Setting Goals; Setting Prices

One of the hardest decisions in publishing one’s own book is setting the price. Universal wisdom on the subject is anything but universal: “Don’t set it too low,” “Don’t set it too high,” “Undervaluing your work means it will be ignored.” “Give away as many as you can to get readers hooked.” “Start the series free, then charge for the rest.”

Right. It’s all good advice, if a little vague—what is too low or too high? And different projects and different circumstances demand different pricing. When I began work on my long-held goal to bring 

my six-book series The Cambridge Chronicles on the work of the 18^th and 19^th century Evangelical Anglicans out in ebook I decided I would make the first book in the series permanently free. I hoped readers would be sufficiently hooked that I could then charge perhaps as much as $4.99 for the succeeding books.

I also decided to re-package the whole series to emphasize the romance element of the stories, rather than focusing mainly on the history. I renamed the series Where There is Love, and gave each story a Where Love. . . title. Ken Raney designed gorgeous, romantic covers for me. I duly uploaded book 1 Where Love Begins, making it free on Smashwords and Nook. Then I hit my first snag. Amazon doesn’t allow such charitable views. Still, .99 wasn’t bad, I figured.

I was surprised. First, I was over-whelmed by the number of Smashwords downloads (1020 currently) and disappointed by the nearly nil Amazon sales. The pattern has followed with the release of the next two books in the series. I can safely assume it will be true for the next three to follow.

This made me re-think my goals. Why am I doing this? The answer was easy— if nothing else about this project has been easy. I am passionate about these stories. I want readers to know what these men and women of faith endured to build the Kingdom. I pray daily that readers will be inspired by these stories in a way that will renew their own faith and help bring revival to our own day.

With that ambition in mind I realized that holding out for more remuneration paled in comparison. Besides, these books didn’t owe me anything. They had been published by Victor Books, and republished by Crossway; released in large print, and an omnibus edition; extracts had been printed as short stories in a magazine and in an anthology. I was indebted to them, rather than the reverse.

With that realization I have been freed to make the decision make the entire series free on Smashwords and Nook and the minimal .99 on Amazon. Not every project will allow that freedom. Many books require extensive research which has not yet paid back. Some books need to reach an audience that will believe a book they paid for has more value. And, of course, only in an indie publishing project is the writer allowed a say in the pricing.

Still, in this aspect in the crazy publishing world, as in all other areas of our endeavors, clarifying our goals for each book and keeping those goals foremost can help in making tough decisions.

What are your goals for your current project?

Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 50 novels of history, mystery and romance featuring British Christian history. You can learn more about all her books, see pictures of her research trips and garden on her website and follow her on Facebook.

Listen to Your Mother

The more I get on in life the more I appreciate the things my mother taught me. One of my mother’s sayings that I often have cause to recall with a certain amount of chagrin is, “Be careful about the things you say you’ll never do.”

Over the past few years I’ve said, “I won’t self-publish” more times than I care to recall. The statement was always accompanied with the explanation that I have great admiration for authors who manage all the intricacies of bringing out their own work, but I needed all the help I could get— a full support team of editor, cover designer, formatter. . . all the highly specialized skills needed to produce a book.

Then it was time to get to my long-standing goal of bringing my Cambridge Chronicles series of historical novels back to life with ebook editions. Although these books had been one of my most successful projects, going through several editions with several publishers including large print versions and an omnibus volume, I wasn’t able to interest a publisher in the venture of bringing them back in ebook format.

I believed in these stories which recount the work of the 18^th and 19^th century Evangelical Anglicans— stories of God’s power working through people of faith to bring new vitality to his church and new life to his kingdom. Keeping strictly to the historical facts—often using the characters’ own words—the books chronicle the work of John and Charles Wesley, the Countess of Huntingdon, Rowland Hill, Charles Simeon, William Wilberforce, Florence Nightengale, the Earl of Shaftesbury, D. L. Moody, The Cambridge Seven, Hudson Taylor, and several other religious leaders of their day. In addition to the historical detail, each story features a romance and thoroughly researched backgrounds.

So I had a choice. I could let the stories remain obscured in their out of date versions, or I could leap off the high-diving board and bring them out myself.

I jumped with the launch of Verity Press named after my newest Granddaughter and for the truth I believe these books proclaim. I renamed the series Where There is Love and gave each book a new name using the Where Love___ format. Artist Ken Raney, who had produced brilliant covers for my books with Greenbrier Books, did the covers and a professional formatter who had worked for a friend, took on the tekky stuff I could never cope with. I’m still working on getting everything I need together but Where Love Begins, the first book in the series, came out just in time for Valentine’s Day and the second book Where Love Illumines will be out soon.

All of which is proof of another of my mother’s truisms, “Life always gives second chances.” In the case of the books in this series it’s second, third and fourth chances.

What sayings of your mother have stayed with you for life? Or what do you say as a mother or father or aunt that you hope will stay with the younger generation?

Where Love Begins: Catherine Peronnet’s world is shaken when she learns Charles Wesley is engaged to marry another. After all, Catherine’s initials were first on the list John Wesley gave to his brother listing acceptable matrimonial candidates.

And that’s not all that’s wrong in Catherine’s world. As teacher at a Methodist Society school in London, she sees her brother beaten while preaching in the open air, her favorite pupil forced to leave school because of his family’s poverty, and a prisoner receive his death sentence in Newgate Prison. Catherine undertakes the joys and hardships of a circuit-ride preaching tour to Canterbury where a French invasion threatens then must face the terrors of the Great London Earthquake before coming to an understanding of the gentle calling God has for her.

Where Love Begins is available free on  Smashwords and for .99 on Amazon

To see more about the complete series and all of Donna Fletcher Crow’s books go to www.DonnaFletcherCrow.com