StoryWorth FAQ - 15 things to know before you buy

January 2024

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In the realm of digital platforms that capture and preserve life and family stories, StoryWorth has carved its niche. The service provides the unique opportunity to document personal stories inspired by weekly prompts, culminating in a professionally bound memoir at the end of a year.

According to StoryWorth’s website, the service has helped its customers capture “millions” of stories. Each of these narratives forms a piece of a private collection - a literary mosaic depicting the user's life journey as they respond to thoughtful prompts. 

When StoryWorth works as intended, it offers an unrivaled tool for introspection, personal discovery, and legacy building. By inspiring users to write their personal narratives, it cultivates a habit of reflection and nurtures self-expression.

However, like all tools, understanding how StoryWorth works is critical before you decide to make a purchase. Before you buy, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to uncover the nuances of StoryWorth, its pros, its limitations, and various important details potential subscribers should be aware of.

Credit:StoryWorth

You’re purchasing an annual subscription

StoryWorth’s format operates around an annual subscription framework. This means that when you make a purchase, you’re essentially enrolling in a recurring year-long service rather than acquiring a one-off product. This continuous yearly subscription model works perfectly for patrons who love the idea of regularly documenting their thoughts, experiences, and meaningful narratives. Just be sure to renew only if you or your loved one wants to keep writing after their first book. This has caused confusion for multiple customers .

Additional books aren’t cheap

Many families with a loved one who completes a StoryWorth book are excited to purchase multiple copies of the books for multiple members of the family. After all, a beautifully written book is indeed a tremendous keepsake. These folks, however, are often surprised to learn that printing an additional book can cost up to an additional $99 before shipping.So if you're planning on sharing your StoryWorth journey with family or friends, plan this aspect of your budget accordingly.

Perfect for natural writers

If you or your recipient loves writing and documenting life experiences, you'll find StoryWorth to be your ally. The platform focuses on written narratives and encourages users to document their life stories by writing them out. This works wonderfully if you love crafting stories and translating memories into words. With StoryWorth, every story turns into a personalized essay ready to be cherished for years to come.

Painful for those who don’t love to write

On the other hand, StoryWorth can seem intimidating for individuals who struggle with writing or don't find it enjoyable. The core tenet of StoryWorth involves storytelling through written words. Therefore, if writing isn't exactly your strong suit, the StoryWorth platform might come across as demanding—even overwhelming to some. Also, if someone is a perfectionist, they might worry excessively about perfecting every detail. They could end up spending a lot of time checking their spelling, fixing their sentences, and making sure everything is perfect. But the thing is, StoryWorth is really about sharing memories and great moments, not about being the perfect writer.

To some, feels like homework

Plenty of successful Storyworth participants feel that in writing their memoir, they’ve created a “gift for future generations.” For others, the task of writing a life story can feel like a school assignment. The structured, guided approach of posing questions to extract stories may not be pleasant for all, especially for those who don’t like feeling put in the spot or prefer a more spontaneous, free-flow approach to communicating their thoughts.

"We are in our late 70s and writing every week is just too much.” - TrustPilot Review

No voice-to-text options

Here's another limitation: StoryWorth does not offer a voice-to-text feature, which means stories must be composed by typing them out. This could be off-putting for some users who might find the manual typing process laborious, especially given the increasing ubiquity of dictation-based text inputs on many digital platforms.

Requires staying on top of email 

Much of StoryWorth’s interactions hinge on email communication. Invitations, reminders, story prompts, and almost every touchpoint with StoryWorth will come via email. Therefore, anyone who isn’t completely comfortable dealing with a regular influx of emails might face some initial friction while navigating the StoryWorth process. And even those comfortable with email have acknowledged in online reviews that at some point in the process, the emails stopped altogether.

Limited customization options

The ultimate cherries of the StoryWorth experience are undoubtedly the printed books. While many customers speak positively of their excellent quality, many others express frustration that customization options are limited. Restrictions include the inability to italicize text, lack of diverse font options and sizes, absence of rich text editor functionalities like bolding and underlining, and certain issues with pagination and blank pages appearing throughout the book . One customer noted , “The idea is great…However, I would highly recommend going to another company which has better editing. StoryWorth has very few tools to help design and create the look you want.”

“I was VERY surprised and unhappy that I was stuck with double spacing...it look more like a third grade reading book than the memories of a great-grandmother.”  - TrustPilot Review

Generic prompts are a mixed bag

The questions StoryWorth provides new subscribers by default dramatically streamlines the onboarding process. And while some people seem to enjoy the default questions, others find them a bit pedestrian.

“The story ideas are a mixed bag, some good and others not so good.” TrustPilot Review

Time-intensive editing & review

Be prepared to invest some time in the book editing process. Rearranging stories, fine tuning text and layout, and putting together a polished book can consume a considerable amount of time. This is particularly notable for family members who sit down to review a full year of stories all in one sitting - nearly impossible! So if you're the person who will be copyediting the book, consider this aspect prior to diving in.

Uploading photos requires login

Photos certainly amplify the storytelling experience by adding a visual dimension to your narratives. However, StoryWorth users have reported difficulties when trying to upload images to their stories. If you're not tech-savvy or if you're easily frustrated by technology glitches, you might find this as a downside to the overall StoryWorth experience.

“The addition of pictures is done inconsistently, especially if you add them later. If you try to add scanned input the result is also inconsistent.” - TrustPilot Review

Language limitation

If you're considering StoryWorth for a non-Latin alphabet user, be aware of the platform’s language constraints. The current software only supports languages that use the Latin script, potentially alienating users who wish to write in languages such as Arabic, Greek, Russian, Hebrew, or any East Asian languages. For example, one customer was disappointed to see that the cover of the book didn’t correctly print her father’s Mandarin name. 

Unclear instructions and confusing website

Although Storytellers are able to answer questions by responding to their email directly, some prefer to log into StoryWorth to write their responses. This is required for anyone interested in uploading photos. Unfortunately, many customers cited issues with navigating the StoryWorth website and the steps required to submit a new story.

“We sent requests to 20 people to answer questions; only 2 were able to navigate the software.” - TrustPilot Reviewer

No return policy for books

While the printed books are the culmination of your year's worth of storytelling, they come with a no-return policy. This means books cannot be returned once they're printed and shipped. For example, one customer commented , “When I emailed my complaint to StoryWorth I received an email apologizing for the outcome. However, the printer would not reprint the book without a new charge and therefore I would not be reimbursed for the cost of the new book.” With this in mind, plan to spend time perfecting the digital manuscript and thoroughly reviewing it before you place your order.

You can’t (easily) combine stories

Combining stories from multiple storytellers into one cohesive book is a feature that is not inherently built into the StoryWorth service. By default, each StoryWorth subscription is linked to one storyteller, resulting in one unique book. Individuals with multiple subscriptions for various storytellers can reach out to StoryWorth’s customer support to manually combine the stories from different storytellers into a single book. 

Not much to unwrap

Purchasing a StoryWorth subscription for someone else? Remember that at the time of purchase, the gift recipient will receive an email notification instead of a physical gift. Some people find this anticlimactic and it may not have the same surprise factor as a wrapped gift.

Unreliable customer service

On various review sites including TrustPilot, many StoryWorth customers share frustration with radio silence from the customer service team. They wish their customer support team had a phone number and wasn’t purely limited to email communication. One customer found that a submitted story included information different from what was printed in the book and was told she “should have read the whole book and double checked everything before purchasing.”

Shipping issues

Although the vast majority of successful StoryWorth customers received their book in the mail without issue, some users noted delivery issues and expressed frustration at the suggestion that they ought to purchase another copy.

Deleted stories

There are few things more precious than an entire life story turned into a timeless artifact. Unfortunately, multiple different reports from customers online indicate that StoryWorth stories were not saved after being written.   

"I wrote a long answer to the grandparents question and the program lost it. Not going to do again!" - TrustPilot Reviewer

Just as with any digital platform, StoryWorth has its unique strengths and certain constraints. By understanding these details, you can make an informed choice about whether StoryWorth is a good fit for you or your loved one, and how you can make the most of it if you do decide to embark on the StoryWorth journey. Happy storytelling!

Ready to capture stories without writing a word?

Remento uses its Speech-To-Story™ technology to turn audio or video recordings of memories into written stories. These stories are ultimately printed into a hardcover, color-printed keepsake book. Read the book, or scan the QR codes within it to hear the original recording. Learn more about the difference between Storyworth and Remento here .

Next Up: Remento v. Storyworth - Everything you need to know

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Is StoryWorth Worth It? Price, Comparison, and Review

Is StoryWorth Worth It? Price, Comparison, and Review

  • 7-minute read
  • 17th February 2023

If you are looking to write your life story to share with your family and future generations, there are many options available. StoryWorth is a memoir service subscription you can buy for yourself, or a loved one, to make this dream come true. But is it all it promises to be? In this article, we break down what StoryWorth has to offer, its prices, and how it compares to similar services.

What is StoryWorth?

StoryWorth is a membership service you can purchase for yourself or a loved one. With the membership, you and your nominated recipients receive a weekly email with a question to respond to. Throughout the year-long subscription, you will see their responses each week. At the end of the year, StoryWorth compiles everything the recipients have written into a hardback book that you can keep for generations.

How Does StoryWorth Work?

StoryWorth wants its subscribers to think of their services as a conversation. Their process consists of three steps:

1. Once a week, you choose a question to inspire them (your loved ones) to write.

2. Your loved one replies to the question in an email, which is also shared with you.

3. At the end of a year, your loved one’s stories are bound into a beautiful keepsake book.

StoryWorth has around 300 questions for you to choose from to be your loved one’s weekly question. You can also choose to write your own, or your loved one can simply write whatever they like. In addition to answering the question prompts, your loved one can upload photos to go along with their story.

Example questions from StoryWorth include:

●  What matters most to you in life?

●  What’s one of your favorite trips?

●  What personal expectations do you hold yourself to?

●  What things do you think you cannot live without?

●  Do you have any regrets in life?

Formatting and Customizing Your Keepsake Book

At the end of your year-long subscription, you will receive an email with two options:

1. To renew your subscription ( online reviews suggest the renewal fee is $60) if you aren’t finished writing.

 2. Print your book.

If you choose to print your book, StoryWorth has professional book cover layouts to choose from where you can add a photo and title. However, color options are limited and not listed on their website.

In terms of formatting within the book, customers are limited. You cannot bold, underline, or italicize any text. And they only offer text in size 10 Merriweather font. Customers can add captions and descriptions to photos. The hardcover book is a standard 6×9, and you also receive a pdf version to download.

How Much Does StoryWorth Cost?

