How do I price my ebook?
Updated
Start with what the reader is buying
Price an ebook on what the reader gets from it. A book that solves a specific, costly problem for a working professional carries a much higher price than one read for pleasure. Check what comparable books charge on the shelf you are actually on, start in the middle of that range, and adjust from real sales.
The word count barely matters. The change in the reader’s situation does.
Fiction and non-fiction sit on different shelves
Fiction competes with an enormous supply of cheap books, so readers have a firm sense of what a novel should cost.
Practical non-fiction competes with courses, consultants and lost time. That comparison supports a much higher number.
Where you sell changes the maths
Large retail stores set expectations for price and take a cut, and they may cap what you can charge before the cut changes.
Selling direct from your own page lets you set the price freely and keep more, but you have to bring the readers yourself.
Test, then raise
Pick a price, sell to a small group, and watch what people say as much as what they pay.
If nobody hesitates, the price is too low. Raise it with the next edition and tell existing readers they keep the update free.