# How much are people making?



## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

I see all the great threads about book numbers and free book numbers - but is anyone willing to share their cash numbers? I'm genuinely interested in how well people are doing. I know it's nosey and maybe slightly rude but I'm dying to know.


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

ummm....what do you do for a living and how much do you make each paycheck?  How much is your house payment?   Sorry. Couldn't resist.  If you see book numbers from people you can figure out how much they made, unless you are not an author and don't know the royalties.


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

Caddy said:


> ummm....what do you do for a living and how much do you make each paycheck? How much is your house payment?  Sorry. Couldn't resist. If you see book numbers from people you can figure out how much they made, unless you are not an author and don't know the royalties.


I thought it might be a step too far, Caddy. I'm going to leave it hanging out there(the question, you children) and see what comes back. I have read threads where people were quite happy to ring up the numbers.


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## ETS PRESS (Nov 4, 2011)

I'm making enough to pay my son's college tuition (film school) for a year and for my daughter's summer dance intensive. I hope to make enough to cover her dance tuition for next year (she is in a pre professional ballet school). I write under 3 different names, and sell ebooks on 5 different sites.


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## montereywriter (Mar 17, 2012)

I think it's hit and miss depending on what genre you write in (YA Vampire fiction is WAY overloaded with new titles now). A buddy of mine (Ryk Brown) has done quite well. Don't want to give numbers but he's in the 5 figures now with only two titles (Military Science Fiction). My short stories (below) are doing okay, but I'm not getting rich off of them by any stretch of the imagination. At only .99 cents that'd be tough! 

What makes books sell? Here's my guess:

1. Good cover art (yeah, yeah. They say you can't tell a book by its cover, but tell that to the general public!)
2. A story that either moves along at a good pace or has excellent characters (or both).
3. Good editing (not great, but good. Best to know your syntax, spelling, etc. before putting stories up on Amazon or anywhere else). If you don't have an editor (or can't self-edit), GET ONE!
4. Promote. Get on message boards. Facebook. MySpace. Everywhere. But DO NOT buy promotion on Facebook or anywhere else. It's a waste of money for the small-timer.
5. Luck. You just gotta get lucky sometimes. 

That's my take, mate.


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

ETS PRESS said:


> I'm making enough to pay my son's college tuition (film school) for a year and for my daughter's summer dance intensive. I hope to make enough to cover her dance tuition for next year (she is in a pre professional ballet school). I write under 3 different names, and sell ebooks on 5 different sites.


Very nice. So you're making money from educational books to pay for your kids education.


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

montereywriter said:


> I think it's hit and miss depending on what genre you write in (YA Vampire fiction is WAY overloaded with new titles now). A buddy of mine (Ryk Brown) has done quite well. Don't want to give numbers but he's in the 5 figures now with only two titles (Military Science Fiction). My short stories (below) are doing okay, but I'm not getting rich off of them by any stretch of the imagination. At only .99 cents that'd be tough!
> 
> What makes books sell? Here's my guess:
> 
> ...


Thanks for the response. I have at least one of those!


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## montereywriter (Mar 17, 2012)

Oh. And luck doesn't count!


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

montereywriter said:


> Oh. And luck doesn't count!


Shit.


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

I'm still waiting for my first royalty check.

I made pocket change.

I made enough to buy dinner.

I made enough to take the family out for a nice dinner.

I made enough for my car payment.

I made enough to pay the rent.

I made enough to cover a mortgage payment.

I made enough to take a trip to Hawaii.

I made enough to buy a Ford Fiesta.

I made enough to buy a Mustang.

I made enough to buy a Lexus.

I made enough to make a down payment on a house.

I made enough to buy a house.

And so on...

If everyone answered you'd get all of the above and everything in between.


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

Monique said:


> I'm still waiting for my first royalty check.
> 
> I made pocket change.
> 
> ...


So, where are you at?


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

I apologize. I always find the  winky emoticon to be the sleazy one.


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## Guest (Mar 18, 2012)

I'm making a lot of fans.


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

Wow, it was easier to get Helen Keller to talk.


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## RubyRoyce (Feb 25, 2012)

In fact the KDP terms forbid to disclose this information.


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## ETS PRESS (Nov 4, 2011)

PaulOBrien said:


> Wow, it was easier to get Helen Keller to talk.


There are some really good threads where people show what they made each month over 6 months or year's time. They are very motivating. Gotta find them though. They are probably buried pretty deep.


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

PaulOBrien said:


> Wow, it was easier to get Helen Keller to talk.


My post was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it's the truth of it. People are making anything from $0-$100,000 a month.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

With eight titles out (one of them free) I make around two dollars a month, sometimes a little more. That's between Amazon, the various places Smashwords distributes to, and paperback sales all over the place.

That pretty much what you were wanting to know?


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

Theresa Ragan has always been willing to share her numbers. You can check it out here: http://www.theresaragan.com/ And I think she has links to other authors who also share their info.


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

LilianaHart said:


> Theresa Ragan has always been willing to share her numbers. You can check it out here: http://www.theresaragan.com/ And I think she has links to other authors who also share their info.


She's doing great numbers. Fair play to her.


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## ETS PRESS (Nov 4, 2011)

RubyRoyce said:


> In fact the KDP terms forbid to disclose this information.


Really? First I've heard of that. Can you quote the terms? Where are they located exactly? I'm really curious since so many indie authors publish their numbers, and are extremely vocal about it.


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## AndreSanThomas (Jan 31, 2012)

People are making anything from a few dollars a year to thousands a month.  There really is a huge range depending on how many books, what genre, what price point, how much marketing, self-published or traditional, how many formats the book is in, how long they've been publishing, etc.

Bottom line is that my numbers won't predict your success so they won't help you anyway.


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## HeidiHall (Sep 5, 2010)

Are you secretly working for the IRS? LOL.

