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How much should an eBook cost? To give publishers and authors some guidance, we’ve collected spirited defenses of seven different eBook prices–choose the price that works best for your writing.

According to a new and unscientific poll, Nathan Bransford found that 51 percent of his readers thought eBooks should be priced between $5 and $9.99. What is your favorite price point?

$0.99 Novelist John Locke sold more than one million eBooks with this price point: “When I saw that highly successful authors were charging $9.99 for an e-book, I thought that if I can make a profit at 99 cents, I no longer have to prove I’m as good as them … Rather, they have to prove they are ten times better than me.”

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Title: Benny the Cat

Author: Tamar Hak

Publisher: Touchoo

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $2.99

Synopsis: A day in the life of a kitty named Benny.

Features:

• Animation
• Interactivity
• Read-Aloud
• Voice Recording

The Greasy Screen says: Curly loves cats, while I have a slight feline fear. That, in combination with my husband’s allergies, is why we will never own a pet cat. But, with the introduction of Benny the Cat, Curly can now go through the motions of a real cat owner!

In this ebook, the reader is encouraged to help take care of Benny, a plump little kitty, by doing things like picking out his favorite toys and helping him find his litter box. The interactivity is really great; I especially liked throwing a pile of pillows around in attempt to find a hiding Benny, and Curly liked hearing him purr as she petted him. When asked to choose the best meal for Benny, Curly immediately wanted to feed him the plate of lollipops– she is her mother’s daughter, after all. The story itself was a little thin, with the text focused more on giving the reader instructions rather than telling a tale, but the main focus of this ebook seemed to be walking through the steps of pet maintenance, and we enjoyed taking care of Benny.

My favorite part of Benny the Cat was the hand-drawn illustrations; so often, ebooks are accompanied by more stark, computer graphics. This is a fun ebook for cat lovers and cat cowards alike.

Title: Spaghetti Day

Author/Illustrator: Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Publisher: PicPocket Books

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $2.99

Synopsis: While their owners are away, a group of cats cook up an Italian feast.

Features:

• Read Aloud
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: Spaghetti Day answers a question most pet owners ponder at some point: what does my pet do all day while I’m gone? In this case, a cat named Catrina gathers up all her buddies to make spaghetti and hang out.

Admittedly, I’m a dog person, who has a slight fear of cats. When I was younger, a family member’s cat went crazy on me, and ever since then, I’ve been hesitant toward all felines. What I envision cats doing when their owners aren’t around is plotting the demise of human kind, but of course, that’s just me. My daughter, on the other hand, LOVES cats, and laughs hysterically every time she sees one. Curly was once even swatted by a cat, and yet she still adores them. She also adored this story, and giggled as the cats played together while making their meal. When touched, the cats purred and meowed realistically, to Curly’s delight.

This eBook is a digital makeover of the best selling print book, Wednesday is Spaghetti Day. It’s easy to see why that book, and this eBook version, are such hits: the story is funny, imaginative, and engaging. It’s not the most high-tech eBook, but the story is great, and that’s what’s most important.

Title: A Present for Milo

Author: Mike Austin

Publisher: Ruckus Media Group

Format: iPad

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $2.99

Synopsis: Milo and his mousey friend engage in a topsy-turvy chase around the house, ending with a sweet surprise.

Features:

• Animation
• Interactivity
• Read Aloud
• Musical Score
• Sound Effects

The Greasy Screen says: A Present for Milo wraps up all the wonderful bits you’d want in a picture book in one irresistible package. This story was immensely entertaining, not only for Curly, but for me! Milo the cat and his tiny mouse companion chase each other through all the obstacles of their house; they bounce up stairs, slide on rugs, and skid through groceries. The interactivity is top notch; every page contains tons of hidden animations, many of which made me giggle (my favorite being a little alien-colored mouse who floats inside a toy space ship). Curly danced around when a piece of poked sheet music burst into song, and she laughed at the mice hopping on a trampoline.

The story is perfect for the toddler set. Just when you think Milo is trying to catch his quick little co-star for an afternoon snack, we find out that the two are actually the best of friends, who just love running through their maze of a house! The illustrations are simply adorable, and finding all the animations was equally as fun as listening to the story.

Give yourself a gift and download A Present for Milo!

Title: Bob Books #1 – Reading Magic

Publisher: Learning Touch

Format: iPad, iPhone

Rated: 4+

Current Price: $2.99

Synopsis: Based off the popular Bob Books learn-to-read series, Reading Magic is an interactive game to engage beginning readers.

Features:

• Animation
• Sound Effects
• Interactivity
• Read-Aloud

The Greasy Screen says: Some of the best iPad apps for kids are ones that just beg for tiny fingers to touch, and Bob Books Reading Magic taps into that effect nicely. Each screen presents the reader with a new scene and short phrase. The black-and-white illustrations bounce on the screen until they are touched, and then the letters that spell the word appear as little blocks around the screen. Readers are encouraged to drag the letters to the bottom of the screen to spell out the word. Each letter is sounded out, as is the word when the letters are correctly assembled. When all the letters are in the right place, the illustration becomes full of color and animation.

When we sat down to play with this app, Curly was a bit confused, mostly because I think she was expecting a story rather than a game. But after a few minutes, she was into it. She laughed when the illustrations shook, and really enjoyed moving the letters around the screen. We’ve been working on learning the alphabet lately, and Curly was able to recognize many of the letters as she played.

What I like most about Bob Books Reading Magic as a reading tool is how it lets the reader go at her own pace. Curly was able to explore without pressure to move on, and every time she touched the screen she was engaged in the experience of reading, whether she was identifying letters or hearing their sounds pronounced. Also, there are no super annoying sounds that repeat indefinitely, as many other electronic kids’ games seem to feature. Learning + sanity = hooray!

This app keeps the needs of its audience in mind. Without a doubt, we will be spending more time with Reading Magic.