# My first year of publishing



## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

A year ago, I hit "publish" on my first book. Since then, I've released six titles under this pseudonym, with another to come in about a week. And at least three more this year!

It's a lot of fun. I've never had a runaway hit, and I'm all over the charts (a book that's at 10k one week will be at 80k the next, and then back to 15k, and... you get the idea). I also do lots of dumb things. But I've still managed to patch together something resembling minor success, and I get slightly less dumb all the time, so this is shaping up to be a better year.

Here are my numbers for this penname in all their glory:

*Six Moon Summer* (4/29/11): 1600 copies
*All Hallows' Moon* (9/5/11): 1000 copies
*Long Night Moon* (3/2/12): 900 copies
*The 19 Dragons* (6/7/11): 1100 copies
*Death's Hand* (10/20/11): 2500 copies
*Death's Avatar* (12/29/11): 400 copies

*Total*: 7500 sales, and about 75k freebies
*Income*: About $13k (mostly in the last three months)

That last novella is unusually low because I offer it for free on my website. Why people continue to spend money on it befuddles me, but there you go. I also have about 2500 sales and 25k freebies under other pseudonyms, but since those are in the 99c price range, they don't represent a significant portion of my income.

I can't speak to whether or not this is "successful." With so many titles out, I probably should have quite a lot more sales. That said, I think this is a pretty good example of how someone can do lots of dumb things and still make a living with consistent publishing and decent quality. I did all of that while working 40+ hour weeks, but I've very recently quit my Real Job so I can write full-time. My back list is going to be a monster.

Anyway, it's been a slow build. It took me three months to sell my first 100 copies (during which period I was apparently taking inventory of my belly button lint, rather than writing or trying to sell books). It took six months to sell my first 1,000 copies. And it took me about a year to sell 10,000 copies.

Things that improved sales:

Strategic freebies
Improving my covers
Building a mailing list
Publishing more in the same series
Encouraging people to leave reviews
Frequent releases

Things that did not improve sales:

Blog tours
Sending paper review copies
Publishing unrelated projects
Long periods of time between releases
Giveaways with a small reach (off my own site, for example)
Crappy formatting
Diving in with zero strategy
Building a large and very cool Twitter following (good for blog traffic, no good for sales)
Most paid advertising*

*Some sites, like POI and ENT, are lovely for a short bump if you can get in. Most others, like KND and GR, don't have any appreciable return.

I'm a little embarrassed to share these numbers, since most of my YA paranormal friends have ridiculous sales (one sold 10k copies in 6 months with ONE BOOK), but like I said... I do lots of dumb things. I hope you guys find my recap helpful anyway. 

Any questions?


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## K.R. Harris (Jan 25, 2012)

I think your results are awesome! Thanks for sharing.


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## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks for sharing!  You should be really proud.  How do you encourage people to leave reviews?


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## Lily Mia (Apr 24, 2012)

WOW! Congratulations! A really candid and inspiring experience!
I've bookmarked this and will use the points you've raised as guidance.
My book was released in the last week and I have a LONG way to go by any stretch of the imagination.  

I don't know if it's the keywords, cover or blurb... Long learning curve


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Lisa Scott said:


> How do you encourage people to leave reviews?


Two main ways:

1.) I have a Google alert for my books. If someone leaves a review on their site, I can track them down to thank them and ask them to put it on Amazon. Most folks don't mind.

2.) Ask at the end of the book. Instead of having "about the author," I have "a note from the author," where I address the reader directly. My only new release with this so far was Long Night Moon, and people have been really kind about humoring me with reviews.


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## Sybil Nelson (Jun 24, 2010)

Awesome!

To your wonderful advice, I would like to add when something doesn't work, change it. One of my books was not selling at all. I knew it was a good book, n fact it was my favorite. So, I changed the cover and the title and now I've sold almost 2000 copies of it since February.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Oh, and another thing: Correct categorization. I've avoided competitive categories like Contemporary Fantasy because it requires a high ranking to be on those bestseller lists. But I _can_ lob my books into the top 5k occasionally (sometimes even top 1k), and being on low-visibility lists meant my books didn't maintain any momentum from it.


