# Let's Talk Money



## Jude Hardin (Feb 5, 2011)

My novel COLT was released May 30. For the month of June, the book earned me $344.43, which more than covered my expenses for the cover and for formatting.

So from now on, every dime that I make from that book will be profit. Forever.

In the first week of July, the book has sold 355 copies, along with 18 borrows through Amazon Prime. That translates to about $1026.00. One book, one week, a thousand bucks.

Self-publishing is fun.

Anyone else want to share some recent numbers?


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

You've cracked open a topic that many folks are uncomfortable talking about.

Reporting copies sold is cool, and you've got good numbers to crow about. 

I think you'll find the folks making a lot of money don't want to rub it in anyone's face, while those that are having a bad month are a little embarrassed to quote outright numbers.

For example, yesterday's sales (June 7) for me were: 497 total sales, $2,817 in royalties. A ho-hum day. When Mr. Blake, Hugh and Elle read this post, they might have some fun teasing me about my slow day.

On the other hand, a person who had a really bad day might have a few shots of liquid refreshment, and then decides to use his brother-in-law's Amazon ID and leave me a few nice 1-star bombs... just for being a showoff. 

I would suggest checking out the various sales threads, and seeing how others are doing if you're curious.  

Congratulations on how well your book is doing, and I hope the success continues.


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## elizabethareeves (Jul 6, 2013)

Congrats on your first week in July. That is so awesome. 

I am not one who likes to talk numbers or sales but I have had weeks like that as an author it feels great. 

I hope your success continues.


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## Zoe York (May 12, 2013)

I'm going to go and badmouth Joe all over the internet now. 

I'm a debut author. I sold 45 copies of my book in June (released half way through the month). Then I put it on on sale for the last week, and I've sold almost another 50 copies. Sometime later today I'll probably sell my 100th copy, and tonight I'm going to drink champagne.


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## Desmond X. Torres (Mar 16, 2013)

Joe_Nobody said:


> For example, yesterday's sales (June 7) for me were: 497 total sales, $2,817 in royalties. A ho-hum day. When Mr. Blake, Hugh and Elle read this post, they might have some fun teasing me about my slow day.
> 
> Congratulations on how well your book is doing, and I hope the success continues.


Ummm... those numbers are *FOR A DAAAY?*


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## Zachery Richardson (Jun 5, 2011)

So far, I've only managed to sell roughly 20 copies of my novella a month and between all the promotion I've paid for, I won't be breaking even for a while. Did take some good note for my novel though, so that one will probably go better. All told, in three months, I've made about 
$150 off Winter's Blood.


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## NathanWrann (May 5, 2011)

I think I sold a copy today. Maybe.


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## Quiss (Aug 21, 2012)

Not sure I see the point. I don't show my pay check around the office, either. Dollar figures are meaningless when you're counting sales of 99-centers to $15 and up.

I've pretty much stopped reading the "wee, look at me" threads. While good sales are certainly to be celebrated and encouraged, right now I just don't want to see it.

Then again, I got a rather peculiar review today where someone gave me four stars instead of five because my book kept him up reading all night and then his wife made him bathe the cat and he blamed that on me, too. Something like that. Weird, but it gave me a nice lift and makes it all seem worthwhile


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## whatdanwrote (Oct 18, 2012)

Those are nice numbers! Thanks for sharing!

I'm writing a series, so when I get the second book up, I will promote more. I get a trickle of sales for the first one.


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## zandermarks (May 20, 2013)

Joe_Nobody said:


> On the other hand, a person who had a really bad day might have a few shots of liquid refreshment, and then decided to use his brother-in-law's Amazon ID and leave me a few nice 1-star bombs... just for being a showoff.


Hah! No chance of that from me!

My own sales month-to-date:

2 sales, both of which are Amazon gifts I gave to active reviewers requesting them.
1 borrow.

Not sweating it a bit, though. I've got a giveaway coming at the end of the month, and I've been preparing for it with a carpet-bombing campaign. In the meantime, just continuing my reviewer-cultivation efforts.


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## Tim_A (May 25, 2013)

In the last 10 days?

1.


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## penrefe (Nov 30, 2011)

Tim_A said:


> In the last 10 days?
> 
> 1.


Ditto! /highfive

As far as profit/loss on my company so far, I'm currently working on a loss of over £1,000 (I'm not careful with money [despite being an accountant], and I put a lot of money into things I probably don't need to, like spending £350 for a sales table and stock to fill it for a comic convention, that kind of thing). I confident one day I will break even, but it will not be any time soon.


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## jdcore (Jul 2, 2013)

> In the last 10 days?
> 
> 1.


I have 2, so thanks for making me feel better.

I'm sort of using this experience as a learning tool. I have four more books in beta and I'm working on a sixth book in the series, so when I am ready to start rolling out the sequels I'll hopefully have some handle on what I'm doing.


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## markobeezy (Jan 30, 2012)

I average 1-2 sales per day and the occasional borrowed copy. "The Fourth Crusade" is my money-earner, so I'm hoping to hit numbers like the OP's once I've done some more historical fictions.


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## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

I like reading about the big numbers and big success stories. But then I'm a nut for the idea of possibilities. Me? I was doing okay until June. (Nothing like Joe or Jude, though. Just wow! And congratulations.) On June 1st my sales fell into a crack, July it widened into a crevice.   

So, yes, I don't want to put my sh***y numbers out there, but I'll happily read about the success of others. It reminds me that the e-world has not come to an end.


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## Nope (Jun 25, 2012)

.


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## Error404 (Sep 6, 2012)

Quiss said:


> ...I've pretty much stopped reading the "wee, look at me" threads. While good sales are certainly to be celebrated and encouraged, right now I just don't want to see it...


This for me. I've seen too many on the forums recently (what from Casey and even Joe himself), and don't really imbibe any more encouragement from them


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

Not including this month's sales, obviously, but my full details are here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvxvaH4Nj7PndFJTT21kSVpFVUxJOXhITTZSU09PcEE#gid=3

TLR:

Year	Month	Monthly Total
2012	January	$272.65
2012	February	$82.49
2012	March	$208.55
2012	April	$112.71
2012	May	$593.32
2012	June	$325.45
2012	July	$347.26
2012	August	$368.05
2012	September	$176.17
2012	October	$261.32
2012	November	$325.79
2012	December	$2277.37
2013	January	$1234.28
2013	February	$646.89
2013	March	$822.06
2013	April	$335.39
2013	May	$772.34

Grand total: $9162.17


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## 60865 (Jun 11, 2012)

Thanks Jude for starting that thread, it got me to look at my numbers.

Since December 2012 - I've earned 228,66 cents with my Eve series.
I blew just on the cover $221.92 (stock picture and graphic work).

So if I decide to be a half full glass type of gall for the day and I stick to this number I've covered my cost. 
Any further sale will be a profit 

But I could also be a half empty person and note that there is the expense of the website.
Since I have yet to make sales on the second series, I can only spread it out to the first. 
In that case I'm still underwater.



EC Sheedy said:


> On June 1st my sales fell into a crack, July it widened into a crevice.


I'm right next to you, do you see me?



David Adams said:


> Not including this month's sales, obviously, but my full details are here:
> Grand total: $9162.17


Hey that's pretty cool!


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## NathanWrann (May 5, 2011)

NathanWrann said:


> I think I sold a copy today. Maybe.


Oops. Nope. Returned. Nevermind.


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## Cherise (May 13, 2012)

As of yesterday, I was having my best month ever, with an average of a sale every day. And then today I got a return.


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## Learnmegood (Jun 20, 2009)

So far, for the month of July, I've sold 15 books and had 9 borrows!  YEAH, BUDDY!!!

I figure that comes out to roughly $45, so I covered the cost of the big box o' diapers I splurged on yesterday!  (Just to clarify, the diapers are for my son, not for me)


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## Ashy (Jul 2, 2013)

Learnmegood said:


> So far, for the month of June, I've sold 15 books and had 9 borrows! YEAH, BUDDY!!!
> 
> I figure that comes out to roughly $45, so I covered the cost of the big box o' diapers I splurged on yesterday! (Just to clarify, the diapers are for my son, not for me)


ROTFL!!!


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## IAmDanMarshall (Apr 4, 2013)

I've sold 11 copies of my 2 books so far this month. 

2 copies of _The Lightcap_, 9 of _The New Jefferson Bible_ (which was just released on the 4th).


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

Desmond X. Torres said:


> Ummm... those numbers are *FOR A DAAAY?*


Yup. Sunday's are always a little slow.


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## Shane Ward (Jan 25, 2013)

I feel soooooooo smalllllllllllllll........ Everybody is rich except me.... I do feel like I gatecrashed the high class club...

Better hide in the corner and keep quite.


