Publishers Weekly has reported that Unbridled Books, an independent book publisher in the United States, has reached an agreement with the American Booksellers Association and Google Books to sell 25 of its titles for the low price of 25 cents and, in doing so, is raising some serious questions about its marketing strategies. Unbridled Books has received some criticism for partnering with Google Books when there have been accusations that the publisher is attempting to shirk from paying royalties to its authors but, for the most part, it has been seen as a welcome and bold move from the publisher which will promote independent authors and provide them with greater readership than before.

Publishers Weekly writes in the article "Unbridled Books has never shied away from taking the initiative when it comes to marketing their authors and books in unconventional ways. This time, the press is partnering with the American Booksellers Association to promote the organization’s IndieCommerce program. For three days -- June 9, 10, 11 -- Unbridled is offering 25 of its titles in e-book format for 25 cents exclusively through the approximately 250 independent bookstores that are set up to sell Google e-books through the ABA’s platform."

It's a strong move from a publisher has an impressive influence on Twitter and is followed by upwards of 60,000 people which has certainly been helped by this promotion. What Unbridled Books has done is to utilise an intelligent market strategy that increases the demand for these authors and brings a wider audience to the publisher. It's an attractive and lucrative offer. What's more, those people who don't have e-readers will be "missing out" on this offer and other offers that publishers promote on their e-books and so it will raise questions about just where e-books are heading. The question is no longer whether they will "kill" the paperback. The question is now about how long before the majority of people own e-readers.

Publishers should take note of these ideas and this intelligent marketing strategy and consider using it in their own pricing system. Many readers are still critical of pricing mechanisms for e-books and, as Unbridled Books has shown, it's not necessary to price books the same as print books in order to market the books correctly. By having a large following on Twitter and by marketing this approach properly, not only will the publisher have more readers and followers but demand for its authors will increase. It's a bold move and it will be interesting to see the sales figures at the end of this promotion.

Image copyright to Unbridled Books