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## otterific (Jan 31, 2012)

Very cool! Thanks for sharing your info. In a year, I hope to be where you're at, too.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Sybil Nelson said:


> Awesome!
> 
> To your wonderful advice, I would like to add when something doesn't work, change it. One of my books was not selling at all. I knew it was a good book, n fact it was my favorite. So, I changed the cover and the title and now I've sold almost 2000 copies of it since February.


Whoa, that's fab! Good job!

I had a similar experience. I launched Death's Hand with a terribly unpopular cover and sold maybe 30 copies in its first month. I changed it and sold 1000 copies in its second month. My YA books have also sold much better since I switched out covers (although they're "down" right now). It makes a big difference.


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

smreine said:


> Two main ways:
> 
> 1.) I have a Google alert for my books. If someone leaves a review on their site, I can track them down to thank them and ask them to put it on Amazon. Most folks don't mind.
> 
> 2.) Ask at the end of the book. Instead of having "about the author," I have "a note from the author," where I address the reader directly. My only new release with this so far was Long Night Moon, and people have been really kind about humoring me with reviews.


That's great advice. I don't have "about the author" or a "note from the author" in my books but I will start now. Maybe that will get me more reviews. Thanks for sharing this with us.


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## martaszemik (Dec 4, 2011)

Those are awesome numbers! Definitely something to be proud of. Congratulations and thank you for sharing your success


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Very good numbers.  Good work.


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

Thank you so much for sharing all of this!  And congrats on being able to quit the day job for the dream job!  WAHOOO!!!!  I am impressed.  I'm bookmarking this thread.  Some fantastic wisdom all the way around here!


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Great to hear SMReine and thanks for taking the time to set it out so legibly. Your views and info are appreciated.


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

What an outstanding year! I'm especially impressed with your frequent releases. 

Interesting breakdown of what did and did not help sell books. Thanks for sharing that (I took notes


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## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

I really appreciate you sharing.  And congrats!!!


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

smreine said:


> Oh, and another thing: Correct categorization. *I've avoided competitive categories like Contemporary Fantasy because it requires a high ranking to be on those bestseller lists.* But I _can_ lob my books into the top 5k occasionally (sometimes even top 1k), and being on low-visibility lists meant my books didn't maintain any momentum from it.


Seriously. It's like a slaughter house over here. Debora limps around the premises in a pair of blood-spattered coveralls while dragging a giant cleaver behind her and whispering "fresh meat...fresh meat..." over and over again while the rest of us writers huddle in the corner and cry.

On the positive side, fresh cookies are served on Wednesdays.

Oh yea, and congrats!

B.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks, everyone!



DDark said:


> How do you find the time?


The writing of these books is spread out a bit more than you would think. I wrote Six Moon Summer for NaNo in 2010, and Death's Hand was originally written in 2008 (though I did a lot of redrafting before publishing, at least 30k new words). I'm usually working on at least two books at a time, though.

I wouldn't get nearly as much done if I didn't have loving in-laws who babysit a lot, though. I also wrote half a book on my cell phone (All Hallows' Moon) while out and about with family. I write in the car, waiting in line, before going to sleep, on my lunch breaks, and at every other idle moment. There's always time to write. The question is, how bad do I want to finish each book?


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## AmsterdamAssassin (Oct 21, 2011)

smreine said:


> Things that improved sales:
> 
> Strategic freebies
> Improving my covers
> ...


I wouldn't be embarrassed--I think you did pretty good for your first year, it's a learning curve for anyone. I haven't taken the plunge yet myself, been busy with the prepublication stuff. Administrative [taxes and stuff], and the things I can't do myself [having covers made]. Since I'm writing a series, with novels interspersed with short stories that link the novels, I'm working on 'branding' my Amsterdam Assassin Series to give the books a uniform look, and I'll publish one or two short stories before I publish the first novel. What I think will work is selling the stories cheap/free, with the first chapter to the novel and a note for potential readers to get on my mailing list so I can let them know when the novel comes out.

I have an Author Bio and a note for reviews, but I'm still working on the wording of the note.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Great writeup. Thanks for sharing all that. It's very useful.