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## Sheff (Jul 29, 2011)

I launched over the weekend and I've had 7 sales.  I don't know if that's good or bad in terms of numbers, but I am ecstatic about it.


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

After re-reading my post, I felt the need to clarify:

I am the sort of person who drives through a ultra-swank neighborhood, gawking at the big estates, and I am motivated... inspired.

Some folks can drive the same route and become angry... envious or feel depressed.

Not saying either reaction is right or wrong - just different strokes/folks.

The same can be said of talking about income from book sales. For some reason, copies sold is a little less "in your face," and that's cool.

That was the main point I was trying to make in my O-answer. Nothing more.


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## George Applegate (Jan 23, 2013)

Shane Ward said:


> I feel soooooooo smalllllllllllllll........ Everybody is rich except me.... I do feel like I gatecrashed the high class club...
> 
> Better hide in the corner and keep quite.


I'm looking under the couch cushions after they leave.


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2013)

Quiss said:


> Not sure I see the point. I don't show my pay check around the office, either. Dollar figures are meaningless when you're counting sales of 99-centers to $15 and up.
> 
> I've pretty much stopped reading the "wee, look at me" threads. While good sales are certainly to be celebrated and encouraged, right now I just don't want to see it.


I concur.

A few years back when my _Neiyar: Land of Heaven and the Abyss_ RPG passed the 5,000 sales mark, I was floating on air. Because at the time that was a pretty big deal for a third-party d20 setting. Oddly, when I told people the news, I got two very different, but equally annoying, responses:

1. "I'm sorry" or "Is that all?" because these people assumed that because the book was on Amazon that it must be selling tons and 5000 sounded like a small number to them in comparison to the numbers they heard from the bestseller lists.

or

2. "My God! You must be rich!" Followed by a request to borrow money/publish their "idea" for them to split the profits. Because they ran 5,000 x $19.99 (the print retail price at the time) and figured that was how much money I made.  Trying to explain to these people things like wholesale discounts and the difference between PDF and print and such...*sigh* All the sudden it was like they expected to be allowed to perform an audit of my checkbook.

You get the picture.

Ever since then, I made it a point to not discuss my bank account with other people, particularly strangers in public. No good comes of it in the long run.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

As I am still finishing my book and looking forward to publishing it, I love 'wee, look at me' threads!  

The reason? Finishing a book takes time and effort. I love the art of it, but I look forward to the hope that it will make money, pure and simple. And there's nothing wrong with that. Knowing that there are individuals out there making X amount of dollars, helps keep me going. 

Don't get me wrong, I'll be just as happy to sell 50 copies as I will to sell 5000 - but the possibilities are inspiring. They don't inspire me to dream - they inspire me to work!

I love threads like this - keep 'em coming. For those who are struggling, I get that these threads might be depressing, so just avoid them. But me? I'll be eating them up!


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## Mike Dennis (Apr 26, 2010)

Joe_Nobody said:


> For example, yesterday's sales (June 7) for me were: 497 total sales, $2,817 in royalties. A ho-hum day.


For the last three days:

0 sales
$0.00 royalties

This is spread over ten titles.

That's my "ho-hum day".


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## Cheryl Douglas (Dec 7, 2011)

I've stopped tracking sales, mainly because I'm too lazy. I just wait for the Amazon checks or until SW gets around to making their quarterly deposit. I was obsessed with sales in the beginning, but I eventually realized it was impacting my mood too much and my poor family still has to live with me. I do love to hear about other people's success stories though. It reminds me that anything is possible. Sounds like you're off to a great start. Congratulations!


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## Soothesayer (Oct 19, 2012)

Joe_Nobody said:


> and then decides to use his brother-in-law's Amazon ID and leave me a few nice 1-star bombs... just for being a showoff.


Why would they bother with the in-laws id? They could simply order a blast of them if they're willing to pony up some green. There are so many outfits now that have no moral issues with it.


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## Hopeful Writer (Jul 24, 2012)

I too, love the 'wee look at me' threads. I find them uber-inspiring. Although I personally haven't made any such threads yet, I do earn a decent amount - much more than I ever expected to in such a short time. That's probably what keeps the anger/jealousy issues at bay. 

I especially love reading about Joe Nobody's success, because he publishes in what I would consider not the most happening of niches. Plus, his pricing is mind-boggling. Joe, if you're reading this - I'm super-grateful that you share your numbers, especially because your strategy breaks the mold of the ordinary.

There are many people on these forums who share numbers sold not dollars, and it's easy to do a bit of math and calculate how many gazillions of dollars they're making.


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## blakebooks (Mar 10, 2012)

I want to just lap up the crumbs that Joe sweeps off the table because he can't be bothered to collect the small change.

I don't like to talk hard income numbers, because it seems kind of braggy. Suffice it to say that I'm overwhelmed with the acceptance my oeuvre has garnered. The money's icing on the cake. Really tasty, tequila-flavored icing, but icing, still. Whether I was seeing ten times more, or ten times less, I'd still be scribbling away, so in the end, while I'm delighted with my revenue numbers, nothing much has changed in either my lifestyle or my outlook - both of which should serve as cautionary tales.


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## Indecisive (Jun 17, 2013)

Zachery Richardson said:


> So far, I've only managed to sell roughly 20 copies of my novella a month and between all the promotion I've paid for, I won't be breaking even for a while. Did take some good note for my novel though, so that one will probably go better. All told, in three months, I've made about
> $150 off Winter's Blood.


Hi! I've sold 21 copies of my novella, which I published in late December. I also had a bunch of free downloads on Smashwords. It's nice to see someone in the same boat. I have nearly broken even on my expenses for the project. I haven't published a novel yet (self- or otherwise).


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Here's the thing. Sharing numbers on a thread like this is not waving our paychecks around the office and saying, "Wee, look at me!"

This is a business. If no one shares any actual income information, how are we to plan, prepare, or predict? When I was deciding what to major in, I had all kinds of information before me about how much I could make if I wanted to become a plumber or an electrician. Why do authors get all weird when it's time to talk money? It's market research.

As for myself, I've earned over $85,000 in the last couple of years on my self-published books. (That's not an exact number, but close because I recently looked at our tax returns.) Some people would think that's not a lot for two years. Me? I'm thrilled to death that something I do for "fun" is bringing in some money.

Thanks for starting this thread, Jude. I was just talking money with other authors, and this is a great reference to give them with more numbers than just mine.


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## zandermarks (May 20, 2013)

C.C. Kelly said:


> I'm on a 2 year plan before I expect any significant sales, because I'm trying to build platforms with multiple pen names. I'm trying to establish brands, back lists and learn how this new age of publishing works...


I like the underlying philosophy here.

I can't say I'm on a 2-year plan myself, but I can say that the slow (sometimes nonexistent) sales numbers aren't really fazing me. My own goal is to find an audience and let my protagonist win them over. So I'm not really focused on ROI with this first novel.


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## ChrisWard (Mar 10, 2012)

$0.53 banked yesterday from one short story collection sold. Rockin! Also banked 1600 new words so can't complain!


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## beccaprice (Oct 1, 2011)

Fairy tales are not a particularly hot genre, so I tried an experiment - I went to Anthrocon and had stacks of bookmarks out on the gimmie table, ( and noticed that most of them were taken when I left Sunday at noon) - but was also free this weekend - free ends today, in fact.  I've had 121 free downloads which seems to me like a huge number - I've also had 58 free downloads of the Snarls, which i didn't adveertise at all so they only could have been found by people looking for "also by" books.  the KDP Select Free days ends today, so we'll see whether I get any sales bump. 

My object of this combined advertising/free experiment was to see whether I'd get any additional reviews.  I got one, so far, but it was from someone on an email list I follow who saw the reference in my email sig file.

We'll see whether I get a sales bump after the free goes away tonight, and whether in the next few weeks i get a bump in review numbers.


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Joe and Russell both make way more money than I do.  I'm working my ass off to catch up to them someday.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Exactly Victorine - this is a business. And it's such a wildly divergent one that it helps to know what is possible -and on the downside - what is likely. The what's 'likely' has helped me prepare for all the various careers I've had. The what's 'possible' has helped attract me to them and got me excited about those careers. In all cases, I ended up somewhere in the middle, which was great. 

But without knowing what's possible, I might have been scared off by the probable and never taken the leap! And that would have been a shame in every instance.


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

I think Joe Nobody is really Konrath in disguise. I mean, has anyone seen them in the same room. Hmmm?


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## KellyHarper (Jul 29, 2012)

Scott Daniel said:


> I think Joe Nobody is really Konrath in disguise. I mean, has anyone seen them in the same room. Hmmm?


They were both in the KB Chat room at the same time the other day.

BOOM.