Last year I made about ten grand off my titles... in January of 2012, I made more. I write romance/chick lit, I'm an Aries, a swimsuit model, a trust fund baby with a job that pays me less than the interest on my investments. My mortgage is 2k a month and my car payment $550. I have no children and lots of animals... one of which currently is suffering from a UTI. I've been married for too long and am thinking after this next anniversary I'll trade him in for two twenty year old boy toys... hmmm. I love sports and am a DIY freak. I buy my underwear at Target. (Too personal?)

How much of that is true?  I write stories for a living, so I'll never tell. Snark aside, I'll give you a hint that at least I have reported my royalties correctly . When it comes to money - knowledge is power. But the results only matter if you know what you hope to get out of the information. Monique is 100% correct in that you're going to get every response known to KB with such a broad question. I'm actually interested in the responses, but I would also want to know it only for my genre with quite a few more specifics like how many titles and price point success.


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

HeidiHall said:


> Are you secretly working for the IRS? LOL.
> 
> Last year I made about ten grand off my titles... in January of 2012, I made more. I write romance/chick lit, I'm an Aries, a swimsuit model, a trust fund baby with a job that pays me less than the interest on my investments. My mortgage is 2k a month and my car payment $550. I have no children and lots of animals... one of which currently is suffering from a UTI. I've been married for too long and am thinking after this next anniversary I'll trade him in for two twenty year old boy toys... hmmm. I love sports and am a DIY freak. I buy my underwear at Target. (Too personal?)
> 
> How much of that is true? I write stories for a living, so I'll never tell. Snark aside, I'll give you a hint that at least I have reported my royalties correctly . When it comes to money - knowledge is power. But the results only matter if you know what you hope to get out of the information. Monique is 100% correct in that you're going to get every response known to KB with such a broad question. I'm actually interested in the responses, but I would also want to know it only for my genre with quite a few more specifics like how many titles and price point success.


Ya, but you seem way more cerebral and smart than me. I am interested in the replies though.

PS. I too have bought underwear at Target.


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## RuthMadison (Jul 9, 2011)

I admit, I'm dying to know this too! 

Since it's not just KDP that's making me my numbers, I'll go ahead and say that with two titles I averaged about $100/month. Now I have four main titles and a smattering of short stories and I'm averaging around $200/month. Once there was a $470 month. That was awesome.


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

George Berger said:


> With eight titles out (one of them free) I make around two dollars a month, sometimes a little more. That's between Amazon, the various places Smashwords distributes to, and paperback sales all over the place.
> 
> That pretty much what you were wanting to know?


Yes, thank you. But now I also want to know if your pic is what I think it is?


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

RuthMadison said:


> I admit, I'm dying to know this too!
> 
> Since it's not just KDP that's making me my numbers, I'll go ahead and say that with two titles I averaged about $100/month. Now I have four main titles and a smattering of short stories and I'm averaging around $200/month. Once there was a $470 month. That was awesome.


Very nice. See, when one person shows their personals then the whole room feels more comfortable. Who's next?


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## JamieDeBree (Oct 1, 2010)

I make between $60 and $150 dollars a month at the moment...sometimes better, rarely worse. That's with...lemme think...14(?) titles out across three genres + one non-fiction book at prices ranging from $.99 to $3.49, and across a myriad of sales platforms (I'm too lazy to count 'em up right now). I quit actively marketing before Christmas...and it hasn't affected sales at all. 

I get free editing (traded out) and I do my own covers now for the most part (paid for a lot of them until this year). I haven't done taxes yet, but I'm pretty sure I either broke even or made a tiny profit this year. 

The reasons people don't tend to like answering questions like this are basically:  

1) A lot of people consider finances a taboo subject (obviously I'm not one - I bring home just under 3k per month at the day job, for the curious), and 
2) Your own experience will depend on so many factors that you can't really get a good idea of how much *you* will make based on how much others are making. So it's kind of pointless, really, though interesting, I admit.


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## AnitaBartholomew (Jun 27, 2011)

PaulOBrien said:


> I see all the great threads about book numbers and free book numbers - but is anyone willing to share their cash numbers? I'm genuinely interested in how well people are doing. I know it's nosey and maybe slightly rude but I'm dying to know.


Net or gross? There are upfront costs, especially if you've done a paperback as well as an ebook, and there are promotional costs.

I had two months where I made much more than I could have anticipated. So far, this month, having left KDP Select, and abandoned the promotional opportunities and KOLL, I'm making far, far less than in the previous two months. But I'm in it for the long-term, and I don't like the KDP Select terms, so I'm looking for other ways to promote.

I can tell you that I'm well into the black, and have been for a few months, which allows me to experiment. But no, I'm not going to quantify that.

Anita


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## Decon (Feb 16, 2011)

Some people can make $12000 in their first year if they have say 12 books and still make nothing, because they could have invested that sum in bringing them to publishing standard. I am not basing that on anyones actual figures, just saying.

So a person with one book who makes $1000 and has invested the same pro rata has equally made... nothing.

One guy in the UK has just had sales that have earned him 50,000 pounds 76,000 dollars in 6 months, but the book got to number 1 in the UK and nowhere in the US. But how many make it to number 1? 

Of course the person with 12 books in the second year will overtake the person with one book if sales continue. Thats just one way of looking at it. There are so many variables that I think the answer is... anywhere between $-1000 and 100,000.

I am not sure what you are looking for, but I am guessing a big chunk of authors will never make a profit out of the 1,000,000 books on .com and give up bothering, especially if their book is 99c and sells very few and the book will never recover costs.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

> I buy my underwear at Target.


You can afford *underwear*? Wow, you're doing great!

I make about a car payment every month. Won't say what kind of car.


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## jimbronyaur (Feb 9, 2011)

Just today alone, I read a post of someone cracking $100/mo and someone making $700,000 last year.

