Lola’s Ramblings: How Much are You Willing to Pay for a Book?

Posted May 12, 2016 by Lola in Lola's Ramblings / 40 Comments

LolaRamblings

Lola’s Ramblings is a feature on my blog Lola’s Reviews where I ramble on about a book related or a non-book related topic. These are discussion type of posts where I talk about a topic and readers can weigh in on the topic in the comments. Usually these posts are everything that doesn’t fall under any standard header, like tours, cover reveals, memes, challenges, recaps or reviews. Lola’s Ramblings posts are discussions of a certain topic and my point of view on them. The banner for this feature is designed by Michelle from Limabean Designs.

One day I was over at amazon spending some gift card money I won, I had just spend about 4$ for 4 books in a series I hadn’t started yet. I noticed the second book in a serial where I read the first book was available, so I went to amazon. I saw the prize, 2.99$, hesitated and decided not to buy it. So why did I easily spend 0.99$ per book on four books where I haven’t read the prequel series, but not 2.99$ on a book I probably will enjoy? The four books I bought were 160 pages each and only 0.99$ per book, the second book is a 132 page novella and for some reason 2.99$ just felt like too much for it. So that made me wonder how much I would pay for a book. We all have limited money, so how do we decide which books to buy and which not? I think it depends on multiple factors, so that made me wonder on what does it depend? And the topic for this post was born.

On what does it depend what I am willing to pay for a book?

  • How badly I want the book. The more I want to read/ own a book the more I am willing to pay for it. It’s like in my mind the book is worth more because I want it to badly. This can easily make me willing to pay a few dollars/ euro’s more for a book.
  • The Author. If a book is by an author I know and whose previous books I have enjoyed I am willing to pay more for the book. This effect is even stronger if it’s an author I really like or one of my favorite authors. I gladly pay more for books by authors I really like.
  • Format. Depending on the format I am willing to pay more or less for a book. Roughly speaking I am willing to pay more for a paperback than an e-book and more for a hardcopy than for a paperback. Even though I don’t really care for hardcopies, I do understand that they will costs more than paperbacks and accept that if I buy a hardcopy the price will be higher. I would say roughly the maximum I am willing to pay for an e-copy is 10 euro’s/ 11 dollars, for a paperback 16 euro’s/ 18 dollars and for a hardcopy 22 euro’s/ 25 dollars. But those maximum’s are the exception. Usually I consider 6-8 euro a nice price for a paperback, but will pay 10-12 euro for a book I really want and only the maximum for a few exceptions. While most of the e-books I buy are in the free till 5 or 6 euro max range. And if the paperback version is cheaper than the e-book, I will go for the paperback version instead as in my head that’s worth more.
  • Cover/ Version. Sometimes there are different versions or cover editions for the same book and in some cases I am willing to pay more for the cover or version I prefer, but only a euro or two max, if it’s a much bigger difference I think it’s not worth it.
  • Length. The longer the book the more I am willing to pay for it. I guess this makes sense as the more pages a book has the more time I can spent enjoying the book. I think this is partly the reason I find the price of 2.99$ steep for a short story. Short stories (0-100 actual story book pages) are worth 0-1.99$ in my head, 2.99$ is pushing it for a short story that I can read in one-two hours at most. Sure if you compare it to other hobbies that 1,50$ per hours is still cheap, but if I can buy a full length book for only 0.99$, it just feels weird to pay 2.99$ for only a short story. Also I as far as I know people don’t actually charge more for thicker books. It usually seems to depends more on the format or publisher than the actual amount of pages. I’ve seen books with 400-600 pages sold for the same price as books of 200-300 pages, but then short stories for which they ask 2.99$? It just seems weird somehow.
  • Is it part of a series? If a book is part of a series, especially when it’s a later book in a series I already started and enjoy so far I am most likely willing to pay more for the later books. I’ve seen marketing strategies that hook into this nicely, by offering the first book for cheap or free and having the later books pricier. As a reader I have no problems with this, as once I read the first book and enjoyed it, I don’t mind paying more for the later books. Ofcourse this is also more of a scale, there is a limit on how pricey sequels should be and how badly I want to continue the series. But overall I don’t mind an paying a few dollars more for sequels, by then I know if I want to continue the series and if I enjoy. With series where I am on the fence about whether to continue the price does play a bigger role. If I can get the next book for cheap I might be more likely to continue the series.
  • If I already own the book. If I already own the book in some way I am willing to pay less to buy it in another format as I already own the book. I will very rarely buy a book twice, but it has happened a few times. I remember getting a book from netgalley for review and then seeing a very cheap sale for the paperback, so I bought that one as well. In most cases I will only buy a book in two formats if the second format is really cheap or free or for some reason I really want the other format (which brings me back to the first point).
  • Does it has bonus content or limited edition. Usually I don’t really care for bonus content and am not willing to pay more for it. Unless for some reason I am really interested in the bonus content. Bonus content is a nice extra, but I won’t pay more for it.
  • The higher the chance that I will enjoy the book. If I think there is a higher chance I will enjoy the book I am willing to pay for the book. I already mentioned the author of a book before, but there are more reasons as well for why I might gauge the chance higher that I will enjoy the book. Normally the first book in a new series is a bit of a gamble will you like it or not. With a book in a new series by a author I already know I feel that risk is less. Or when I already have read the previous books in a series as well. And because I am more likely to enjoy the book I am willing to pay more for it. Other reasons for this are when I’ve read lots of reviews for a book and am pretty sure I will enjoy or the book has themes or topics I normally enjoy. Or even if it’s a genre I am really into at that moment. No matter what the reason if I think there’s a good chance I will enjoy the book it reduces the risk of that purchase and makes me willing to pay more for that book.

