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When we published Getting Real (http://gettingreal.37signals.com http://gettingreal.37signals.com) we only offered it in two flavors: $19 for a personal-use PDF

When we published Getting Real (http://gettingreal.37signals.com http://gettingreal.37signals.com) we only offered it in two flavors: $19 for a personal-use PDF, and $49 for a you-can-share-it-with-10-friends/colleagues PDF. We didn't offer a free version. A few years later, we offered a free version in HTML online. Sales of the PDF plummeted. That was fine with us - we'd already pulled in ~$500k on the PDF. At that point we just wanted to spread the Getting Real word as far and wide as we can. The free HTML version helped do that. But the lesson is: If it's pay only, people will buy it. If it's pay and free, you'll lose a ton of potential buyers. Id start with pay only (starting at $19) and then phase in a free version down the road once you're happy with the money you've already made.

revorad 16y ago
When you made the book free, did you not get any backlash from people who'd already bought it? Any thoughts on how a similar strategy would work for software?
- jasonfried 16y ago
  Maybe some people, but you can't worry about those people.
maguay 16y ago
I didn't realize Getting Real wasn't always available free, but then I only discovered it last year. Very interesting; I assumed the free online book was designed to drive sales of the for-pay PDF. (As a side note, thanks for the great info offered in Getting Real; it's a book I recommend often!). I was actually planning to price my eBooks very low, even undercutting the industry average $9.99 just to try to gain traction. Would you still start at a high price even as a new book author? I have a fair online audience from various blogs I write for, but really am virtually unknown in tech writing. I know 37signals always advocates charging higher prices for products, but would you feel the same starting out fresh without an already strong readership and support? Thanks so much for your advice; I really appreciate you taking time to reply!
- jasonfried 16y ago
  I'd charge $19. If people don't know you, they probably aren't going to buy your self-published book anyway - even at $9.99 or less. Those who do know you, and want to support you, will pay $19. If they book is excellent, and people begin talking about it, people will pay $19 if they are referred by someone else who liked it. My quick 2 cents. In the end it all depends on your goals. Is it to spread your message as wide as possible? Is it to profit nicely? Is it somewhere in the middle? Some stuff to think about. Remember: You can always lower the price and/or go free later. Raising the price later is always harder. I'd test the higher end of the market at $19 first. See how that goes. FYI, even today we still make a few thousand dollars a month on the PDF and paperback version of Getting Real. Thanks for your kind words re: Getting Real.
  - maguay 16y ago
    My main goal is to profit while addressing a market I feel is under-served. At the very least, I planned to shoot for a $9.99 or less price to get the higher royalty rate on Kindle (and to not looked overpriced versus other books in the same eBook marketplace). I notice Rework is $9.02 on Kindle; does this pricing have anything to do with the Kindle Marketplace dynamics? So, essentially, I'm planning on writing eBooks that I would sell as PDF/ePub on my own site or in a marketplace like TutsPlus, and also list the same eBooks in the Kindle and other eBook marketplaces. I'm hoping to fill a need I see, as well as take advantage of the increasing popularity of eBooks and eReaders in general. Just like the iOS store, there's a bit of market advantage to having a lower price since it gives your item more visibility. My idea is to make books that are somewhat small (~150 pages or 10 short chapters), but a good value for the size. Additionally, many self-published eBook writers are recommending taking the prices extremely low, to as little as $2.99 or so just to boost overall sales. I know this isn't the approach 37signals usually takes, but with the above in mind, would you see an advantage to lower pricing or would you stick with a higher price? Thanks again for your time and advice; I appreciate it more than you could ever know! I'm thinking I ought to go ahead and get Rework about now...
    - jasonfried 16y ago

revorad 16y ago

When you made the book free, did you not get any backlash from people who'd already bought it? Any thoughts on how a similar strategy would work for software?

jasonfried 16y ago
Maybe some people, but you can't worry about those people.

maguay 16y ago

I didn't realize Getting Real wasn't always available free, but then I only discovered it last year. Very interesting; I assumed the free online book was designed to drive sales of the for-pay PDF. (As a side note, thanks for the great info offered in Getting Real; it's a book I recommend often!). I was actually planning to price my eBooks very low, even undercutting the industry average $9.99 just to try to gain traction. Would you still start at a high price even as a new book author? I have a fair online audience from various blogs I write for, but really am virtually unknown in tech writing. I know 37signals always advocates charging higher prices for products, but would you feel the same starting out fresh without an already strong readership and support? Thanks so much for your advice; I really appreciate you taking time to reply!

jasonfried 16y ago
I'd charge $19. If people don't know you, they probably aren't going to buy your self-published book anyway - even at $9.99 or less. Those who do know you, and want to support you, will pay $19. If they book is excellent, and people begin talking about it, people will pay $19 if they are referred by someone else who liked it. My quick 2 cents. In the end it all depends on your goals. Is it to spread your message as wide as possible? Is it to profit nicely? Is it somewhere in the middle? Some stuff to think about. Remember: You can always lower the price and/or go free later. Raising the price later is always harder. I'd test the higher end of the market at $19 first. See how that goes. FYI, even today we still make a few thousand dollars a month on the PDF and paperback version of Getting Real. Thanks for your kind words re: Getting Real.
- maguay 16y ago
  My main goal is to profit while addressing a market I feel is under-served. At the very least, I planned to shoot for a $9.99 or less price to get the higher royalty rate on Kindle (and to not looked overpriced versus other books in the same eBook marketplace). I notice Rework is $9.02 on Kindle; does this pricing have anything to do with the Kindle Marketplace dynamics? So, essentially, I'm planning on writing eBooks that I would sell as PDF/ePub on my own site or in a marketplace like TutsPlus, and also list the same eBooks in the Kindle and other eBook marketplaces. I'm hoping to fill a need I see, as well as take advantage of the increasing popularity of eBooks and eReaders in general. Just like the iOS store, there's a bit of market advantage to having a lower price since it gives your item more visibility. My idea is to make books that are somewhat small (~150 pages or 10 short chapters), but a good value for the size. Additionally, many self-published eBook writers are recommending taking the prices extremely low, to as little as $2.99 or so just to boost overall sales. I know this isn't the approach 37signals usually takes, but with the above in mind, would you see an advantage to lower pricing or would you stick with a higher price? Thanks again for your time and advice; I appreciate it more than you could ever know! I'm thinking I ought to go ahead and get Rework about now...
  - jasonfried 16y ago