A new report offers hints that authors may be able to apply in pricing their ebooks in four European markets
Pricing has been a particularly tough nut to crack for authors selling in international markets. In an Irish Times article last month, Richard Bradburn suggested that writers “selling at ‘remaindered bin’ prices are doing themselves, and self-publishing authors generally, a huge disservice.” But while many of us may agree in principle, higher price points can be a challenge for indies in a crowded field, especially outside their home market.
So it’s interesting to look at a new report called the European Ebook Barometer. It’s focused on Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain and offers clues about pricing trends in those markets. The study is being released this week ahead of Frankfurt Book Fair, and The Hot Sheet has been given an early look. Vienna-based consultant Rüdiger Wischenbart, who creates the annual Global Ebook Report, is behind this new formulation. We’ll excerpt a few high-level points.
First, “In Germany and Italy,” the report tells us, “a drastic split between very low priced (mostly self-published) literature and a second peak around paperback price levels dominate.” By contrast, the research shows, “In the Netherlands, consumers accept high-priced offers more easily, [while] in Spain, ebooks must be priced lower than elsewhere.”
In the broadest sense, the research indicates, “Most ebooks are picked up by consumers at less than €10” (US$11.56) per copy in the four markets overall. What’s more, there’s a generally accepted line of €5 (US$5.78) that may tend to divide many self-published books on offer from traditional publishers. On the other hand, this may point to the Netherlands as a market worth exploring, since more of its ebook sales appear to be concentrated at higher price points.
Quick breakouts:
- In Germany, ebooks selling in 2018 appear to be selling best at about €2.99 (US$3.45) and €8.00–8.99 (US$9.24–US$10.39).
- In Italy, the peaks seem to be (for this year) at around €2.50 (US$2.89) and €9.50 (US$10.97).
- In the Netherlands, much as Wischenbart’s discussion suggests, there’s little action on the lower-priced tier, with the great majority of ebooks selling at around €9.50.
- And in Spain (where only 2017 data is available at the moment), there’s a broader spread, with the largest group of sales coming in between €4.00 (US$4.62) and €6.00 (US$6.93).
For now, authors of the report say they’re struggling to get a dependable fix on genre trends. In the broadest sense, however, they can see romance doing best in Germany, thrillers and literary fiction doing best in the Netherlands, and Spain reading more literary than other categories. Fantasy and sci-fi seem to be strongest in Germany.
Bottom line: In general, this new study of pricing in these four markets suggests that €5 and €10 may be the main breaks to keep in mind, but in Germany, “quick reads such as cheap thrills for €2 or €3 sell a lot of units.” The report recommends pricing backlist at lower rates and highlighting new titles at higher price points, of course. We think a title doing very well in the States or elsewhere might be worth trying at €11 or €12, to see if it can access European readers’ apparent readiness to pay a bit more. Check Links of Interest in future issues for information about how to acquire a copy of the report when it’s released.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
