This post, by Aimee Salter, originally appeared on her Seeking The Write Life site on 6/28/11.
I took a bunch of flack for my previous posts on self-publishing in which I criticized the business model. I think most self publishing authors thought I was hiding a derision for the industry behind a business-minded opinion piece.
They were wrong.
Self publishing has been on my radar for years and I think it can be done, when it’s done well. But I also think it’s (currently) difficult and costly to do well. Also, rife with potential hiccups that could have far-reaching consequences for an author’s career.
But just to prove that I have actually seriously considered the issue, and to maybe help out anyone with the gonads to give it a shot , I’ll tell you one of the things I would do, if I were going to do it.
Assuming you can overcome the obstacles I see in the process to self-publication, there’s a very, very big business decision to be made:
$$ Price $$
I see a lot of hubbub out there right now about the $1 e-book. I can see why authors would do it, and I can see why readers would buy it. It’s really a no-risk purchase for a reader – which in turn equates to more sales for the writer.
Win-win?
Hmmm… I’m thinking that depends on what you want out of your writing career.
Quick Marketing Lesson
I’m not going to get into the intricacies here, but I want to put a concept in front of you:
When a reader pays a price for a product, their perception is that the product is worth that much. That means:
1. If they want something and it costs too much, their perception is that they’re being screwed over and they will look for other ways to find the product cheaper or a cheaper alternative.
2. If they need something and it’s cheaper than expected, their perception is that they got a bargain.
Agreed?
But here’s the problem:
Read the rest of the post on Aimee Salter‘s Seeking The Write Life.