# BOOK SALES so far this year?



## Mikeyboy_esq (Apr 1, 2019)

How are your TOTAL SALES so far this year?Mine are slightly down (8% less) for 1st Qtr 2019 vs. same period last year.Only my audiobook sales saw an increase this year. 

In case anyone iscurious, here’s a breakdown of my 1Q2019 sales by format:
ppk 56%
eBook 29% 
audio 14% 
hard cover 1%


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## Ralph Rotten (Apr 1, 2019)

My sales are fast approaching the bottom of the curve. I think I'm making more money on KU-KOLL than on book sales. 

Seems like the only way to keep sales high is to publish a new book every 3 months and market 24x7.


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## Mikeyboy_esq (Apr 2, 2019)

Glad to hear you are making decent $ in KU-KOLL.  Wish I could say the same.  I finally put my first 2 books into KU-KOLL a few months ago and will put my 3rd book into it later this week.  Thus far, my page reads in KU-KOLL have not been impressive...getting maybe 1k page reads a month (give or take).  That low seems low to me.  I'm guessing that KU-KOLL is better suited for fiction books rather than nonfiction books like mine.  In any case, I'll give it a while longer to see how it goes before I decide whether to stay in KU-KOLL or go back to wide distribution.


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## Ralph Rotten (Apr 3, 2019)

I think the main reason I make any money in KU-KOLL is my reviews.
There is a lotta felgerkarb in KU-KOLL, and I mean some books that actually introduce a malodorous scent to their environment.
So readers there are hungry for anything that isn't complete crap. 

But you may be right about non-fiction; KOLL may not be the place for it. Dunno, never tried anything but fiction.


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## Ralph Rotten (Apr 3, 2019)

Here is a great graph of the sales arc that I talk about with books.
You quickly climb to apogee, then start to fall back to earth.
I stretched this curve by releasing 2 books a month apart.
The first book helped to sell the 2nd, and vice versa.
But in the end, gravity will win, and sales will taper somewhere just above zero.
Even Rowling & King have to contend with the arc...they just have much bigger arcs.


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## moderan (Apr 4, 2019)

Ha! I defy that curve. Planet X books sell steadily with the peak coming a month or so after launch, when the reviews start coming in on genre blogs. Our charity anthos actually got to four figures and we were able to contribute a few hundred to the cause. The second book still outsells the rest of the catalogue. It's just weird.


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## Mikeyboy_esq (Apr 4, 2019)

Ralph,
Not sure why, but I only see an "X" in a box where your graph is posted. 

Mike


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## moderan (Apr 12, 2019)

I suspect that my things sell so few copies that they do not so much have legs as feet below their knees. We just saw another updraft for a few days -- I've been combing to see if it is a review-driven augmentation, or something generated by a podcast. A wave of paperback sales will run through the entire catalogue, last for about a week, and then the steady trickle of ebook sales keeps up.
In our world, a couple hundred copies of an original anthology is a good sales figure. We shot for five as a break-even. Each one of the seven books has exceeded that figure. Two of them have surpassed that projection in paperback sales. 
That sounds promising as hell until you break it down to about four sales a day, and not being a pro market (fixed figures). So perspective matters.
That house is also closing as of the end of 2019, with my new one starting soon, with a monthly book/chapbook and two original anthos. Kickstarter will determine how much of the budget is going to be from sales of my own books...'before Crazytown', a six-year-old chapbook I put out as an experiment in formatting, is the only published fiction under my own imprint, and still sells about two copies a day.
I'll have the sales figures from various permutations of KS levels after the funding runs.


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## Ralph Rotten (Apr 12, 2019)

How do you maintain such a high level of marketing?


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## moderan (Apr 13, 2019)

It's almost completely word-of-mouth.


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## Aquilo (Apr 14, 2019)

moderan said:


> It's almost completely word-of-mouth.



This, plus author takeovers on the likes of facebook also do wonders for sales. Get a group of 20 authors in the same genre, 30 minute slots in one group, a mix of readers from each author, then promotional opportunities can be really good. Most authors offer giveaways and play a lot of games, so it's good fun for readers.


