So, I dropped my new book on the world this week via Amazon KDP. I am a proud self-published author with three books now under my wing, and I currently take great pleasure in doing the whole kit and caboodle myself - writing, formatting, cover design, etc... etc... (I do reach out for some assistance proofreading, of course).
Although not perfect, I am sure the result is a very professional and well-received product. I genuinely believe I am a great storyteller able to take the reader on an emotional journey and perhaps shock them a little along the way. The vast majority of reviews have been lovely, and my ego remains intact.
That said, I have not yet quite achieved the pulling power of Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, so I have to be practical with my pricing structure. For those not in the know, as a self-published author on Amazon KDP, you have to pay the full print cost of the book, and then you share a percentage of the remainder with Amazon. It is a pretty good deal compared to traditional publishing, although you are left to do most of the marketing legwork yourself, which is a whole other challenge.
As with the rest of life's bills at the moment, print costs have risen, so on this occasion, I have had no choice but to break the £9.99 ceiling and set the paperback price at £11.99. I thought long and hard about it, and it should have been £12.99, to be honest, to take advantage of expanded distribution, but I settled on £11.99 for now.
Hopefully, it doesn't deter too many people. I also remember buying my treasured paperbacks for only £4.99 not so long ago, but I have checked, and that was actually thirty years ago, so maybe bookflation is still pretty reasonable. And it's always good to support a little old independent author, don't you think? https://mybook.to/Enigma-ATwistedTale