The E-Book Pricing Debate...

Six months in and I am seeing a steady rise in readership...thank you, so very much to all of you who have purchased An Unexpected Obsession! I have been waiting for years to see my books in print, but have guarded each manuscript as if it was my first-born child, refusing to sell to a publishing house that would take my vision, the flavor of my writing and twist and tweak it to fill a void in their catalog. So, when digital publishing became available I jumped at the chance to exercise my need for autonomy.

The result? Much better than I expected, even if I am still plodding away at the day-job in the interim. What does this have to do with pricing? Well, with two new books coming out in the next few weeks *fingers crossed*, I am finally giving in and lowering my price to $0.99! Why would I do such a thing? At $2.99, An Unexpected Obsession was still less than a cup of coffee, but as an unknown entity I want to get my books into the hands of every reader willing to try me out and hopefully build a faithful following who enjoys my style, characters and story lines every bit as much as I enjoy writing them.

It has been a tough sell for me because I routinely spend $5.00 + on fiction (paperback & ebooks) without batting an eye and have never wanted to give my readers the impression that they are getting a sub-standard novel because the price is too low. But without the backing of a publisher who would take care of marketing and distribution, I'm willing to try anything to make sure the people who want to read what I'm putting out there get that chance without hesitating over the price. And I have even seen several best-selling authors putting their works up for a fraction of what I have paid in the past, further justifying the reduction.

So, even though I have been scoffed at by friends, family and even a few of my fans for already selling at such a low cost, I am tucking my pride away and lowering the price. Am I caving to the pressure of instant gratification in the form of (hopefully) a larger readership? Maybe, but the target is to give my readers a great escape from the drudgery of daily life at a cost that won't tax the already tight budgets of so many during this horrible recession.

I hope you'll take a look, take a risk, and take a break to enjoy a little romance!

Happy Reading!