Ebook pricing is one of the most important business decisions self-published authors make, yet it's often done on gut feeling or guesswork. Price too high and you miss sales. Price too low and you leave money on the table or signal low quality. The right price maximizes your income while building your readership and visibility.
But here's the thing: there's no universal "right" price. The optimal price depends on your genre, your goals, your back catalog, where you publish, and whether you're building long-term readership or maximizing short-term income. This guide will show you how to find your pricing sweet spot.
Understanding Royalty Structures
Before you set prices, understand how platform royalties work, because they dramatically affect your actual income.
Amazon KDP pricing tiers: - 35% royalty: Available at any price from $0.99 to $200 - 70% royalty: Available only at $2.99 to $9.99 (with some exceptions for longer books) - Delivery costs deducted from 70% royalty (usually $0.06-$0.15 per book) At $2.99 with 70% royalty: You earn about $2.04 per sale At $0.99 with 35% royalty: You earn about $0.35 per sale At $4.99 with 70% royalty: You earn about $3.40 per sale
Kindle Unlimited considerations: If you're in KU (Kindle Unlimited), you earn pages read in addition to sales. KU pays approximately $0.004-$0.005 per page read. A 300-page book fully read might earn $1.20-$1.50, regardless of your list price.
This means KU authors might price lower to drive enrollment while still making money on page reads. Wide authors (not in KU) need to be more careful about pricing since they only earn from purchases.
Other platforms: Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, etc. generally offer 70% royalty at $2.99-$9.99, similar to Amazon but with different sales volumes. Your pricing might vary by platform based on where you see sales.
Genre Pricing Norms
Readers have price expectations based on genre. Understanding these norms helps you price appropriately.
Romance (especially series): $2.99-$4.99 - Romance readers consume books quickly and buy series - Many successful romance authors price at $2.99-$3.99 - Book 1 is often free or $0.99 as loss leader - Readers are price-sensitive because they buy so many books
Mystery/Thriller: $3.99-$5.99 - Slightly higher price tolerance than romance - Series common, so book 1 pricing strategies apply - Readers expect solid length and production value
Science Fiction/Fantasy: $3.99-$6.99 - Epic fantasy can price higher ($5.99-$7.99) due to length - Readers more accepting of higher prices for bigger books - Series extremely common
Literary Fiction: $4.99-$9.99 - Higher price tolerance - Readers less price-sensitive, more quality-focused - But also smaller market
Nonfiction: $4.99-$14.99+ - Wide range depending on topic and depth - Specialized knowledge can command higher prices - Business/how-to books often price higher - Readers buying to solve problems, less price-sensitive
Short fiction: $0.99-$2.99 - Length matters; readers won't pay novel prices for novellas - Clear length communication crucial
These are averages. Browse bestsellers in your specific subgenre to see what's actually selling at what price points right now.
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Calculate Your PricingLaunch Pricing Strategy
How you price at launch affects visibility, reviews, and long-term success. Most successful self-publishers use temporary launch pricing.
The 99-cent launch (7-30 days): Pros: Maximizes downloads and velocity, which boosts rank. Gets more readers and reviews quickly. Low barrier for new-to-you readers. Works especially well in KU where you still earn page reads. Cons: Low earnings per sale. Can signal low quality. Some readers avoid 99-cent books. Discount-chasers might not become loyal readers. Best for: Building audience as new author, launching book 1 of series, maximizing reviews and rank.
The $2.99 launch (7-30 days): Pros: Still affordable enough to generate sales velocity. Earns meaningful money ($2+ per sale). Doesn't signal "cheap." Sweet spot for many genres. Cons: Won't generate as many sales as 99 cents. Less rank boost. Best for: Established authors with some audience, standalone books where you want income, authors who've found 99 cents doesn't work for their genre.
The full-price launch ($4.99+): Pros: Maximum earnings per sale. Signals quality and confidence. Your true fans will buy at any price. Cons: Fewer sales, less visibility, harder to build momentum. Only works if you have established audience. Best for: Established authors with email lists and loyal readers, nonfiction with clear value prop, books where you're not worried about rank.
Launch timing: Most authors launch at introductory price for 7-30 days, then raise to permanent price. Announce the timeline ("introductory price of $0.99 for the first week!") to create urgency.
The rank boost and reviews you get during launch week matter more than the immediate income for most authors. That visibility can lead to sustained sales at higher prices later.
Finding Your Permanent Price
After launch, you need to find the price that balances income and sales over the long term.
The income vs volume trade-off: At $0.99: You might sell 100 copies/month, earning $35 At $2.99: You might sell 40 copies/month, earning $80 At $4.99: You might sell 20 copies/month, earning $68 At $6.99: You might sell 10 copies/month, earning $48
These are examples, but they illustrate the principle: higher price means fewer sales but not always more money. There's a sweet spot where price x sales is maximized. For most indie fiction in most genres, this sweet spot is $2.99-$4.99.
