As the author you have complete freedom to choose what to sell your book for. There are just a few things to keep in mind. Too high and you risk discouraging readers from buying it, too low and you reduce the royalties you earn on each sale. Below is a full discussion of what you will need to consider.
Print Cost
also know as Author Price or Cost Price
This is what it costs to print your book. It is also the price you buy your own book for. By using our CALCULATOR you can see the author price for your book with different ink, paper, trim and binding choices. Please note these prices do not include shipping.
List Price
also known as Recommended Retail Price or Sticker Price
This is the recommended price your book is sold for by a retailer. The list price is determined by the author. There are a number of factors to consider when selecting the list price for your book including the price of other books in the same genre, production costs, royalties and currency conversions. See our article HOW TO PRICE YOUR BOOK for further details.
Wholesale Price
This is the price you sell your books to retailers for. It is important to offer your book to retailers at a discount to incentivise them to buy a bunch and sell each on for profit. The wholesale price is set indirectly by offering a wholesale discount. Industry standards suggest this should be a minimum of 25% up to a maximum of 50% of the list price.
Royalty Received
also know as “what you get paid per book”
So for a 200 page paperback novel:
List Price: $10.00 is the recommend price that retailer sell the book for
Wholesale Price: $7.00 by applying a wholesale discount of 30%
Cost Price: $4.00 for a 200 page paperback novel
Royalty Received = Wholesale Price – Cost Price
= $7.00 – $4.00
= $3.00 per book