It all depends.  

-jb


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## AshMP (Dec 30, 2009)

Right now ... I can afford two cups of coffee at Starbucks.


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## ErikHyrkas (Dec 24, 2011)

HeidiHall said:


> Last year I made about ten grand off my titles... in January of 2012, I made more. I write romance/chick lit, I'm an Aries, a swimsuit model, a trust fund baby with a job that pays me less than the interest on my investments. My mortgage is 2k a month and my car payment $550. I have no children and lots of animals... one of which currently is suffering from a UTI. I've been married for too long and am thinking after this next anniversary I'll trade him in for two twenty year old boy toys... hmmm. I love sports and am a DIY freak. I buy my underwear at Target. (Too personal?)


lol


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

I make in the low 4 figures on my indie titles.

But what I make doesn't mean you'll make that, you might make more, depending on how many books you put out, or you might make way less.

I think it's interesting to hear what people are making too, because I may think that everyone is making waaaaaaay more than I am, so there must be something wrong with what I'm doing, but if I know that peeps are in the same ball park, a little less, a little more, than I can see I'm right where I should be.

It is all relative though.


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## Ann Chambers (Apr 24, 2011)

Thought I'd put in an answer for the non fiction crew. Sales depend a lot on topic. I have five titles, all launched between last June and November (more are coming soon!) January was my best month with about 1,000 sales for a little over $400. The average is running more like $250.


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## SunHi Mistwalker (Feb 28, 2012)

Monique said:


> I'm still waiting for my first royalty check.
> 
> I made pocket change.
> 
> ...


I made enough to buy a pack of gum.


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

I'm still waiting for my first royalty check.

I made pocket change.

I made enough to buy dinner.

I made enough to take the family out for a nice dinner.

I made enough for my car payment. <------------------------------

I made enough to pay the rent.

I made enough to cover a mortgage payment.

I made enough to take a trip to Hawaii.

I made enough to buy a Ford Fiesta.

I made enough to buy a Mustang.

I made enough to buy a Lexus.

I made enough to make a down payment on a house.

I made enough to buy a house.


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## Mike McIntyre (Jan 19, 2011)

I think Ned Racine (William Hurt) said it best in "Body Heat":

"I can afford to send my shirts out. And eat here once a month, if I don't order an appetizer."


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## Gone To Croatan (Jun 24, 2011)

December/January just about paid my coffee bill for the month. Since then I've just about been paying my coffee bill for a week each month.

Time to get some more stories finished and uploaded .


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Enough to buy a pony.

B.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I don't mind sharing. My sales have really slowed since Select, so I think my last check from Amazon was around $300, if I remember right.


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## CaedemMarquez (Mar 23, 2011)

Heidi, you buy your underwear from target, I buy mine from goodwill.


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## Debbiek (Aug 7, 2010)

Between 5,000-10,000 a month.  Have 40 books. Doing it for year and half. Several different genre with several pen names.


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## BrianKittrell (Jan 8, 2011)

$500-$1200 a month, up and down at random.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I made enough off self-pub short stories in the last week to buy two venti lattes. That's looking at the numbers I can see, of course.


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## MegHarris (Mar 4, 2010)

> Many folks have multiple pen names. Some sell better on other distributors, too.


Yep. Looking at my rankings won't help you much. I have a pen name that sells as well or better than Ellen does. I have also been selling well (as Ellen) on iTunes, and I still sell some on B&N, too. So it's not as simple as just looking at someone's rankings, really. Amazon isn't everything.

I've paid my mortgage with royalties every month so far this year, but alas, March has kind of sucked, and likely won't pay for my mortgage two months hence.


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## Jill James (May 8, 2011)

I'm between a nice dinner for the family but not as much as a car payment.


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## Edward W. Robertson (May 18, 2010)

I'm happy, so I'll be indiscreet.

Averaged $15-30 a month for the first 12 months. About $800 last month. Think I crossed $1000 for this month as of a day or two ago. SF/F titles.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Authors-

Please just answer the question.
Sincerely,
Internal Revenue Service

P. S. Just kidding. Amazon already sends us your numbers. We've also cracked their algorithms, so we really, really know how much you owe.


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## KathyLynnHarris (Feb 2, 2012)

My sales are going steadily up - woohoo! But still not enough to pay the car payment.


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## Jorja Tabu (Feb 6, 2012)

I made 91 dollars in February!  A banner month, I even did a little dance  


But yeah, that's still about 270 short of my school loans, so...


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Last year I earned about $43,000. I'm up to $18,000 for this year, but I have months in the thousands and months in the $300 range, so it's hard to predict how things will end up. Getting more books out is the answer for a more stable income, although I don't know that this business will ever be really "stable."


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## HeidiHall (Sep 5, 2010)

ErikHyrkas said:


> lol


 



genevieveaclark said:


> Marry me.
> 
> This...might not work out.
> 
> ...


 No way! The ring is mine.



CaedemMarquez said:


> Heidi, you buy your underwear from target, I buy mine from goodwill.


Used panties? Must buy your book immediately to help out.


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## Edward W. Robertson (May 18, 2010)

smreine said:


> Hot d*mn! That's a heck of an increase!


I know, right? I've been broke so long I don't even know what to do with it. Oh, wait. Buy things!

Really, it's just another data point for one of the most common methods of success I've read about here--I wrote another book, and released it in February. It was my third, but I also massively upgraded the cover/blurb for the other book that's taken off, so it was almost like adding two new books that month. That combined with aggressive use of Select free days made all the difference.

That first year dropped my expectations so low my sales could shrink by 80% next month and I'd be like "Awesome! That's almost as much as I made all last year!" I would probably die of a backflip-induced heart attack if I ever saw sales like some of you all are doing around here.