StoryWorth is an affordable subscription service at $99. With the subscription, you get:

●  Weekly story prompts sent via email to the recipient

●  1 hardcover book with a black and white interior (including black and white photos)

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●  Access to customer service to help with any issues

For additional books, you can expect to pay:

●  $39 for each additional black and white interior copy

●  $79 for color books up to 300 pages

●  $99 for color books of 300 to 480 pages

What if There are Errors?

StoryWorth recommends that customers wait until they receive the first copy of their book before ordering more. While you can edit your book before having it printed, there will always be mistakes overlooked (as in almost any book publishing process). If you receive your first copy and notice any errors, you can correct them before ordering more copies.

However, you will have to pay for any further copies you order regardless of errors. Based on reviews, StoryWorth does not appear to offer free correction services.

How Does StoryWorth Compare?

At the cost of $99, it is difficult to find other companies offering a similar service as StoryWorth for an equal or lesser price. Traditionally, for those looking to write a memoir for themselves or family members, you have to write the memoir yourself, pay an editor (or edit it yourself), and then pay to have it printed. Self-publishing is a long, tedious process and can cost thousands of dollars depending on your editor and printer.

Alternatively, paying a ghostwriter to write your memoir for you (a very popular service) is going to cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.

Handwritten Legacies offers a similar service, except they do not offer you a hard copy of your book. You can create a customizable pdf book, including a dedication page, family tree page, and personalized writing prompts. It is approximately 200 pages long, which you print at home and have your loved one fill in. It costs $20, which is a much lower price than StoryWorth, but it’s not exactly the same service.

No Story Lost is similar to StoryWorth in that you get a beautiful keepsake at the end of your process: a coffee table book of your life story. However, their process is to interview you and then write, edit, and polish the story for you. And their costs are much higher than StoryWorth, ranging from $899 to $1,799.

Customer Reviews and Testimonials

StoryWorth reviews are mixed. Sarah Z. Wexler wrote a very positive article on The Strategist about her experience buying a StoryWorth subscription for her father. She wrote, “As a big reader and an author myself, I can honestly say I’ve never been more excited for the release of a book. It’s been a true joy for me to open my inbox and see my dad’s stories each week.”

Other positive reviews found online stated that they enjoyed StoryWorth’s questions and that they also liked the pdf version they got when the writing was completed. One reviewer used their pdf book in a very clever way, stating “I then printed out the book in pdf, made a few adjustments and then uploaded to a free e-book maker site where my book is available as a flip book also. It even has sound effects and music on several pages as applicable… siren for injuries, a few memorable songs from my youth, etc.”

However, there are some negative reviews, mostly commenting on how the technology StoryWorth uses is not user-friendly or up-to-date. Many complained that their stories were not saved after writing them, they could not format their photos correctly, and that customer service was below par and limited to emails.

One customer commented that “The idea is great. They respond to questions quickly. However, I would highly recommend going to another company which has better editing. StoryWorth has very few tools to help design and create the look you want.”

StoryWorth offers an opportunity for people to write their life stories by answering one question per week for a year at the price of $99. At the end of your year of writing, you get a keepsake book for yourself and your family. While many people love the idea, and StoryWorth has many happy customers, they are not ready to make professional memoir publishing services redundant.

At the end of the day, you are going to get what you pay for. While $99 is a very attractive price and the general idea seems straightforward, many people complain that editing is difficult and formatting and adjusting the layout of the text and photos is challenging. These are skills that professional editors, writers, and publishers have spent years mastering, and it’s hard to replace the quality and experience of a professional.

If you are writing a memoir to have your precious memories passed down for generations to come, have a professional editor help you in the process. At Proofed we offer a free trial of proofreading and editing for first-time customers. Try it out today !

What is StoryWorth and how does it work?

StoryWorth is a one-year memoir-writing subscription service for $99. An email is sent to recipients every week for one year. These emails require a response to questions relating to life. At the end of the year, all the responses are compiled into a hardback keepsake book.

Is my personal information and content shared on StoryWorth secure?

Yes. StoryWorth only shares personal information and content with other people you list on the mailing list. These people will receive weekly emails with responses to the questions from the other nominated writers.

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We Tried StoryWorth And It Was Worth Every Second – A Review

Storyworth makes capturing precious moments in your life manageable and approachable. I was able to use the app to create a list of questions that were automatically emailed to my mother once a week designed to fill in the holes of my family story.   It worked like a charm.

StoryWorth

When it was all done, we printed out those answers and photo attachments and made a hardcover book that I know will get passed down from generation to generation.

This was such an incredible gift. StoryWorth and it is just simply amazing.

What is Storyworth?

StoryWorth is a personal, meaningful, unique gift. It’s the gift of family and connection and helps you to preserve your family’s stories and memories in a way our ancestors simply didn’t have.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving: you get your family’s stories not once but throughout the year, culminating in a keepsake book.

is my story worth telling

The Storyworth process

My mother has been working on our book for a few weeks now and she loves it! Here is how it works:

First, you decide who will be telling your family story. My girlfriend signed up for Storyworth the same exact time as I did and she actually purchased one session for her mother and one for her mother-in-law. She wanted to get BOTH sides of history for her kids. Something to think about.

Then, you go on the Storyworth website and you decide what type of questions will get sent out each week via email.

documenting family history

If the member of your family is no on email, there is a transcribing service available where someone will write down everything your family member says. They can actually call in their answers. So, yes – there is always a way.

Family members are also allowed to add in photos from the past which makes this so FUN! My mother had a blast looking for old black and whites!

After your designated time is up (mine was a year of weekly emails), you will see a sample of your Storyworth book and be able to proofread it before it goes to print. Once you are satisfied, you tell the company that you are ready for your family story to get shipped.

family story

Sample Storyworth questions

If you can’t think of any custom questions, you don’t have to because the website offers you endless options to choose from as a template on day one! Here are just a few examples:

  • How did you decide to get married?
  • What makes you happy?
  • What is the most awkward date you’ve been on?
  • Were you well-behaved or badly-behaved as a child?
  • Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
  • What have been some of your favorite restaurants through the years? How about now?
  • What things are you proudest of in your life?
  • What’s your morning ritual?

How much does StoryWorth cost?

There is a base Storyworth cost of $99. If you act right now, they are having a $15 off sale but that is only for a limited time.  

The $99 gives you a set amount of pages and for one book. The pricing for an additional book is $39.

storyworth family documenting story

What if I have a long story?

Here’s the deal. Each story can be as long as you’d like. It can be ten pages! But you just have to know that the book cannot be longer than 480 pages. 

Is my life story worth writing?

I normally would tell you that this is a personal question, but I am just going to answer it for you. Yes, your life story is worth writing.

You can choose to write this book for your children or just for yourself to look back on when you get older. OR you can ask your grandmother to do it and really get a glimpse at where you came from.

I think every story has worth and worth isn’t defined by how many likes it gets on Instagram.

how to document family memories

How long does it take for orders to be delivered?

Storyworth doesn’t take very long to send through to a recipient making it a fantastic last-minute gift. However, it will take some time to get through all the questions that you create. So, know who you are sending this to!

My mother absolutely loved the process – she completely enjoyed retelling old stories and looking for photos of favorite uncles and long-lost holiday affairs. Make sure whoever you choose will feel the same way. Otherwise, this could feel like a chore.

I’m Done! Now What?

After your year of storytelling is complete, the buyer of the program will have to log in and create the cover of the book, whether or not they want the item to be in color ($39 vs $79) and check for spelling/grammar issues.

I have a full-blown confession. I skimped on this part and I really wish I hadn’t. I just sort of leafed through and trusted my mother and if I really thought about it… I should have spent a few weeks reading everything she wrote before printing it.

This is a new heirloom! I should have done my part to make sure our family story was clean. But I was so eager to get the book in my hand and read it FRESH that I didn’t want to RUIN anything by checking for commas.

In hindsight, this was WRONG. As the purchaser, spend an extra week combing through the entire book and doing what you can to button up the story. It’s their words, but perhaps a few things need to be cleaned up? Just my take.

Best case scenario – the next 6 generations will be reading this book to learn about where everyone came from. What is it you want them to read?

Give Storyworth as a gift

Check out this video recap of Storyworth and see why this is THE gift of the season for anyone you love in your life.

Is capturing your unique family story important to you? Would love to hear! For more information about StoryWorth,  click here .

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Budget-Friendly Subscriptions

How Much Does A Subscription To Storyworth Cost: A Comprehensive Pricing Guide

How Much Does A Subscription To Storyworth Cost: A Comprehensive Pricing Guide

Short answer: How Much Does A Subscription To Storyworth Cost:

As of 2021, the cost for a subscription to Storyworth varies depending on the plan chosen. The basic annual subscription is priced at $99, while a premium option with additional features costs $139 per year. However, prices may be subject to change and it’s recommended to visit their official website for current pricing information.

What are the pricing options for a subscription to Storyworth?

Storyworth offers several pricing options for their subscriptions. Here is an overview of the available plans:

1. Annual Subscription: This plan costs $99 per year, which allows you or your loved ones to receive and share stories throughout the entire year.

2. Quarterly Subscription: For those who prefer shorter commitment periods, Storyworth also offers a quarterly subscription at $29 per quarter.

3. Lifetime Subscription: If you want access to all features indefinitely, there is a lifetime subscription option available for a one-time payment of $299.

4. Gift Subscriptions: You can gift someone special with 10 weeks ($79), 20 weeks ($119), or even multiple years’ worth of weekly story prompts ($399).

With any plan, subscribers gain unlimited access to story archives and digital photo storage as well as priority email support from Storyworth’s customer service team.

Whether it’s preserving family history or creating new memories through storytelling, Storyworth has flexible pricing options that cater to different preferences and budgets!

In summary, StoryWorth provides different pricing options depending on individual needs – annual plans costing $99/yearly; quarterly subscriptions priced at $29 every three months; lifelong memberships requiring only one payment amounting up front equaling$299 in total – while they also offer customizable gifting solutions such as weeklong promotions beginning from just under eighty dollars all way upwards four hundred-dollar multi-year incentives where recipients experience unparalleled convenience along stunning visual elements complemented by timely assistance if necessary during this journey filled not only nostalgia but exploration shared heritage prospective relationships born again anew across generations alike rekindling sense lives past present future ever intertwine existential tapestry intricate human nature itself answering become limitless possibilities await us within these pages unveiled secrets previously hidden now revelealing true essence find ourselves face reflect upon our origins shaping destiniesther untold treasure chest overflowing ready discovered dissipated veneer uncertainty dissipates envelops sense homecoming giving renewed hope worthiness belonging reassuring journey together begun last lifetimes indeed just beginning.

Overall, the pricing options for a subscription to Storyworth are flexible and affordable, making it easy to capture and preserve important family stories.

Are there any additional costs associated with a subscription to Storyworth?

1. No hidden fees: When you sign up for a subscription on Storyworth, what you see is what you get. There are no extra charges or surprise expenses.

2. Shipping and handling fees may apply when receiving physical books or other printed materials from Storyworth.

3. Customization options might come with an added cost if you choose to personalize certain aspects of your account, such as adding custom photos or formatting changes in the printed book.

4. If purchasing additional copies of the storybook created through Storyworth’s service, each copy will incur its own cost based on size and quantity ordered.

Although some optional features may require an additional fee, signing up for a basic subscription plan does not involve any hidden costs beyond the allocated price per year/yearly charge plus taxes (if applicable).

In addition to their main pricing structure which covers all essential functions within your chosen package:

5a) Extra storage space can be purchased if needed to store more than 1000 photo-related items.

5b) International shipping outside US/Canada incurs extra shipping charges depending on location.

5c) For customers who wish to unsubscribe before completing one year successfully using this platform due course interruptions like death/unavailability/memory loss/divorce/etc., they will only receive half refund refunds minus original processing fees

Short answer: Yes – while there aren’t many additional costs related specifically, Storyworth does have some add-on services that might result in extra charges; however these extras are completely optional and don’t affect regular subscribers at all!

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Ebook Pricing for Short Stories and Novellas?

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I started my Flash Gold Chronicles , a series of steampunk novellas, for those reasons. One thing I’ve wondered about is pricing. With novels, there are a lot of them out there in any and every genre, so it’s easy to get an idea for a baseline price. We’re seeing more and more short stories, too, and those often go for 99 cents — the lowest price you can set an ebook at without making it free. With novellas ( defined on Wikipedia as being between 17,500 and 40,000 words in length), there are fewer examples in the Kindle Store and elsewhere.

Long-time author, Dean Wesley Smith , suggests the following pricing scheme for ebooks:

Short stories . 99 cents. Author gets about 35 cents per sale. Short novels and short collections (Anything from 15,000 words to 45,000 words) $2.99. Author gets around 65% or about $1.95 per sale. Novels or long collections (45,000 words and up) $4.99-$5.99 range. Author gets around 65% or about $3.25-$4.50 per sale.

This seems like a good guideline to me, especially for short stories and novels, though the ebook-buyer in me wonders if $2.99 is a little high for something in the 15,000-20,000-word range. Most folks can zip through a story that length in about an hour. Also, if they can get a whole novel (my novels are all over 100,000 words) for $5, then isn’t $3 on the steep side for something 1/5th of that length?

Perhaps $1.99 would be a more fair price point, but herein lies the dilemma for e-publishers:

At price points of $2.98 and below, you only receive a 35% royalty from stores such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble (Smashwords offers a higher royalty for any price point, but their marketplace sees a fraction of the traffic of Amazon, and many authors have low to non-existent sales there). So, on a $1.99 ebook, you’d only get about 70 cents whereas charging a dollar more lets you get well over a dollar more on your cut.

Receiving 35 cents for a 6,000-word short story doesn’t seem too shabby because it probably didn’t take that long to write, but with a 20,000-word novella, you’re getting into different territory. There are more words to write, more words to pay an editor to proofread, and a more intricate story to work out overall.

I’ve been doing some mulling of late on the prices for my Flash Gold novellas, and I’m planning to test things a little when I release the third one in a few weeks.

Testing price points for novellas

Here’s what I’m doing right now with my Flash Gold Chronicles:

  • Flash Gold (18,000 words) — 99 cents
  • Hunted (27,000 words) — 1.49
  • Peacemaker (38-40,000 words) — to be determined

Because Flash Gold is on the short end for a novella, I don’t think 99 cents is too low. I really think of it as more of a short story (a long short story if you will). I based the price of Hunted on the 99-cent price of Flash Gold, figuring it had roughly 1/3rd more words, so I’d charge 1/3rd more. It makes sense, but at the same time 50 cents per sale seems kind of weak when a $2.99 price point would bring in $2. Would people pay that much more for a story of that length though? That’s the question, and I haven’t yet tested it out.

I think I’m going to play it safe and try the $2.99 price on Peacemaker, since it’s even longer than the other two, almost novel-length in its own right, at least according to Wikipedia. I plan on raising the price on Hunted to $1.99, mostly so it’ll make the jump to $2.99 seem less drastic to readers.

Proposed future price points:

  • Flash Gold — 99 cents
  • Hunted — 1.99
  • Peacemaker 2.99

I’ll make the price adjustments when I release Peacemaker (so, if you’ve been thinking of buying Hunted, now would be the time to do it! :D).

In the end, we just have to test things and see what the market will bear. For an established author, with a fan base built up, $2.99 may work just fine for a 20,000-word novella. For a new author, without any sort of fan base built up, getting $2.99 for an entire novel can be a challenge.

Earning more for short stories and novellas while keeping prices low

You and I may find that we simply can’t get people to buy short works at $2.99 a pop. Or, maybe we can sell some, but sales are so much lower that it’s not worth it overall to charge more. Here’s an option for us:

Bundling short stories and/or novellas to create an omnibus.

Soon after I release Peacemaker, I’m planning to publish the Flash Gold Chronicles I-III in a single ebook volume, probably for $3.95 or so. This would be a good deal for readers who want to simply grab all three at once (it’ll be cheaper for them to buy all of the stories in one ebook, and the combined word count will equal that of a full-length fantasy novel), and it’ll be a good deal for me because the higher royalty rate on a $4 ebook will mean I’m making about $2.70 per sale. Compare that to 35 cents on Book 1 plus 50 cents on Book 2 plus 50-70 cents on Book 3 (if I find I have to price that at $1.99 instead of $2.99 to make sales).

Ah, who knew writing involved so much math?

I’ll write another post later on with details on how the pricing experiment and the novella-omnibus goes. In the meantime, authors, what are your thoughts on pricing for short stories and novellas? Are you following Mr. Smith’s guidelines or doing something else? Readers, what are you willing to pay for ebooks of those lengths?

31 Responses to Ebook Pricing for Short Stories and Novellas?

I was just talking about this with someone. I’m so glad you did this post today!

I’ve been thinking a lot on this topic lately as well. I’ve got an 8,000 word short story and a 79,000 word novel priced at .99 and 2.99 respectively. I’ve got what I believe to be a 20,000 word novella in the works now, so I figured I’d price that somewhere in between, probably around the 1.49 -1.99 mark. I’ve held off on increasing the price of the novel because I wasn’t sure if people would consider 3.99 or 4.99 too much for an unknown.

You could always try the higher price for the novel and see how it goes, Nick, or, if the short story is related, try giving that one away for free and seeing if that boosts sales of the novel. If people try the free one and learn that they like your work, they’ll probably be willing to pay more for a novel.

So the obvious question to me is…when does Peacemaker come out?

I’m editing the big climactic airship fight right now! Well, not right now, but today. I hope to send the story off to beta readers next week. 🙂

It is an interesting challenge to figure out the right combination that will give good satisfaction and value to the readers, and yet give the writer a bit of a reward to help keep writing.

My business plan (not nearly as fun as planning character arcs and world building) is to have mini collections of three short stories each (15k words) for .99. Then a compilation that contains 12 of those short stories (60k words) for 2.99.

For novels, I’ll have short (60k words each) serial type novels of books 1 through 3 for 2.99. Then the omnibus of those three books for 4.99. As a reader, I would think those price/value ratios seem reasonable.

Then there would probably be special rates (like .99 or free) for older works or the first in the series or one-off shorts and special holiday or theme stories.

I have seen very short works (2k or less) on Amazon for 4.99 and 5.99 and that just annoys me on general principles. I’d love to quit the day job and write by the pool all day, but I don’t think price gouging is the way to build up a readership.

Looks like you’re planning to be busy this year, Jon. That’s great!

“I have seen very short works (2k or less) on Amazon for 4.99 and 5.99 and that just annoys me on general principles.”

Wow, I haven’t come across those yet! I’ve seen people selling short stories for $2.99 to try and get the 70% royalty, but I admittedly haven’t seen any short stories at that price point with a sales rank that suggests they get purchased very often.

FYI, there’s an extra “http//” in your Amazon link on the Flash Gold page — the one reachable from the sidebar under “my eBooks.” (I did buy it — I’m trying to up my steampunk reading!)

Thanks, Andrea! I hadn’t updated the price on that page either. There go my cool points for the week. Doh!

Thanks for giving Flash Gold a try, despite my attempt to sabotage the link!

From a fans perspective, I want you to make a good amount from each sale so you will continue writing for a long time 🙂 I would gladly pay $2.99 for the newest flash gold saga…..please don’t devalue your work. Take pride in your great stories!!!

Thanks for the support, Thaddeus! People keep suggesting I make the Flash Gold stories longer, so I did it with this one. It’s still not novel, of course, but I hope it will be a fun adventure for folks!

As a reader who enjoys reading her books as actual books, with some side ebook reading, if I like an author, I will pay list price for the book. I want to support the authors I like so they will keep on writing books for me to read!

I just bought up everything Emperor’s Edge-related as ebook at the price offered at Amazon, and shelled out for the physical copies of the first 2 books. So, I would gladly pay $3.95 – $4.95 for an ebook novel from you!

Thanks for the support, Nina! I’m glad you’re enjoying the stories. 🙂

Your pricing strategy has worked well for hooking me on your books. I tried the Emperor’s Edge since it was free and because I liked it I purchased the others without any reservations. I bought Flash Gold for the same reason but to answer your question I thought it was reasonably priced both for the size or for trying out a new series/or author. Amazon samples have failed me before when trying to find a good book to read. A novella gives a better “feel” for the quality of an author.

That being said I can afford the 4.95 for your longer ones and likewise any lower price for lower word counts- 3.00 or below seems reasonable to me for 30,000 words.

Not saying I wouldn’t pay more for your books or that they aren’t worth it. I just wouldn’t be able to purchase them as often and (as I read a lot) the price affects what I can budget in for a couple of months. 🙁

Thanks for chiming in, Hannah!

Though I’m tinkering a bit with pricing on the shorter works, I’m not planning to go above the $5 for a novel any time soon. I love that e-readers have made it so authors can sell books for less than paperbacks and actually make more than they would have in ye olden days of a couple years ago. 😉

Good post – a topic I have pondered frequently since self-pubbing. I have priced my short stories at .99, an anthology of them at $1.99 and my novel/novellas at $2.99. I’ve toyed with the idea of dropping the price but I always talk myself out of it due to the cut in royalties from 70% down to 35%. As to Smashwords, though I like the additional exposure, my sales through those channels are just a fraction of my Amazon sales.