What’s the most I paid for a book?

The book that I probably paid most for are the Cainsville series books by Kelley Armstrong. I paid about 22 euro, so that’s about 25$ for each book. Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors, I wanted the books very badly, and they are hardcopies as the paperbacks won’t release till a year later. And in the case of book 2 and 3 I knew I loved the previous book(s) and knew I would most likely enjoy this one as well. So that means there are multiple reasons why I was willing to pay so much for those books. And that price is probably the most I am willing to pay for a single full length book. It’s an exception that I pay so much for a book and it only happens once a year ;).

How much are you willing to pay for a book? And on which factors does it depends? What’s the most you paid for a book?

Tags:


40 responses to “Lola’s Ramblings: How Much are You Willing to Pay for a Book?

  1. I never spend more than Β£2 on an ebook. I’m on a budget and have to keep an eye on that. I will try new to me authors free or at 99p and not a penny more. I never pay for very short books or chapter sized parts to serial novels as I don’t feel it’s worth it. I try the ebooks free or cheap and if I really like it, I’ll buy the whole series in paperback if available. Indie books are more expensive in paperback but I like having a proper copy of my favourite series.
    chucklesthescot recently posted…Gardening With ChucklesMy Profile

    • I am on a budget as well, although that usually means I spend more money per book but only on the books I really want to. And most of the others I get for free for review or really cheap.

      I feel that many short stories are too pricey for what you get, unless it’s a bundle.

      And that’s a good strategy to buy it in e-books and only buy a paperback of your favourite series.

    • I usually don’t buy rare books, so I guess I didn’t thought of that angle. I agree that if it’s a book you want badly and it’s rare I also would be willing to pay more for it.

  2. Personally I’m the same in that I’ll pay more for books by authors I like, or later books in series because you can be reasonably sure you’ll like them. I’m more likely to gamble on a new to me author or series if the first book is pretty cheap, so I think that can be a pretty worthwhile marketing strategy for authors.
    I also expect to pay less for Ebooks, and so I do get really confused sometimes when you look on Amazon and it turns out the paperback is cheaper than the ebook! A physical book is definitely worth more to me.
    Great topic! πŸ™‚
    Laura recently posted…Writers: Is Scrivener worth it?My Profile

    • Same here if I take a gamble on a new to me author it’s often a review book or if the book is cheap or sounds like something I am pretty sure I will enjoy. I also agree that making the first book cheap or free is a promising marketing strategy for that reason as it removes the risk of trying out a new author.
      A later book in the series or by an author I like are worth more so I am willing to pay more for those.