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## Scott Daniel (Feb 1, 2011)

Well, shoot, there goes that theory.


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## Lady Vine (Nov 11, 2012)

Victorine said:


> Here's the thing. Sharing numbers on a thread like this is not waving our paychecks around the office and saying, "Wee, look at me!"
> 
> This is a business. If no one shares any actual income information, how are we to plan, prepare, or predict? When I was deciding what to major in, I had all kinds of information before me about how much I could make if I wanted to become a plumber or an electrician. Why do authors get all weird when it's time to talk money? It's market research.
> 
> ...


Yeah, this. And I really don't understand the folks who come onto a thread like this and explain why they don't like it or see the point in it. Just skip it, then. It's really that simple. This is similar to those people who leave reviews on books they've never read. It adds nothing to the discussion and doesn't answer the OP's question.

I personally love reading threads like these, and don't find (most of them) braggy at all. I relay these stories to friends and family, almost as a proud friend would (because I'm sad like that). They inspire me to write better and work harder. They remind me of what's possible. Joe Konrath's disclosure back when I first started looking into this was a major factor in my decision to pursue self-publishing. So, please, keep them coming.

I'll put my money where my mouth is. Last month, my best month to-date, I made roughly $1000 (about £650); the previous month, around $600. I was (and still am) thrilled by this. I told the people closest to me and they shared in my delight. Because they appreciate that, no matter how much I actually make, any amount is an achievement in this profession. Getting a complete stranger to hand over their hard-earned cash for something you've made from scratch is an accomplishment in and of itself. I'm also willing to bet that those making way more than we do don't sniff at our numbers; they've all been where we are.

Though I technically began my self-publishing journey in August, I started afresh and went full-time in December under a few new pen names, then unpublished the first two books. So I say December 2012 is my official start date. I started a thread back in November, just before I launched the new pen names, and talked about my low sales (it's here http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,132622.0.html if anyone's interested). It makes me smile to see how far I, and others, have come.

Congrats, OP; those are great numbers.


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

Scott Daniel said:


> I think Joe Nobody is really Konrath in disguise. I mean, has anyone seen them in the same room. Hmmm?


Naw... I outsell him.


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## Shane Murray (Aug 1, 2012)

0 sales. 0 dollars.  

The only "sales" I had was giving away amazon gift vouchers for three copies of my book for a promo on someone's blog.

It cost me about $1000 to get this book done. To date I am about -$800. I don't forsee making a profit on my orcs book for quite some time.


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## Lady Vine (Nov 11, 2012)

Shane Murray said:


> 0 sales. 0 dollars.
> 
> The only "sales" I had was giving away amazon gift vouchers for three copies of my book for a promo on someone's blog.
> 
> It cost me about $1000 to get this book done. To date I am about -$800. I don't forsee making a profit on my orcs book for quite some time.


I didn't even come close to making back the money I spent on my first book (now unpublished). I recouped that through my subsequent releases, though. You'll do the same.


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## ElHawk (Aug 13, 2012)

Nice! Congrats on your success with COLT!

Here's my numbers talk.  I earned a good chunk of change in June.  Not my highest-paid month ever, but probably second or third highest ever.  But by July 5th I'd already earned 50% of what I'd made for the entirety of June.

I've only got three books out, and only two really sell well.  (One's literary fiction, so...)  Got two more coming out by the end of the year.  I appear to be on target to quit the day job by February.

Man, I am so glad all those publishers rejected The Sekhmet Bed.  If I'd sold it to one of them, I'd never be able to quit my day job and write full-time.


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## Shane Murray (Aug 1, 2012)

George Applegate said:


> I'm looking under the couch cushions after they leave.


Haha!


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## NathanWrann (May 5, 2011)

C.C. Kelly said:


> I took to heart the "marathon, not sprint" philosophy and as such have not really been concerned with sales, I'm on a 2 year plan before I expect any significant sales, because I'm trying to build platforms with multiple pen names.


I'm on the 2 year plan too. My first book published in May 2011. oops.

And not to get all braggy or anything but that one that was bought, and returned earlier today? Boughten again! Yeah!


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

This month I got $10.15 in royalties from Amazon. Actual cash money. Took quite a while to build up to an actual REIMBURSEMENT email.

I am very fortunate in that I can write (or not) without having to worry about paying the bills. I know we have plenty of folks around here who worry a lot. But I still love hearing about our success stories. I guess I'm one of those who find it all inspiring.

Personally I'm on a 10-year plan  I might have a dozen books within ten years, and whether they make money or not, I'll consider myself a huge success.


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## Al Dente (Sep 3, 2012)

I love talking numbers. I guess it's a throwback from when I used to be a retail manager.  

I write a lot of different things. I did a novelette-sized nonfiction book a while back that actually paid my car payment for a good six months. I was super shocked! I think I made about $1400 total from that little book, and I spent nothing to write it and do the cover. It still manages to sell about 10 copies or so a month, so I'm happy about that. My other various projects earned me about $1,000 in May (I can't wait to get that payout in a few weeks!), and I'm hoping things continue to get better.

I don't really count any of that, though. I know that sounds crazy, but fiction is my passion. That's what I want to do. My horror novella only sells a few copies a month, but I just put up my first short horror / dark fantasy novel with hopes that it'll do better. I'm also working on my TRUE passion as of now, which is writing traditional / epic fantasy tomes.

Anyway, to get back to numbers... I sell anywhere from 150 - 600 books a month, but I'd love to double or triple that!


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## Cege Smith (Dec 11, 2011)

With a Bookbub ad on one of my permafree titles, I believe i just eeked over the $1500 mark for June making it my best month to date. I'd say the 90% of that was sales on the remainder of the books in the series and the omnibus (the series in my signature). This is not even close to the norm for me- usually, I'm averaging $300-$400 a month.

I pretty much just tell people that selling books makes one of my car payments each month- which I think is awesome.  

Mark me under the column of being inspired by seeing other people's success. I ogle the numbers too, but then that gets me motivated.


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## Shelley K (Sep 19, 2011)

In a business like this sharing numbers can be helpful. If writers had been sharing their numbers regularly before self-publishing became a viable option, many of them would have had much better contracts, I think.

It's funny that some people posted in this thread how they don't read money threads like this. I _love_ that.


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## Zoe York (May 12, 2013)

Summer posted my book to her FB page today. I past the 100 book mark much earlier tonight.


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## Mr. RAD (Jan 4, 2011)

zoeyork said:


> Summer posted my book to her FB page today. I past the 100 book mark much earlier tonight.


Congrats, zoeyork, on your achievement. Something to celebrate. Really.

*ok, back to the topic at hand*

I've nothing to contribute to this thread in terms of sales, but I just wanted to say that I enjoy reading such threads. Earning a living from my work may never happen. Still, threads like this encourage me to dream.


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## Zoe York (May 12, 2013)

And you had to quote my typo.   At least I have the excuse of being a little bit drunk.


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## Desmond X. Torres (Mar 16, 2013)

zoeyork said:


> Summer posted my book to her FB page today. I past the 100 book mark much earlier tonight.


Well, she's smart, cuz it's a good book!
Sweet, romantic and heartfelt read. And I don't read a lot of them!
Okay, Elle did a good job too; but hey, whaddya expect from her?
Awesome first novel Zoe.


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## 13893 (Apr 29, 2010)

Heather Lori Harding said:


> Don't get me wrong, I'll be just as happy to sell 50 copies as I will to sell 5000 -


No. You'll be happier to sell 5000.


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## Desmond X. Torres (Mar 16, 2013)

humblenations said:


> Your book is gentle and nice and full of humanity ... I've read your 'look inside' twice now. Don't worry. You've made something really nice.


Okay, I've got a few beers in me, but this has been nagging at me for months. 
YOU say it's a good book. Okay, as a reader, NOW I understand.

But if that's the case, why does he tell potential readers that it sucks? Or... sorry, but that it's sh##t?
(Looking at that badge that's funny between writers, but such a turn off for a potential reader)

I suffer poor sales. FOR NOW. I'm new. But IMHO, such a badge... well... I wouldn't put one up. I'll wait for my bigger badge, but probably take a pass and let the titles pitch in my sig instead.

Still rambling... I'lll take the slings and arrows for being such a party... ummm.. 'pooper'? I just think that badge hurts more than makes me laff. And I (try to) write funny s##t.


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

Glad people are posting numbers - it's inspirational.


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## Desmond X. Torres (Mar 16, 2013)

zoeyork said:


> Summer posted my book to her FB page today. I pas*sed* the 100 book mark much earlier tonight.


There. I'm here for you doll. All fixed up now.

*CONGRATULATIONS!!!*


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## bellaandre (Dec 10, 2010)

Ooooh, I love talking $$$. LOL.

