One of the things I was careful to check before signing up with my publisher, was the proposed retail price of my book. I’d come across other small presses where the paperbacks were the price of a hardback from one of the Big Five. While I appreciate that small print runs contribute to the higher unit costs for the independent publisher, most readers wouldn’t understand. Why should they pick up a paperback from an unknown author and publisher when they could get a discounted hardback from a household name and half a dozen fancy bookmarks for the same price? How could I entice friends and family to support my launch if they had a sneaking suspicion they were being ripped off?
So I was delighted when debut novel, Sugar and Snails, came out priced at the lower end of the scale. With its beautiful cover and quality printing, people queued for signed copies, a few buying an extra one or two for friends. They were happy, I was happy, my publisher was happy – until I spoke to some booksellers.
So I was delighted when debut novel, Sugar and Snails, came out priced at the lower end of the scale. With its beautiful cover and quality printing, people queued for signed copies, a few buying an extra one or two for friends. They were happy, I was happy, my publisher was happy – until I spoke to some booksellers.
We all know that the giant online retailer beginning with the letter A has made life especially difficult for the independent bookshops we love. So the twenty-five percent profit I was told they’d get from the retail price seemed a generous gesture. Not so! The word came back, from librarians as well as booksellers, that 35-40% was the industry standard. But, when printing costs amounted to almost 50% per book, this left under £1 to be shared between author (me), publisher and the youth charity we’d chosen to support. Given the mammoth task authors have in getting their books into bookshops, it hardly seemed worth the effort.
Yet people were asking where they could buy my book, and the enthusiastic reviews convinced me they were unlikely to be disappointed if they did. While a couple of places had agreed to take it at the lower level, I thought my book’s chances would be vastly improved if we could give bookshops the cut they needed. To make this possible, as of last week, we increased the price in the UK from £7.99 to £8.99, the norm for literary novels published in paperback. This still represents a miniscule profit on bookshop sales for me and the publisher, but at least it might cover the administration costs.
With some press features still quoting the original price, and a misunderstanding leading to me emailing several bookshops before the new price had officially gone through, the transition is rather messy. Frankly, I’m embarrassed and I still might not get my book into shops. But I think it was the correct decision. While it will probably be frustrating for readers aware of the price change, it’s certainly not overpriced. One bonus is that, when at events I sell it at the original price, those readers will appreciate receiving a discount.
What do you think about book pricing? Has anything surprised you the way it did for me?
Yet people were asking where they could buy my book, and the enthusiastic reviews convinced me they were unlikely to be disappointed if they did. While a couple of places had agreed to take it at the lower level, I thought my book’s chances would be vastly improved if we could give bookshops the cut they needed. To make this possible, as of last week, we increased the price in the UK from £7.99 to £8.99, the norm for literary novels published in paperback. This still represents a miniscule profit on bookshop sales for me and the publisher, but at least it might cover the administration costs.
With some press features still quoting the original price, and a misunderstanding leading to me emailing several bookshops before the new price had officially gone through, the transition is rather messy. Frankly, I’m embarrassed and I still might not get my book into shops. But I think it was the correct decision. While it will probably be frustrating for readers aware of the price change, it’s certainly not overpriced. One bonus is that, when at events I sell it at the original price, those readers will appreciate receiving a discount.
What do you think about book pricing? Has anything surprised you the way it did for me?
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