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## WilliamEsmont (May 3, 2010)

Victorine said:


> Last year I earned about $43,000. I'm up to $18,000 for this year, but I have months in the thousands and months in the $300 range, so it's hard to predict how things will end up. Getting more books out is the answer for a more stable income, although I don't know that this business will ever be really "stable."


$10300 total in 2011.
A little shy of $4000 so far in 2012.

Like Vicki said - some months are great while some (summer 2011 as a good example) are not so great. Keep writing.


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## UnicornEmily (Jul 2, 2011)

Edward W. Robertson said:


> I would probably die of a backflip-induced heart attack if I ever saw sales like some of you all are doing around here.


I know exactly what you mean.

Speaking as a newbie author writing genre fiction -- $15-$20 range for my first two months, until I joined KDP Select. Then I "sold" 1,304 copies free in a single day. Now I think I've made just about $100 in this last week! I would LOVE it if this keeps on going.

Thank you so much for sharing your numbers, everybody! I'm extremely curious, both out of nosiness and for obvious (personal, wistful) reasons. 

I really have fairly modest goals -- I'd be ecstatic if I started making thousands, but I'd be extremely happy just to see a hundred regularly. (Right now, anyway!) Living on a very, very strict budget, every little bit I get means a lot to me.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

I post my numbers to my blog each month as well as select numbers from other Steel Magnolia Press authors, so have no issue sharing them here.

My 3 personal books have earned over the past 3 months:
Dec - $726
Jan - $4820
Feb - $2300

*THE BREAKDOWN*

*SECTOR C * - SF Medical Thriller - novel
Dec - $85
Jan - $4470 
Feb - $2025

*Vet Tech Tales* - NonFic Memoir/Essays - novella length
Dec -$258
Jan - $130
Feb - $128

*Spoil of War* - Women's Historical/Fantasy/Romance
Dec - $382
Jan - $220
Feb - $160

*Gypsy Bond* - Lindy Corbin - Regency Romance - short novella
Jan - $82 (new release)
Feb - $375

*Catering to the Italian Playboy* - Tamelia Tumlin - Contemporary Romance - category length
Feb - $1100 (new release)

*The Rent-A-Groom* - Jennifer Blake (NYT Bestseller) - Contemporary Romance - long novella
Feb - $3000 (new release)


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## Rykymus (Dec 3, 2011)

I got lucky. Really lucky. I wish I knew how I did it, so that I could make sure I keep on doing it.

Dec 2011: $150 (Released first book on Dec 19th)
Jan 2012: $550
Feb 2012: $6800 (Improved cover on Book 1 on Feb 2nd, Released second book on Feb 4th)
March 2012: $7200 (and counting)

Third book (yeah, it's a series) coming out April 2. I can't imagine what's going to happen next. My wife keeps pinching me. (I'm starting to bruise.)

I gotta go and write some more.


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## micki (Oct 8, 2010)

This is an interesting thread with classic replies. I put my first novel up in July on Amazon and Smashwords. When I removed it in December - to make a few changes and get another cover design, I had sold one copy for US$2.99 through Smashwords. I have an inkling it was a friend that paid out of pity!!!!  I am about to put the novel on Select and once it is up I will be more than happy to give you my figures.


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## JeanneM (Mar 21, 2011)

[quote 
I make about a car payment every month. Won't say what kind of car.
[/quote]

I make a car payment each month too! OK..not exactly a car payment, more like "I've got two Mattel Hot Wheels on layaway at the toy store"....but still.

I don't have enough up yet, and the category of my only good seller (Pet) is so niche. I didn't make much at all until I joined the Select program, but I don't know if that will last. But it shot my income from the low two digits, to the mid three digits. More than I expected.


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## Herc- The Reluctant Geek (Feb 10, 2010)

I love these types of posts  

More than I ever expected.

Less than I would like.


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## Keith Taylor (Mar 12, 2012)

I'm also a nosy parker who loves to read about the fortunes of strangers 

I only started 10 days ago, and after publishing one erotic short story each day I passed the $100 mark yesterday. I'm living in Bangkok right now (crazy cheap). The daily outgoings for me and my partner come to around $50, so that figure is my ultimate aim. I keep sneaking out onto the balcony for a smoke and a surreptitious fiddle with my calculator. No, that isn't a euphemism, despite my genre 

(Mumbling to myself) _"So, if I write one short story each day I'll have 50 online by the end of April... let's say one sale per day per book conservatively, multiplied by royalties, minus tax..." *tap tap tap* _

This is me every half hour.


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## Artemis Hunt (Aug 23, 2011)

I'm up to 60K since Oct 2011.


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

Ok, after careful deliberation I have decided that I shall make enough for the downpayment on a house. My calculations might be a little off but it seems that's the one on the list that appeals to me most. Thank you.


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## KurtCarlson (Mar 12, 2012)

I have a couple of pen names. Right now I'm making around $300 a month. I seem able to push the number up by $100 every month. The more time and more effort I put into it, the more it grows.


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

Currently making enough for coffee in the morning … need to get more titles out there


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## dldkrypto (Mar 18, 2012)

I think I might be able to treat myself to a Happy Meal and have enough left over to buy a newspaper.  Result!!!


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## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

I gave out this info on another thread once, so I don't mind sharing again.  For the past 6 months, I've made between $2000-$3000 per month across all outlets.  I started last May with just the Novella.  I sell almost as much on itunes as I do on amazon.  I have out 4 short story collections, one novella, and I sell all of the shorts individually, too.  (Twenty in total.)  But the bulk of sales come from the collections.  The bad news for me is that I'm putting out new collections, but not seeing that number rise.  However, 2,000-3,000 a month makes me happy.  I get good reviews, lots of fan mail, and hopefully some day, they'll take off.


