It Is Not Nuts: Authors Should Overcharge For Their Books

 

Here is a cautionary consumer tale that should let writers know both how they may be overcharged for things — and how they can also overcharge readers if they choose to. Read on.

We all have noticed how the “healthy” food option can cost more money than the standard version of the same food. Organic foods cost more. Red meat from grass-fed cows cost more.  However, not every healthier version of a food need cost more.

Ok, I get it. If you use higher quality goods, take extra preparation steps, or your natural ingredients come from far away, more costs are connected to the product. The less processed or factory formulaic one’s food is, the greater likelihood there is a higher cost to the producer and thus to the consumer.

However, what happens when no extra costs are involved in producing a healthier option but the retailer upcharges by nearly 45% above the “regular” version of a food product?

How about this: Consumers are being charged more when a manufacturer merely withholds an ingredient. Imagine: You get less of something but now you pay more. Why? Because a store believes it can get away with it.

I was looking for almonds the other day at Stop & Shop, the largest chain grocery store servicing my county. I stumbled upon cashews. I saw that the small plastic box that I had picked up had salt, so I switched for unsalted. I had noticed the salted ones were $6.99, already a ripoff given their size. The unsalted were jacked up to 9.99 — a full three dollars more.

Out for blood, I went looking for a store manager to ask why they are ripping off consumers. I was shocked to hear them state the truth.

The customer service counter employee looked it up and saw the price differential and he stated, over a guilty smile, “Because customers are willing to pay more for the healthy version.” I told him nothing was done except using one less ingredient. He said: “They know people will pay for it.”

So, his answer basically was: We do it not on merit, but because we can get away with it. I am not even sure that the manufacturer, Nature’s Promise up-charged them or by how much, but Stop & Shop clearly seems opportunistic to take advantage of customers.

I demanded to speak to a manager and to be charged $6.99. He called someone and got the approval.

I felt happy that I took a stand, advocated for myself, and got results, but I felt disappointed in myself for not trying harder to make it affordable to all consumers. I am a street-savvy loudmouth, but what about the sheep out there who do not question, speak up, and take action?

The marketing lesson is two-fold here: As a consumer, buyer beware. As an author, tru charging premiums on your books and you will be surprised that people will blindly pay what you ask, even if there is no merit to it.

For instance, many authors would gladly talk for free and then hope to sell some books at an event. What if you instead charge for the event and include a copy of the book? You can make more money by rolling the book into the ticket price.

Another thing that you can do is have a gift version of your book. Maybe it is a hard cover instead of a paperback and maybe consumers get access to bonus content that you already have on your website. You may charge a lot more for this, even though your production costs increased just slightly.

Or how about this? Take your non-fiction book’s contents and sell it online as some kind of do-it-yourself resource online and charge double or more for it. The recipient may not know the exact same content is available as a book. And if you want it to seem different, add a few pages of additional resources and content and market it as an expanded resource and charge more.

As you can see, you can be the consumer sucker or you can be the savvy manufacturer and retailer. You too can overcharge for saltless cashews and though it seems nuts, you will come out way ahead.

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,950,000 page views. With 5,600+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum