Support for Indie Authors discussion

Hey everyone, so I am in the process of self-publishing my paperback books through KDP, B&N, and Ingramspark. It's around 780 pages, 6x9, white pages, black and white color. The print cost is pretty high (between $10-12 depending on the platform). My issue is how high I am told I need to to price my book to make any profit. Ingramspark says I need to price it at 28.99 just to make $1.27 in compensation. KDP is cheaper. I can price it at $24.99 with around $4 in royalties. Do any of you know how much I should expect in royalties? Is $4 too much? Also, why is Ingramspark so expensive? I'm also not sure if I should price my book differently with each platform, or stick to one price for all of them. I've searched the web and youtube, but haven't found any answers. Thank you!

I price my books for about $2.00 of revenue per sale.

The price does seem high, but so is the page count. Not only will the seller take a cut, but so will the middle-man (Ingram, in your case), which is why Amazon may seem the cheapest - if you sell there directly, there's only their cut (and the costs).

When it comes to self-publishing paperbacks, there are usually two opposite approaches: the minimal and the maximal.

The minimal approach is to price it low - so that your profit is quite small (let's say, $1). After all, most self-published authors won't sell many paperbacks unless they became very famous, and digital sales are where the profit is.

The maximal approach is that you price it quite high (around $20 for books of usual size, would be probably $30+ for you). You won't get many sales either (point made above), so you maximize the profit from each sale. The side-bonus, at least on Amazon, is that it shows the price difference between print and Kindle version, so if you sell paperback for $30 and ebook for $3, it highlights a 90% price difference.

Phillip wrote: "I price my books for about $2.00 of revenue per sale."

Yes, I work to the same principle, though being from the other side of the pond, I go for about £2.00 :)

This may not be the answer you're looking for, but can you split the book in half or into thirds? You can release the first book, and then follow up within a few months with the 2nd, and then a bit later with the 3rd. Your costs would be lower, the price can then be lower, and you can get and maintain reader interest over a 9-12 month period. It builds your fan base. From a marketing standpoint, it can be a real win for you.

When I started writing my novel I discussed it with a much more experienced writer who told me it should be 2 books. I whined a bit that I love long books myself, but even then I had the feeling she was right. I did as she suggested and I'm getting close to publishing my second novel. It would have been better for me if I had a shorter period of time between the 2 of them (3 yrs), but that's where you'd have the advantage.

I also think that 700 page novels aren't hugely popular on kindle or any electronic device. Maybe if you're an established writer, but rarely for newbies.

Eileen, the split may be harder to execute than it sounds - each part would need to work as a standalone book structure-wise (especially when it comes to having its own finale - something that turned me from splitting my own book). Likewise, if the ebook is already out, splitting the paperback may be a bad move.

As for length and popularity... genre matters a lot. In some genres, 300 pages may be a lot, in others, 500+ is okay.
And... sure, a 700-page book may seem daunting, but what sounds better... 700-page book for the price of one book, or 3 250-page books each at full cost? Personally, if I see an interesting book at $5 and 500+ pages, I may take it over a series of 200-page books at $3 each.

You say you’re publishing “books” But then say, “It’s around 780 pages…” Since your profile shows no other books, I’m guessing it’s your first so:

1. Do you have plans as to how to attract buyers? Ingram, for example, will produce the book, and handle distribution to customers you bring in. But…they won’t advertise it or place it into bookstores, unless you personally sell that store, or chain. And in general, bookstore chains won’t stock self-published authors unless they have a proven customer base. New authors releasing a first book? Check on how many have successfully done that, first.

2. Any books you manage to place into a bookstore are on consignment, which means you pay to have it printed and distributed, and then, a month or two later, pay to have any remaining books shipped back to you. So, assuming that you sell the bookstore chain on showing your book, can you afford to print and distribute thousands of books, and then, possibly, eat the cost of that if they don’t sell at that price? Remember, a title in the bookstore stays in their pocket only for a month of two. If it’s not sold by then, back they go.

My point? Given that it is your first, you just might want to go with the online version first, to gauge interest.

Ingram is more expensive because of its better quality and wider distribution. KPD only distributes to Amazon at this point in time. They are trying to take over more of the market, but not succeeding well.

With that said, as other have advised, keep your share of the profit ot $2 or less. I'm like the others, I'd pay the larger price for one book over the book being split into multiple books unless you do a monster book of 500,000 words . Then you have split it up.

I will disagree that the spilt would have to be stand-a-lones. I've read several series where the books are closely tied together and to understand the second one you need to read the first one. There may not be as big a market for those types of books but I'll buy the first one if it is good, I'll get the rest of the story. (like the Eragon series which were 300+ pages for each book) If you are writing fantasy or Sci-fi, the length and price of the book won't put the readers off if it's good.

Thanks everyone for the tips and advice. This helped me tremendously. It definitely is tricky waters to wade through, but it's exciting nonetheless.

B.A. wrote: "like the Eragon series which were 300+ pages for each book"

Yep, Eragon is a hand-killer in paperback (I believe you meant 800+?) but each book has its own climax, even if lesser, until the end (as far as I remember). What I mean to say is that you can't just split it up in half anywhere - the split needs to respect plot structure.