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## RuthNestvold (Jan 4, 2012)

In January, the first month after I published Yseult, I made over $500. In Feb. it dropped to about $300. This month is looking better again but will probably not reach January amounts.


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## Judi Coltman (Aug 23, 2010)

Victorine said:


> Last year I earned about $43,000. I'm up to $18,000 for this year, but I have months in the thousands and months in the $300 range, so it's hard to predict how things will end up. Getting more books out is the answer for a more stable income, although I don't know that this business will ever be really "stable."


This makes me feel better. I have had months in the thousands, followed by a month in the low hundreds.. If Victorine has that too, I feel accomplished.


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## tsharp (Jul 14, 2011)

What's 35% of Zero? That's how much I am making!


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## Guest (Mar 19, 2012)

Monique said:


> I made enough to take a trip to Hawaii.


I'm headed to Hawaii this year! Can't wait!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

$9,330.25 in 4 years over 19 titles. 15,770 books in distribution. $20,907.43 in sales.

Edward C. Patterson


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## VannaSmythe (Feb 28, 2012)

So far, I've made about enough to cover the cost of on my domain name


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## Kathleen Valentine (Dec 10, 2009)

There used to be a thread on this board every month in which people posted their sales totals and royalties. Haven't seen it in awhile though.


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## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

I'm scared people would hate me if I shared.

I was a lot more adorable (or is pitiful the word I'm looking for?) when I was making $20 a month.


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

For a long while I was making coffee money. Now I'm making grocery money. On track to make enough to get the trees trimmed.

Hugh, given that you turned down a 6-figure deal, I can guess that you're making a satisfactory income.


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## Judi Coltman (Aug 23, 2010)

Hugh Howey said:


> I'm scared people would hate me if I shared.
> 
> I was a lot more adorable (or is pitiful the word I'm looking for?) when I was making $20 a month.


Can't hate someone who lives the dream.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Hugh Howey said:


> I'm scared people would hate me if I shared.
> 
> I was a lot more adorable (or is pitiful the word I'm looking for?) when I was making $20 a month.


Those who hate others who succeed are petty. Congrats on the success!


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## Jerri Kay Lincoln (Jun 18, 2011)

I had my first $100 month a few months ago, and now I'm working on a hundred book month.


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## RubyRoyce (Feb 25, 2012)

Well, I'm a total newbie! The Apple Pie was only published on feb. 24th. So far it has been doing nicely, to put it this way: I expect at the end of the month it can pay gas, electricity, heating, internet, cell phone and my insurances.
I hope it'll stay that way.


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## WilliamKing.me (Jul 15, 2011)

Between $4000 and $5000 a month since December. Probably less this month since I have been shooting myself in the foot with bad pricing and promotion decisions all month. 

All the best,

Bill


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## amiblackwelder (Mar 19, 2010)

Hugh Howey said:


> I'm scared people would hate me if I shared.
> 
> I was a lot more adorable (or is pitiful the word I'm looking for?) when I was making $20 a month.


HAHAHA
WE know you gotta be making in the multiple numbers...


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## amiblackwelder (Mar 19, 2010)

Let's see, I made $450 in Jan and $500 in Feb...but I'm proud of that. Last year my highest was $200 a month. So this is very good. I'm improving and like the turtle in the race, staying with it, improving and aiming for $1000 amount this year.


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## Rogerelwell (May 19, 2011)

Er...no.

Mind you, there was an interesting article in the Daily Telegraph newspaper here in the UK the other day, where an 'established author' was saying how upset they were that their e-book sales weren't taken into account in their 'sales numbers' towards the bestseller lists, so there is interest out there in publishing numbers.

Personally, I don't see it as an item of interest how much other people make.


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## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

Judi Coltman said:


> Can't hate someone who lives the dream.


This! 

If some writers didn't pull ahead of the pack, it could get seriously depressing. I got most of my work up in the last six months. Last month I made just under $300.00. I'm feeling okay about that and planning to keep toiling away.


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## Danielle Kazemi (Apr 2, 2011)

I am finally seeing steady growth. I am making about $20.00 a month now from Amazon and about $60.00 from all Smashword channels. It took forever to get here.


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## Kathleen Valentine (Dec 10, 2009)

Well, since people are giving figures $4000 in December, $5200 in January, $3700 in February. March won't be as good...


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Kathleen Valentine said:


> Well, since people are giving figures $4000 in December, $5200 in January, $3700 in February. March won't be as good...


One thing I hate about these monthly figures is that I can only really give Amazon numbers, where I don't sell as much. It takes months for everyone else to report*. I can finally say what my end of year for 2010 was, because everyone has now reported. It's a PITA, that's for sure.

*Please note: when I discuss numbers, I am only discussing my DIY titles. I don't discuss my trad titles.


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## valeriec80 (Feb 24, 2011)

I published my first book in June 2009.

From then until May 2011, (two years) I made very little, ($15 a month usually) though it started to pick up in December 2010, and I finally cracked the three figure mark. 

From May 2011 until now, I haven't made less than $1000 in a month. My best month was $3800.


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## That one girl (Apr 12, 2011)

B. Justin Shier said:


> Enough to buy a pony.
> 
> B.


This is all that matters. Everything else is inconsequential.

BTW, this month I've made enough to pay my grocery bill. That's with three titles out. I hope to have at least 12 by the end of this year.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

My aim is to make enough off DIY short stories (so not magazine sales, or novels, but short stories) to buy this:


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## Keith Taylor (Mar 12, 2012)

Kathleen Valentine said:


> Well, since people are giving figures $4000 in December, $5200 in January, $3700 in February. March won't be as good...


Well, January will always be a good sales month as the many thousands of people who unwrapped Kindles at Christmas take them out for a test drive. I guess February and March are the months when they realise they spent $200 on books in Jan. and settle down to read them


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## Feder (Mar 4, 2012)

Nov: $20

Dec: $346

Jan: $638

Feb: $ 469


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## Kent Kelly (Feb 12, 2011)

I told my wife I made a bajillion dollars last year.  She told me to be more specific.  I responded, I made a billion dollars.  But why make billions when you can make ... millions?

