The packaging of your information product has a huge effect on perceived value, notes self-publishing guru Dan Poynter.

For a book, binder format has the highest perceived value. But binder products are more expensive to produce, more difficult to store, and harder to ship.

Publishing your book as a traditional “bookstore book” has more prestige – people revere book authors – but the lowest perceived value, because buyers compare its price with books sold in bookstores.

Hardcover books, which can be printed with or without dust jackets, have higher perceived value than paperbacks.

“Oddly enough” says Dan, “a hardcover without a dust jacket has a higher perceived value than one with the dust jacket.”

Reason: books for professionals do not have dust jackets. Think of the leather-bound volumes you see in the library or conference room of any law firm.

E-books also have a higher perceived value than paperback books. Because an e-book doesn’t look like a traditional book and has a larger page size, buyers see it as a specialized report rather than a regular book.

This article appears courtesy of Bob Bly‘s Direct Response Letter. Learn more and get your free subscription at www.bly.com.