Wednesday, January 05, 2011

The Race to Zero – $6.94 and £2.18 are the new $9.99

Kindle Review - December 31, 2010

As we end 2010, a year that started with the Agency Model, it’s worth taking a quick look at what prices the bestsellers in the Kindle Store are at.

The Agency Model was introduced because Publishers felt $9.99 wasn’t a good enough price for them. Were they able to raise book prices above $9.99?

Keep in mind that we supposedly had just 2.4 to 3 million Kindles in January 2010, and now we supposedly have as many as 9 to 11 million Kindles. So, the new price standard replacing $9.99, will be far more important than $9.99 ever was.

The Top 100 Paid Bestsellers List in the Kindle Store
The price distribution -

1.Books at $1 – 17. That’s 17 out of the Top 100 at just $1. You get the feeling $1 is threatening to take over, and that Amazon’s Deal of the Day page is an attempt to replace $1 books with $3 books.

2.Books at $3 – 12.

3.Books at $5 – 13.

4.Books at $10, or between $6 and $10 – 28.

5.Books above $10, or at $12.99 - 20. Just 3 out of the Top 20, and just 1 out of the Top 10.

6.Books at $19.99 – 1. Take a bow, Mr. Follett. You are the champion of the Agency Model.

7.Apps – 9. Average Price of Apps – $2.43. You get the feeling Amazon will have to move these to a separate list.

That list shows that there are 18 Agency Model priced books in the Top 100, but 51 books and apps at or below $5.

The full report at Kindle Review.

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