How to find your sweet spot: 1. Research bestsellers in your specific subgenre - what are they priced at? 2. Start at the low-to-middle of genre norms after launch 3. Track sales for 30-60 days 4. Test price increase (raise by $1) 5. Track sales for 30-60 days 6. Calculate total income at each price 7. Settle on price that maximizes income while maintaining acceptable sales volume
Consider your goals: If your goal is readership (new author building audience), optimize for sales volume, not income. Price lower. If your goal is income (you have a catalog and audience), optimize for total revenue. This often means pricing a bit higher than you might think, because fewer sales at higher price can equal more money.
Series Pricing Strategy
If you're writing a series, you need a series-wide pricing strategy, not just per-book pricing.
Book 1 as loss leader: Many successful series authors price Book 1 low (free or $0.99) permanently to hook readers, then price Books 2-7+ at $4.99-$5.99 to make money on the series.
Math example: - Book 1 free: 0 earnings, but gets 1,000 readers - If 30% read Book 2 at $4.99: 300 sales x $3.40 = $1,020 - If 20% of those read Book 3 at $4.99: 60 sales x $3.40 = $204 - Total from series: $1,224 Compare to pricing Book 1 at $4.99: - Book 1 at $4.99: 100 sales x $3.40 = $340 - If 40% read Book 2 at $4.99: 40 sales x $3.40 = $136 - If 25% of those read Book 3 at $4.99: 10 sales x $3.40 = $34 - Total from series: $510
The free/cheap Book 1 strategy can significantly increase total series earnings, but only if: - You have multiple books out (minimum 3, ideally 5+) - Your books are good enough that readers continue - Your series hooks readers from Book 1
Gradual price increase: Some authors price Book 1 at $2.99, Book 2 at $3.99, Books 3+ at $4.99. The theory is readers are more invested with each book and will pay more. This can work but can also frustrate readers who feel nickeled-and-dimed.
Consistent pricing: All books in series at same price (usually $3.99-$4.99). Simple, fair, but leaves money on the table from Book 1 and doesn't use it as funnel.
What works best: For most fiction series, free or 99-cent Book 1 with higher-priced subsequent books maximizes total income IF you have 3+ books out. If you only have 1-2 books, price them normally and adjust when you have more.
Promotional Pricing
Beyond your permanent price, strategic temporary price drops can boost sales and visibility.
Amazon Countdown Deals (KU exclusive): Show original price crossed out with sale price for 7 days maximum. Creates urgency. Good for generating sales velocity and rank boost. Countdown displays encourage impulse buys.
Use when: You want to boost rank, need review velocity, or want to remind readers you exist.
Free promotions (KU exclusive): Make book free for up to 5 days per 90-day KU enrollment. Maximizes downloads and visibility. Good for Book 1 of series or building audience. Use when: Launching new book in series, building email list (offer book 2 preview to newsletter subscribers), or trying to hit a visibility milestone.
Regular price promotions: Drop price to $0.99 or $1.99 temporarily without special Amazon tools. Combine with promotion services (BookBub, Written Word Media, etc.) to maximize effect. Use when: You want sales boost but don't want to use up limited KU promotional days, or you're publishing wide.
How often to promote: Every 60-90 days is reasonable for KU books. More frequent promotions can train readers to wait for sales. Less frequent means you're not taking advantage of promotion opportunities.
Track results. Does a Countdown Deal generate 500 extra sales and boost your steady-state sales for weeks after? Then it's worth doing regularly. Does it generate 50 extra sales and no lasting effect? Maybe not worth the effort.
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Develop Your StrategyKU vs Wide Pricing Differences
Whether you're exclusive to Amazon (in Kindle Unlimited) or publishing wide affects your optimal pricing.
In KU: - Can price more aggressively low because page reads provide income - 99 cents on a 300-page book that gets fully read earns $0.35 + $1.50 = $1.85 - Free promotions and Countdown Deals available - Focus on maximizing enrollment (downloads) because reads follow - Sweet spot often $2.99-$3.99
Publishing wide: - Only earn from purchases, no page-read income - Need higher prices to make meaningful money - Can't use free/Countdown promotional tools on Amazon - But can run promotions on other platforms - Sweet spot often $3.99-$5.99 - Can price differently on different platforms (higher on Amazon, lower on Apple to compete)
Many wide authors price $1-2 higher than KU authors in same genre because they need purchase income to be sustainable.
Bundling and Box Set Pricing
Once you have multiple books, bundling becomes an option.
Box set pricing math: If Books 1-3 are each $4.99, that's $14.97 total. You might price the box set at $9.99, offering readers a $5 "discount" while still earning more per transaction than you would from Book 1 alone.
Box set at $9.99: You earn about $6.80 Book 1 at $0.99: You earn about $0.35 So even though the box set is "discounted," you make 20x more per transaction.
When to bundle: - You have complete trilogy or series - Individual books have been out long enough that most fans already bought them - You want to offer deal to new readers - You want to rank in both individual book categories and box set categories
Bundling strategies: - Keep individual books available at regular prices - Price bundle at 25-40% discount from buying individually - Use bundle to capture readers who want to binge-read - Promote bundle separately from individual books
Psychological Pricing
Small pricing differences create psychological effects that can impact sales.
$2.99 vs $3.00: $2.99 feels significantly cheaper than $3.00 even though it's one cent. The "$2.something" vs "$3.something" perception matters. Same with $3.99 vs $4.00.
