How to Price Your Self-Published Book for Maximum Sales
Knowing what to consider when determining the price for your book is important when having a competitive book price
Setting the right price for your self-published book can mean the difference between steady sales and lost opportunities.
Price too high, and readers may hesitate to buy. Price too low, and you may undervalue your work. So, how do you find the sweet spot?
Understanding Market Standards for Book Pricing
Before setting your price, research what similar books in your genre are selling for.
During your research of comparison books, be sure to check for these certain details to ensure they are true market comparisons to your book:
Page count
Genre
Niche
Trends/Tropes
Release Date
Here’s a general price range for self-published books:
Ebook Pricing (Self-Published)
$0.99 — $2.99 → Good for promotions, shorter books, or new authors.
$3.99 — $5.99 → Standard pricing for full-length novels.
$6.99 — $9.99 → Common for well-established authors or niche genres.
Best Sweet Spot: Most indie authors price ebooks between $2.99 and $4.99 for optimal sales.
Paperback Pricing (Self-Published)
$9.99 — $12.99 → Standard for fiction (romance, thrillers, fantasy, etc.).
$12.99 — $16.99 → Standard for non-fiction, larger books, or high-quality prints.
$16.99 — $25.99+ → Premium pricing for hardcovers, workbooks, or niche audiences.
Rule of Thumb: Paperbacks should be $5+ more than the ebook to encourage digital sales while keeping print options profitable.
Factors That Affect Your Book’s Price
Book Length & Production Costs
A 200-page paperback is cheaper to print than a 500-page epic fantasy.
The more pages, the higher the print cost (especially with color interiors or images).
Ebooks, having no printing costs, are more flexible in pricing.
Check print costs via KDP Print or IngramSpark or wherever you’re having your book printed before setting a paperback price. Printing costs can range anywhere from $2 to $15 depending on all the factors listed above.
Author Experience & Brand Recognition
If you’re a new author, readers may hesitate to pay a premium price. So, to decrease the risk for readers, having your books at a lower or more reasonable price can help sway them to purchase your book.
Established authors can charge higher due to reader trust.
Start lower ($2.99–$3.99 for ebooks) and increase over time as demand grows.
Here is when you can consider increasing your book price:
If your other books have 15 to 30 reviews
If you are consistently having book sales over weeks of time
If you have a series of books (maybe consider putting them together in a box set collection offer)
Tip: Price your first book lower ($0.99–$2.99) to attract readers, then charge more for sequels.
Genre & Reader Expectations
Different genres have different pricing norms:
Romance & Thriller → Lower-priced ($2.99–$4.99) to attract binge readers.
Fantasy & Sci-Fi → Higher-priced ($4.99–$7.99) due to longer page counts.
Non-Fiction → Can justify higher prices ($5.99–$14.99) based on value.
Research bestsellers in your genre to find competitive pricing.
Royalties & Profit Margins
Amazon KDP pays 70% royalties for ebooks priced $2.99–$9.99 (but only 35% for books outside this range).
Print books have lower margins due to printing/distribution fees.
Calculate your earnings before setting a price using Amazon’s KDP Royalty Calculator.
Pricing Strategies to Maximize Sales
The “Low-Entry” Strategy ($0.99–$2.99)
Best for: New authors, first-in-series books, limited-time promotions.
Why it works: Attracts impulse buyers and increases downloads.
Drawback: Lower profit margins; may devalue your work if kept low long-term.
Best Use: Price Book 1 at $0.99–$2.99, then Book 2+ at $4.99–$6.99 to upsell.
The “Premium” Strategy ($4.99–$9.99 for ebooks)
Best for: Experienced authors, niche genres, high-quality books.
Why it works: Higher perceived value, attracts serious readers.
Drawback: Fewer impulse buys, harder for new authors.
Best Use: Price non-fiction, epic fantasy, or established-author books higher.
The “Psychological Pricing” Strategy ($X.99 instead of $X.00)
Best for: Any author wanting to increase conversions.
Why it works: $4.99 feels cheaper than $5.00, even if it’s just a cent less.
Drawback: Some platforms (like Apple Books) require whole-dollar pricing.
Best Use: Use $4.99 instead of $5.00 to increase sales volume.
The “Price Experiment” Strategy
Best for: Finding the optimal price over time.
Why it works: Let’s you test reader response and adjust accordingly.
Drawback: Requires patience and tracking sales trends.
Best Use: Start at $2.99–$3.99, then increase if demand remains strong.
When to Adjust Your Pricing
There are times when you feel your price needs to be adjusted. Reasons that you may consider this are:
To make the first book in a series a lower cost than the sequels
To lower a cost if the original price was set too high
Special additions of the book
Launch Discounts: Start lower ($0.99–$2.99) to attract early readers.
Bundling Strategy: Offer box sets at a lower per-book price.
Series Pricing: Keep Book 1 low, but price later books higher.
Seasonal Sales: Drop prices during Black Friday, Christmas, or Kindle Daily Deals.
Slow Sales? Lower the price to test if demand improves.
Too Many Sales? Raise the price slightly to maximize revenue.
Monitor your sales trends and adjust accordingly!
Setting a price for your book takes time, effort, and research.
Before you set your book price, be sure to:
Check comparison books prices based on release dates, page counts, genre, and trends/tropes
Consider printing costs for physical copies
The prices your genre is willing to pay
How to attract readers based on price
To share the price with trusted readers in the genre, and ask if they think it is a fair price
Considering all of these factors will help you land on a fair price for your book.