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## joeyjoejoejr (Apr 19, 2012)

$13K?  Yes, successful. 
Quitting your job to write full time?  Definitely successful.
7500 sales and 75k freebies?  That, to me, is the very definition of success - having so many people reading the stories you created and caring about the characters you made.  It must be a wonderful feeling.  Thank you for this info, and for showing that YA paranormal is still a genre where quality work can sell.  I have a few ya paranormal ideas that I've been kicking around and even started writing but stopped because I thought the field was just too crowded.  But you've inspired be to knock the dust off of them and see what I can do.


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## hs (Feb 15, 2011)

Thanks for sharing. Your numbers look great to me! I hope to have the level of success you've achieved once I reach six books. 

I was wondering what you mean by "strategic freebies"? When did free work for you? Also, how do you build a mailing list?

I don't know what your covers used to look like, but they definitely look great now.


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## Beth Dolgner (Nov 11, 2011)

Congrats! You have a lot to be excited about!


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## AmberC (Mar 28, 2012)

Inspiring.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

hs said:


> I was wondering what you mean by "strategic freebies"? When did free work for you? Also, how do you build a mailing list?


Free runs are great for launching a new series. Phoenix had a wonderful article about this, but I can't find the link right now. (ETA: Here it is!) When you're doing subsequent books in a series, it's also helpful to make earlier books free during the release to stimulate sales and reach the hot new releases list. And when you finish a series, it's helpful to make the first book perma-free (with occasional pulses) to keep the later books selling when you stop focusing on them.

I have a form on my website where people can sign up for the mailing list, and I encourage readers to enroll by offering a free book to subscribers (more strategic freebies!). I link to the form at the end of every book when I'm also asking for reviews. Soooo needy.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

modwitch said:


> And I bet she's the one with the cleaver in a year. (Which should scare the crap out of everyone because she is *way* better with that thing than I am. And Sara - watch out for the crying guy in the corner with the scalpel. He just won't go away).


Cleaver? Pssh. I'm all about the bastard sword.


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Thanks for sharing this. You're on the ball!


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## AnneMarie Novark (Aug 15, 2010)

Excellent first year!!!

Good advice and break down of what works and what doesn't.

Congratulations!!!


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## MBlack (Mar 12, 2012)

Fantastic. Bookmarking. Thanks for sharing. You've sure got a lot of go-get-'em.

Wish you much more success for the future.


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## soyfrank (Feb 2, 2011)

Wow. Very impressive first year or any year, in my opinion. If you're embarrassed by those numbers, then I should kill myself for my numbers  Keep up the good work!


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

I feel like such a slacker . You're rocking it, Sara. Selling 10K copies and making $13K in year one? I am impressed! Did you even think you'd be where you are today back then? Excellent advice all around.

In fact, I think YOU need to write the "Launching Books 2 and Up in a Series" version of this post you kindly mentioned:
http://phoenixsullivan.blogspot.com/2012/02/ebook-launch-strategy.html

And MAJOR congrats on ditching the day job for your dream .


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

modwitch said:


> That should make everyone feel much better.


Yea, totally relieved over here.










B.


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## Sharebear (Sep 25, 2011)

You, my friend, impress me every day, even more today.
Congrats and here's to continued success!


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## R. Garcia (Apr 9, 2011)

I think you have done very well and I also think you have discovered one of the secrets, which is to be a prolific author and specially to write series. Not everyone can do those two.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Phoenix Sullivan said:


> Selling 10K copies and making $13K in year one? I am impressed! Did you even think you'd be where you are today back then?


Honestly? No. I hoped to make an extra $100 a month because my family had been on my one dwindling income for a couple years. Having just a little more money would be a breath of fresh air. This the first time I tallied up that amount, actually, so I'm pretty shocked to see it.

The idea that 100k people have my writing on their Kindles astounds me.

I'd like to individually thank all the friendly familiar faces saying nice things, but shucks. I can't handle that much tingly warmth. I'm going to go sharpen a knife or kidnap a manatee or something.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Congratulations. Those are great sales for only one year and just think of the momentum you're building. I love your list of what worked and what didn't. I hope to have a similar amount of books up by the end of my first year. I think your sales are inspiring to many of us.


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Congratulations! Very impressive numbers and you shouldn't be embarrassed at all. Thanks for laying out your strategy so succinctly, and what didn't work too. Just as important IMO.


