Book Marketing and Book Pricing Questions:
I am almost done with my latest book – Dad’s War Photos: Adventures in the South Pacific.
My dad took 800 pictures everywhere he went in WWII, unwittingly becoming a photojournalist of sorts. With these photos and his battalion’s Military History Record (diary), I was able to trace his steps from boot camp to war and back. Unique. No other book like it.
In the recent past, I have published five books in paperback (Create Space and Lightning Source) and ebook (through Kindle, Nook, Smashwords), but not in hardcover, so I have not come this way before.
I will have about 570 pictures in this 200-page book, in paperback, hardcover, and ebook.
Because of its large digital size, the ebook will be broken up into 5 ebooks and sold separately:
1. World War II airplanes and their erotic nose art: bombers, fighters and more
2. New Guinea Natives in daily life (Warning: lots of indigenous nudity)
3. The New Guinea Battle Campaigns: From Australia to Dobadura & Saidor
4. The Battle for Biak Island, the capture of Mokmer Airdrome, and more
5. The Battle for the Philippine Islands: The Battle of Manila and Reconstruction
Do you think I could get $24.95 for a paperback edition and $39.95 for a hardcover? How much should I price the ebooks for?
Should I release all versions at the same time? Or, should I release the hardcover first?
Should I create a small condensed version with a taste of everything as a free ebook and give it away as a promotion?
Book Website: http://www.MyDadsWarPhotos.com
Cypress Cove Publishing Website: http://www.CypressCovePublishing.com
John Kremer’s Book Marketing Answers:
Answer #1: You can certainly try the $24.95 paperback price and $39.95 hardcover price. If the books don’t sell that those prices, lower them. That’s something you can do easily if you are publishing via Create Space.
Answer #2: As for the ebooks, try pricing them around $7.99 each. And lower the prices if the ebooks aren’t selling.
Answer #3: I would release all versions simultaneously, although you could release the hardcover a few months earlier than the other versions and do a big book launch for the book. Do a big launch only if you really think you can get major media coverage or major online buzz.
Answer #4: I love creating smaller versions of a book that you can give away free or for a low Kindle price of 99¢. That way potential buyers can sample your book at no risk or very low risk.
But note: Don’t give away your book just on your website. Give it away on high-traffic websites targeted to your topic or audience. Ask the people behind those high-traffic websites and blogs if you can make a special offer to their visitors, something that should attract more repeat visitors to their site or blog.
Final point: Create a better book cover. The above book cover can’t possibly do justice to your dad’s photos and war memories. Get a cover that actually looks like it’s been designed not just thrown together. This is really important since you want to ask a higher price for your print versions.
=====
Curator: John Kremer
