A good rule of thumb on pricing is that readers should expect to receive 200 times the value of the money they have spent. This article will show you some of the measuring sticks you can use to calculate the value your book provides so that you can have a better idea of what price point to use.
How often will they use this?
One way to price a non-fiction book is by the anticipated use the reader will get out of it. People are willing to pay more for a book they are going to use regularly because they know they will get good value out of the money. Calculate the value of your book based on how many times you feel they would use it over the course of a single year by “charging them” $5 for every use.
How much time will it save them?
A reader’s time is worth money. If reading your book will save them time, calculate the value of your book on the amount of time it will save them over the course of a single year. If you know the demographics for the target audience of this book, use that information to calculate approximately how much money you think they make per hour of work they do. Multiply that by the time they have saved and that is the root value of your book.
How much money will it save them?
If your book includes tips that will save your readers lots of money they might have wasted otherwise, you can calculate the value of your content based on the savings they would receive over a year’s time. Think about it this way – if you can save them $2,000 a year by using the content you provide, they’ll be more than happy to pay you $50 to receive that information.
How much money can they make based on what you teach them?
If you are teaching them a skill they can turn around and use to make an income, how much is that skill worth to them over a years’ time? How much can they make if they follow your advice and instructions? That is the value of your book.
Add it all together
Take these four values and add them all together to arrive at the total value your book provides. Be sure to include that information on cover to help readers understand just what an incredible bargain your book actually happens to be.
Do not underprice
There’s a temptation to think that you need to underprice your book because the competition may not be pricing it the same way that you are. Do not make this mistake. An underpriced book screams, “I’m not that valuable” to the ear of a potential buyer. Price your book in line with its value.