$4.99 vs $5.99: One dollar difference might not significantly impact sales but earns you 70 cents more per sale. Test to see if the price increase costs you sales.
$6.99 vs $7.99: At this level, readers are less price-sensitive. The difference matters less.
Round numbers ($3.00, $5.00, $10.00): Can signal premium quality in nonfiction or literary fiction. Feels more "serious" than $2.99 or $4.99. But in genre fiction, .99 pricing is so standard that round numbers might actually hurt sales.
Bargain basement ($0.99): Signals bargain/deal. Can hurt perception in some genres (literary, upmarket). Works well in others (romance, some genre fiction). Test your audience.
When to Change Prices
Pricing isn't set-it-and-forget-it. Adjust based on results and circumstances.
Raise prices when: - Sales are strong and steady (you're leaving money on the table) - You've built audience and aren't dependent on discovery - You've improved craft/production quality significantly - Genre pricing norms have increased - You want to test whether readers will pay more - You're moving to wide from KU (need more per-sale revenue)
Lower prices when: - Sales have stagnated for months - You need visibility boost - Launching new book in series and want readers to catch up - Genre pricing has dropped and you're priced above market - Testing whether lower price increases total income - You've joined KU and can rely on page read income
Test methodically: Change one variable at a time. Raise price by $1, track for 60 days, compare to previous 60 days. Did total income increase or decrease? Adjust accordingly.
Seasonal considerations: Some authors raise prices in summer when ebook reading increases, lower in winter when there's more competition. Romance/beach reads might be higher in summer. Experiment.
Common Pricing Mistakes
Underpricing out of insecurity: New authors often price at 99 cents because they feel they're "not real authors yet." Unless you're strategically using 99 cents as loss leader or launch price, this leaves money on the table and can signal low quality.
Overpricing without audience: Pricing your debut novel at $6.99 because "it's worth it" when you have no audience or reviews. Readers will choose the $3.99 book with 500 reviews over your $6.99 book with zero reviews.
Matching traditional publishing prices: Traditional publishers price ebooks high ($9.99-$14.99) partly to protect print sales. Indie authors don't need to do this and shouldn't. Readers expect indie books to be cheaper.
Never testing or adjusting: Setting a price and leaving it for years without checking if it's optimal. Markets change. Your position changes. Test.
Frequent price changes: Changing price every week confuses readers and can hurt you algorithmically. Make deliberate changes and give them time to show results.
Ignoring genre norms: Pricing your romance at $9.99 when the genre standard is $3.99. You won't change reader expectations; you'll just lose sales.
Pricing Book 1 high when you have a series: Unless you're established, a high Book 1 price hurts series sales. Book 1 should get readers in; later books make money.
Tracking and Measuring Results
You can't optimize what you don't measure.
Track these metrics: - Units sold per month at each price point - Total income per month at each price point - Sales rank and category ranks - Page reads (if in KU) - Also-boughts and visibility - Review rate (reviews per sales)
Calculate these KPIs: - Average income per sale - Total monthly income - Cost per acquisition if running ads - Read-through rate if series - Conversion rate from free to paid
A/B testing: If you have multiple similar books, you can test pricing across them. Price Book A at $2.99 and similar Book B at $3.99, track results for 60 days, then swap. See if consistent pattern emerges.
Give changes time: A price change needs 30-60 days to show real results. Amazon's algorithm needs to adjust, readers need to discover you at the new price. Don't change prices weekly based on daily sales fluctuations.
Platform-Specific Considerations
Amazon: Largest market, most sales. Optimize here first. KU option. Countdown Deals and Free promotions. Price matching means Amazon will match lower prices on other platforms.
Apple Books: Curated promos and features available. Some genres do well here. Can price higher than Amazon without price matching. Good audiobook integration.
Kobo: Big in Canada and some international markets. Price promotions available. Lower sales volume than Amazon but less competition.
Google Play: Often lowest sales but easy to publish. Some authors find unexpected success here. Worth having book available.
Direct sales: Sell from your website via Gumroad, Payhip, etc. Keep 95% of revenue. Can price lower than retailers and still make more per sale. But you have to drive traffic.
You can price differently on different platforms. Many wide authors price slightly lower on non-Amazon platforms to compensate for lower discoverability there.
Your Ebook Pricing Checklist
Before setting or changing your price: - Researched bestsellers in your specific subgenre - Understand royalty math at different price points - Defined your primary goal (income, readership, reviews, rank) - Considered your back catalog size (first book vs established author) - Planned launch pricing timeline - Determined permanent price based on genre and goals - If series: planned Book 1 funnel strategy - Scheduled promotional pricing (how often, what tools) - Set up tracking for sales, income, rank - Planned when and how to test price changes - Considered KU vs wide implications Ebook pricing is part art, part science, and entirely dependent on your specific situation. There's no magic number that works for everyone. But by understanding royalty structures, respecting genre norms, defining your goals, testing methodically, and tracking results, you can find the pricing strategy that maximizes your success however you define it. Price with intention, test with discipline, and adjust based on data. That's how you win the pricing game.