To state up front: I don’t know anything about how eBooks are priced or why the prices change from one day to the next. I’m a reader and have never been involved in publishing a book. To an outsider, though, some pricing seems inexplicable.
I read book three of a cosy mystery series recently and enjoyed it enough to want to read books one and two. I rarely buy print editions of fiction these days because I usually only read them once and can easily borrow them from the library. After we moved house last time and had to recycle hundreds of print novels, I decided I didn’t want any more to sit around in my new house. Hence the purchase of fiction eBooks for those titles I can’t get from the library.
What followed confused me.
My go-to for eBooks is Google Play Books, mostly because they allow Paypal. I checked there for books one and two and the prices were ridiculous – $41.72 each. So I checked Amazon and Apple Books and found similar prices (on that day).
On a whim, I checked Booktopia and found book one was $40.42* and book two was $2.98, so I bought book two.
I baulk at paying over $40 for an eBook novel. Is that just me? I’m really interested to know how much you are prepared to pay for a fiction eBook, so please leave a comment. Or perhaps you understand the pricing model and can explain it to me?
I think my cut-off is about $20. I expect eBook novels to be cheaper than printed novels. Is that your expectation, too?
* Another couple of days later, Booktopia had book one for $4.98. Dear reader, I bought it.