My computer was taken away for 24 hours and I will not make the mistake of profit disclosure ever again.  (But she figured it out for herself and reported it was rather less than what I was saying.)


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

I put my first book out in June of 2011, and from June-December I earned just shy of $63,000. From January to March of 2012 I've already earned that much. My husband is thinking about quitting his job to work for me   But I'd probably kill him if he was underfoot all the time.


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

I don't know if I feel better or worse after reading this thread. More or less optimistic?


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

PaulOBrien said:


> I don't know if I feel better or worse after reading this thread. More or less optimistic?


I love hearing from people who are doing well and even extremely well. But those of us who are only making a few bucks a month don't usually respond to these threads.


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

smreine said:


> Gracious, Liliana. That's really awesome.  You're publishing a preexisting backlist, right?


No, these are all indie titles from the beginning. I was never traditionally published. I didn't even tell my family, friends, or writing group until I'd been doing it for several months. I wanted to see if I could succeed on my own from the ground up


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## John Hamilton (May 6, 2010)

LilianaHart said:


> No, these are all indie titles from the beginning. I was never traditionally published. I didn't even tell my family, friends, or writing group until I'd been doing it for several months. I wanted to see if I could succeed on my own from the ground up


I have so much respect for you, Liliana. You're an inspiration.


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## Rachel Schurig (Apr 9, 2011)

John Hamilton said:


> I have so much respect for you, Liliana. You're an inspiration.


Agreed. Liliana rules!


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## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

LilianaHart said:


> No, these are all indie titles from the beginning. I was never traditionally published. I didn't even tell my family, friends, or writing group until I'd been doing it for several months. I wanted to see if I could succeed on my own from the ground up


*claps*

Kudos to you! That's an incredible success story.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

LilianaHart said:


> No, these are all indie titles from the beginning. I was never traditionally published. I didn't even tell my family, friends, or writing group until I'd been doing it for several months. I wanted to see if I could succeed on my own from the ground up


That's amazing success. I did something similar, in that I had a whole bunch of unpublished manuscripts and had never had a contract. I didn't tell my friends and family at first, either. I was ashamed, to be honest. That sounds pretty silly now, but at the time I felt like it was admitting that I'd never be a professional writer. I got to the point where I didn't care, I just wanted a few people to read my books.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I don't tell my family because I'm afraid of the hate mail


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## David Kazzie (Sep 16, 2010)

MichaelWallace said:


> I got to the point where I didn't care, I just wanted a few people to read my books.


I was just about ready to start e-mailing PDFs of the manuscript to anyone who wanted one. I even had the e-mail and FB status update written to announce, "hey here's my book. please read it."

God, I just depressed myself.


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## HeatherVivant (Dec 30, 2011)

I'm at the "modest bottle of wine per month" level but hope to bump that up to the "casual dinner for two" per month level by the end of next month.


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## Gordon Ryan (Aug 20, 2010)

PaulOBrien said:


> I see all the great threads about book numbers and free book numbers - but is anyone willing to share their cash numbers? I'm genuinely interested in how well people are doing. I know it's nosey and maybe slightly rude but I'm dying to know.


Well, Paul, I've seen on this board, over the past two years, authors who made between $50 per month and $2,000,000 per year. If that helps any. The question, while as you say potentially rude, is far too broad to get a good answer. Some people have one book, some have two dozen. If you asked a group of lawyers, "How much do you make?" you would get the same varied response. Some do public service work and qualify for food stamps. Some do corporate work on Wall Street and dodge the Occupy Wall Street crowd so they don't have their Lexus key scratched.

It is what you make it. An Indie can make a good living doing Kindle books. An Indie can qualify for "Obama Money" doing Kindle books.

GR


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

smreine said:


> I still feel like that on most days. I'm a writer because I have all these stories that I want to share with people. There is NOTHING better than hearing from a reader who read one of my books and Gets It. You know, where we connect on a special level that's like we journeyed to my personal Narnia dreamland and shared characters and experiences without having ever met. And then it stops being mine and becomes _their_ speshul Narnia dreamland.
> 
> I know it's cheesy, but there you go. I'm a cheesy person. I love it all _so darn much_.


+1 for the great way you put that, and another +1 for the Narnia reference.


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## I love books (Aug 12, 2011)

LilianaHart said:


> No, these are all indie titles from the beginning. I was never traditionally published. I didn't even tell my family, friends, or writing group until I'd been doing it for several months. I wanted to see if I could succeed on my own from the ground up


Congratulations on your success, Liliana! You're an inspiration!!!


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## Claudia Lefeve (Dec 17, 2010)

I have one short story and one book out, both priced at $.99. I make enough for a fancy dinner with the hubby (dinner can get expensive in the DC area) and/or my gas/utilities bill. When I release book 2 this week ($2.99), I hope to earn enough to cover my car payment.



LilianaHart said:


> I put my first book out in June of 2011, and from June-December I earned just shy of $63,000. From January to March of 2012 I've already earned that much. My husband is thinking about quitting his job to work for me  But I'd probably kill him if he was underfoot all the time.


That's amazing Liliana! I don't know you personally, but that makes me proud! 



KayBratt said:


> Still looking for parental approval after all these years.


I didn't want to tell my folks either (I was afraid they wouldn't understand), but I'm glad I finally did! My dad gave a copy of my book to his school's library (he teaches high school) and my mom leaves bookmarks at the salon and keeps copies on hand in case any of her friends want to buy one from her.