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## moderan (Apr 15, 2019)

What is an author takeover?


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## Theglasshouse (Apr 16, 2019)

Does buying followers help promote books?


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## Aquilo (Apr 16, 2019)

moderan said:


> What is an author takeover?



This is an author takeover:



Aquilo said:


> author takeovers on the likes of facebook.... Get a group of 20 authors in the same genre, 30 minute slots in one group, a mix of readers from each author, then promotional opportunities can be really good. Most authors offer giveaways and play a lot of games, so it's good fun for readers.



If an author has a release coming up/cover reveal, they'll invite authors over to their author group to 'takeover' his page and help celebrate.


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## Aquilo (Apr 16, 2019)

Theglasshouse said:


> Does buying followers help promote books?



It goes against author ethics, like with paid reviews. If you're paying for something, will they be honest with what they say about your work?


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## Aquilo (Aug 14, 2019)

I was just wondering how sales figures are going for everyone in 2019.


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## Mikeyboy_esq (Aug 14, 2019)

Thanks for asking. I just checked my sales to date for this year and the total book sales thus far is almost the same (slightly less) as last year's sales through the first 7 months. While I can't complain, I was hoping that this year's total sales would be higher than last year b/c I came out with a new book last December.  Unfortunately, the new book is not selling as strong as my other books (but thankfully, my other 2 books are continuing to sell at a decent pace). 

How are your sales so far this year?


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## Ralph Rotten (Aug 14, 2019)

My sales have been slow since I have not published anything this year yet. Last book tapered in Dec or Jan.
I hope to bump that up in 3 months when I release the new book. I just bought the cover art and am aiming for a Nov 12th release day.

According to Amazon, I have made a little under $500 since December. Essentially I have been coasting on old books. But for the last 12 months I have made slightly over $1700. 
One book sold, the other flopped like a fish.

I hope the next one will fare better:


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## Mikeyboy_esq (Aug 15, 2019)

Ralph,
I like your cover... the last line at the bottom cracked me up!  Good luck with the new book.


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## Aquilo (Aug 22, 2019)

Mikeyboy_esq said:


> Thanks for asking. I just checked my sales to date for this year and the total book sales thus far is almost the same (slightly less) as last year's sales through the first 7 months. While I can't complain, I was hoping that this year's total sales would be higher than last year b/c I came out with a new book last December. Unfortunately, the new book is not selling as strong as my other books (but thankfully, my other 2 books are continuing to sell at a decent pace).
> 
> How are your sales so far this year?



I think it's been tough for most, Mickey! 

I went self-pub Feb 28th, and then have only had 2nd edition releases, no new releases due to catching up with getting work back out there since my rights reversal. 

Sales have been okay: thank you for asking.



Ralph Rotten said:


> My sales have been slow since I have not published anything this year yet. Last book tapered in Dec or Jan.
> I hope to bump that up in 3 months when I release the new book. I just bought the cover art and am aiming for a Nov 12th release day.
> 
> According to Amazon, I have made a little under $500 since December. Essentially I have been coasting on old books. But for the last 12 months I have made slightly over $1700.
> ...



That's a cracking cover, Ralph!!!!


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## Ralph Rotten (Oct 2, 2019)

That's pretty good Aquilo. Keep that sales arc up there as long as you can. It's all about feeding the algorithmic beast.


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## Cavex (Nov 12, 2019)

My book sales have been very slow but this is because I did it all wrong.


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## Ma'am (Nov 12, 2019)

I haven't been paying much attention for the past couple of years but I'll try to add them up later.


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## Ralph Rotten (Nov 12, 2019)

Ma'am said:


> I haven't been paying much attention for the past couple of years but I'll try to add them up later.




Amazon can show you historical reports.


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## Ma'am (Nov 12, 2019)

For the past 12 months, 80 paperbacks and 123 ebooks. I haven't counted the Kindle Select page reads nor check the audiobooks, though I know I've only sold a few audiobooks.


