In Search of the Lost Ones: Publishing and Money and Transylvania

My book has been available on Amazon.com and other Amazon websites for a while now and sales are reasonably good.  They sell about three books a week, and the price which was once higher is now at a lower price.  Here is the money matters problem and my own solution.

My book was published at the end of November 2011 and the price has not decreased since it was made available on Amazon.  After 6 months of keeping that list price as it is, I've come to the decision that I should lower the price.  I hope that lower price brings me increased sales.

So, as of June, 2012 the price will drop by 3 dollars.  (Updated: the price is now $8.50 on Amazon.)


I believe this will encourage a few more people to try out the book (as in purchase In Search of the Lost Ones) because for some reason I believe that a book's price creates a mind barrier.  For an older book, the paperback is more expensive and it is in a niche market.  I wondered about this when I noticed that people are more likely to go into a bookstore and buy a ten dollar book than one that is priced at fifteen dollars. It's five dollars more, but if you are looking to add a ten dollar item to a shipping cart to have a free shipping deal, this is where everything makes a difference.

Publishing a book is one thing, making sure that consistent sales continue is another. All books have a cycle in which they will have readers who will buy a copy of a book. It's also important to think about promotion. For many people who buy books online, considering the purchase of an additional book means that they don't need to pay for shipping. 

This also means that I have a chance to reach a larger audience.  I noticed this with the Kindle edition sale, that while I didn't sell any e-books during that time, I found that after the sale people did buy the e-book.  Keeping that in mind, I was more than ready to listen to the suggestion of dropping the list price even for a month. After all, the more people read about Transylvania, the more they will learn and enjoy, and perhaps they will go and see this lovely place!

I look forward to seeing what happens in June. 


I suspect that at some point an author has to ask herself if her book needs more "eyeballs" on it and how she can do that.  I will say this: I am not giving up on my book, but rather I am trying by every means possible to get readers for my book. I look forward to this challenge.

At the moment I believe it is a good idea, and we shall see how it helps with sales.

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