As a voracious reader who has a very tight budget and doesn't mind trying new authors: I wish to hell that publishers understood that they would get a lot more of my money, now and in the future, if they made first-in-series books accessible.
If you price all books in a series at $13 or more in digital, you are guaranteeing I won't be able to try, unless I remember to ask at the library.
@romancelandia To contrast with the post above, here's what happens when you start an ARC for the second book in a series, and look up the first, and find out it's 99cents: you buy it, knowing nothing about it, on the strength of liking the one you are reading (and are barely 13% in).
The other book I really liked that's 4th in a series but all titles cost $13 and up, digital? Most likely I won't seek them out again.
@herhandsmyhands@romancelandia There are some series I'm reading as audio, because the ebooks are way too expensive. At least on Audible it's just one credit.
@herhandsmyhands@romancelandia I used to be on an email lis that sent out notices when books were cheap on Amazon. This might be it, not sure: https://www.bookbub.com
I stopped when I had accumulated more ebooks than I was likely to read in the next couple of years… A lot of the deals (e.g. 99¢, $1.99) were for the first volume of a series.
Of course, it was random - if there was something in particular you were interested in, 🤷🏻♂️
@herhandsmyhands
There are lots of indie authors and publishers doing exactly that.
For me it started when an author posted a bookfunnel link on Twitter (some time ago, obviously). You sign up for the author's newsletter in exchange for the free book. If I like the book I keep the newsletter and get new book promos. I have discovered many new authors this way.
I get daily suggestions for the genres I chose at the retailers I chose (I don't buy from A.) and also a weekly mail. Checking these mails is always a highlight in my day.
@herhandsmyhands@romancelandia I might try a sample, but that’s usually it. And my library doesn’t get everything, or there are long waits. Unless I remember why I requested it, I might not bother if I’m reading something else when it becomes available.
I feel like smaller imprints from bigger publishers, would benefit from paying attention to indie authors, who tend to put several of their books (either stand alone or first-in-series) either perma-free or at very low prices, because they know once they hook a reader, it's all over.
@herhandsmyhands@romancelandia I like it when they permanently lower the price of the first book, but also when subsequent books are reasonably priced.
@Lnalpert@herhandsmyhands@romancelandia I find certain publishers consistently have ebooks priced the same as the paperback, then drop the ebook to 99p as a promo just before the next in the series come out - they'd get a lot more money off me if they had the ebooks on 3.99 or so as the standard price!
Add comment