 Bella


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## pauldude000 (May 22, 2013)

Joe_Nobody said:


> You've cracked open a topic that many folks are uncomfortable talking about.
> 
> Reporting copies sold is cool, and you've got good numbers to crow about.
> 
> ...


Really nice Joe. Something like that is encouraging for me, as we tend to write in the same fiction categories. That tells me there is a huge customer base out there buying our type of fiction.


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## Joshua Dalzelle (Jun 12, 2013)

I love hearing the big success stories, especially from the big time authors here who are giving away so much knowledge and advice for free.

It's amazing to see how far it's possible to go as a self-published author, truly inspirational.


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## Desmond X. Torres (Mar 16, 2013)

Joshua Dalzelle said:


> I love hearing the big success stories, especially from the big time authors here who are giving away so much knowledge and advice for free.
> 
> It's amazing to see how far it's possible to go as a self-published author, truly inspirational.


Yeah... what he said.


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## bellaandre (Dec 10, 2010)

Before indie publishing no one EVER talked about $$. It didn't help anyone. Not a soul. (And I'm speaking from experience, given the fact that I now out-earn my traditional pub advances from 2004-2009 on a daily basis.) That people are willing to share their units and $ figures is amazing and incredibly helpful -- which is why I've always shared mine. I can't tell you how many people have emailed me in the past three years to say that after reading an article where I shared my income with the newspaper that they decided to self-publish. And when these people share *their* self-publishing incomes with me, I'm always blown away. In fact, Joe Konrath and Amanda Hocking sharing their #s and $s is what motivated me to throw my all into self-publishing. Because I could actually SEE what was possible via the numbers. This has been a HUGE game changer for all of us.

 Bella


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

pauldude000 said:


> Really nice Joe. Something like that is encouraging for me, as we tend to write in the same fiction categories. That tells me there is a huge customer base out there buying our type of fiction.


Paul, I wish you the best of luck in your works. I've read a few of your "look inside," and you can write. Keep plugging away!


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

blakebooks said:


> I want to just lap up the crumbs that Joe sweeps off the table because he can't be bothered to collect the small change.


I call BS on this part of Mr. Blake's post. The guy smokes my numbers, rankings, word output and tequila input.


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

ellecasey said:


> Joe and Russell both make way more money than I do. I'm working my *ss off to catch up to them someday.


Oh pluuuuuease! I've not had an Amazon top 100 listing since January of 2012. I've got a feeling Mr. Blake and I both are watching your tail lights fade into the distance as we sputter along.


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## Zoe York (May 12, 2013)

Desmond X. Torres said:


> There. I'm here for you doll. All fixed up now.
> 
> *CONGRATULATIONS!!!*


LOL, thank you.  Hey, shouldn't you be writing?


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## 13893 (Apr 29, 2010)

bellaandre said:


> Before indie publishing no one EVER talked about $$. It didn't help anyone. Not a soul. (And I'm speaking from experience, given the fact that I now out-earn my traditional pub advances from 2004-2009 on a daily basis.) That people are willing to share their units and $ figures is amazing and incredibly helpful -- which is why I've always shared mine. I can't tell you how many people have emailed me in the past three years to say that after reading an article where I shared my income with the newspaper that they decided to self-publish. And when these people share *their* self-publishing incomes with me, I'm always blown away. In fact, Joe Konrath and Amanda Hocking sharing their #s and $s is what motivated me to throw my all into self-publishing. Because I could actually SEE what was possible via the numbers. This has been a HUGE game changer for all of us.
> 
> Bella


This is SO true. I remember being shocked when I found out that published authors got 8% (or less!) with money held back for returns, had to wait 18 months to get paid, if they were lucky, and rarely could decipher the statements. Not to mention all the restrictions on content and fear of having series canceled, etc etc etc.

Knowledge helps the people who generate the income. Ignorance helps the people who want to keep it from them.


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## blakebooks (Mar 10, 2012)

Joe: Maybe I sell more, but man I'd love to sell more at $9.99 a pop like you do. Or any at that price. You're a rock star. High five and a man hug.


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## Jay Allan (Aug 20, 2012)

The important thing for people to glean from these numbers is simply that it is now extremely possible to earn not just a living, but a very good living writing midlist-level genre books.  Authors who were published always had their long shot for a best seller, but there weren't too many people cranking out mid-selling genre books and making 500k.  Now, there are a LOT more people doing that than ever before and, while it's not easy, it's not impossible like it used to be.  I'm talking about authors putting out books that sell 25k, 30k...again, a lot if you're just starting out, but not 50 Shades of Gray either.  And that doesn't even take into account the superstars...there's a decent sized seven figure club on here too.

So at least you know you're shooting for something attainable.


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## KaryE (May 12, 2012)

I've sold two books so far this month on the self-pub side.

I've also made around $400 from a short fiction sale to a magazine, and something in the low 4-digits from my novel collaboration. I make a living writing, just not from self-publishing yet.

That said, I have two releases slated for early August (unless a magazine takes one), a reprint in someone's hold pile and a novel slated for November-ish.  I may be a turd (*points to sig*), but I'm a happy turd.


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## Sam Winterwood (Jun 25, 2013)

I think its really important to share monetary figures.
Look at it from my perspective. I don't have anything published as of yet so I have no really basis for figures to go off (of my own work). To see sales figures (copies sold and income) from others means someone like me can make some real good guesses at what is possible (and more importantly whats not possible!).
I'd love to make a full time living through writing. If I didn't know how others were faring I couldn't possibly make an educated guess at what can happen in terms of income.

(of course every author is different, but come very big generalizations can be found by looking at sales and income figures).
Just my opinion though and I'm not always correct!

EDIT: Spelling fixes


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

I see both sides of this argument. On the one hand, as others have said, the sales threads no longer interest me the way they did. I'm doing what I'm doing and how someone else is doing isn't really relevant. Not only do I think different genres and even subgenres are different, I think that even in my small subgenre of western historical romance how someone else is doing isn't very relevant to me. Do those books also have mild sex scenes? Are they also often described as "gritty"? Does that author not promote much either? Does she price the same? Has she also held out against Select and freebies? Etc., etc.

On the other hand, I remember how hungry I was for this kind of information when I started, how grateful to Konrath for starting the indie disclosure trend. And I remember how eye-opening it was for me to realize the figures he posted were for (from memory) at that time 30 books. It made me look at the 2 I had out in a totally different way, even though my initial reaction to my first book's first sales had been - _if only I had 4 of those_. I also think that if people want to evaluate self-publishing potential, they'd be better to take a hard look at those of us in the dull middle rather than those on either end of the spectrum.

With all that in mind, I think the OP's original request was as to how books did in their first month, and since I just converted all that info on my books from handwritten to TrackerBox (lovely program), I can say. These figures are for Amazon ebooks only.

2/17/10 - cozy dog mystery, first book from someone never traditionally published. 309 copies in the first full month. At that time there was no 70%, all books earned 35%. I priced at $1.99 and made $216.

4/10/10 - first western historical romance, 303 copies in May at $1.99, for $212.

11/23/10 - second western historical romance, 1,032 copies in December. The 70% royalty was in effect then, and I priced at $2.99, so $2,097.

10/30/11 - third western historical romance, 549 copies in November at $2.99, so $1,060.

9/28/12 - fourth western historical romance, 827 copies in October at $3.99, so $2,210.

6/25/13 - fifth western historical romance has been averaging 34 sales a day at $3.99 so far this month (and did for the last days of June also), so I'm hoping for at least 1,000 sales this month, which would bring in about $2,600.

So far as I've seen, the first month is not a predictor of future sales. That first romance that only sold 303 its first month has remained my bestseller and except for when another book is new, still outsells the others. It's done more than 1,000 in a single month 3 times. The cozy mystery that did just as well its first month has never done more than 300 in a month since and remains my slowest seller. The second romance that did the more than 1,000 in its first month is now the slowest selling of the romances.

While I see an annual cycle with the months around the holidays the best and late summer and fall the worst, my books have continued to sell steadily and brought in at least $1,000 every month since June of 2010. The all time high was the glorious month of January 2011, with $5,000, and the average the past two years has been $2,600. I've realized if I don't get busy and put out more than one a year (I had 2.5 already finished when I started this, which is why I could get 3 out in 2010), that amount is going to taper, so my goal was 3 this year, but 2 is probably what's going to happen.


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## Matt Ryan (Nov 16, 2012)

I love seeing the sales numbers people post. It's part of their story. You can pick so many well known indie authors out there and find their posts on KB. You can see Amanda Hocking talking about her early sales. Look at what Elle Casey was saying a year ago about her sales or Cheryl Douglas, just about any of the heavy hitters on KB have a chronological history of talking about their sales and it's fascinating and inspiring to see them grow into a success. And don't think it's only the big guys I pay attention to, in fact, I watch the up and comers more because it's more interesting to see the process unfold in front of you and hope to glimmer what they are doing right along the way.


