been one to just sit and let time pass me by. Guess that is why I’m on my third full-time career.

As a young adult I went to nursing school. After several years of tending the sick and dying, I went back to school, got my teaching credentials in ancient civilizations (history) and started traveling the world. When I decided to retire from teaching, I grew very restless, so I decided to write out the many stories which had accumulated in my head just to give me something to do (and to make the voices I was hearing shut up). It gave me something to do alright, but the voices are still there and so I continue to write.

For five years I’ve been combining my two greatest loves, Native American lore and ancient Egyptian mythology in a series entitled Sekhmet’s Guardians. It’s an unusual combination, I know, but its working and I haven’t had any complaints to date. For good measure, I’ve also thrown in some European and other world mythologies just to keep things interesting. The series will span into eleven big books, all over five hundred pages. The books are very recognizable as each cover is done in purple, (my favorite color) and somewhere you will see a golden ankh buried within scenery. Each individual title also starts with the word Eternal. 

 I’m also putting together a collection of urban fantasies featuring the Greek Gods. After Cupid returns to Mt. Olympus with his less than perfect wife, Penelope, the Gods of Olympus have grown board and restless. They return to Earth in modern times, hoping to find their own happiness in the form of human females. This set of novellas is perfect for the reader who likes short, funny, sexy stories. 

My spare time is divided between my personal life, serving on two RWA chapter boards, judging numerous yearly writing contests, and attending and lecturing the many reader-writer events I attend each year which satisfies my travel urges. My next write-up for this blog will highlight several of those events.

Thank you for allowing me to take up your time while sharing a little bit of me with you. I look forward to our next encounter on the 3^rd of next month.  

Always, V.

Veronica Scott sez: You can find all of Virginia's links on our  Authors page but here's her website: http://www.authorvsnelson.com/