Thanks again for posting!

Thanks for posting this. I’ve been considering price points for short stories and novellas as well, and I think your prices are fair to both readers and writers.

One thing I’ve thought about–from a writer’s perspective–is that all stories, whether novelettes or novels–require an initial startup cost, no matter what the length. As a fantasy writer, I have to build a world, get to know my cast, and figure out the plot. In many ways, a novel of 90K is easier than writing 3 unrelated novellas of 30K each because of the pre-writing planning I’d need to do thrice over.

Now you know why I do a series, even for novellas. 😉

Whereas I suck at series or something. I’ve tried writing a series of shorts with a recurring character and failed. Writing series doesn’t come naturally to me.

I only really started playing the ebook game the beginning of this year, so I don’t have a lot of data to draw on, but this is the way I’m pricing my novella and short story collections:

Up to 15,000 words: 0.99 From 15,000 – 40,000 words (~ novella length): 1.99 From 40,000 – 100,000: 2.99 (hypothetical – I don’t have any novels or collections that length up yet)

I also have a novel of 190,000 words which is presently priced at 4.95. At the moment it’s only selling 1-2 copies a day, so I may lower that.

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I’m struggling with this very issue. About to launch my first e-novella (39K words), which is actually a follow-up to 3 novels in a series. My current plan: $.99 for 2-4 weeks $1.99 for 2-4 weeks $2.99 thereafter

I’d like to publish 3 of these novellas, then put them in an omnibus volume for $5.99 (120K words), as well as POD at that point.

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Well, I just published my first 40,000 word length science fiction novel for $3.99 about 2 months ago and haven’t made any sales from people outside my circle of family and friends. So I’ve decided to drop it $2.99 like you’ve suggested.

I just hope by dropping the price I get more sales. I fear if I drop it to $0.99 people might think it’s too cheat and a not a very good novel. I will keep experimenting with the different price ranges.

Thanks for the info!

I am glad I saw your post on Google! You have a new follower.

Thanks, Imani! I hope you find the blog useful. 🙂

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Thanks for posting this! I’ve been struggling with price points as well. My stories are short chapter books, but at the same time they’ve been professionally illustrated throughout, so the initial outlay was quite significant. At the moment they’re priced at .99, but I do feel that this price is too low.

Thanks for this, Lindsay. I’m considering novella length for my next project and was concerned about how the length would impact its commercial potential. BTW, I really enjoyed “The Emperor’s Edge.” Was that indeed 100K words? It felt like it read “faster” than that.

Thanks for this post. I just published a novella and priced it for $0.99. It too is on the shorter side. It has also helped me decide what to publish next while I finish my novel.

I own a Technical Services business. Last year a client came to me and asked me to help her with her “book”. I put the book into PDF format and proofread it for her. She is now diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I read your article. I do not expect her book to make a lot of money, but I wonder if you could help me find a way to get it published? For a little guidance is all I am asking.

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Last updated on Nov 08, 2023

How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Children’s Book?

In the previous chapter of this guide, we discussed how to self-publish a children’s book , covering everything from getting your book edited, illustrated, and formatted. But how much will it cost you in total?  

Based on average quotes from the Reedsy marketplace, self-published authors can spend between $2,170 and $4,000 on professional editing, illustrations, cover design, and formatting.

To help you better understand these costs (plus how much you'll be looking at to print and distribute your books), let's dive a little deeper in the average costs of self-publishing a children's book.

an editor working with an author on her children's book

Picture books require less editing

As a rule of thumb, picture books tend to have fewer than 1,000 words, making them one of the most affordable books to have edited. 

For a 1,000-word picture book manuscript, editors on Reedsy charge an average of: 

  • $340 for developmental editing ; and
  • $210 for copy editing . 

It’s fairly common for authors to hire the same editor to provide both services since this might reduce the time spent on each stage and thus result in a healthy discount, compared to hiring two separate editors

Middle grade and young adult books require more revision

Editors will treat middle grade (MG) and young adult (YA) novels pretty much the same way they would a book for adults. They tend to come in at around 30,000 to 60,000 words, on average, and though their readers may be younger, the books still require a lot of attention to story structure, character development, pacing, and precise use of language. In addition, there’s nothing more cringe-worthy to a teenager than adults trying to be “hip” — so an editor might also need to spend some time ensuring the manuscript is written in an age-appropriate register.

The average cost of editing a 30,000-word middle-grade book is:

  • $830 for developmental editing; and
  • $610 for copy editing.

The average cost of editing a 60,000-word young adult novel is:

  • $1,584 for developmental editing; and
  • $1,140 for copy editing.

Check out our editing costs calculator for more average rates across all genres and services (including proofreading). Bear in mind that Reedsy professionals have years of experience at the highest level. While finding cheaper options is possible, you may be gambling on the quality of service you'll receive. 

Now that we have a better idea of what it costs to perfect your content, let’s see what you might pay to make your book look like a million bucks.

Illustration & Cover Design

an author holding three book cover options for the same picture book.

Fully illustrated picture books

Unless you can draw to a professional publishing standard, the best way to translate your story into a visual narrative is to hire an illustrator . If you’re in the market for one, on Reedsy, you’ll find plenty of amazing children's book illustrators to work with. 

Over the past three years, the average children's book illustrator on Reedsy has charged between $1,400 and $4,500 for a 24-page picture book. 

Their exact quotes will vary depending on: 

  • The illustrator’s experience; 
  • Their illustration style (minimalist vs detailed);
  • The complexity of the project (is research needed?); and 
  • The actual number of double-page, full-page, or half-page illustrations your picture book requires. 

A picture book illustrator’s quote normally includes everything from draft concepts, typography, interior design, and the book cover design. But if you’re looking to work with a dedicated cover designer, their quotes will be roughly in line with the cost of a middle-grade or young adult title, which we’ll look at right now.  

Book covers only 

By the time your reader picks up middle grade and young adult books, they’re probably less reliant on illustrations — but that doesn’t mean they don’t care what your book looks like. Ultimately, authors writing books for these age groups will need a quality cover design to draw readers in.

According to quotes from the Reedsy marketplace, 60% of children’s book covers from experienced designers cost under $750. As we detail in our main guide to self-publishing costs , the final quote you receive will depend on factors like:

  • The designer’s level of experience;
  • The style and complexity of the design;
  • The number of design iterations you need; and
  • Whether you’re just publishing an ebook, or print and audiobook editions too. 

If you are seeking a cover design for a picture book, your designer can adapt an existing illustration from your book, reducing their need to research or create images for your project. This, in turn, can reduce your costs.

In addition to the cover design, you may also be looking to hire a professional to take care of your typesetting and interior design.

An editor works with a children's author on their manuscript

That said, you might be able to format your own book for free.

Format your book for free with the RBE

If your book is mainly text-based (like a children’s novel or a collection of short stories), you can write and format your book with a free tool like the Reedsy Book Editor . It’s an easy-to-use software that allows you to turn your manuscript into a flawless, export-ready ePUB file for ebooks or PDF for print editions. All you need to do is to get those words flowing.

To try the Reedsy Book Editor, sign up below and start using it today. 

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Once your book is finished, you may want to (understandably) hold it in your hands 一 as well as to sell physical copies to the general public. So, let’s look more closely at print and distribution options. 

Print and Distribution

an author standing by a printing press and watching their book being created

There are two options to print your book: 

  • Print on demand (POD) ; and 
  • Offset printing services . 

Let’s have a quick look at the financial implications of both.

POD is low risk, but expensive for picture books

POD services — which print one copy at a time, based on actual purchases — are the preferred option for authors who are publishing children’s novels, as the cost-per-unit is relatively low, averaging around $7 per book , usually deducted from royalty payments. This solution is also extremely convenient if you don’t want to pay in advance for a bulk order that might not sell, or don’t want to deal with storing and distributing the books yourself. 

On the other hand, POD services are not as convenient for picture book authors. For instance, to print a 24-page picture book, you can expect to pay around $12 per copy 一 depending on factors like book format, page size, page count, and print options (black & white vs. colors). On top of that, you’ll have to add shipping costs, inflating the bill further, depending on whether you choose regular or express delivery. 

There are several POD services you can choose to use. However, here's a quick look at the costs you can expect from two of the most popular printers of picture books.

Note: These costs are based on 24-page full-color hardbacks.

When you look at the numbers, you quickly realize that you’re almost guaranteed to make a loss, since you can’t really price your indie book double what well-known authors charge 一 which is between $5 to $10. 

However, don’t despair 一 while POD for picture books doesn’t make sense financially, you could still use it to gauge interest in your book by doing a small print run of around 50-100 copies and getting it into people's hands. If you've already sparked the interest of potential buyers, then you should probably consider offset printing for the following batch. Even though you’ll pay a salty bill upfront, your average cost-per-copy will be much lower, granting you a higher profit. 

Offset printing gives better value, but with higher risk and upfront cost

The cost to offset print a picture book is much lower than POD services, although it comes with a higher risk and upfront expense 一 in case your book doesn’t perform as well as you hoped. With services like PrintNinja or IAPC , you can expect to pay around $4.30 per copy for an order of 1,000 hardcover picture books 一 60% less than what you’d pay with POD. 

The price drop, however, is not as significant for middle grade or young adult novels, since black and white paperbacks (with a color cover) are around $4.90 per copy 一 only a few dollars less than POD services.

Remember that offset printing costs depend on how you customize your book (e.g. binding options, paper quality, cover types). It also matters if you’ll receive your copies from overseas or not. In fact, these prices do not include shipping and storage costs, which can add an extra $500 to $1,500 per order 一 depending on your location. 

Overall, printing your self-published children’s book can significantly bump up your final costs. If you’re just getting started and you don’t know how many copies you’ll be able to sell, it’s wise to use POD services first to gather some data and test your book’s market. However, if you already know your book has buyers waiting to part with their money for it, offset printing is a better option as it will lower your overall costs. 

We hope this guide has helped you better understand what budget you should set aside if you want to publish your work and inspire the next generations with your storytelling.

For the next part of our guide, we'll talk about how to use a children's book template to visualize your story page-by-page before adding illustrations.

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How Much Producing A Book Costs: Tips For Selecting The Right Price of Your Book 2024 Guide

  • January 24, 2024

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Finding the worth of your book and deciding on the price is way tougher than writing a book itself.

Price & cost your book too low, you will lose your worth. Price it too high, you will lose potential sales.

So it is extremely important that you think about the pricing from the start. Don’t keep it for the end to think over.

