I’ve been reading a lot of blogs and articles about the best e-book pricing, and many of these writings are slanted toward promoting low-priced e-books. Some articles have even said $.99 is an appropriate price…for an entire book. The rationale seems to be that since the e-book publisher isn’t sinking any coin into producing the e-book (not true), the overall cost of the book should be lower than a book in print (true).

What seems to be largely ignored here is the writer and the cost and effort it took to write the book. Sure, I believe firmly that digital content should be and in most cases is cheaper. It does cost less to produce an e-book than it does to produce a hardcover or softcover book, but I think some important facts are being ignored here:

1) It does cost money to produce e-books, both for the publisher and the author. Publishers need to pay for server space, for designers to write programs for converting text to the appropriate format, for layout, etc. I’m not going to say this itself is a reason to charge more, but consider it the first rung on the ladder.

2) Here’s the more important point: writers should be business people who want to make a profit. When Itunes started selling music, there was resistance because there was so much free content online. The music industry wasn’t willing to budge on the old paradigm, so music lovers were forced to choose between paying too much for a physical CD or paying $.99 for a digital song download. Not surprisingly, the digital downloads won the day. The interesting thing here, however, is that today, many songs on Itunes are now $1.29 instead of $.99. This met with resistance, yet people were willing to pay. How much will people be willing to pay for content they want? A writer who is a good businessman will be aware of this at all times, and he or she will adjust prices accordingly. People will pay for good content…but it takes a unifying force. Don’t believe me? How are those online newspaper paywalls working out?

Will they pay? That’s the important question. Yes, you can easily price your complete novel at $.99 and sell 1000 copies, but have you done yourself or your fellow writers any good? Writers often bemoan the devaluation of writing in the digital age, yet we seem to be the biggest culprits in perpetuating that devaluation.

Writers will only get paid more money if they decide their work, collectively, is worth more money.

Plenty of counter-arguments exist, especially for self-published, unknown writers who are just trying to get a foot in the door. These are valid arguments, hence the current digital paradigm. Writers in general are wading through the heavy waters and waiting to see what the publishing industry does next, all the while trying to be ahead of the curve with self-publishing and e-books. We risk being blackballed by the industry just for trying, so a lot is on the line for a newly published writer. Why wouldn’t we sell our work for $.99 if it gets the writing in the hands of more people? It shows the industry that our writing is worthwhile, right? Makes the case for a big book deal, right?

Wrong.

It just shows that you are willing to sell yourself short. People will buy crappy writing for $.99 because it is cheap. They will buy good work for $9.99 because it is good, and vice versa. It takes more than a low price to recognize market trends. Proving yourself does not mean selling your work to the lowest bidder on the street corner. It means PROVING YOURSELF. It means writing well, marketing well, and producing content people want to pay for.

One more important note: many self-publishers and e-bookers choose these paths simply to get the notice of big publishing houses that will then pay them a big nut to keep writing. Problem is, that rarely happens at all, so perhaps this whole pursuit is akin to the “AMERICAN DREAM”, the reason a guy who makes $25,000 a year will get angry about higher taxes for people making more than $250,000 a year: there’s always the possibility that it will happen, that we will get our big nut, that we will win the big prize and suddenly make $250,o00 a year, and why would I want more taxes in my hypothetical life?

A good business person wants to make money now. He does not want a rain check on possible profits later. Ask any CEO of any corporation and he will tell you the same thing. Writers need to be smarter about their writing, and about their marketing, and about how much they value their work and ostensibly themselves.

I, for one, think my writing is worth more than a $.99 download. Am I above pricing my stuff that low? No, not at all…but I would post a short story for that price, not a complete novel. My writing is good, my writing is worth the money. And while it may not cost Amazon much to produce my e-book, it costs me time, money, effort, and every ounce of emotion I pour into it. My writing is not any lower in quality because it’s on a screen rather than a page.

Of course, I run the risk of being THAT GUY, the one with the ego so big he thinks he can get away with charging ten bucks for a digital download of his book. The truth is, I want to be that guy, because that’s the guy that will change the paradigm. He may not make money right away, but the investment just might pay off. It’s a risk; maybe it won’t pay off. But big risks can win the day. Ask Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, or even that girl who became the Youtube sensation with a terrible song about “Friday”. I think her name’s Rebecca Black. Song? Terrible. Marketing? Fantastic. That girl’s making the big nut because she and her handlers decided she was worth more than free content on Youtube. They decided she was a star, and so she is.

I’ll be THAT GUY if I must…but perhaps you should be, too.