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## Ma'am (Nov 13, 2019)

Biro said:


> So possibly you may have received $1000 to $2000 for your book sales?
> 
> Can I ask what motivates you to do this and continue if the returns (if correct) are so low?
> 
> That's not meant to be a prying or a personal question.  Just the 'motivation'.  :redface2:



Yes, your figures sound roughly accurate and I don't mind the question. 

First, it's either not much or not bad depending on how you look at it. I haven't put anything new out in over two years so the amount has dropped, maybe in half. Also, some of the books were written a few years before that, even. So, at this point, it's passive income, like interest or dividends. And, one or two thousand bucks for work you did in the past can actually add up to a nice little haul over ten years. Also, some of my dozen books are just little guides that didn't take me very long to write. And, my titles are always there, to be added to and build up my author presence. It's always possible one of them will take off, and pull the others along with it. I also make a few bucks from stories and articles, which adds a little more to the total.

I sometimes do think I should at least try for more money with my writing. Various ways that would probably make a difference are writing guides that seem in hot demand rather than just whatever interests me, novels instead of short stories and just writing more - in other words, treating it like a job. However, at this point in my life, I don't want or need a job. (If I did, I'd go back to work and make a decent salary). I don't do it for money, I do it because I enjoy it, the same as someone who acts in community theater plays or paints as a hobby. Well, it's more than just "enjoying" it. I get a giant kick out of it. 

So while I wouldn't turn down money, it's not my primary goal. Which is fortunate for me, because writing is just not a very viable way to make a living. I wouldn't recommend anyone expect that. As with most rules, there are some exceptions but the exception doesn't change the rule. I do know a small handful of writers who make a full-time or decent part-time living from their writing but the vast majority of them don't make anything at all. I put my writing money into a separate account and use it to buy luxuries I'd otherwise feel too naughty about, like nice jewelry. That makes it more fun, too.


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## EthanWarwright (Jan 31, 2020)

What would you suggest is the ideal length of a body of work to charge people $.99 on Amazon?


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## Nicholas McConnaughay (Mar 19, 2020)

I have been having a lot more success in-terms of sales since I started "leaving the house," so-to-speak. My older brother *Scott *and I have begun attending Comic conventions and book expos and have had healthy sales at most events we have attended. First and foremost, our endgame is usually only to "break even" for each panel we attend (it costs hundreds for the books, hotel cost, the table, etc.), but on some events, we sell around 20-30 books for each event we attend. Not only that, but Comic Cons are fun in-general. One of the best feelings is when someone comes by and impulse buys like $50 worth of books in one swoop. Crazy.


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## RWK (Mar 19, 2020)

This year is starting well; my newest work is selling pretty steadily, and the rest of my works are continuing their slow-but-steady slog.


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## RWK (Mar 19, 2020)

Ma'am said:


> Yes, your figures sound roughly accurate and I don't mind the question.
> 
> First, it's either not much or not bad depending on how you look at it. I haven't put anything new out in over two years so the amount has dropped, maybe in half. Also, some of the books were written a few years before that, even. So, at this point, it's passive income, like interest or dividends. And, one or two thousand bucks for work you did in the past can actually add up to a nice little haul over ten years. Also, some of my dozen books are just little guides that didn't take me very long to write. And, my titles are always there, to be added to and build up my author presence. It's always possible one of them will take off, and pull the others along with it. I also make a few bucks from stories and articles, which adds a little more to the total.
> 
> ...



Well said.

A writer writes. I've been writing all my life, but only have been making money at it for the last eight. If giving them away for free would get more books read, I would go that route.

Writing is my passion; I had a well-paid career that I enjoyed immensely, but writing is something else entirely.

The nearest comparison I can make to it is my marriage.


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## RWK (Mar 19, 2020)

EthanWarwright said:


> What would you suggest is the ideal length of a body of work to charge people $.99 on Amazon?



75k words.

But 0.99, unless it is the first book in an established series, is the kiss of death. People will assume it is junk.


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