Categories
books

Pricing in an Ebook age

I read an article from Digital Book World this morning about recent price reductions in Harper Collins ebooks and the seemingly little effect it had on sales. Thanks to the Department of Justice ruling (United States), Amazon and other ebook sellers were able to discount ebook prices. The article by Jeremy Greenfield had this interesting quote:

If an ebook’s price is lowered from $10 to $8, for example, it needs to sell about 25% more copies to maintain the same level of revenue. I didn’t observe any sales rank bumps that would indicate a 25% bump in sales.

My conclusion from the article is that it doesn’t appear price is a major factor in a buyer’s decision. Of course, there will always be readers that will gravitate towards the free ebooks. But a two dollar difference in an ebook doesn’t seem to encourage or discourage sales.

So the question I have is this: Why discount ebooks if you are not going to make up the amount in increased sales?

Are we witnessing a paradigm shift in book discounting?

Categories
holiday

Thanksgiving Turkey Coloring Page

Thumbnail for Turkey coloring pageThanksgiving is just around the corner in the United States, and that means turkey with stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and… well, I’m getting hungry!

While you’re waiting for that turkey to get done, you can color this free page of Tom Turkey smiling for everyone. This guy has no idea he could be dinner. And that’s okay! Cartoon turkeys rarely become someone’s meal. They’re too rubbery!

Click on the image to download an Acrobat file.

Categories
webcomic

Good Fight or Good Flight

Cartoon of a man fleeing. He thinks, "Can I fight the good fight if I'm running away?"

I hate tension. Maybe that’s why I like cartoons so much. I always loved the way humor can break tension and turn an angry person into a laughing one. More than once, I’ve had to break a serious moment with a joke. Sometimes that works. Sometimes, well, it can backfire! If someone really wants to be angry, they’ll do anything to keep their sour mood.

When tension comes, my tendency is to crack a joke, then run. But is that fighting the good fight? Once in a while, I need to stand and hold my ground. That doesn’t mean I have to be the angry one. Sorry, but I’m still going to crack a few jokes. I have to get a little laugh out of an incident, right?

Categories
creativity

Accounting for Creativity

Do you want to enhance your creativity? Take an accounting class! No, I never thought I’d say that either. In fact, I never thought I would be in one until this year.
I’m not saying we should get creative and cook the business books either. What I am saying is I learned there was this whole world I knew little about. Sure, I run a a business and balance my books, but there is so much more to it.
I’ve learned how to read an annual report. I now know how a balance sheet balances, and I learned different terms mean the same thing. But even more important, I have some more knowledge that helps creativity.
Whenever you learn something new, you have have new possibilities for writing, and new metaphors for design and illustration.
What is something new you want to try today?

Categories
cartoon

Framed Masterpiece

Cartoon of a woman holding a picture frame

Woman holds a picture frame and says, “I must be a masterpiece because I feel framed.”

Sometimes we know the truth, that we’re valuable and unique. But there is a difference between what we know in our mind and what we embrace in your heart. We can spout off the truth and still not feel it.

You are valuable and a masterpiece no matter what you’ve gone through or what you’ve been told. Hold on to the truth, and eventually, the feelings will follow!