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## A. Rosaria (Sep 12, 2010)

You're doing great and nothing to be ashamed of.  I hope your sales keep going up and probably it will as with each year more people are buying ereaders.


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## Lyndawrites (Aug 7, 2011)

Well done, Sara, and thanks for sharing with us. I found your post inspiring - you deserve your success.


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## Louis Shalako (Apr 13, 2011)

I've never done an e-mail campaign, and I wonder if you could talk a little more about the nuts and bolts of how you do that. Maybe if I knew what I was doing! Am I just insecure? Most of my contacts are magazine and e-zine editors and publishers, and when I started off, e-books were the poor cousins of 'real' books.


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## shel (May 14, 2011)

I bet your Year Two will be even more awesome because of everything you learned.  Congratulations on your success!


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

I really should have titled the "what didn't work" section as "what didn't help as much." I am notoriously bad at blog tours. My brain isn't organized enough to pull them off, my guest blogs are embarrassingly cheesy, and I end up tearing my hair out over selling two or three copies. When you're starting out, those two or three copies can help a lot. You might get more if you're not as terribad at touring as I am.

Also, publishing unrelated projects doesn't help _as much_, but it doesn't hurt either. The 19 Dragons was the first book of which I sold more than 100 copies in a month, despite being a surrealist steampunk romp that has nothing to do with anything else I've published. But it doesn't generate any long-term build because of minimal audience overlap. Once I get through my contemp fantasy series(es?), I hope to get back to steampunk for awhile.

Crappy formatting really doesn't help, though.



Louis Shalako said:


> I've never done an e-mail campaign, and I wonder if you could talk a little more about the nuts and bolts of how you do that.


I don't really think of it as an email "campaign," since I don't do newsletters or routine mailings. It's just the way I contact readers who have already enjoyed my books when a new book comes out. I call it my Army of Evil.  We march on books. People get a good giggle out of being my Generals, and I'm the Head Cheese.

It helps to incentivize, too: I offer Death's Avatar as a free ebook for people who sign up for my new book notifications. I use Smashwords coupons to send them the freebie automatically when they enroll, and make sure to advertise it at the end of every book and on my website. I unabashedly stole this technique from Zoe Winters, who is a lovely writer and much smarter than I am.


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## GWakeling (Mar 23, 2012)

This is a seriously great post  

It's nice to hear stats from someone who's selling with great figures but isn't hopping on to say, 'look, I've made thousands and thousands in my first year.' Whilst, of course, that's all well and good, for people like me who are just starting out, having some more likely sums are extremely nice to read.

Congratulations on your success, and thanks so much for sharing


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## KathrynYAFR (Nov 10, 2011)

smreine - I've bookmarked this thread. I never stop being amazed at all the information I glean from you all. My first book Two Days of a Dream is days from launching and I'm glad I read your do's and don'ts lists. I'm scrambling to understand this new world of ebooks.
You've done a great job making your dreams come true, bravo!


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## hs (Feb 15, 2011)

smreine said:


> Free runs are great for launching a new series. Phoenix had a wonderful article about this, but I can't find the link right now. (ETA: Here it is!) When you're doing subsequent books in a series, it's also helpful to make earlier books free during the release to stimulate sales and reach the hot new releases list. And when you finish a series, it's helpful to make the first book perma-free (with occasional pulses) to keep the later books selling when you stop focusing on them.
> 
> I have a form on my website where people can sign up for the mailing list, and I encourage readers to enroll by offering a free book to subscribers (more strategic freebies!). I link to the form at the end of every book when I'm also asking for reviews. Soooo needy.


Thanks for the additional information. I'll try out your tips. 
Congratulations again on your first year success and continued good luck!


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## IB (Jan 31, 2012)

Thanks for sharing your insights and congrats on your successful year!  

It's even more impressive because you've built your empire while working full time on somebody else's empire. And it's impressive because you took the time to help others (including me) without asking for anything in return. 

I see a great second year ahead for you and keep posting! (I somehow missed your blunt assessments over the last couple of weeks and thought you'd moved on. I was glad to discover this thread!)


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## Sophrosyne (Mar 27, 2011)

Great job! Congratulations! And fantastic advice! This is a great thread.


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