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## RuthMadison (Jul 9, 2011)

smreine said:


> I still feel like that on most days. I'm a writer because I have all these stories that I want to share with people. There is NOTHING better than hearing from a reader who read one of my books and Gets It. You know, where we connect on a special level that's like we journeyed to my personal Narnia dreamland and shared characters and experiences without having ever met. And then it stops being mine and becomes _their_ speshul Narnia dreamland.
> 
> I know it's cheesy, but there you go. I'm a cheesy person. I love it all _so darn much_.


That is beautiful! And I totally agree.


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## Tinker (Oct 3, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> I don't tell my family because I'm afraid of the hate mail


Snap! And right now I'm making just enough to keep me in nail varnish and buy the odd fish-head for Tinker 

Julia


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

smreine said:


> That's extra impressive. Does your family know now? What do they think?


Thanks, everyone! My family does know now, but I still don't think they really understand what it is I do or how I make money from it. I just kind of live in my own bubble, and they're pleasantly surprised when I get to buy them nice things. My husband has always been really supportive of my career, so nothing has changed there except that he's relieved I'm finally getting paid for what I love to do


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## Emma Daniels (Jan 21, 2011)

If it hadn't been for the digital revolution in books I could very well still be dying a slow death in the dreadful job I held for 22 years. Being legally blind made it hard to get decent work outside of the public service. I wrote for years and years becasue I loved it in my spare time, and attended creative writing classes. I first put up one of my favourite books on Kindle at the beginning of 2010, and several more throughout the year. That year was a bit slow, but last year sales took off like lightning. Definitely not in the catagory of some around here, but enough to make the decision to leave my hateful job. This year sales at the other outlets are doing well, and my Amazon sales are still steady. Definitely enough to contribute to the family income. AND other people get to read what I worked on all that time.


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## MH Sargent (Apr 8, 2010)

Liliana,

Congratulations on your career. Yours is a terrific story.


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## Spirit Flame (Feb 28, 2012)

I'm fairly new on here and only recently started posting. I hope to publish soon and earn, and then come back here and post.

What I wanted to say to everyone on here is that your posts are greatly appreciated. Each post in this thread (for me) is a source of wonder and inspiration!

There can be few places on this Earth where people are so candid with their insights and experiences, It's one of the things I absolutely love about the Writers Cafe. 
This place is precious for people like myself starting out with no real world contact or mentors.
Thanks


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

Spirit Flame said:


> I'm fairly new on here and only recently started posting. I hope to publish soon and earn, and then come back here and post.
> 
> What I wanted to say to everyone on here is that your posts are greatly appreciated. Each post in this thread (for me) is a source of wonder and inspiration!
> 
> ...


You're welcome!


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## montereywriter (Mar 17, 2012)

Just found out I made over $300,000 in sales in the past 3 months! <but then I woke up>


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## cshenold (May 6, 2010)

I just had a re-release put out this month, on the 7th and have sold 41 in two weeks, how it will translate to a royalty check I don't know, or how sales will grow or shrink. But pleased so far. The free one didn't move well at all but the $2,99 seems to be.


I know Tali's ghost visitor would love to live on your Kindle too. Just sayin'.


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## 4eyesbooks (Jan 9, 2012)

I'm still waiting on my first royalty check, but I'm made enough so far to take the family out to a very nice dinner


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## Courtney Milan (Feb 27, 2011)

On my first novella, which has now been out for (checks date) ... 10 months, I've grossed just over $44K. The amount that has come in per month has varied from $16K to $1K.

(Net is $40K: my net includes the cost of translation to German, editing, proofreading, advertising, cover, and a prorated portion of capital expenses, such as the purchase of e-readers to test formatting on, and so forth).

[For comparison purposes, on my first, traditionally published novella, out for over two years now in an anthology with Mary Balogh and Nicola Cornick, which spent several weeks on the USA Today list, I've grossed a little more than $23,000. Net is less: subtract editing (yes, I've always paid for a freelance historical editor, even when traditionally published), and advertising (of course advertising), it comes out to about $21,000.]

On my first full-length book, which has been out for 3.5 months, I've grossed $31K, net of $28K.

And just so you can see the effect of pricing (going in both directions): My first novella, at 99 cents, got to #2 on Amazon's overall site, hit the USA Today list at #36 and the NYT's ebook list at #6. The full-length book is priced at $3.99 and never broke the top 100--or even the top 200--on Amazon, but despite having a much more modest ranking, will easily out-earn the novella by the end of this year. Amazon rank isn't everything.


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Those are awesome numbers Courtney. Thanks for sharing and breaking it down and for the comparison.

You da bomb!!


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I have heard from other writers that there are indie writers out there making a "solid middle-class living" from their books on Kindle.  I am nowhere near that.  This month I will make just over $400, and that's a really good month for me.  Normally a few hundred is what I make.  I made about 2K total last year from Amazon, but then, I really only started focusing on marketing and promoting my Kindle books in April, or so, of last year.  Hopefully, onward and upward this year.


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## PaulOBrien (Sep 8, 2011)

Courtney Milan said:


> On my first novella, which has now been out for (checks date) ... 10 months, I've grossed just over $44K. The amount that has come in per month has varied from $16K to $1K.
> 
> (Net is $40K: my net includes the cost of translation to German, editing, proofreading, advertising, cover, and a prorated portion of capital expenses, such as the purchase of e-readers to test formatting on, and so forth).
> 
> ...


I've just decided that you are my new idol. Is that okay?


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## pavb2 (Feb 29, 2012)

I started in Jan with a couple of short stories just added another one. I know they don't sell very well made about 6 sales approx 300 freebies really only promoted the last publication.

I'm OK with this as it's about gaining experience I aim to add maybe another 3 stories and then put these into a $3 anthology.

I'm not a prolific writer by any means (work,family,procrastination etc) started my 5500 k short story a year ago but I'm not prepared to compromise by throwing anything out there so gonna see how things go after a year or so.