      I’ve seen that quite often too when on amazon the e-books is pricier and I always wonder why. I bought some cozy mysteries in paperback recently as the e-book was simply pricier.

  3. The cost to manufacture a POD book does depend on its length, Lola, so I have had to charge more for one of my longer books. For publishers who print in advance and take advantages of economies of scale, that may not be true, but unfortunately for us indies it is. The only way to change that is to use a smaller font, smaller margins, or do something else that will make the book shorter and less expensive to produce. It’s rather a problem, as I’d like to be able to charge as little as possible for my books.

    Thoughts?

    • It is unfortunate that printing costs so much more for self-pub authors. If you *want* to sell more paperbacks though, there’s something else to consider. The matchbook pricing on Amazon, the thing where you get the ebook for free or cheap if you buy the paperback—there have been times when I actually did buy or would’ve been willing to pay for the paperback if I would have also been able to get the ebook for no extra cost. But w/o the matchbook pricing or whatever it’s called, I choose ebooks. So that’s something to consider, depending on what your goal is. If you make more profit from ebooks, then encouraging people to buy the paperbacks might not be worth it.
      Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Book Review: Wish for Me (The Djinn Order Book 1) by A. StarMy Profile

      • I agree it really is a shame that printing costs so much for indie authors. I like your idea of matchbook pricing, that’s a good tip!
        I also think that most indie authors make most of their profit from e-books, at least from what I hear.

      • Thank you, Kristen. That’s something I haven’t considered because I thought, “Who would want an ebook if they already had the hard copy?” But I guess it doesn’t hurt.

    • I actually think that makes sense, but usually with most books you don’t see the difference, probably because those are by traditional publishers indeed. And I think for longer books I would be willing to pay more as you get more story.
      I think there’s a limit to how small you can make the font. On a related note I saw a publisher who started doing large printed copies so it’s easier for people who don’t have perfect vision to read them as well.
      There’s no such a thing as mass market paperbacks for indie books, so there’s a limit to how cheap you can make your paperback.

  4. For new authors I don’t know, I won’t spend more than $2.99 on an ebook (and I don’t buy hardcovers or paperbacks anymore, unless it’s non-fiction). I now religiously check the Look Inside on Amazon to make sure I’m getting something of quality, too. For favorite authors or books in a series, it has to be $9.99 or less. I paid $9 for the last book in the Divergent series and that’s the last time I would ever do that because it was such a waste of money. I’m more likely to wait and make sure a book is good before I spend hard-earned money on it. I will only ever spend over $10 on non-fiction, and it has to be a subject I am really interested. I’m also more likely to buy non-fiction in paperback because I make a lot of notes in the book and mark up pages. It’s harder to do that with an ebook!
    S. J. Pajonas recently posted…VIGILANTE SLIMMING SCANNER Is Now Available!My Profile

    • I can’t imagine reading a non-fiction book as e-books as it’s harder to look up a part you want to re-read. I don’t make notes even in non-fiction books, although i did used to do that when in university.
      I also agree it’s good to know for sure you’re getting something good before you buy it, but at the same time I like taking a chance on a book now and then, but there’s definitely a limit that I am willing to pay for a new to me author. I also think that’s why the first book free strategy works so well, so readers can give an author a try for free and then decide if they want to buy their other books.
      I mostly buy hardcopies and paperbacks for some of my favourite authors and for cozies as those are often cheaper in mass market paperback then in e-copy.

  5. I refuse to spend more than Β£5 on a book, whether e-book or paperback, and the format I’ll pick will be based solely on its price. I often end up buying the used paperback: most are in superb condition, for a great price.
    But if a book I’m drooling on is over this price range, I am patient enough to wait for its price to drop. Yes, I’m a cheapskate, but I see books as a luxury: the money needs to go first to feed, clothe and keep a roof over my family’s head.
    I wish I was sixteen again, so I could spend all my pocket money on books lol!