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## Shane Murray (Aug 1, 2012)

humblenations said:


> Your book is gentle and nice and full of humanity ... I've read your 'look inside' twice now. Don't worry. You've made something really nice.


Thanks for this


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## Shane Murray (Aug 1, 2012)

Lady Vine said:


> I didn't even come close to making back the money I spent on my first book (now unpublished). I recouped that through my subsequent releases, though. You'll do the same.


Thanks 

Ah all you KBers are so nice


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## johnaburks (Jul 7, 2013)

I love these kind of threads because it does two things for me.

1 - It tells me it can be done. 

2 - It inspires me to keep on trucking. 

I guess they are the same thing, but you get the point. Thanks for sharing and congrats. I hope to join you at some point.


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## isaacsweeney (Jan 1, 2011)

bellaandre said:


> Before indie publishing no one EVER talked about $$. It didn't help anyone. Not a soul. (And I'm speaking from experience, given the fact that I now out-earn my traditional pub advances from 2004-2009 on a daily basis.) That people are willing to share their units and $ figures is amazing and incredibly helpful -- which is why I've always shared mine. I can't tell you how many people have emailed me in the past three years to say that after reading an article where I shared my income with the newspaper that they decided to self-publish. And when these people share *their* self-publishing incomes with me, I'm always blown away. In fact, Joe Konrath and Amanda Hocking sharing their #s and $s is what motivated me to throw my all into self-publishing. Because I could actually SEE what was possible via the numbers. This has been a HUGE game changer for all of us.
> 
> Bella


Saw one of your paperbacks in Kroger yesterday (in Virginia) and I was like, "Hey ... Kindleboards!"


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## JeffreyKafer (May 22, 2011)

I routinely sell about 15-20 audiobooks per day (of those I get a royalty from). Does that count?


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## salamander (Apr 29, 2013)

I've just been a bit of a lurker, and am a bit jealous of the figures you guys are earning - one of my books hit the historical fiction top seller list over the weekend, not still there (around the 200 mark now), but I made a few hundred bucks in a short time....now I need to work out how it happened, as I only have one review, and how to get back there.


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## williamvw (Mar 12, 2012)

Shane Murray said:


> 0 sales. 0 dollars.
> 
> The only "sales" I had was giving away amazon gift vouchers for three copies of my book for a promo on someone's blog.
> 
> It cost me about $1000 to get this book done. To date I am about -$800. I don't forsee making a profit on my orcs book for quite some time.


Hang in there, Shane. My podcast featuring your book comes out next Tuesday. In my blissful fantasyland, that will send fleets of new buyers to your Amazon page. In the real world, though, know this: It's a damned good book. Get that sequel out, then another. With a series and time, readers will find you. I'm sure of it. Long tail, right?


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## pauldude000 (May 22, 2013)

Joe_Nobody said:


> Paul, I wish you the best of luck in your works. I've read a few of your "look inside," and you can write. Keep plugging away!


Thank you for the compliment, and I hope your novels continue to do well.

I have nothing to complain about. I need to get the sequel out of editing and published, but I am not rushing it. Most of my sales are coming from the novel, and I made a decent wage last month. Once the sequel is up, overall book sales should increase with the addition of another novel. Currently Surviving With Joe is sitting at 105,000 words, but this will change after editing is finished; I just need to quit procrastinating.


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## Lanie Jordan (Feb 23, 2011)

This month? I've made, give or take a dollar...$12.00. 

But, I know a good majority of that is my own fault because I'm still trying to learn how to promote, and I'm pretty sure my keywords aren't doing me any good whatsoever. (Yes, I've been doing this for a year and a half, and yes, I'm still learning.) Since I started indie publishing in December of '11, I think I've sold about 600 books. I just haven't found my audience yet. But I'll find you, my pretties, and your little e-readers, too!


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## Linda Barlow (Jul 5, 2013)

Wow, it's great to see people posting their numbers. This never used to happen back in traditional publishing, which I had the misfortune to be involved in for a few years. 

I'll be glad to share mine, when I have any! Only just venturing into indie pubbing with my first book, and have no idea what to expect. Learning the ropes here. Very little clue at this point how to promote, but delighted to have found these bbs.

Cheers to all!


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## Guest (Jul 9, 2013)

Joe_Nobody said:


> For example, yesterday's sales (June 7) for me were: 497 total sales, $2,817 in royalties. A ho-hum day. When Mr. Blake, Hugh and Elle read this post, they might have some fun teasing me about my slow day.


Holy crap, that's almost more than my adjusted gross income on my 2012 taxes!


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## Tim_A (May 25, 2013)

Overnight I've doubled my sales!!!

2

That's coffee sorted.   Off to work now.


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## Writerly Writer (Jul 19, 2012)

I've sold 15 copies of my book so far this month (last month I sold about 60 -- although I've discounted my novel for this week from $4.99 to $3.99 after a free promo). My other novella, which is permafree, has had about 380 downloads. I suspect all sales of my novel come as a result of people who've downloaded the novella. 

Sales are pretty steady at 1 - 2 a day. I suspect that's fairly normal for a newly published first in a series.


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

I have deleted this post as I do not consent to the new Terms of Service that Vertical Scope are attempting to retrospectively apply to our content.  I am forced to manually replace my content as, at time of editing, their representative has instructed moderators not to delete posts or accounts when users request it, and Vertical Scope have implied that they will deal with account deletion requests by anonymising accounts, which would leave personally identifying information in my posts.

I joined under the previous ownership and have posted over the years under different Terms of Service.  I do not consent to my name, content, or intellectual properties being used by Vertical Scope or any other entity that they sell or licence my data to.


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## Christa Wick (Nov 1, 2012)

Victorine said:


> ... When I was deciding what to major in, I had all kinds of information before me about how much I could make if I wanted to become a plumber or an electrician. Why do authors get all weird when it's time to talk money? It's market research.


I think they get weird because publishers/editors wanted us to keep our mouths shut forever to serve the house's negotiating strategies.

I like the # threads, too. They serve as inspiration for me. I'm lucky to be on another board where we are all pretty open with our numbers and no one gets blasted on the board for sharing. (Now, sandbagged off the board has probably happened a time or two, whether because of $ or rank reporting but that's just life and rank is visible without talking about it.) I've sold some 56,000 copies this year through end of June, most of it at 2.99 list. So I have eclipsed all of last year and have made out my (poorly accomplished to date) list of things to do to conquer the Amazon top 100.


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## Bob Mayer (Feb 20, 2011)

I agree with Bella.  In the beginning it was important that some people talked about what they were making.  I remember challenging Joe Konrath on his blog because I didn't believe his numbers back in 2010.  I had to write a blog a year later apologizing, because by then I was making similar numbers.

In trad publishing, no one talks numbers.  A "nice" deal, a "good" deal" a "major" deal etc. means little because we don't usually know how many titles, what rights were given up, etc.  In fact, most trad authors don't understand why they even get an advance:  it's not out of the kindness of the publisher's heart so they have the time to write books while getting paid.  A contract is given for just that reason:  to lock up future rights.

However, the flip side is one can feel a bit of despair and envy seeing other people's numbers.  We're all in different situations.  A hybrid author is certainly in a unique situation regarding their income flow.  Then there's ACX as additional income.  KOLL which is hard to add in until the royalty statements shake out.

All in all, I'm very grateful the eBook revolution came along when it did.


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## Writerly Writer (Jul 19, 2012)

Bob Mayer said:


> However, the flip side is one can feel a bit of despair and envy seeing other people's numbers. We're all in different situations.


Not to get too philosophical, or 'too' psychological, but I think it's a very subconscious thing to associate a person's success with their books as an indicator of that books quality (an the artists talents and thus their quality of character). I should qualify immediately that I don't think this is a phenomena applied just to the indie scene, or even the publishing scene, for that matter.

Even though we intellectually realise that talent and success are not a true correlation, or a 1:1 correlation, there is this sense of wondering 'what are they doing that I'm not?'. For the person who isn't doing the 'right' things (or basically picking the right numbers in a lotto draw -- although I recognise the variables are a lot more controllable in writing/ but the payouts not so 'grand' in monetary terms) --there is a sense of wariness that by posting the statistics on the relatively small amount of books they've sold compared to other writers, that people might judge the amount of sales as a reflection of their quality of work.

Not me of course. I'm talking about 'other' people...


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

Its been said a million times by various authors - a good story trumps everything else.

