In my continuing effort to market my novel, navigating the swift-moving, stubborn avenues of promotion which are available to indie authors these days, I tried an experiment in price point to see what would happen.

My novel Beauty Rising is finishing up a three-week sale at .99 for the Kindle Version.  Here are a few observations.  One, it is much more difficult to get exposure for paid books than it is for free books. I was overwhelmed with support and downloads during my one and only free day promotion last month. Sales certainly ticked up after the promotion was over, but within two weeks, had slowed quite a bit.  At that point, I decided on the .99 cent sale.

The results? There has not been a dramatic upturn in sales.  Sales continue to come in here and there, but it seems like price point, at least right now doesn’t seem to be an issue.

That brings me back to exposure. I must believe that continued exposure for a good book at a higher price point is better than just putting a good book on sale. A sale, in itself, not counting free promotions, will not dramatically increase sales. Nothing can be exchanged for promotion and exposure and if that is in conjunction with a sale, well then, all the better.

So I shall keep getting the word out.  I shall keep requesting reviews, targeting advertising, encouraging word of mouth, and never miss an opportunity to expose my book to a greater audience. Because, ultimately, I believe in it. If I didn’t, I’d be just wasting my time.

The price point of Beauty Rising will remain competitive, but it won’t remain at .99 – at least not now.