    • I agree books are a luxury and money has to go to the necessities first. I guess I am lucky enough to sometimes get some money from family members and then I pre-order that hardcopy by one of my favourite author and some other books I have my eyes on. Or sometimes someone gifts me a book, which is nice. Besides that I actually get most of my books for review or I buy them when I am lucky enough to win a gift card. I guess not having it tight with money really turns you into a cheapskate.

  6. I’ve never paid for an ebook. That’s not to say that I’ve never read one but Amazon has this thing that if you pick a longer shipping time they give you a .99 credit towards the purchase of an ebook and I’ve bought several for free using this credit. I will pay the price of a print book and when a hardcover copy of a book comes out in a series that I really like, I’ve been know to pay $25.00 for the book if I really want it. I remember pay $25.00 each for Acheron and Styxx when they came out.
    Mary Kirkland recently posted…Product Review: Makeup Beauty Sponge Blender and Powder Brush SetMy Profile

    • I don’t buy books on amazon, unless I win a gift card, so I didn’t knew that. That’s good to know about the longer shipping time. I also find new books in a series I really like worth more and am willing to pay a lot for them.

  7. I agree with pretty much everything you wrote. However I don’t buy hardbacks, instead I get them from the library. I also only buy paperbacks from the used bookstore. By and large, I only read eBooks anymore. I won’t spend more than 5.99 or 6.99 for a eBook and that has to be something like a favorite author or series. Usually stick closer to the 3.99 to 4.99 range or less. Interesting post!

    • I only have a few books in hardcopy, as I prefer paperback. I mostly read ebooks nowadays as well, only books by my favourite authors or when the paperback is cheaper I have in paperback. I think 3.99-4.99 is a nice price range for ebooks.

  8. This is probably going to sound terrible, but I’m rarely willing to pay for books anymore. I want to support authors, I really do, because many of them deserve it, and many of them make a living off their writing. The thing is, I don’t have money for it right now (though I at least try to do my part by leaving reviews). I have an Amazon gift card credit at the moment, and I’m mostly saving it for the series I love and am in the middle of because, once that runs out, I’ll have to wait until I get another gift card to buy more books.

    But anyway, the only time I buy paperbacks are when it’s a book I’ve already read and loved and it also has a gorgeous cover and isn’t *too* expensive. So that means I almost exclusively buy ebooks. And the things I take into consideration are the price, whether it’s in a series I like, the length, and how badly I want it. I don’t know what my exact price limit is… I’ve only paid $9.99 for an ebook once because I think that’s way too high a price (I can buy a paperback for less), and I only paid it that time because I had gotten one of the books for free which averaged to $5 a book. Even $5.99 is expensive for an ebook in my opinion, though I have paid that for books in a series I really wanted, but they were also all 300-600 something pages. I feel like $3.99 is a fair ebook price if the book is of a decent length, especially if it’s a series I love, though I’m obviously more likely to purchase a book the cheaper it is. But if it’s $3.99 and each book is less than 200 pages, I feel like I’m just being played, especially if each book feels incomplete, like the author is purposely dragging out the series, and I won’t pay that.

    Oh, and what you said about series? I don’t mind first book free, other books reasonably priced. But I’ve started checking before even reading the first book now because some authors will give the first book free but then charge $7.99 or whatever for the rest of the books, or they’ll just keep upping the price on each book in the series :-/
    Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Book Review: Wish for Me (The Djinn Order Book 1) by A. StarMy Profile

    • I am in the same boat, I have basically no money to spent on books. So yes that probably also lower what I am willing and can pay for books, and means that I want to get worth for my money and take less risks when it comes to buying books. I just hate to focus on the money issue and usually try and leave it out of my blog, so I kinda left it out of this post as well.

      When I get money for books is when I get a gift from family members and I pre-order the books I really want for the next year and besides that if I am lucky I win an amazon gift card and the rest is all review copies.