After book writing , you either underestimate your skills or overestimate them. Start making your mind about the pricing from the beginning.

Close the chapter named ‘ego’ from your life, press your humility just a tad further and let yourself step into the mystical world of pricing a book.

Page Contents

Why is Book Pricing Important

Pricing matters because in the end, after all your tears , frustration , and hard work , this is the form of an outcome that you get.

Why would you waste your priceless investment of months and years just out of idleness?

How to decide the bookselling price?

You have spent more than seven months writing a book and you decide to sell each copy of your book for $9.99 which means you get around $0.05 per day to write.

Gosh, you will have to sell quite some copies to barely live with that wage. However, cost book isn’t that important for you to write with passion.

When you write for yourself , any customer buying your book is like a gift and more like a validation as a writer to you.

This is why you might have heard that pricing a book is an art as well as science. As cliche as it sounds, you can either set a price range by taking a more strategic approach or you might as well think that it doesn’t matter as long as the reader approves your artwork. There are factors that contribute to the price-setting of your books like your experience as a writer and your ability to portray and let readers feel the emotions and the demand in the market of the domain you have written in.

How To Know And Set The Right Price For Your Book in 2023?

Let’s settle the right sum that is worthy of your book. Here is the ultimate guide to letting you choose your number for your years of investment.

1. Setting Expectations That Are Realistic

The most important thing while handling the price part of your book is to be extremely realistic.

The more realistic you stay, the more positive outcome there will be. Unrealistic prices can give you a bad experience as a writer.

To get an idea, you can have a survey of the relevant marketplace and statistics.

An average self-publishing writer is able to sell 250 copies approximately in his lifetime according to the statistics .

Example to Set The Average Price of Books

For instance, in this case, if you sell your copy for $9.99 the total amount you earn would be less than $2500 , and catering to the expenses of printing and publishing, you will be left with way less than that.

2. Look For A Emotional Point To Base Your Prices On

Sometimes you can even set $100 for each copy and your book will sell because in the end, it is all about your reader finding an emotional hook with your book that the price doesn’t mean much.

The goal you should set is to set whatever price you want to as long as there are buyers waiting for your book launch.

Let’s take the example of Margaret Kent who sold each copy of her dating book at 100 dollars ! It’s insane, right?

After being controversially featured in the Oprah Winfrey show , the book sold millions of copies.

On this Kent said on the show that readers were not buying a book but a spouse in fact.

It is all about positioning and although the price after a few years dropped to the lowest of $9.99 but Kent earned all the profit she could have with this book by just finding an emotional aspect to hook the readers with.

You have to identify which emotional part of the readers your book compels and then market your book accordingly to attract readers.

If you want readers to buy your book in spite of the high price, then target their primal emotions.

3. Do Your Homework Thoroughly

Checking out your competition and doing a thorough check with their prices and pricing strategies is important. What approach they take will help you alter yours accordingly.

Before you self publishes your book, you should keep an eye out for your competitors as their audience is no different than your targeted one.

They will be alluring the attention of your audience, and as a writer of the same genre, the knowledge of what your readers are currently buying is important.

Even if the book you release is far better than that of your competitors, the readers have no knowledge of that yet. The readers, in fact, will notice the new introduction in the market and will judge your book by the cover, reviews, and blurb.

You have to make sure the price range of your book lies within or is less than that of your competitors in order to give the reader a strong reason to make a purchase.

This point is highly vital as your reader will not want to pay a high price for the fun and thrill he is already getting at a low price.

However, by the low price, it doesn’t mean that you undercut your self-published book. This can pull down the standard image of your book that the reader might not be interested in because the low price makes your book look less desirable.

4. Go For The Old School Pricing Strategy

He tried and tested the pricing formula that is the best and works for almost everyone.

Pricing is basically playing with the minds of the readers. Sure the unfortunate truth is, but if you are good at playing mind games, you are going to win this tournament of your life.

One of the most popular and oldest pricing tricks that psychologically work is fixing a price and displaying it as an odd number.

Even if it is only a penny, $4.59 looks so much more affordable than $4.60 and that is why this technique actually works when it comes to increasing your sales or propelling a reader to buy your book.

What is the average price of ebooks?

For ebooks, the price of $3.99 is considered the perfect combination of numbers.

  • It is an odd number
  • Price is globally the most used one to fix for ebooks therefore is easily
  • The price is low enough that readers can take a risk. It will cost them less than a fancy copy so there will be more readers who will not hesitate before making a purchase.

5. Adjusting Royalties

How much you profit each time a reader buys your book is your royalty.

Your royalty depends on the price list as well as the online retailer you pick. For example, publishing your book on Amazon gives you 35 percent of profit if the price range per book is $2.98 or lower .

Above $2.99 priced books will get you 70 percent of the sale and $10 to $100 will take you back down to 35 percent of royalty.

To all those thinking, Amazon really takes all the profit, it is true to some extent but publishing on Amazon benefits a writer immensely.

You get to sell your book to a well-known and credible platform, as well as your book, is available to millions.

But there are tons of better options than Amazon that let you have the 40 – 45 percent royalty as well. Because not all writers can afford amazon and get satisfied with 35 percent royalty .

With the printing costs, you will get very little royalty by publishing on Amazon.

When making a settlement on the price with an online retailer, think and consider all the extra expenses, like that of printing and shipping.

The point to remember is that no matter which retailer you are selling your book to, be it Amazon or iBooks, your selling rate will stay the same. You can’t charge less or more depending on the retailer to retailer.

What Are The Average Book Prices 2023

The average price of books varied from fiction to nonfiction and ebooks. All have different pricing strategies.

  • Price Of A Fiction Book

Most paperback novels with a considerable size range from $13.95 to $17.95 . So if your novel has 365 pages , it is completely okay to set a price around $16.96 .

The range applies to most of the books but not all. This being said, to set a price that is best for your novel, always do the research over the market prices going on for novels similar to yours.

Don’t be too confident and overestimate your book, because overly inflated prices take the book to be kept at the back and most upper-level parts of shelves in libraries and bookstores.

  • Pricing Your Ebook

There are several factors that majorly impact the prices of ebooks . From quality to royalty percentages and length of the book.

You need to consider your royalties by keeping in mind the expenses of printing and shipping. Choose your online retailer wisely to get the utmost profit possible.

  • Non-Fiction Novel Prices

A book representing and showcasing, a considerable amount of background research , additional notes , and charts , and other graphic details , it is obvious that the price of that book will be higher.

The more unique the book is, the higher the price. The price also depends on the trim size and number of pages of the book.

These are the factors and tips to consider before pricing your book. But above all consider what message your price of the book is sending.

The topic is much more complicated than summarizing in two lines so without further ado, let’s look at it more closely.

Message The Price Is Sending

Let’s figure out what the price of the book says about you in 2023 .

  • Low Price: Cheap Content?

If you have written a book with a substantial number of pages and you have set a very low price as compared to the competitors. This low price might be sending an image to the buyer or reader that your book is not of premium quality that is why the price is so low, it does not merit a higher price.

You should research how books are priced that are similar tours and are paying off. Be realistic about your prices and refrain from fixing a price without a competitor research

  • High Price Setting High Expectations

Sometimes, a high value of a thing that doesn’t cost too much may build up an impression of that 5thing being unique, high in quality, and bringing something new. Customers are more attracted to that high price thing.

The case is similar when it comes to books and sometimes setting a high book cost really pays off.

In the end, it’s all about background research and if you set a price a tad little higher than your competitor, the risk is there but if done properly, you can have gold profits coming your way.

Bringing It All Together

Pricing a book is surely a daunting task and if not done properly, you might see all your efforts going in vain.

This book pricing guide can help you a lot but if you still are not clear with what you want or need and are still confused about setting a price for your book.

If you still have questions regarding how much does a book cost then Mczell Book Writing offers you a platform where you can publish your book as well as take help regarding book prices.

Reach out to us now and let us solve all your problems related to publishing and pricing a book.

Accord us all your book-related problems and live a stress-free life as a writer!

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One of the most pressing questions for indie publishers is, “How much should I charge for my ebook?”

Ebook pricing is a fluid topic that depends on many factors. However, there are fundamental principles you can apply year after year in every genre.

Pricing is one of the  fundamental Ps  of marketing, so it’s important to price your ebook with a strategy in mind. The following principles will help you understand the fundamentals behind pricing, so as the market changes, you’ll know how to change with the market.

With a little research on pricing in your genre, you’ll be equipped to devise a strategy to achieve your sales goals.

How do I price my ebook?

Short Answer:  All ebook pricing is an ongoing, never-ending experiment.

The Long Answer: Pricing is driven by supply and demand. They pull against each other to determine the product’s price, whether it’s petroleum, milk, or your ebook. Within the tension between supply and demand, there are elastic and non-elastic prices.

Non-Elastic Pricing

The classic example of non-elastic demand is electricity. Regardless of the cost per kilowatt, you’ll use about the same amount of electricity. If the price of electricity takes a jump, you’ll probably try to turn out lights when you leave a room, but you’ll still use your heater and your refrigerator. Most of your appliances will keep using electricity.

The non-elastic equivalent in publishing is textbooks. College professors require you to buy certain textbooks, and the price of the book doesn’t determine how many copies sell. It’s relatively inelastic, which is why textbooks sometimes cost several hundred dollars.

Elastic Pricing

You’ll find elastic demand in genre fiction. When someone reads hundreds of books in a specific genre, they generally want the lowest price per book.

If you’re wondering how to become less elastic and create a non-elastic demand for your books, you’ll need to  build a strong brand . My demand for Brandon Sanderson’s books is relatively inelastic. I want his next book, and I’m willing to pay quite a bit to have it. I’m a huge fan of his writing, and if another author offers me a cheaper book in the same genre, it won’t change my mind. I want Sanderson’s book.

Top-name authors can charge more for their books because they have strong brands. If you’re a fan of Stephen King, you don’t want a book that’s $5.00 cheaper by another author. You want Stephen King’s book.

For our purposes in discussing pricing, we’ll assume you’re playing the pricing game along with all the other ebook sellers.

Price Determines Unit Sales

In general, the pricing determines the number of unit sales.

  • Higher Prices Lead to Lower Unit Sales
  • Lower Prices Lead to Higher Unit Sales

If your price is too high, lowering the price may allow you to earn more profit because you’ll sell more units at the lower price.

In other instances, raising the price will be more profitable because you don’t even have to increase your expenses. I’ve talked to authors who’ve raised their ebook price from $2.99 to $3.99 and saw almost no decrease in demand. Suddenly, they made a lot more money without spending more on advertising.

You can find a scientific sweet spot somewhere in the middle where you get maximum profit and maximum unit sales.

