How To Price Your Book
How to Price Your Book
A book's price is set by three things: what readers in your genre expect to pay, what each copy costs to produce, and how the royalty rules on each platform work. Get those three right and the decision becomes much simpler. Here is how to work through them for ebooks and print.
- Publishing setup handled by an in-house team
- Pricing set per format and per marketplace
- No lock-in on standard services
- Every book quoted with its own timeline
Step 1
Start with what readers in your genre pay
Readers do not compare your book with every book; they compare it with the books next to it in search results and category lists. So start by finding ten or so recent titles similar to yours in genre, length and format, published by both independent authors and publishers, and note their ebook and paperback prices.
You will usually see a clear range. Genre fiction ebooks often cluster at low prices because readers buy many of them; specialist non-fiction, professional guides and reference books can sit much higher because readers value the specific knowledge. Pricing well outside your genre's range, in either direction, is a signal readers notice: too high looks out of touch, and too low can look like the author does not value the book.
Step 2
Work out the floor for print
Print-on-demand books have a minimum price, because each copy has a printing cost. On Amazon KDP, a paperback's royalty is a percentage of the list price minus that printing cost, and the printing cost depends on page count, trim size and whether the interior is black and white or colour. The platform's calculator shows the cost for your exact specification.
Set the paperback price so that, after printing, the royalty is worth having, then check it still falls within your genre's range. If it does not, look at the specification before the price: a slightly larger trim size can reduce the page count, and a book with only a few colour images may work just as well with a black-and-white interior, which costs much less to print.
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Step 3
Understand the ebook royalty bands
Ebook royalties often depend on the price you choose. On Amazon KDP, ebooks priced within a set band, starting at $2.99, can choose the 70% royalty option, less a small delivery charge based on file size; prices outside that band earn the 35% option. Check the current limits in the KDP help pages when you set your price, because the band and its conditions are set by Amazon and can change.
This is why so many self-published ebooks sit at or just above $2.99: below it, the royalty per copy drops sharply. Other retailers use their own rate structures, so set prices for each one rather than assuming the same rules apply everywhere.
Strategy
Common pricing strategies and when they suit
Launch pricing
A lower price for the first weeks to encourage early sales and reviews, then raised to the regular price. Announce the end date so it works as a reason to buy now.
First-in-series discount
The first book priced low or occasionally free, with later books at full price. Works when readers who finish book one reliably buy book two.
Premium pricing
For specialist non-fiction where readers are paying for expertise. A low price can undermine credibility with professional buyers.
Limited-time promotions
Short discounts to support a newsletter feature or ad campaign. KDP Select, for example, offers free and countdown promotions within each 90-day enrolment.
Format ladder
Ebook lowest, paperback in the middle, hardcover highest. Readers expect print to cost more, and a visible gap makes the ebook look good value.
Regional pricing
Set prices per marketplace rather than accepting automatic currency conversion, so they look natural to local readers, such as a round figure rather than an odd converted one.
Mistakes
Pricing mistakes to avoid
Each of these costs sales or royalties without most authors noticing.
- Pricing an ebook just below the 70% threshold and losing half the royalty per copy
- Pricing a paperback so close to the printing cost that each sale earns almost nothing
- Setting the price by what the book cost you to write rather than what readers pay
- Leaving converted prices in other marketplaces at awkward, odd-looking figures
- Running permanent discounts, which train readers to wait for the next one
- Never revisiting the price after launch, even when sales data suggests a change
Working with us
Pricing as part of publishing setup
When we set up a book on the publishing platforms, we research comparable titles, check the print cost for your chosen specification, and recommend a price for each format and marketplace, which you approve. We can also plan launch and promotional pricing as part of a marketing campaign. Prices remain yours to change at any time from your own account.
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Response within 24 hours
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Fixed pricing upfront
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Questions about pricing your book
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Look at recent ebooks similar to yours in genre and length and price within that range. For many self-published ebooks on Amazon, that means at least $2.99, the bottom of the band that qualifies for the 70% royalty option. Specialist non-fiction can justify more. Check the current KDP rules when you set it.
Find the printing cost for your page count, trim size and ink using the platform's calculator, then choose a price that leaves a worthwhile royalty after that cost and still fits your genre's typical range. Paperbacks usually cost more than the ebook edition, and readers expect that.
Usually, yes. Readers expect digital editions to cost less because there is no printing or shipping, and a clear gap between formats makes the ebook look like good value. The exception is specialist non-fiction, where the content rather than the format sets what readers will pay.
Sometimes. A free first book in a series can bring readers to the paid sequels, and short free promotions can generate reviews. Giving away a standalone book with nothing else to buy rarely pays off. Use free pricing for a defined purpose and a limited time.
Yes. You can change the price at any time from your platform account; changes go through a short review before showing on the retailer page. Many authors adjust prices for launches, promotions and new releases in a series. If you sell through several retailers, update them together so readers do not find conflicting prices.
Print-on-demand prints one copy at a time, which costs more per copy than a large print run. Publishers printing thousands of copies get a lower unit cost. You can narrow the gap by choosing a specification that suits the genre and keeping page count efficient through careful layout.
Works well with
Pair it with the rest of the stack
Book Size and Finish
How trim size and paper affect printing cost.
Learn moreSelf-Publishing and Metadata
Categories, keywords and descriptions alongside price.
Learn moreBook Marketing
Launch and promotional campaigns built around your pricing.
Learn moreBenefits of Self-Publishing
Royalties in context, with the trade-offs.
Learn moreReady when you are
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