      I usually get e-books too. But my latest gifted money mostly went to paperbacks as I got mostly coy mystery whcih almost always are cheaper in paperback than e-copy) and books by favourite authors that I already collect in paperback and where the e-copy isn’t much cheaper.

      I do agree that usually I find 3.99$ a fair price for an e-book, but I will pay higher, but only if it’s a book I really want for some reason.

      Oh that’s a bit much when the first book is free and the later ones are so much pricier. I mostly see indie authors do this with the first book free and then the rest 2.99 or 3.99 which seems reasonable.

  9. I agree with a lot of those reasons. If it’s a book I really want I’ll pay for it, but it does irritate me if the (especially) ebook price is higher than it feels like it should be. And I’ve been seeing that a lot lately. I guess I just think ebook prices should be lower, and while they generally are (compared to hardcovers anyway) I still think they’re to high- at times.

    I’m not really sure how much the maximum is I would pay. If the next Game of Thrones book came out tomorrow I would probably pay $50 for that sucker, but that’s the exception- there are very few books I want THAT bad. But again if I want it bad enough I’ll pay. πŸ™‚ The right author will up that chance too, and I agree with your comments on formats. I do read a lot more ebooks now (even a year ago I hardly did) so I’m saving money I guess compared to the hardcovers and paperbacks I used to buy.
    Greg recently posted…Star Wars: BloodlineMy Profile

    • Same here it really annoys me when i see very high e-books prices, especially as there are so many decent prized ones. I recently saw an e-books for like 17$ or so, that just seems wrong.

      I agree there are very few books I want so badly to pay a lot for it. Kelley Armstrong is one of the few authors I really pay a lot for her books for. They are definitely the exception. And ofcourse I get review copies for some books that I would be willing to pay for.

  10. Great post! I’m the same exact way. Pretty much ALL the books I buy are used ones I buy online for a penny or a dollar. Then of course I pay the 3-4 bucks for shipping so I just figure I paid $4 for a book. I very rarely pay full price for them or get the ebook version, especially when I can get a used copy for the same price or cheaper than the ebook. I forgot how expensive they were until I went to a book convention’s book fair last month (something I’ve never done before). You just walk around this massive room, standing in line to meet your favorite authors, they sign whatever books you want, and then hand them to you. It was pretty awesome. It was less so when I went to check out and 7 books later I had rung up a whopping $130 bill! :facepalm: I couldn’t say, “Nevermind, I don’t want them”, since they were personalized to ME. LoL Ugh. I was horrified at how much I spent. Clearly, a month later I’m still horrified at it all. LoL Sad thing is, I only planned to buy one book. One! It was from an author I love and her latest book had JUST come out and I had not purchased it elsewhere for cheaper because I wanted to finally meet her and have her sign it for me. However, I got all caught up in the hype of the fair that I wound up buying books from authors because my friend was standing in line for them and I was waiting with her, or I was familiar with who the author was but maybe wasn’t a mega fan of their books. Stupid stuff. LoL Needless to say, I’ve since read some of the books I bought and one of them (the one that I knew the author but wasn’t sold on their series) was “meh” for me. :bangs head on desk: I’m banned from book fairs. I get caught up in the hype and wind up purchasing books that I’d never buy… let alone spend close to $20 on.
    sorry… went off on a rant there. HaHa Book fairs are the devil!
    Kristin (Book Sniffers Anonymous) recently posted…Review: Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina LaurenMy Profile

    • 4$ for a book is a good price! I don’t buy used books usually, there aren’t many used bookstores or sites to easily buy them from here and if I spent money on books I rather go for a new version. I know used ones are cheaper, but I prefer to keep my books in pristine condition.

      I haven’t ever been to a book convention, I thought you only paid for entry for some of those and not for the books. But I can imagine it’s easy to lose track of how much you have to pay in such a case as you don’t see the price directly and you can’t put books back at the end.

