The Price of a Book

by Andrea Blundell and Andrea Colasanto

I know, I know. We’ve all read the stories about e-book pricing versus print book pricing. We know that Big Six hardcover books can cost almost $30. We know that those same books in trade paperback can run almost $20. And their digital versions? Well, e-books often cost less than the print book, but they still average in the $10-$15 range. But why is this? Why do e-books have to cost so much most of the time? The answer is that they don’t. And Musa Publishing is out to prove it.

Celina Summers, one of the founders of Musa Publishing, a digital-only publisher, recalls an early conversation between the four founders about e-book pricing. “We said at the time that our readers would be able to rely 100% on the pricing set by word count limits we’d put into place here.”

And readers can. Musa’s e-books are priced based on their word count. Period. And because of this, when Gary K. Wolf’s much-anticipated Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? releases in November, at about 91,000 words, it will sell for $4.99. Yes, you read that correctly—just $4.99 for a major new release.

When asked about the decision to publish Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? as a digital-first and digital-only book, Summers had this to say: “Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? is proof that you don’t need to spend thirty bucks on a hot release, and you definitely don’t need to spend twenty bucks to get the digital version. You can buy digital first and spend the rest of that money on other outstanding books.”

So let’s put her claim to the test and compare Musa publishing pricing to some recent New York Times bestsellers in the most popular formats:

Hardcover fiction:
The Cuckoo’s Calling, by J.K. Rowling (Little, Brown) $26.00
And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) $28.95
Inferno, by Dan Brown (Doubleday) $29.95
Average price: $28.30

At Musa, you could buy The Indian Shirt Story (just released), by Heather Lockman, for $5.99, Typical Game, by Gary K. Wolf (author of Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?), for $3.99, and Finding Grace, by Rhea Rhodan, for $4.99, and still have $13.33 left over.

Trade paperback:
The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling (Little, Brown) $18.00
Joyland, by Stephen King (Hard Case Crime) $12.95
Alex Cross, Run, by James Patterson (Grand Central) $15.00
Average price: $15.32

Again, if you spend that money at Musa, you can get The Disciple, by Jemma Chase, for just $1.99, Drowning Cactus, by Carrie Russell, for $4.99, First Love, by Kieran Woodhall, for only $0.99, Pearls of Water, by Richard C. White, for $1.99, Michaela’s Gift, by Cordelia Dinsmore, for $2.99, Suburban Gnome Invasion, by Julie Jansen, for $1.99, a collection of free reads, found here, and still have $0.38 to spare.

Mass-market paperback:
Magic Rises, by Ilona Andrews (Ace) $7.99
Three Little Words, by Susan Mallery (Harlequin) $7.99
Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card (Tor) $7.99
Average price: $7.99

At Musa, you could buy Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? plus a second amazing book like Another Journey, by Michael Sutherland, for only $0.99. Purchasing both would be under six dollars.

And then there are e-books. If we look at the e-book versions of the hardcover books listed above, these are the prices:
The Cuckoo’s Calling $12.99
And the Mountains Echoed $10.99
Inferno $12.99
Average price: $12.32

At Musa, you could purchase Killers, by John B. Rosenman, for $0.99, and Time Will Tell, by Mary S. Palmer, for $4.99. Add in a copy of Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? and you still are paying less than the price of one of the above e-books.

So Musa’s pricing strategy may seem unusual, and even low, but it is, and will remain based on word count.

“There are no surprises with Musa books. Not ever. We believe that avid readers should be rewarded for their loyalty with the ability to buy more books for their money instead of less. We are proud of the books we produce at Musa, and we are determined to give our readers real value for their money."

Look for the digital-first and digital-only Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? when it becomes available for pre-order on October 22nd.

And be sure to look for these other upcoming releases on November 29th from Musa Publishing:

Rescuing Lady Rose, by Marguerite Butler
DEAD Santa, by Lizzie T. Leaf
Kissing The Tycoon, by Dominique Eastwick
Reunited, by Helen Hardt
The Ditzy Chix, by Sharon De Vita, a USA Today Bestselling Author for her previous book, The Estrogen Posse.

And don’t worry about waiting for pay day to buy these books, you can just check under your couch cushions and scrounge up enough change to buy one … or two … or three of them.