Take my best selling novel and have a literary professor compare it to 99% of the titles here on KB; I wager a cup of coffee that my work ends up in the bottom 10%. I really don't write that well and if you don't believe me, ask my editor.

So why do my books sell? What's the secret? The story is one that some people want to read, and our marketing found them. It's really that simple. 

Some famous movie producer (Ford?) once said, "Never be afraid to show the audience what they want to see," or similar. That phrase goes through my mind a million times while I'm writing a book. Combine that with "a good story trumps everything else," and you've got a winner.

Anyone who reads my numbers and thinks I'm a great writer, or a better writer, is just wrong. I'm a "good enough" writer, with "good enough" marketing, and a great story.


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## CLStone (Apr 4, 2013)

I've got three pen names and right now I'm hovering close to the $500 a month area. I've been a slacker on two of the pen names, focusing on this new series. So while sales for new pen name has gone up, the old pen names are dying off and aren't making much.

I need to break up my writing time to do both, but I don't wanna. I love the new series too much.


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## Mark E. Cooper (May 29, 2011)

CLStone said:


> I've got three pen names and right now I'm hovering close to the $500 a month area. I've been a slacker on two of the pen names, focusing on this new series. So while sales for new pen name has gone up, the old pen names are dying off and aren't making much.
> 
> I need to break up my writing time to do both, but I don't wanna. I love the new series too much.


And at the risk of derailing the thread I will say this pen name thing is the biggest down side to using them. It's the main reason I write everything under my own name. Any promo or new book promotes all the others. No danger of a name/brand dying off when everything you do is sheltered under the umbrella of just one.


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## KellyHarper (Jul 29, 2012)

LOVE threads like this. I've been following it since it was started, but I was hesitant to post anything. Yesterday, I had the 2nd best sales day of my fledgling career (the first was 12/27). My numbers won't give anyone pause, but having been an accountant in a prior life has led me to maintain meticulous track of my daily sales figures.

I started writing erotic titles nearly a year ago (shorts began rolling out in late July 2012). They didn't sell, probably because it was a genre that I wasn't really familiar with. It was an experiment to try my hand at it, and I didn't really enjoy writing it at the time. I've always been a fan of more character driven stuff, and I found that erotic shorts just didn't give me the space I needed -- or, I don't have the skill set to develop everything as concisely as was needed.

In December I finally finished, and published, "The Professor". It was my longest published piece to that point, clocking in at around 16k words, and was more character driven than the other things I'd written. It resonated with readers (by my standards) and it caught a nice wave over the holidays. Excluding The Professor, I sold a grand total of 139 books in all of 2012 across 8 titles. The Professor sold 436 in December. At its peak, on 12/27, my best day ever, it sold 111 copies. I sold 125 books, in total, that day.

Betrayed was published on March 19th as my first full novel. It was the followup to the cliffhanger in The Professor, and it was accepted well enough. I had been hoping for more sales, but had to realize that it was still the 2nd book in a series (which will lag behind sales of the first), and my marketing was minimal to nonexistent (still operating from the assumption of - write a good book, people will find you). With the new release, March became my best selling month with a grand total of 641 sales and roughly $1400 in royalties.

I published Ruined By You on June 21st. It represented a complete divergence from the erotic stuff I had been attempting before, and focused more on a character driven plot with themes that were close to me. I intended it to target the New Adult market, though I honestly don't think it's steamy enough for NA. My marketing efforts were *a bit* better (they still leave a lot to be desired) and readers have been really responding.

Reviews have been through the roof, and it still has yet to receive anything below 4 stars on Amazon.com (it has 1 3 star on UK, and a few 3/2/1 stars on GR) (Please don't down-rate it, I'll be sad!). In June, it sold 277 copies, and I sold a total of 757 books total with royalties around $1800... my new best month ever. This is amazing to me, not only because it's a personal best, but because the month started off _dismally_. I stopped formally tracking sales on 6/8 because I couldn't bear it anymore. I'd only sold 133 books to that point, and was on track for one of my worst months since The Professor had been published.

Sales continued into this month, and up until yesterday I was very pleased. Before yesterday, I'd sold 294 books and was on pace to crush last month's numbers. Last night, a couple book bloggers posted some great reviews, and my overnight sales really reflected it. Yesterday, I sold 77 total books, 58 of them being my latest release, and 64 total being at $3.99.

My *monthly* average for the first 5 months of the year was $1000. Yesterday, I made $200.

I don't know how useful my little story is, but if there's anything I want to impart to everyone it's this: keep writing, keep improving, and keep growing.

Rock stars don't play their first gig to a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden -- they drive around in broke-down vans with secondhand equipment. Just keep your foot on the pedal until you make it to the next gig. And when that set is finished... hop back in the van, and get back on the road.


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## bellabentley (Mar 25, 2013)

_Before indie publishing no one EVER talked about $$. It didn't help anyone. Not a soul. (And I'm speaking from experience, given the fact that I now out-earn my traditional pub advances from 2004-2009 on a daily basis.) That people are willing to share their units and $ figures is amazing and incredibly helpful -- which is why I've always shared mine. I can't tell you how many people have emailed me in the past three years to say that after reading an article where I shared my income with the newspaper that they decided to self-publish. And when these people share *their* self-publishing incomes with me, I'm always blown away. In fact, Joe Konrath and Amanda Hocking sharing their #s and $s is what motivated me to throw my all into self-publishing. Because I could actually SEE what was possible via the numbers. This has been a HUGE game changer for all of us.

Bella_

(I don't know how to do that box thing or I would have done that with Bella's quote above  )

But, Bella! I was on an airplane last week reading one of my celebrity gossip magazines... And I think it was Life & Style? Anyway, there I was reading...and then on the other page...there was a FULL spread of your BOOK paperback books! It was really amazing because I've been a part of KB boards for almost two years now and would always see you post etc and share your numbers etc. And even though we have never met before, I felt so happy for you because I felt like, in a way, we were friends from KB . I flapped at my husband's arm..."Look! Look! I know this person from one of internet boards for writing that I visit!!". That's so amazing!

Anyway, I really love this thread a lot. Numbers are super inspiring to me. And...ummm...Joe Nobody...do you think you'll ever perhaps start a thread and share a bit about yourself? It would be so fun to read about your story. I know you mentioned that sometimes people get jealous (or drunk haha) and can leave mean 1 star reviews. But, I hope you'd think about it sometime and maybe share with all of us who are inspired by success and not the other way around. Your sales and prices are amazing and inspirational!

And to Jude Hardin who started the thread, you're off to an amazing start! I'm really happy for you! Any plans for the fun $$ you've earned already? How are your other books doing? How long have you been self publishing? Thanks for starting a great thread!


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## Skye Hunter (Apr 30, 2013)

I just got paid $16 from amazon last month so yea I think you can say I'm going to get some chipotle with that money and maybe treat someone to a few tacos there too.


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## Pearson Moore (Mar 14, 2011)

Numbers probably possess greater significance than they should, but maybe it's human nature to use them as a yardstick to determine success. I never thought my writing would earn enough money to support me. I never thought one of my books, _LOST Humanity_, would give me real credibility in the LOST community. I have some 'failures', too. _Cartier's Ring_ has never sold as I wished it would. But I've received only very good to excellent reviews among the few hundred who've read the story, and I feel comfortable in considering the novel a 'success', in that it has proven entertaining and even enlightening to many readers. I've had mixed reviews on some books, too. My Game of Thrones companion books have earned praise among television viewers (the 'unsullied' as they're now known) but even vitriolic disgust from a few 'book readers' (those who have read G. R. R. Martin's great tomes in the _A Song of Ice and Fire_ series). So I even feel good about the mixed bag of reviews for those books. My current best selling book is Breaking White, a short analysis of the first season of Breaking Bad. I've received so many emails begging for Breaking Blue (my analysis of the full five seasons of the series) that I will probably relent and write the bloody thing.

Money, reader enjoyment, critical review, and 'art' seem to me equally useful ways of establishing the merits of an artistic work, but I don't think they tell the full story. I really like Joe Nobody's attitude in this regard. Maybe his books aren't 'art' (or maybe they are!), but his readers derive great enjoyment from them, and he receives good reviews. The bottom line for him, if I am allowed to read between the lines, seems to be a commitment to telling a good story, and I would take that kind of dedication as indicative of a storyteller worth his salt. If you feel compelled to tell stories, and if you possess the minimum wordsmithing tools to do so, I think you're already successful, regardless of money, reader feedback, critical acclaim, or even some subjective appraisal from the point of view of 'art'. Are you a storyteller? Homer couldn't write. He couldn't even see the parchment in front of him. But he was a storyteller. Garrison Keillor's books are so-so, sometimes good, but there's no better living storyteller in the world right now. Garrison has been telling stories on the radio for over 40 years, and he's the best of the best. The best that's ever been. He tried to quit _A Prairie Home Companion_ many years ago. It was one of his few failures, because the need to tell stories pulled him back, and he's there again, every Saturday, telling us about life in Lake Wobegon. He will live forever, not because of his books, but because of his stories. I think that's the true bottom line. If you're a Garrison Keillor--that is, if you're so compelled to tell stories that not even your own common sense can persuade you to give up, if you've succumbed and can only succumb to Homer's call--I think that's the ultimate and only meaningful measure of success.


