In our current work situations, my husband and I have a tight personal budget. I adore books but I have to buy carefully and with a mind to how much each costs. Even with this being the case, I don't jump at 99-cent e-books. I've been through the 99-and-below crap list and that's what most of them were, unfortunately. Unless they are recommended by a trusted source, I leave them alone and go for the 2.99 and up crowd. I find the higher prices speak more for the credibility of the author and his/her writing. This isn't always the case, of course (I once ghostwrote an informational, pamphlet-sized e-book for a client, who then tried to charge almost $20 for it even after I recommended a much lower pricing scale for the basic subject matter involved) but it does seem to weed out the worst offenders.

I do both. In my experience, I earn more with my own e-books, but that money comes in over time. With client e-books, you can still make a good bit, and you don't have to worry about them once they're sold. So they both have their benefits. I prefer my own publishing efforts, but that's likely to do with the fact that I have complete freedom over the topic and marketing that way. 

You?

Jenn

I've discussed the issue of extremely low e-book pricing before on another blog of mine -- All Indie Publishing. And in the comments on one of those posts this morning, I shared my strategy. Check it out in the first link below (the followup to that post is the second article listed), and then share your strategy with us. 

• Zoe Winters on E-book Pricing: Does Low-balling Attract the Wrong Kind of Reader?
• Revisiting 99 Cent E-book Pricing

Jenn

As for sales figures, your best bet would be to track down sales numbers of similar books. But with e-books (especially in the information product e-book market -- like the nonfiction ones I write), there aren't good stats available to the public. In that case, you can always see if similar authors have shared sales numbers on their blogs. But if you do look for that kind of information, I'd focus on authors in a similar place in their careers. For example, there's no point setting goals based on what a bestselling author did if you're brand new. You're not going to have their reach or marketing budget. So the numbers are moot. 

I think that is pretty good advice, there. Platform building and e-book pre-launch marketing are kissing cousins! Without the creepiness or the awkward family reunions.

I guess I was pretty much looking for any tips on gauging and predicting what kinds of sales numbers you can expect with what kind of exposure...but beyond knowing your traffic and conversion rate, there isn't much more to know! A lot of this marketing stuff is just planning really well what poo you fling everywhere, isn't it?

In all seriousness, the numbers interest me but I don't need to try and pin down what just can't be pinned. I assume that sales data from a few months with continued marketing is the best method for predicting continued sales numbers, although there is the fact that there are only so many people in your target market, and eventually (dare I say) you may reach them all and then there's no need for more sales because everyone already owns your e-book. Guess that means hoping that more people will enter your field/target market...but that just loops all around to all the market research you would have done before marketing or writing anything. 

I just made myself dizzy...

Almost everything you do pre-launch is technically a part of platform building anyway. So I'd say check out 30 Ways to Build Your Writer Platform too. It's for freelancers, but all the tips there could apply to authors as well. 

Was there anything specific you were curious about?

I was referencing this post re the 100 e-book goal. And it was an example. Was just looking to pick yer brains (and all AFW members' brains) on e-book prelaunch marketing.

The main thing is just what you said. You should have demand before you release an e-book. If no one would pay for what you have to say about a topic, you can set all the goals in the world but you're going to struggle to reach them. Platform first. After that, you have to customize your own marketing plan. I gave a few examples of tactics they could try to use in this post.

Jenn, my question for you then: you've discussed how low-pay ruts can be beat with e-book sales, and talk about setting sales goals of 100 e-book sales. What do you suggest to those low-pay in a rut writers who need to make those 100 sales for ensuring that they create a marketing plan that can get them to at least 100 sales? Other than smart marketing that builds demand up before a launch (not write, then market) I am curious as to what you would suggest.

And anyone for that matter.

I don't know. I'm just hypothesizing. I imagine I'll set sales goals for my nonfiction book even though I don't for the shorter e-books. But it will be less about agonizing over specific numbers and more about tracking the trends and aiming for improvement (and later knowing when it's time to update the info or put out a new version to get sales back up).

I'd much rather focus on what I can control--getting the word out and writing the next book.