  11. I’m used to books being expensive so my limit is mainly on e-books. It’s pretty common to pay $45 for a hardcover here (it’s why I love the Book Depository so much!) but paperbacks can vary between $15 and $30 usually (we have some weird laws that I’m pretty sure involve tax and tariffs on books to protect the Aussie industry, but it means everything costs more). I buy most of my books online these days and I tend to go for the cheaper paperback copies, unless it’s a series I’m collecting and want them to all look the same (I just got the latest Rick Riordan novel for $17 and that was pretty cheap).

    Or if it’s a particular author whose books I need to own! For example, Neil Gaiman – I don’t mind what it costs, I’m buying the one with the prettiest cover lol

    For e-books though…it depends. I tend to buy e-books because I don’t want a physical copy of something (if I love it enough, I’ll buy one later) so on Amazon I would spend somewhere between $0 and $10, I feel really good when it’s under $3 though, so the more expensive ones are books I know I will like or ones that others have recommended and I think I’ll like!
    Wattle recently posted…Wattle’s Wonderings #11 – Baby Steps (an update)My Profile

    • I also notice that here in the Netherlands, all the books are pricier then in the US and I am glad I found the bookdepository. It’s really handy for us who don’t live in the US. I always notice that when I buy books that I get higher tax then those in the US, I guess it makes sorta sense, but it can frustrating at times. or when a sale or discount is US only and they still show the full price to me.

      And yes there are always those authors where the price doesn’t matter and you just need their books.

      I also prefer to buy e-books in that range and when it’s cheaper it’s even better as that means you can buy more books.

  12. oh this is such a great discussion!!! It depends for me on the author and the price. Many times I will look to see if the book is available through my library first. If it isn’t available, and I want it badly enough then I will buy it. But I usually try to stay under $10. But there are certain authors that are auto buy for me and others I buy if I find a good deal.
    loverofromance recently posted…Book Review- The Taming Of Jessi RoseMy Profile

    • Thanks! Here libraries work differently and they don’t have any/ many english books,s so that doesn’t work for me, but I can imagine how it would be neat to get books form your library when possible.

  13. For me it depends on a lot of things: the author, the price, the format, how badly I want to read the book and and how long I’m willing to wait to read it, and whether it’s a book I want to keep on my shelves, or just read to see if I like it.

    Like you, I’ll pay more for hardcover than paperback. I get irritated when the ebook price is equal to (or higher than) the paperback price, because I *own* a physical book when I buy it, but I don’t own an ebook in the same way: I can’t give it away, I can’t resell it, and I can’t even bequeath it to my heirs. All I have is a copy that I’m licensed to read. Why, then, should it cost as much as a physical book?

    As for how eager I am to read it, and how long I’m willing to wait, those factors play into whether I will buy it as soon as it comes out, or try to get it from the library or from a used bookstore, which requires waiting. There are books I will pre-order just so I can read them right away, and others that I’m perfectly happy to wait and borrow (and not spend money on.)

    I won’t usually spend a lot on an author I’ve never tried before, unless I’ve read a lot of really good reviews or someone I trust tells me I will love it. 99-cent and $1.99 ebooks are really great to get me to try a new author or new series, because I don’t mind paying that. I don’t have a book budget as such, but I am paying attention to what I buy—and getting more careful with those inexpensive ebooks, because I’ve already got so many that I haven’t read.

    Reading speed is another factor that influences what I will pay. I wrote a discussion post on my blog about that last November: Reading Speed and the Cost of Books.

    Great discussion topic!
    Lark @ The Bookwyrm’s Hoard recently posted…News & Notes – 5/14/16My Profile

    • That’s also a good one, whether you want to have the book on your shelf or just read it and see if you like it.

      And indeed an e-book should cost less in my opinion as you don’t buy an actual book made of pages and such. It also is cheaper to produce. And you can’t give them away or resell like you can do with physical copies.

      Some books I don’t mind waiting on and will wait for a nice price to get around and for others I gladly pay the full price or more if I don’t want to wait for it.

      I don’t really have a lot of money to spend on books, so that makes me even more picky when i do buy books, but I don’t mind paying more for the books I really want badly and get less books in total.

      That’s an interesting point about reading speed, will check out that post you wrote!

