Page Count-How much does it matter?

Jazen · Jul 25, 2014

So in the last few weeks I've seen books being promoted on my FB page and when I'd click the link to check out the blurb or whatever I'm surprised by the page count and price being asked for it.

One example was a book being called a 'novella' with an estimated page count of only 12 with a purchase price of $2.99. I saw a tweet by someone asking if she was the only person who didn't like the idea of being charged $2.99 for 87 pages.

In this age of series writing I see the trend of authors giving books that are a couple of hundred pages so the story is broken up into 3 books. Sometimes the prices are $0.99 for them others they like that $2.99 price point. Oh, as for the genre I'm seeing this, mainly romance/erotica since that's what I read the most.

As a reader how much of a story are you expecting to get for your money? Do you prefer to have 3 shorter books or one decently sized book?

Dennis E. Taylor · Jul 25, 2014

I personally hate short books. It's not a price thing either. I'd rather pay $3 for one book rather than $1 each for three.

More than anything else, I feel like I'm being handled when someone breaks things up like that. There's no logical reason for it, so it's marketing. I hate marketing.

RikWriter · Jul 25, 2014

I don't read novellas or novelettes. I'm not a huge fan of short stories either (even though I've written a few) so I personally wouldn't buy a "book" that short on Amazon. I wouldn't even download it free, most likely, so I certainly wouldn't pay for it. I've seen several SF and fantasy series self-published (mostly) for Kindle that try to sell 100-200 page installments at $2-3 a shot and I wouldn't even bother to read a sample once I saw the setup.
A book has to be at least 3-400 pages before I will buy it even for Kindle.

BookmarkUnicorn · Jul 25, 2014

I really like shorter books, and I think $3 for 100-200, maybe $2 for 50, and 99 cents for below 50 pages is more than worth a good story and all the authors hard work.
I've never been the biggest fan of the idea that page count=worth or quality and have been a longtime reader of good short stories and short books. Something about the shorter amount of time the author has to tell a full story really adds to the weight of the plot at times...

That said, if it isn't a full story at whatever length you're selling it at I wouldn't buy it. I like short novels, but I like short finished novels/stories. Anything else and I feel the author is being dishonest. Even a series of books is made up of all finished books.

Wilde_at_heart · Jul 25, 2014

I can't fathom ever buying a single short story, especially for that price. Or novels chopped into bits.
Then again, with everything I'm a 'quality over quantity' anyway, and I'm not an e-book shopper - I'll read the preview and if I like it, I'll look for it in a bookshop. I've yet to be impressed enough by one that's only available in electronic format so far.

Filigree · Jul 25, 2014

In erotic romance, a lot of books are only available through e-book first, or at all. So I've found some great ones over the last few years. Several science fiction and fantasy publishers are experimenting with digital-first releases, so that's another market to consider.

I snarl at readers and writers who don't know classifications of story length.
12 pages, not matter how densely formatted, is not a novella or novelette. It's a short story, and unless it's going into a collection, I'm not looking at it for more than $.99.

I like all ranges of story length. Writing quality is my only criteria.

Jazen · Jul 25, 2014

Thanks for the input.

I agree that quantity doesn't necessarily equal quality, but I do expect to get something a bit more for my money. Especially when compared to longer complete books on the market.

If it's properly advertised that it's 1 of so many books, I know what I'm getting going in should I decide to buy, but when those smaller chunks are priced at 'full' book price for each section it is a bit of a turn off.

The topic was just something on my mind after running across that story on amazon and the tweet within the same week.

Velvet27 · Jul 25, 2014

Value for me is in the quality, not the quantity. I'm not particularly bothered if the book is short, but I am if it's not very good.

In saying that, finding really good shorter novels / novellas that I like is easier said than done.

Would I buy a 12 page novella for $2.99? Well, no. Because unless it's the best written 12 pages in the history of the world, it's not likely to meet my needs for decent plot and character development.

WriteMinded · Jul 26, 2014

Price aside, I always look at a book's length before purchasing. I want to stay with the characters for a while, become immersed in their world. But, I read a lot of fantasy, which is usually longer, so if it is something outside my preferred genre, I will consider a shorter book.

I don't like novellas so I don't buy them, at least not on purpose. And I won't pay for a short story.

As for those broken up things . . . no way.

Page Count-How much does it matter?

Jazen

Dennis E. Taylor

Get it off! It burns!

RikWriter

BookmarkUnicorn

does believe in fairies

Wilde_at_heart

υπείκωphobe

Filigree

Mildly Disturbing

Jazen

Velvet27

WriteMinded

Derailed

Page Count-How much does it matter?

Get it off! It burns!

does believe in fairies

&#965;&#960;&#949;&#943;&#954;&#969;phobe

Mildly Disturbing

Derailed

υπείκωphobe