What is the sweet spot for my book?

It depends on your book and genre. The better question is, “What is your objective?”

Some authors want to maximize profits and make a lot of money. Others want to sell a lot of books to increase awareness about their brand.

Is your goal to sell a lot of books or make a lot of money? Your approach will depend on your objective.

Objective 1: Sell Lots of Books

At the beginning of your career, you’re probably more interested in selling lots of books because you want your book in the hands of as many readers as possible. In our  episode on piracy , we said that for beginning authors, the biggest problem isn’t piracy. Your main problem is obscurity. If someone distributes your book to more people, you’re still getting that exposure, even if it’s without your permission. New readers are discovering that you exist.

Additionally, more unit sales make Amazon “smarter.” They know who will buy your books, and they want to sell as many books as possible because Amazon’s goal is to make a lot of money. Consequently, Amazon helps you by sending an email to potential readers saying, “Based on the books you’ve purchased from us before, we think you’ll enjoy this new book from Obscure Author who seems to be selling a lot of copies right now.”

When you gain traction and exposure by selling a lot of books, your career takes off. You’ll get more reviews and email subscribers, and your book will move up in Amazon’s rankings.

How do I price my ebook to sell lots of copies?

It depends on your genre. Many people who teach pricing assume that you’re writing Romance or Sci-Fi because that’s what they write. Their recommendations are based on their experience in a single genre.

Price Within the 70% Royalty Window

I recommend that indie authors stay within Amazon’s 70% royalty window, which means pricing your book between $2.99 and $9.99. If you price your book for less than $2.99, your royalty rate drops to 35%, and that’s a significant decrease. You’ll make less money on a $10.99 book than you would on a $9.99 book. That’s why you’ll rarely see a book on Amazon for $10.99 unless it’s by a traditional publisher. Amazon has different price structures for traditional publishers, and the agreement varies from publisher to publisher.

If your goal is to distribute as many copies as possible, the $.99 price point can be a great marketing strategy. Over time, the $.99 copies will sell twice as many copies as they would at any other price, but it’s not a good long-term strategy.

If you want to distribute even more copies, you can make your book free. I worked with one author who had 700 Amazon reviews on the first book in his series. When I asked how he’d done it, he said he’d priced the book for free on Amazon for three years. When your book is free, you get a lot of reviews.

Offering your book for free is not a great strategy if you’ve only written one book. But if it’s the first of seven in a series, you might make more money on subsequent books by making the first in the series “permafree.”

The permafree strategy became popular several years ago, but some authors say it doesn’t work anymore. I believe it still works, but now there are so many permafree books, discoverability becomes an issue.

When people were first buying Kindles, they had lots of storage space for free Kindle books. Now those Kindle owners have hundreds of free books taking up space on their devices, and they aren’t necessarily looking for dozens of free books like they were in 2010.

The $.99 price can also be considered an “impulse buy.” Even if the reader doesn’t know the author and isn’t sure they’ll like the book, $.99 isn’t a huge risk. On the other hand, if the book from an unknown author is $4.99, the customer will think about the purchase a little longer, and often they won’t buy.

Objective 2: Make Lots of Money

In general, you’ll need a price of $3.99 or more, but again, it depends on your genre. Of all the genres, Romance is one of the most competitive and least expensive. But the sweet spot price is fluid, and you should always compare prices in your genre.

Whether you price your book at $3.99 or $4.99, you need to account for reader acquisition costs. How much does it cost you to acquire a new customer?

Many authors are eating their own seed-corn, so to speak. If they make $100 on their book, they’ll spend that $100 on groceries. But that is a mistake, in my opinion. Authors should set aside a percentage to invest in acquiring more readers the next month. You might use a percentage to buy advertising on Amazon or Facebook. You could spend it on a better email service provider or buy promotions for your book. If you’re wondering what kind of promotions you can buy, be sure to check out  Episode 61—Where to Spend Your Marketing Money .

Different methods work for different authors and books, but you must do something to bring in new sales. Make sure you’ve built enough margin in your price to attract new readers. Profitable books continually acquire new readers and make money every month because there’s enough left over to buy the next month’s readers.

This is the tried-and-true strategy of  Chris Fox . In our  Novel Marketing interview , Chris said he spends $3,000 on Amazon ads every month, and he can do that because he makes $5,000 in sales every month. But you must price your book higher if you want to employ that strategy. 

You can’t make a profit with ads if you’re selling your book for $.99. At that price, your royalty is $.35 per copy, and you can’t even buy a click, much less a new customer, for $.35. Even if 100% of the people who click your ads buy your book, you still won’t make a profit. If you want to make money, you’ll have to explore the higher price points.

What about pricing for nonfiction?

If your nonfiction book answers a specific question, the demand for your book is less elastic, and you may find you can charge more. People are willing to pay more for a book that answers their specific question.

Many authors think they have to decrease prices, but sometimes increasing your price will give you better results.

These strategies only work if you have a great cover and a good number of reviews. If a reader sees your book for $5.99, but you only have two reviews, you’re probably not going to get that sale. If the cover is a turn-off, that’s another strike against you. You need a great cover, so  beware of the common mistakes authors make  with book covers.

Reasons to Discount Your eBook

If you don’t have a great cover or great reviews, first fix your cover, then sell your book for $.99 for a while to see if you can get some more reviews. KDP Select allows you to do Countdown Deals and Limited-Time Deals for $.99. You’ll want to combine that discount with a  BookBub  Featured Deal or other promo sites like  EReader News Today . Those sites will email hundreds of thousands of readers and notify them of your book’s limited-time discount. The sense of urgency will send customers your way and often drive up the number of reviews.

Example of Discounting: The Apparel Industry

The potential for discounts is another reason you might want to keep your price high.

Think of the apparel industry. It costs a retailer about $1 to buy a t-shirt. They hope to make a $4.00 profit on every shirt they sell. But they don’t price the shirt for $5.00. They price it at $20. Then they put the t-shirt on the rack for several weeks and sell very few shirts for $20.

But, after a few weeks, the shirt goes on sale for $5.00, and customers get excited. Suddenly t-shirts are flying off the rack because customers believe they are “saving” money. In truth, they are spending $5.00, but since it was originally priced at $20.00, the customer feels good about “saving” the difference.

Setting the price high at $20.00 is called  price anchoring , and it’s a powerful marketing phenomenon we’ve talked about in  a previous episode .

If you plan to employ this “ price pulsing ” strategy, it’s important to anchor your book’s regular price in that higher range. People get more excited about an 80% discount than they do about a 20% discount, even if both discounts mean they are paying $2.00. The belief that you are saving money is a powerful motivator.

How does discounting affect my brand?

Some brands never discount. Apple and Rolex never run sales because luxury brands don’t go on sale. Their customers aren’t trained to wait for a special discount on their products. Keep this in mind when building your own brand.

You will train people to want the prices you offer. If you’re always discounting your books, you may be training your readers to wait to buy until you run another discount so they can pay you as little as possible.

Conversely, it’s easy to get into a price war with other authors as you try to undercut each other by offering the lowest price. But as Seth Godin says, “The problem with a race to the bottom is that you just might win.”

However, the only thing worse than being the cheapest option is to be the second-cheapest option. You either want to compete on price or quality, but no one wants to buy the second cheapest option.

The problem with being the cheapest option is that it’s extremely hard to get out of that hole. Your readers will come to expect cheap books, and if you decide to raise your prices, you will anger readers. Be careful with this strategy because people will always see you as a cheap read, not as a great value.

If you’ve written ten books that sell for $2.99 and you want to price your next book at $9.99, you’ll be facing an angry readership. In their minds, you’ve positioned yourself as the discount option.

On the other hand, if you’ve priced all your books at $9.99 and your next book is $8.99, they’ll be thrilled. It’s easier to lower prices than to raise them.

There is no one-size-fits-all method. In any given market, people make money as the cheapest option, as the bang-for-your-buck option, and as the luxury option. Choose your pricing tier on purpose rather than stumbling into one.

What price should y ou  choose? 

You can price a book based on a combination of any of these factors:

In general, you can charge more for longer books, but here is a general guide based on length:

  • Flash Fiction : Less than 1,000 words – $0.00 – $0.99
  • Very Short Story : 1,000 – 5,000 words – $0.00 – $0.99
  • Short Story:   5,000 – 10,000 words – $0.99 – $1.99
  • Novelette : 10,000 – 20,000 words – $1.99 – $3.99
  • Novella : 20,000 – 40,000 words – $2.99 – $5.99
  • Novel:  40,000 – 120,000 words – $2.99 – $7.99
  • Epic Novel:  120,000+ words $5.99 – $12.99

These aren’t in concrete, but you can use them as a starting point when deciding how to price your book.

Get familiar with your own genre. Pay attention to similar authors and how they price their books. If you’re an indie author paying attention to traditional publishing prices, you may be missing out on an opportunity.

Ebook sales have been increasing annually, but all the growth has been in the indie market. Traditional publishers have not seen the same ebook growth, so if you listen to their data, you’ll be misinformed about the realities of the indie market.

Indies are so competitive on pricing that they are taking business away from traditional publishers. That’s why traditional publishers say, “Ebook sales are flat.” That’s what their data says. At the same time, indie authors report ebook growth because that’s what their data shows. Indies have a lot of room to be competitive on pricing.

To find out what other similar authors charge, visit the “also bought” section on your book’s Amazon page. You’ll get a feel for what your customers are willing to spend based on the other books they’ve purchased. If you have multiple books, check the “also bought” section for each of them. You’ll get a good feel for where you should be.

Tips on Finding the Right Price for You

Run simple pricing experiments.

Change your price at the beginning of the month and see how it performs over the next 30 days. It’s an easy way to see if you made more or less money at that price. If you sold your book for $3.99 in January, increase it to $4.99 in February and compare the total sales. If it went up, try raising it again. Experiment with your book. 

Just because gurus on a podcast said you should price your book at $4.99 doesn’t mean that’s the right price for you and your book. Find out what works and what doesn’t. 

Nonfiction can generally be priced higher because people are willing to pay more for an answer to their specific question.

Price Anchor with Your Print Book

Price your physical book higher, so people feel they’re getting a good deal on the ebook.

Use your Backlist

Your backlist helps sell your frontlist. Your best marketing tool will always be your other books, so keep writing.

Experiment More

If you ask another author how you should price your book, they’ll almost always say you should charge more. If you charge more, then their book looks more competitive and attractive. Take that into account when you’re asking for advice, and then run your own experiments.

