Maybe something about being prolific? Most of the successful self-publishers I know produce a LOT of books, and I know I've read "being prolific" as a tool for success on quite a few pro-self-publishing sites. If someone's only planning to produce one book, or only one book every couple years, it could be harder for them to build momentum on their own. ETA: I feel like there might also be something about a comfort level for self-promotion. Almost all authors have to do some self-promo, but self-publishers have to do more, and they have to do it without any external validation that what they're promoting is worth people's money. I'm trying to avoid value-laden terms again - I know that self-promo makes me really uncomfortable, but other people seem to love it. So obviously self-publishing is going to be more or less comfortable for some people based on that. ETA2: I don't know if this is concrete enough to matter, but maybe something about business philosophy or attitude toward virtual monopolies? If you're not comfortable with the implications of the Amazon juggernaut, you may have trouble self-publishing. A lot of self-publishers seem to use the exclusive Kindle approach, which has lots of benefits but is, at least to some, damaging to the idea of a diverse, vibrant book market. I don't know how to word this, but I know that it's a disincentive for me with self-publishing - I'm reluctant to list my books only with Amazon because I don't want to contribute to their market dominance, but that means I don't have access to KDP Select, which may or may not be a significant marketing tool.
But it is more difficult to find a trade publisher for them, which was my point, and the terms may not be as "positive" as with larger publishers. It's really just another point to consider.
I vote $2.50 is probably a good happy medium starting point (not too cheap to devalue it and not too expensive for an unknown to turn ppl off). Can you increase it later if things go well & sales increase and popularity & rating is good?? Or is it a set price??