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## Rusty Bigfoot (Jul 6, 2011)

Since I'm a storyteller, let me tell you a story. (Great post, Pearson.)

I recently reconnected with my cousin, who moved to Alaska when we were both kids. He's worked in IT and in the airlines, but is now driving a big nitrogen truck. He was very unhappy when we reconnected and in so-so health.

Well, we got to talking about books. I had no idea he was an aspiring writer, but he's had a scifi novel percolating inside for years. He's never started it, as he felt it would be an exercise in futility.

I shared a couple of threads similar to this one with him, and the change I saw was amazing. His spirits lifted and he seemed like a new guy. He called me yesterday - very excited - to say he had written 500 words on his novel. Seeing the possibilites in threads like this had really inspired him.

Keep these kinds of threads coming, friends. They help me and people like my cousin more than you could ever guess. Thank you all.


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## Christa Wick (Nov 1, 2012)

Pearson, I have stories that I don't think have ever sold a single copy. My favorite, most socially redeeming story is in that group (it may be the only one in that group). I've given away some copies, but not even that many, alas. I'm glad I wrote it. It satisfied me intellectually and spiritually and I probably belong to a category of one in that respect. So I understand that metric of success. I enjoy every story that I write, or it doesn't get finished, but some of the ones that mean the most and are even objectively the best never find an audience. So I'm glad I also write ones with more tangible measures of success. 

Rusty -- good luck to your cousin. Hopefully he will join us on the boards one day!


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## Joshua Dalzelle (Jun 12, 2013)

Great story, Rusty!


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

NathanWrann said:


> Oops. Nope. Returned. Nevermind.


I can't remember when it was, maybe a year ago. The month started with a -1 sales because I got a return from the previous month.

Ugh.


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## Cy V (Apr 10, 2013)

Joe_Nobody said:


> So why do my books sell? What's the secret? The story is one that some people want to read, and our marketing found them. It's really that simple. Anyone who reads my numbers and thinks I'm a great writer, or a better writer, is just wrong. I'm a "good enough" writer, with "good enough" marketing, and a great story.


Joe... I'm very interested in learning about your marketing plan. Is that something you can disclose here?


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## Ashy (Jul 2, 2013)

Cyrus Vanover said:


> Joe... I'm very interested in learning about your marketing plan. Is that something you can disclose here?


True dat.


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

I'm reluctant to talk earnings because I don't know whether they'll inspire, offend, or just bore everyone. But I agree with what Bella and others have said, that when we're open about this stuff if may help other writers know what to plan for. So...

My 2013 earnings so far: $27,000
# copies sold in 2013: 17,000

2011 and 2012 earnings combined: roughly $3,000
# copies sold in 2011 and 2012 combined: roughly 10,000


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## Ashy (Jul 2, 2013)

Dara England said:


> I'm reluctant to talk earnings because I don't know whether they'll inspire, offend, or just bore everyone. But I agree with what Bella and others have said, that when we're open about this stuff if may help other writers know what to plan for. So...
> 
> My 2013 earnings so far: $27,000
> # copies sold in 2013: 17,000
> ...


Dara - wow! 

CONGRATS!!!!


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## Cy V (Apr 10, 2013)

Dara England said:


> My 2013 earnings so far: $27,000
> # copies sold in 2013: 17,000


Great work, Dara! And the year is only half over!


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## JShepard (Jul 9, 2013)

This is a really inspiring thread, especially for noobs like me. It's good to know that there is success out there, though I won't hold my breath for it. 

Thank you, everyone who shared.


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

Cyrus Vanover said:


> Joe... I'm very interested in learning about your marketing plan. Is that something you can disclose here?


I feel like I've already h-jacked this thread enough. I promise to put up a separate post on marketing in a few days.


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## Cy V (Apr 10, 2013)

Joe_Nobody said:


> I feel like I've already h-jacked this thread enough. I promise to put up a separate post on marketing in a few days.


Oh, please do! I'm looking forward to reading it.


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## Ashy (Jul 2, 2013)

Joe_Nobody said:


> I feel like I've already h-jacked this thread enough. I promise to put up a separate post on marketing in a few days.


WOOT!


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## Writerly Writer (Jul 19, 2012)

Dara England said:


> I'm reluctant to talk earnings because I don't know whether they'll inspire, offend, or just bore everyone. But I agree with what Bella and others have said, that when we're open about this stuff if may help other writers know what to plan for. So...
> 
> My 2013 earnings so far: $27,000
> # copies sold in 2013: 17,000
> ...


OMG Dara, that is so damn awesome! I've been watching your progress for a while now and I'm so so happy for you!


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## Christa Wick (Nov 1, 2012)

Emily - that is totally understandable. I didn't start sharing my numbers on KB until I had a halfway decent cushion of decent ratings and a solid fan base. I shared them on a smaller, closed genre forum before then, but it already had an atmosphere of sharing without repercussions.


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## NathanWrann (May 5, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> I can't remember when it was, maybe a year ago. The month started with a -1 sales because I got a return from the previous month.
> 
> Ugh.


Still, gotta be better than the BBOS.

Or maybe not.


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## Joe_Nobody (Oct 23, 2012)

emilycantore said:


> Like Joe mentioned, I too have a fear of one-star bombs if I talk about money.
> 
> I wrote about the money I'm making on a different site a few days ago and I'm already regretting it (and will probably delete it). I've had people sending me messages accusing me of lying (or demanding proof), others wanting advice of the type that is readily available online and one lovely man telling me he was going to make it his business to give bad reviews to my books because I am a "stuck-up b*tch".
> 
> ...


The world is full of folks who are angry, mean, disappointed and disgruntled. These are the people who suffer from road rage and start fights over traffic. These are people who cut to the shoulder and bypass the line of cars with complete disregard for their fellow man. They may be suffering over a spouse who ran off with another, kids who stole their money, or whose job was eliminated a few weeks ago. You've got the guy who tries to bolster his courage with a bottle and then picks a fight with the biggest dude in the bar - _he can sign in and leave a review_. Pick any common, socially abnormal behavior you want - some percentage of those folks are waiting for a trigger, spark, excuse, anything, to light their fuse. And they have Amazon accounts. Their opinion can be on the net... their rage can be important... have meaning.

Then there are those who suffer from misplaced competitive drive; Joe doing great = me doing bad. I'll knock ole'Joe down a notch or two, see how he likes that.

Throw in a dose of plain-old jealousy, and it's surprising _any_ of us get _any_ good reviews.

Shrug.

It has always been that way and it always will be. There's not a dang thing we can do about it other than try and avoid trouble and be aware of our surroundings.


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## bellaandre (Dec 10, 2010)

Dara England said:


> I'm reluctant to talk earnings because I don't know whether they'll inspire, offend, or just bore everyone. But I agree with what Bella and others have said, that when we're open about this stuff if may help other writers know what to plan for. So...
> 
> My 2013 earnings so far: $27,000
> # copies sold in 2013: 17,000
> ...


YAY, that's AWESOME, Dara!

 Bella


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## bellaandre (Dec 10, 2010)

bellabentley said:


> Bella! I was on an airplane last week reading one of my celebrity gossip magazines... And I think it was Life & Style? Anyway, there I was reading...and then on the other page...there was a FULL spread of your BOOK paperback books! It was really amazing because I've been a part of KB boards for almost two years now and would always see you post etc and share your numbers etc. And even though we have never met before, I felt so happy for you because I felt like, in a way, we were friends from KB . I flapped at my husband's arm..."Look! Look! I know this person from one of internet boards for writing that I visit!!". That's so amazing!


Oooh, I love hearing this! Thank you for sharing with me.  And I'm with you -- as far as I'm concerned, we are all friends here on Kboards!!!


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## 60169 (May 18, 2012)

I know my #'s are no great shakes, but I'll share them. 

Here's my quick story. I felt like I had one book I wanted to write. It took me five years to write it. If I had put it out there and it had sunk like a stone, I probably never would have written anything else.

I published that book in September of 2012. 

Sold 1651 copies between then and December, almost all of them at $4.99.

I've sold right at 5,700 copies of the same book so far in 2013. About 80% @ 4.99, 15% @ .99 and 5% @ 2.99.