Paul A.


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## Jackie Barbosa (Mar 23, 2011)

On the digital short story that I released at 99 cents in January of 2011 and which is now free, I've made about $3.5k total. It still sells a few copies here and there, but never earns more than about $30 in a month anymore.

I rereleased a short story that was reverted from its original publisher in September of 2011, and it has earned about $2k so far priced at 99 cents (and is selling better this month than ever).

Finally, I put out an original novella in late December. It is officially priced at $2.99 so that I get the 70% royalty from Amazon, but discounted to $1.96. Across all platforms, not including the last two months of third party sales through Smashwords, it has sold more than 6,500 copies and earned about $9k. Sales peaked during the week it had the Romance of the Week spot on Kindle Daily Nation, when it got up to the 490s overall on Amazon. It's currently hovering in the 700s-800s.

One other thing I am noticing is a marked increase in my publisher backlist sales on Amazon. I included excerpts from both my Spice Briefs in the original novella, as the stories are related by characters, and once the novella started selling well, I saw a major bump in my rankings for those titles as well. So it's not just the self-published works that are benefitting me, although I won't have any idea what my actual sales figures and income on those titles are until late this year.


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## RubyRoyce (Feb 25, 2012)

Courtney Milan said:


> On my first novella, which has now been out for (checks date) ... 10 months, I've grossed just over $44K. The amount that has come in per month has varied from $16K to $1K.
> 
> (Net is $40K: my net includes the cost of translation to German, editing, proofreading, advertising, cover, and a prorated portion of capital expenses, such as the purchase of e-readers to test formatting on, and so forth).
> 
> ...


Of course your first one generated a lot of publicity hence the second does not depend on rank.
But wow wow wow!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Some great figures here. I'm just hoping that my application to have the 30% US tax removed will be accepted and then I can boast a 30% increase in earnings


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## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

Courtney Milan said:


> On my first novella, which has now been out for (checks date) ... 10 months, I've grossed just over $44K. The amount that has come in per month has varied from $16K to $1K.
> 
> (Net is $40K: my net includes the cost of translation to German, editing, proofreading, advertising, cover, and a prorated portion of capital expenses, such as the purchase of e-readers to test formatting on, and so forth).
> 
> ...


Fabulous of you to share this, Courtenay. It is truly inspirational. And I'm sure it helps a ton, that your books and novellas are amazingly well-written and fun reads. (I've got Smite's story standing by.  )


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## Rusty Bigfoot (Jul 6, 2011)

I just got back today from buying a nice little camp trailer with my book earnings so far this year, which means I can move up from a tent when I'm out with fishing clients.

It cost $5,000. I'm a happy camper.


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## Ardin (Nov 1, 2012)

Look how young everyone was!


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## britrocker (May 16, 2011)

PaulOBrien said:


> I see all the great threads about book numbers and free book numbers - but is anyone willing to share their cash numbers? I'm genuinely interested in how well people are doing. I know it's nosey and maybe slightly rude but I'm dying to know.


$1,000,000 monopoly cash a day, though I'm having a hard time getting banks to take it though.


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## BrianKittrell (Jan 8, 2011)

I'm good for about $50,000 a year, give or take. It may or may not remain the same. Could go up or down or remain.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I make so little that I have to pay Amazon for bandwidth space.


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

Not enough.


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## RaeC (Aug 20, 2013)

Just a little bit over -$.01.


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## trublue (Jul 7, 2012)

Hugh Howey said:


> I'm scared people would hate me if I shared.
> 
> I was a lot more adorable (or is pitiful the word I'm looking for?) when I was making $20 a month.


I know what you mean. I certainly don't make your figures but I do get it. But sometimes it can also inspire people. It's tricky to know if you should or should not say. Since I make way less than you maybe folks will hate me less.lol.

I make anywhere from 15-24k a month from Amazon alone. Started out making 30 bucks so things can change. There are others making so much more than me. I try to learn from them and read as much as I can to get tips


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## Bob Mayer (Feb 20, 2011)

More than enough.


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## swolf (Jun 21, 2010)

One of the most inspiring things about the people here is that you can look back on their posts and see them just starting out, joking about how little they're making.  And then look at them now and how successful they are.

That sends a message to all of us, that even if you're making just a few dollars a month, the potential to make a lot more is out there.  I know it inspired me to keep going.


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## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

trublue said:


> I make anywhere from 15-24k a month from Amazon alone. Started out making 30 bucks so things can change. There are others making so much more than me. I try to learn from them and read as much as I can to get tips


Brilliant. That's amazing.


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## L.C. Candar (Sep 25, 2012)

Anya said:


> Not enough.


BLOBBIE, MY FRIEND! I HAVE MISSED YOU SO!!!!


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## wolfrom (May 26, 2012)

swolf said:


> One of the most inspiring things about the people here is that you can look back on their posts and see them just starting out, joking about how little they're making. And then look at them now and how successful they are.
> 
> That sends a message to all of us, that even if you're making just a few dollars a month, the potential to make a lot more is out there. I know it inspired me to keep going.


This is what I'm relying on too, to keep me going in the current lean times. It seems to me like _almost everyone_ who follows the proven techniques to building readership and sales succeeds eventually as long as they keep going. Not Hugh Howey success, but more than enough to feel like it was worth the slog.


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## 71089 (Jul 12, 2013)

I started in July, made about 50 dollars.
In august I made 200 dollars.
In september I estimate I will make around 500-600 dollars (I've already passed 370 - so I'm well on my way).
If it goes on like this, I might even be able to make a living with just writing, hopefully.


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## Lydniz (May 2, 2013)

I'm picking up a little bit this month, plus I've just launched my second title, this time at 70% royalty, so if I continue as I am until the end of the month, I'm on target to make maybe 1400 dollars.

That looks really nice written down.


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