Lindsay has a great post on her blog where she gives her views on how indie author-publishers might want to price their books.
Her rationale for pricing a novel happens to be exactly the same as mine, though I’ve never quite managed to express it this succinctly:
“I personally think about $5 per full-length novel is a fair price all around. It gives you far higher per-book earnings than traditionally published authors are receiving (even those whose ebooks are selling for $10+), it gives the readers a deal when compared to most traditionally published ebooks, and it’s often considered a fair price by those who feel that digital books should cost less than the dead-tree variety since paper, ink, and shipping aren’t a part of the equation.
“Lastly, it separates you from the legions of indie authors charging $0.99, $1.99, and $2.99 for their novels (often on the belief that they won’t be able to sell at a higher price because they’re not established names — I started out at $2.99 for just that reason). A lot of readers still walk warily around self-published books, so it can only help if you’re not giving obvious clues that your book was never vetted by a gatekeeper.”
Yup.
DAN HARRIS: 10% SCI, 90% FI 
Reblogged this on Self Publishing Advocate.
Pricing is such a huge decision. You want to go as high as you can but not so high that you discourage sales.
I’m seriously considering 5.99 when I self publish my fantasy novel, Power of the Mages, next year. It’s still a discount over traditionally published books, but I don’t think it’s too high.
Thanks for the post.
Brian
Absolutely – Lindsay’s got it spot on, in my view. Dean Wesley Smith also has some good articles on pricing for indie authors, and he agrees that writers shouldn’t be selling themselves short.
Thanks for commenting!