When I was at Enclave Publishing, we released new books at $7.99, and we never ran price promotions during the first six months. We wanted people to know that if they wanted to read the book when it came out, they’d have to pay $7.99. After six months, we’d discount to $4.99, but we didn’t want to discount too early because we’d risk making our first readers feel like idiots for paying full price. People who preorder or buy during your launch period are your core fans, and you don’t want to make them feel silly for paying full price.

After a year or two, if the series was completed, we would offer the first book in the series for free or $.99. Our profit came from the increased sales of the second and third books in the series. 

Whatever pricing strategy or experiment you use, track your method and your results with a spreadsheet. Pricing is a fluid topic, and the market is constantly changing. Keeping detailed records will provide you with data that will help you achieve your goal of making money and selling books. 

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Good guide. Most of the ebook prices are driven by supply and demand.

Xe nâng

Good guide. Thanks

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Book Reviews

Kelly link's debut novel 'the book of love' is magical, confusing, heartfelt, strange.

Gabino Iglesias

Cover of The Book of Love

For years, fans of Kelly Link, one of the finest purveyors of contemporary short fiction, have wondered what the author would be able to do with a full novel — and have eagerly waited for her to deliver one.

That wait ends now with the release of The Book of Love , Link's debut novel. And the author has embraced the freedom granted by a longer format, delivering a 600-page behemoth of a novel that shatters reality while pulling readers into the lives of several characters and obliterating any perceived dividing line between speculative fiction and literary fiction.

As an avid reader and book reviewer, I'm looking forward to seeing how other reviewers tackle a synopsis of this novel. The narrative starts late one night when Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves in a classroom with their music teacher and a strange entity. The youngsters are dead, but they're not. They disappeared a year ago from their hometown of Lovesend, Massachusetts. They were presumed dead, and they are, but now that they're back, their teacher, who possesses magical powers, alters reality. Instead of dead, they're all coming back from a long trip to study in Ireland. Their teacher knows what happened...maybe.

With their story in their heads and their new reality in place. the teenagers are sent back to their previous lives, where they must cope with everything that happened during their absence while simultaneously trying to figure out what will happen next. Also, there was a cryptic message for them on the blackboard of the room where they appeared: "2 RETURN/2 REMAIN." What does it mean? How does that math affect the outcome of their return? Their life as the undead is already complicated enough, but their bizarre revivification has brought something other than the teenagers from the other side; supernatural entities that have their own agendas. As Laura, Daniel, and Mo navigate their new situation and adapt to their new realities, they must also crack the mystery of their return, and more than their own resurrection hangs in the balance.

That's a lengthy synopsis, but it barely scratches the surface of The Book of Love , which also delves into the complications of love and friendship, family drama, grief, resilience, and the unlimited power of adaptability while delivering a tale of supernatural menace that also explores what it truly means to be alive. After years of award-winning short stories in some great venues and a few outstanding short story collections like Get in Trouble , which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and White Cat, Black Dog , this novel is proof that Link can be as strange, entertaining, and witty in novel form as she is when writing short stories.

The Book of Love is a narrative about love — and death and resurrection and kissing people and growing up and sibling rivalry and horror. This is a story about stories that even touches on writing. Mo's grandmother, Maryanne, who passed away while Mo was away, was a prolific writer who wrote 73 books in 42 years. Writing allowed her to build a good life and to take care of Mo after his mother passed away. She was also a Black woman. Little details like that open the door to new things, so while Link is telling us about Mo, she also gives us Maryanne's biography while also discussing publishing and the intricacies of a Black woman writing a very popular series about a white woman. Stories within stories, narratives that delve into memories, and expansive passages what go deep into the psychological and emotional inner worlds of the characters are common. In fact, this book will be too much for some readers. This is an entertaining novel, but it's also a barrage of ideas and minutiae, a veritable onslaught of language and narratives that deviate from the core of the story.

This is a long book that's simultaneously dazzling and dizzying. Some lines cut with their clarity and sincerity while some plot elements are puzzling. Link is a wizard writing spells that obey a dream logic only she fully understands. At once a book for adults that's full of elements that make it feel like a fantasy YA novel, a story about survival and danger that starts with a group of dead kids and only gets weirder from there, and a narrative that shows a mighty writer with a unique voice at the height of her powers, The Book of Love is, simply put, a magical, confusing, heartfelt, strange, wonderfully written novel that delivers everything fans of Link's short fiction expected while also packing a few surprises.

Gabino Iglesias is an author, book reviewer and professor living in Austin, Texas. Find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @Gabino_Iglesias .

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6 books to shake off colonialism and rethink our Latino stories

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What happens when we peel back the layers of colonialism that have shaped our lives? As Latinos, we carry a history that erases our traditions , dictates our language and imposes religious beliefs that disprove our identities. But amidst these challenges, there is resilience, strength and a growing movement to reclaim our stories and redefine what it means to be Latino. In this issue of De Los Reads, we explore six books that exorcise colonialism and pave the way for a more inclusive and authentic expression of our identities.

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Welcome to De Los | Reads: A roundup of books designed to amplify Latinx authors

The first edition of De Los|Reads features a new fiction book from Mario Vargas Llosa, a cookbook from Sandra A. Gutierrez, several memoirs and a book for children who aren’t ready for bed.

Nov. 15, 2023

When Language Broke Open

Let’s kick off with “When Language Broke Open: An Anthology of Queer and Trans Black Writers of Latin American Descent ” (Published by the University of Arizona Press. December 2023), edited by Alan Pelaez Lopez, a Mexican writer and visual artist. This anthology reflects on the lives of 45 contributors who generously share their experiences of pain, rejection and humiliation while highlighting their strength, pride and beauty.

In the book, Álida, a Dominican queer writer and educator, ponders on her first experience kissing a girl at the age of 11 in her piece “Love Thy Neighbor.” She writes:

“In Mami’s house, gayness always followed an explanation: ‘Your tío Julio was like that, good peoples, but he died of AIDS … ¡Que Dios lo tenga en su gloria!’ I had no explanation. Nothing yet to shape these feelings .… I sought mirrors outside myself and bumped into a collective erasure, doubtful I even existed. Loneliness is a strong bitterness when you can’t find yourself outside yourself.”

The book also highlights the challenges that Louie Ortiz-Fonseca, an Afro-Puerto Rican queer storyteller, faced with their mother, who suffered from a crack addiction during the Reagan administration, whose “war on drugs” prioritized criminal punishment over treatment:

“The same government that demonized, dehumanized, and then criminalized people like my mother now urges us all to remember that people struggling with addiction have a disease and require love, patience, and treatment,” writes Ortiz-Fonseca. ”This reminder comes just as the face of addiction is now that of white affluent youth struggling with heroin addiction. This compassion, while critical and necessary, was not made available to Black and brown communities that struggled with the presence of crack.”

Mother Island

Similarly, the memoir “Mother Island: A Daughter Claims Puerto Rico” (Published by Pantheon. March 2024) by Jamie Figueroa takes readers on a personal journey exploring the impact of colonialism on belief systems and the quest to reclaim our ancestor’s heritage. Through poignant reflections, Figueroa delves into the complexities of assimilation, religion and the path toward rediscovering one’s true identity.

“The message was not always overt, but it was still clear,” Figueroa writes. “God was love, but God did not love everyone the same. He loved white people more, and that’s why they suffered less. That’s why they had more, earned more, received inheritances, were treated better, were the authority on all matters. But he did love Black people and brown people. All colors of people. He pitied them.”

Soldiers and Kings

“Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling” (Published by Viking. March 2024) by anthropologist Jason de León is a unique read that emerges from seven years of research and firsthand experiences lived by the author amidst smugglers, or “guías,” on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Breaking free from stereotypes, De León wonders, “Who are smugglers? ... What does their daily life look like? How does it feel to be responsible for providing lifesaving passage while also being implicated in (or directly responsible for) the many forms of violence that migrants experience?”

De León offers a glimpse into a world rarely seen or understood. “Border Patrol blamed [the smugglers] for the thousands of deaths that happened in the Sonoran Desert, which were actually the direct result of immigration policies .… Smugglers weren’t walking the people through the desert because they liked hiking. They were in the desert because border policies had forced people there, and migrants needed guides to get across that ‘hostile terrain.’”

Vidas Desplazadas

Migration is now more than ever a global conflict. In the book “ Vidas desplazadas: La migración en México” (Published by Debate. February 2024) compiled by Ana Mercedes Saiz Valenzuela, we find a collection of essays by 20 experts in the field. It is a call to rethink everything we know about migration. This meticulously researched compilation offers a fresh perspective on the human stories behind the statistics.

Los Poetas de Los Angeles.

The best places to hear Latinx poets in Los Angeles

We can’t name them all, but here’s a mix of spots across L.A. County where you can listen to a poet pour their heart out in person.

Sept. 26, 2023

In one essay, “Hospitalidad selectiva: una tradición Mexicana” by María Fernanda Rivero Benfiel, she writes, in Spanish, “There is institutionalized and unquestioned discrimination, where it is normalized to see people detained in the south of the [United States], and at the same time, aid to refugees of Afghan or Ukrainian nationality is celebrated. It’s a selective empathy.”

What Makes Us Human

In the middle of it all, there is hope, a lot of it. Get together with the little ones in your life to celebrate our unique cultural heritage. One great option is the picture book “What Makes Us Human” (Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. March 2024) by Brazilian author Victor D.O. Santos, published in collaboration with UNESCO to honor the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. The book delves into language as a medium that holds the traditions and knowledge of different cultures worldwide. It features illustrations by Anna Forlati and is a must-read to ignite conversations about the power of language in connecting us and preserving our culture.

A Flicker of Hope

Another great option is the boo: “ A Flicker Of Hope” (Published by Viking Books for Young Readers. February 2024) by Mexican author Cynthia Harmony, with gorgeous illustrations by award winner Devon Holzwarth. The book takes us on a magical journey through the migration of monarch butterflies from Mexico to up north and how many of our parents embark on similar journeys in search of better opportunities. It’s a heartwarming story about resilience and the unbreakable bond of familial love.

Happy reading!

Roxsy Lin is a bilingual journalist and illustrator originally from Venezuela. Her work focuses on the pulse of the modern rhythms of Latinidad, arts and culture. @roxsy_lin

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Inside Aleksei Navalny’s Final Months, in His Own Words

Trump. Indian food. Matthew Perry. And books, books, books. Excerpts from letters obtained by The Times show Mr. Navalny’s active mind, even amid brutal prison conditions.

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Bouquets of flowers surround a portrait of Aleksei A. Navalny at a memorial in Germany.

By Anton Troianovski

Reporting from Berlin

Confined to cold, concrete cells and often alone with his books, Aleksei A. Navalny sought solace in letters. To one acquaintance, he wrote in July that no one could understand Russian prison life “without having been here,” adding in his deadpan humor: “But there’s no need to be here.”