  14. I always try the library before I look at buying a book. I try to buy as few books as possible. The vast majority of my purchases are from Audible membership, which I get one book per month for $14.95. Audiobook are really expensive if you don’t do the Audible memberships. If I don’t get it for review, from the library or part of my monthly membership, then I have to decide if I want to buy the book. I look at many of things you mentioned above. Great topic.
    Melanie Simmons @mlsimmons recently posted…Review: Shadowed Blade by J.C. Daniels (@mlsimmons)My Profile

    • I also buy very few books, but I get a lot of books for review and only buy a few each year. I don’t like our libraries, they cost money for a membership and only have few books. Maybe now with the e-book thing is will change, but up till now they only have very few english books.
      Ah yes audiobooks are pricey indeed, the audible membership does sound like a good solution to get those cheaper.

  15. There are lots of things that go into how much I’m willing to pay for a book. Like you, there are authors and books I’m willing to pay more for – authors I know and love, authors whose series I’m already into. Also like you, I’m not so willing to pay $2.99 for a short story from an author I don’t know. As for ebook vs physical book…if the books costs the same in ebook and mass market paperback, I’ll go for the ebook because I don’t like reading that smaller sized paperback. It’s hard on my older eyes. *haha* There are authors, like Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison, whom I will buy hardcovers of because I collect them and I’m willing to pay more for those. I will also buy a trade paperback (larger paperback) if the cost is only slightly more than the ebook. But I typically don’t pay more than $3.99 for an ebook (unless it’s Patricia Briggs). Great topic, Lola!
    Bookworm Brandee recently posted…Review ~ Nowhere Ranch ~ Heidi CullinanMy Profile

    • Yes there are so many factors that influence how much I am willing to pay for a book. I was quite surprised when I started listing it all.

      The short story in question was from an author I know and I probably will buy it eventually, but not a fan of those high prices for short stories, it just feels off somehow.

      And I also have a few authors like that where I am willing to pay more for, but besides that I think 3.99 or 4.99 max is a nice price for an e-book.

  16. I’d like to say that I have hard and fast rules about book purchases. I do to a certain extent. However, if I really want it, I save for it and get it even if I waited until it would eventually go down in price.
    I agree about the factors you have listed. I do pay attention to page length, how certain I am to like it, already reading the series/author. I have four series that I buy in paper format, but the rest I go for whatever is least expensive. With the format, it depends on its re-read quality. If I will re-read it then I want it in paper; if I’m not sure, then probably electronic.
    I also tend to ‘test drive’ books/authors through review ARCS and the library or freebies before purchase since my budget is low.

    Great topic!
    Sophia Rose recently posted…Only Beloved by Mary BaloghMy Profile

    • I only have a few authors or series I always buy in paperback and the other usually in the cheapest format.My budget is also low, so that has made me picky about where ll spent my money on.

  17. I’m willing to pay quite a bit for a book I really want – even in e-book format! I guess the same amount of time went into making an e-book, because the formatting needs to be checked differently, and it usually has the same cover.
    In the past, e-books were a lot cheaper than paper books, and I thin that made me a bit spoiled. Now, though, I’m mostly a bit afraid my books might not be available to me at one point – and that’s the only reason why e-books are a bit scarier to own than actual books. And also why I usually buy paper backs or hardbacks of my favorite books. Of course, the fact that they look beautiful on my bookshelves doesn’t hurt either πŸ™‚
    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews recently posted…Up Close and (un)Conventional – BEA and ARCsMy Profile

    • I agree the same time went into an e-book, but with an e-book you don’t have a physical book, so i guess I feel for that’s it worth a bit more. But I do agree there’s still a lot of work that goes into an e-book as well.

      I agree the thought that if a site closes down your account and you might lose all your books is a scary thought. For my kobo books I just download the books to my computer, so I also have them there. For amazon it’s a bit trickier.
      And indeed physical copies look better on your shelves. Then again overflowing shelves might be an argument for e-books again.

Leave a Reply to Bookworm Brandee Cancel reply

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.