Those sales were enough to inspire me to write another book, a companion piece to the first one, which will be out this week. More importantly, enough people have reached out and told me that the first book touched their lives that I know I will keep writing. Now, I regret the lost six months of not writing after releasing the first book. I think I can get three books out this year.

I started writing so late in life (I'm 53) that I know I've got to get on the stick to build up any kind of list! And, I am painfully aware of how much work I have to put in to be a good writer.


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## rmoses (Apr 30, 2012)

I vote for these type of threads being encouraging. I find it pretty amazing that with a bare minimum of marketing skills or budget on my end, I make sales at all. All I have ever done for marketing is one podiobook, a so-so blog, one permafree novel, and two permafree shorts. Though I sell about 100-110ish books across all channels every month and that is peanuts to many, it is not to me. I gotta take it to the next level with more books and more marketing if I want to make a career out of this, but seeing others succeed has been so encouraging. 

So thanks for sharing the numbers, everyone, and if you are a lurker who is wondering if weird, dark fantasy with emotionally tormented main characters sells (often known as sword and sorcery fantasy) then my answer is yes. Yes it does, at about three copies a day. Though you will get one stars declaring your main character an emotional trainwreck from time to time...


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## Christa Wick (Nov 1, 2012)

Shawn Inmon said:


> ...
> ...
> 
> I started writing so late in life (I'm 53) that I know I've got to get on the stick to build up any kind of list! And, I am painfully aware of how much work I have to put in to be a good writer.


1. great sales!
2. I don't know if you've ever heard of Pat O'Shea - from her wiki



> Pat O'Shea (January 22, 1931 - May 3, 2007), was the pen name of Patricia Mary Shiels O'Shea, an award-winning and best-selling children's fiction writer. She was born in Galway and was the youngest of 5 children. Her first novel was the best-selling The Hounds of the Morrigan, which took 13 years to complete. It was finally published in 1985 by Oxford University Press, translated into five languages, and is still considered among the best classic children's books.[1]


It was, I believe, a Caldecott winner. You'll note she was 54. It is a favorite of mine, and while I want to be a professional writer until I die, I have said that if I could have written only one book, I'd be happy for it to have been that one. (Even happier for a few more books, but I'll try not to digress!)

3. So, yeah, get writing!


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

Thanks for the encouragement, Ashy, Cyrus, and Bella. There for awhile I felt like I was running in place and getting nowhere but the slow build is finally adding up. 



KJCOLT said:


> OMG Dara, that is so d*mn awesome! I've been watching your progress for a while now and I'm so so happy for you!


Thanks, KJ. I think things turned the corner for me when I put out multiple books in a series and started pricing at $2.99 instead of $0.99. I was getting decent sales before but with only 35 % royalty the earnings were really slow to add up.


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## SBJones (Jun 13, 2011)

The worst was losing the brown bar of shame to a return.
The best is now that book one is perma-free, I see upward movement every day now.


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## TLH (Jan 20, 2011)

I like hearing about the success of others. It's a positive for me. Let's me know what's possible. Konrath's blog convinced me to self-publish and not give the other route a shot. I don't regret my decision at all. Threads like this are a reminder to us all that we can make a living writing books.


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## Sam Winterwood (Jun 25, 2013)

I blame this thread for my increased word output this week.
Thanks!


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

I used to do a sales report on my blog every month, breaking down the numbers, and dollars and cents. It was fine when I was selling a few hundred a month, but when I started selling 1000+ a month, and translating that into $$$, I felt like the reaction was a little more negative in some quarters.

It's funny to me how someone can say "I sold 10,000 books in 2013 so far" and everyone will go "WOOP! GO YOU!" but if you say "I made $7k last month" people can be a little more negative, or feel that someone is showing off or whatever.

Money is a strange subject, and people can be touchy about it (which I get, I was burning dinosaur bones all last year). But people should remember that knowledge is power. What encouraged me to take the leap was everyone here sharing numbers. To me, income was a much more important measurement than sales because I was trying to make a living out of this. If there is a thread talking about $$$ you can just click away. No biggie.


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## Christa Wick (Nov 1, 2012)

Off topic, but all the great covers in this thread are costing me money! Only time to read is holding me back on buying all the pretties. (Even then, I just collected a few that it will likely be a month or more before I open.)


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## FictionalWriter (Aug 4, 2010)

More than talking about money--which I love--I love hearing what others are making self-publishing. Dara, I'm in the "inspires me" crowd. 

So far this year I've sold 26,951 books and made $71,382.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

I always worry I'm going to jinx myself posting in these types of threads, but I'm going to give it a go anyway since everyone has been so generous with numbers. The Aussie tax year runs from mid year to mid year and since we just passed June 30th, I'm going to use our financial year dates instead of calendar year.

Mid 2011 to mid 2012: $39,877
Mid 2012 to mid 2013: $69,460

This is way more than I ever expected to make and I'm beyond excited that I don't need a day job now. That has always been my writing goal and I consider myself very lucky to have reached it.

I'm looking forward to revisiting this thread in 12 months.


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## davidhaynes (Sep 30, 2012)

It is inspiring and at the same time, comforting, to read these posts.

Whilst there are some big hitters selling their books like hot cakes, there are also the writers like me. The ones who cheer like mad and raise a fist to the sky when we sell a book on two consecutive days and think, could this be it?  

I've sold 660 books so far this year. Alas, the ones that sell are priced at 99c/$1.49 so they've just about covered the cost of production. I'd love to be able to make that step up one day.


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## swolf (Jun 21, 2010)

CJArcher said:


> I always worry I'm going to jinx myself posting in these types of threads,


I'm the same way. Seems like every time i post my sales figures, my sales take a hit.

Case in point: ever since I posted my numbers in the Bestselling Authors on Kboards list late last week, my sales have gone down.

It's bad ju-ju. *runs off to find a chicken*


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

swolf said:


> I'm the same way. Seems like every time i post my sales figures, my sales take a hit.
> 
> Case in point: ever since I posted my numbers in the Bestselling Authors on Kboards list late last week, my sales have gone down.
> 
> It's bad ju-ju. *runs off to find a chicken*


The most telling lesson I've learned in life is 'Don't tempt fate.' I could offer some stunning personal examples, but might save them for a book.


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## Christa Wick (Nov 1, 2012)

CJ, congrats! So great to leave the yoke behind. 

Swolf - I see where you're charting, so at least some of your numbers are accessible, even if you don't say 'em   But, here's an Icee, it'll keep the jinx away.


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## Mel Comley (Oct 13, 2010)

I agree with David about people being negative when you reveal how much many you've actually earned.

I'll tell people my sales numbers but the $ are my concern and no one elses.

I sold over 31k books last month which has paid for the kitchen extension planned for September.

The more you write the more chance you have of making a regular income in this game.


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## cblewgolf (Jan 3, 2011)

Great thread and thanks to those that share.  My 15 sales/day pale in comparison to some people on this thread but so far it's my best month of 2013.


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

Mel Comley said:


> I agree with David about people being negative when you reveal how much many you've actually earned.
> 
> I'll tell people my sales numbers but the $ are my concern and no one elses.
> 
> ...


You know when a person is a grown up when...


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## Mel Comley (Oct 13, 2010)

LOL Krista! I'm very grown up and boringly practical.


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## tensen (May 17, 2011)

Mel Comley said:


> LOL Krista! I'm very grown up and boringly practical.


And that is for the kitchen extension for your husband to cook you meals, right? 
The whimsical part would be hiring the live in chef to make the meals.


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## bellabentley (Mar 25, 2013)

these numbers are so inspiring!
Wow, Beverly Kendall! 
I've been following your success CJ Archer since I joined in August 2011 and I'm really happy for you!
I've also been a follower of David's blog and am happy to see him pulling in the $$ .

Congrats on the kitchen extension, Mel!


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## LoriCook (Oct 9, 2012)

I turned to indie publishing (and a pseudonym) for my first full-length erotic novel. Pro proof reader, pro cover designer, submitted to over 40 appropriate review sites, mentions on WRAFSG, even a (somewhat forlorn) free run on amazon and in the first month: 9 sales worldwide. I got 8 at 99cts, so I bumped it up to 2.99 and sold one more!

I'll be breaking even in 2020 at this rate...


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## ChristopherDavidPetersen (Mar 24, 2011)

Mel Comley said:


> I sold over 31k books last month which has paid for the kitchen extension planned for September.


Hi Mel... Long time no hear 

So great to hear you're doing so well. You're my inspiration!


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## KevinH (Jun 29, 2013)

Congrats Jude on your success with _Colt_! May it continue well into the future!

As to threads like this, I find them encouraging and inspirational. I'm not saying that I can duplicate anyone else's success, but they let me know what's possible - which is always good for dreamers like me.


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