“If they’re told to feed you caviar tomorrow, they’ll feed you caviar,” Mr. Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, wrote to the same acquaintance, Ilia Krasilshchik, in August. “If they’re told to strangle you in your cell, they’ll strangle you.”

Many details about his last months — as well as the circumstances of his death, which the Russian authorities announced on Friday — remain unknown; even the whereabouts of his body are unclear.

Mr. Navalny’s aides have said little as they process the loss. But his final months of life are detailed in previous statements from him and his aides, his appearances in court, interviews with people close to him and excerpts from private letters that several friends, including Mr. Krasilshchik, shared with The New York Times.

The letters reveal the depth of the ambition, resolve and curiosity of a leader who galvanized the opposition to President Vladimir V. Putin and who, supporters hope, will live on as a unifying symbol of their resistance. They also show how Mr. Navalny — with a healthy ego and incessant confidence that what he was doing was right — struggled to stay connected to the outside world.

Even as brutal prison conditions took their toll on his body — he was often denied medical and dental treatment — there was no hint that Mr. Navalny had lost his clarity of mind, his writings show.

He boasted of reading 44 books in English in a year and was methodically preparing for the future: refining his agenda, studying political memoirs, arguing with journalists, dispensing career advice to friends and opining on viral social media posts that his team sent him.

In his public messages, Mr. Navalny, who was 47 when he died, called his jailing since January 2021 his “space voyage.” By last fall, he was more alone than ever, forced to spend much of his time in solitary confinement and left without three of his lawyers, who were arrested for participation in an “extremist group.”

Still, he kept up with current events. To a friend, the Russian photographer Evgeny Feldman, Mr. Navalny confided that the electoral agenda of former U.S. President Donald J. Trump looked “really scary.”

“Trump will become president” should President Biden’s health suffer, Mr. Navalny wrote from his high-security prison cell. “Doesn’t this obvious thing concern the Democrats?”

A Public Life

Mr. Navalny was able to send hundreds of handwritten letters, thanks to the curious digitalization of the Russian prison system, a relic of a brief burst of liberal reform in the middle of Mr. Putin’s 24-year rule. Through a website , people could write to him for 40 cents a page and receive scans of his responses, typically a week or two after he sent them, and after they passed through a censor.

Mr. Navalny also communicated with the outside world through his lawyers, who held up documents against the window separating them after they were barred from passing papers. At one point, Mr. Navalny reported in 2022, prison officials covered the window in foil.

Then there were his frequent court hearings on new criminal cases brought by the state to extend his imprisonment, or on complaints that Mr. Navalny filed about his treatment. Mr. Navalny told Mr. Krasilshchik, a media entrepreneur now in exile in Berlin, that he enjoyed those hearings, despite the rubber-stamp nature of Russia’s judicial system.

“They distract you and help the time pass faster,” he wrote. “In addition, they provide excitement and a sense of struggle and pursuit.”

The court appearances also provided him an opportunity to show his contempt for the system. This past July, at the conclusion of a trial that resulted in another 19-year sentence, Mr. Navalny told the judge and officers in the courtroom they were “crazy.”

“You have one, God-given life, and this is what you choose to spend it on?” he said, according to text of the speech published by his team.

In one of his last hearings, by video link in January, Mr. Navalny argued for the right to longer meal breaks to consume the “two mugs of boiling water and two pieces of disgusting bread” to which he was entitled.

The appeal was rejected; indeed, throughout his imprisonment, Mr. Navalny seemed to savor food vicariously through others, according to interviews. He told Mr. Krasilshchik that he preferred doner kebabs to falafel in Berlin and took an interest in the Indian food that Mr. Feldman tried in New York.

The court also dismissed his complaint about his prison’s solitary “punishment” cells, in which Mr. Navalny spent some 300 days .

The cells were usually cold, damp and poorly ventilated 7-feet-by-10-feet concrete spaces. But Mr. Navalny was protesting something different: Inmates ordered to spend time in those cells were allowed only one book.

“I want to have 10 books in my cell,” he told the court.

Books Sustained Him

Books appeared to be at the center of Mr. Navalny’s prison life, all the way until his death.

In a letter last April to Mr. Krasilshchik, Mr. Navalny explained that he preferred to be reading 10 books simultaneously and “switch between them.” He said he came to love memoirs: “For some reason I always despised them. But they’re actually amazing.”

He was frequently soliciting reading recommendations, but also dispensed them. Describing prison life to Mr. Krasilshchik in a July letter, he recommended nine books on the subject, including a 1,012-page, three-volume set by the Soviet dissident Anatoly Marchenko.

Mr. Navalny added in that letter that he had reread “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich,” the searing Alexander Solzhenitsyn novel about Stalin’s gulag. Having survived a hunger strike and gone months “in the state of ‘I want to eat,’” Mr. Navalny said he only now started to grasp the depravity of the Soviet-era labor camps.

“You start to realize the degree of horror,” he wrote.

Around the same time, Mr. Navalny was also reading about modern Russia. Mikhail Fishman, a liberal Russian journalist and television host now working in exile from Amsterdam, heard from a Navalny aide that the opposition leader had read his new book about the assassinated opposition figure Boris Y. Nemtsov.

Mr. Fishman said he was told that Mr. Navalny liked the book, but that he viewed it as too favorable to Boris N. Yeltsin, the former Russian president.

Mr. Fishman wrote to Mr. Navalny to push back, arguing, among other things, that Mr. Yeltsin hated the K.G.B., the feared Soviet secret police that quashed dissent. Mr. Navalny responded that he was “particularly outraged” by that claim.

“Prison, investigation and trial are the same now as in the books” of Soviet dissidents, Mr. Navalny wrote, insisting that Mr. Putin’s predecessor had failed to change the Soviet system. “This is what I cannot forgive Yeltsin for.”

But Mr. Navalny also thanked Mr. Fishman for offering some details about his life in Amsterdam.

“Everyone usually thinks that I really need pathetic and heartbreaking words,” he wrote in an excerpt that Mr. Fishman shared with The Times. “But I really miss the daily grind — news about life, food, salaries, gossip.”

Kerry Kennedy, a human-rights activist and the daughter of the Democratic politician Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968, also exchanged letters with Mr. Navalny. He told her that he had cried “two or three times” while reading a book about her father recommended by a friend, according to a copy of a letter , handwritten in English, that Ms. Kennedy posted on Instagram after Mr. Navalny died.

Mr. Navalny thanked Ms. Kennedy for sending him a poster with a quote from her father’s speech about how a “ripple of hope,” multiplied a million times, “can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

“I hope one day I’ll be able to hang it on the wall of my office,” Mr. Navalny wrote.

Staying Connected

The friend who recommended the Kennedy book was Mr. Feldman, the Russian photographer who covered Mr. Navalny’s attempt to run for president in 2018. Mr. Feldman, now in exile in Latvia, said he sent at least 37 letters to Mr. Navalny since his 2021 arrest and received replies to almost all of them.

“I really like your letters,” Mr. Navalny wrote in the last message that Mr. Feldman received, dated Dec. 3, excerpts from which he shared with The Times. “They’ve got everything I like to discuss: food, politics, elections, scandalous topics and ethnicity issues.”

The latter, Mr. Feldman said, was a reference to their exchanges on antisemitism and the Gaza war. Mr. Navalny also described his newfound appreciation for the actor Matthew Perry, who died in October; though he had never watched “Friends,” Mr. Navalny was moved by an obituary he read in The Economist.

The December letter ended with Mr. Navalny’s thoughts on a preoccupation he shared with Mr. Feldman — American politics. After warning of a potential Trump presidency, Mr. Navalny concluded with a query: “Please name one current politician you admire.”

Three days after Mr. Navalny sent that letter, he disappeared .

During a frantic, 20-day search, Mr. Navalny’s exiled allies said they sent more than 600 requests to prisons and other government agencies.

On Dec. 25, Mr. Navalny’s spokeswoman declared he had been found in a remote Arctic prison known as Polar Wolf.

“I’m your new Santa Claus,” Mr. Navalny posted on social media the next day, after his lawyer visited him. “I don’t say ‘Ho-ho-ho,’ but I say ‘Oh-oh-oh’ when I look out the window, where there is night, then evening and then night again.”

In the Arctic

Mr. Navalny said in the post that he was taken on a circuitous route through the Ural Mountains to his new prison, which was classified as a harsher “special regime” facility.

Even on that journey, Mr. Navalny was reading books. He wrote to the journalist Sergei Parkhomenko that by the time he arrived at Polar Wolf he had read all that he was able to bring with him, and was forced to choose from the classics in his new prison library: Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky or Chekhov.

“Who could’ve told me that Chekhov is the most depressing Russian writer?” Mr. Navalny wrote in a letter that Mr. Parkhomenko shared on Facebook.

Mr. Parkhomenko said he received the letter on Feb. 13. Unlike Mr. Navalny’s previous letters, it was handwritten on simple, squared notebook paper and forwarded to him as a photograph by Yulia Navalnaya, Mr. Navalny’s wife. Polar Wolf didn’t allow the electronic letter-writing service offered by his previous prison.

It had become clear that the Kremlin was intent on silencing Mr. Navalny. The lawyers who had represented him for most of his time behind bars were in jail, while letters and visitors would take longer to reach him in his new prison.

Mr. Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, flew to the Arctic after the announcement of his death and, on Saturday, received an official notice that he had died at 2:17 p.m. the prior day.

Mr. Navalny’s legacy will live on, friends and allies say, in part through his writings in prison. Mr. Feldman, the photographer, said that Mr. Navalny’s legal team told him that the opposition leader had responded to at least some of the letters Mr. Feldman sent in recent weeks.

“Honestly, I think about this with horror,” Mr. Feldman said. “If the censors let them through, I’ll be getting letters from him for the next several months.”

Mr. Krasilshchik, the media entrepreneur, said he was left to ruminate on the last letter he received, in September. Mr. Navalny concluded it by positing that if South Korea and Taiwan were able to make the transition from dictatorship to democracy, then perhaps Russia could, too.

“Hope. I’ve got no problem with it,” Mr. Navalny wrote.

He signed off: “Keep writing! A.”

Neil MacFarquhar, Oleg Matsnev and Milana Mazaeva contributed reporting.

Anton Troianovski is the Moscow bureau chief for The Times. He writes about Russia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. More about Anton Troianovski

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  28. Inside Aleksei Navalny's Final Months, in His Own Words

    Trump. Indian food. Matthew Perry. And books, books, books. Excerpts from letters obtained by The Times show Mr. Navalny's active mind, even amid brutal prison conditions.