I felt like this needed to be addressed and I hope that other published authors can relate. I have been getting some flack about the price of my paper copy book being $17.95 through Amazon. When I set up the book through Createspace and then KDP, the minimum price it allowed me to enter is $17.43. There are two categories with pricing – one is within Amazon and the other is through other sellers. Sure, I make more through purchases on Amazon, but it is not comparable to the EBook version, which I am selling for $4.99.
Part of the reason that the prices differ so greatly is because of the book itself. Obviously, a physical copy is going to cost more to produce than simply hosting an electronic version. And yes, I make more per book than I would if I had traditionally published Purpose. Either way, authors are artists who get very little comparatively.
If you think about it, tattoo artists get paid hundreds for their craft. Don’t get me wrong, it is well-deserved. I have a few tattoos and plan on getting more, gladly paying the money for another piece of art on my skin. Artists who sell stuff on Etsy charge for their time and their craft as well, which is why you tend to spend a bit more than if you were to purchase a similar item on a mass-produced website.
That is to be expected. If you provide a service and hand-craft something, you should charge more than something that a machine makes. Us authors spend years on our own craft, creating worlds, and working diligently to create a story. Hours of drafting, editing, and rewriting for one final copy, and I am charging $17.95 for a Print Copy.
Brittany's Books 
Thanks for opening your blog up to thoughts and opinions! I’m assuming the flak you’re getting is that your book is priced too high? But I think your pricing is perfectly fine. I’ll be publishing mine in a few weeks (hopefully) and I’ll be charging $16.99 for 270 pages on the paperback, and $4.99 for the Ebook. You only get a percentage, and it’s easier to drop the price later than bump it up. My first book was a hardbound with a university press, and it cost approx. $35.00 (didn’t sell many copies, but mainly due to the genre). I figure half that for my new paperback is reasonable.
Don’t know about you, but I don’t plan to sell many books anyway. I do this for personal satisfaction more than profit. If I can break even, I’ll be happy. Best of luck, and Congratulations!
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Thanks for the imput! My book is about 510 pages so it makes sense about the price.
I write to write, not for the money really. However, if I am able to be a full time author, I would be ecstatic!
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