- Joined
- Dec 7, 2015
- Messages
- 302
- Reaction score
- 48
And here... we... go.
- Thread starter ASeiple
- Start date
Well, it's been almost a month since my launch.
It looks like I'll do better profit-wise than the last book's launch, but not by much. It's interesting that I'm seeing a faster drop with the "tail" this time around. Not sure if the timing of the launch had anything to do with it.
So far I've launched at the end of a month and the middle of a month. I'll have to try the beginning of a month, to compare. The box set will be a good test for that. I'll aim for an early November launch and watch how it goes.
On a sad note, my acquaintance's kickstarter funded, but it didn't hit the stretch goals that we'd set to support a novel. C'est la vie. I'll file the idea for a few years and he knows my email if he wants to try something on this front later.
I'm at a weird cusp at the minute. I should be saving money in anticipation of tax time, but I also need to step up business on the marketing front and talk to people about a website. I think I may have to put any ambitious plans on hold until January's done. Dire:Time's profits should be enough to cover any tax debt by themselves, so long as I don't touch them. Best to play it safe... of course if the box set explodes, then I can afford to accelerate matters a bit.
After the website? It'll be time to work on marketing. By then I should have the fourth Dire book ready to go, and enough of a backlist to make the cost/reward ratio of marketing worthwhile...
It looks like I'll do better profit-wise than the last book's launch, but not by much. It's interesting that I'm seeing a faster drop with the "tail" this time around. Not sure if the timing of the launch had anything to do with it.
So far I've launched at the end of a month and the middle of a month. I'll have to try the beginning of a month, to compare. The box set will be a good test for that. I'll aim for an early November launch and watch how it goes.
On a sad note, my acquaintance's kickstarter funded, but it didn't hit the stretch goals that we'd set to support a novel. C'est la vie. I'll file the idea for a few years and he knows my email if he wants to try something on this front later.
I'm at a weird cusp at the minute. I should be saving money in anticipation of tax time, but I also need to step up business on the marketing front and talk to people about a website. I think I may have to put any ambitious plans on hold until January's done. Dire:Time's profits should be enough to cover any tax debt by themselves, so long as I don't touch them. Best to play it safe... of course if the box set explodes, then I can afford to accelerate matters a bit.
After the website? It'll be time to work on marketing. By then I should have the fourth Dire book ready to go, and enough of a backlist to make the cost/reward ratio of marketing worthwhile...
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It's that time again, true believers!
(Note: Edited to reflect sales report, and count KENP properly.)
The Thin Black Line Between Infernal and Divine sold 35 copies, bringing the running total for 2016 to 415.
Keep an Ace in the Hole sold 41 copies, bringing the running total for 2016 to 440.
Dire:Born sold 122 Ebook copies, 5 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale Copies, and had 108 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 2965.
Dire:Seed sold 90 Ebook copies, 6 Print copies, 1 Direct Sale Copies, and had 97 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 2196.
Dire:Time sold 192 Ebook copies, 11 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale copies, and had 247 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 1250.
Overall, things are pretty quiet. I'm dreading October, because the tail from Time's launch is falling quicker than expected. I figure it'll be a slow month, probably be lucky to see $1000 to $1500 royalties. But putting things in perspective, that's pretty huge compared to where I was last year.
It does mean that I'll have to buckle down and save up to cover 2016 taxes. So long as the box set doesn't bomb, I should be able to pay them no problem, good lords and ladies willing and the creek don't rise.
Gotten more negative reviews than usual on Book 3. I knew I'd get some backlash over the ending, but I didn't expect this amount of grief over it. Still, that's where the story took me, and so far the 5 star reviews are outnumbering the rest of them all, combined. So I'm not too upset. And I will note, that though this ending was rough, I've had the lowest amount of return rates for this launch than any other book. Which tells me that if I can knock book 4 out of the park, I'll recover any lost face, here.
Mm. Well, you don't go into this profession without expecting to get a thick skin out of it, so this is good practice.
And it's also good practice for being patient. I'm about a third to a fourth of the way done on my MG book, and there's not else to do besides work on it, and get ready to put the box set together for a November release. I'll give the documents a hard proofread before I start combining them, see if I can fix any lingering errors. I don't have the cover art yet so there's not much point pushing on that until I do. Shouldn't take more than a few nights, right now my time's better spent writing.
Got more freelance western work coming, for the Exiles game. This one's short, three chapters or so, and more comedic than the previous stuff. I'll aim to work on that around November or so. Should have the MG stuff mostly knocked out by then, or at a point where I can hand it off to betas.
:: Cracks his knuckles :: The TL;DR? Things are going well, overall. I'll hit ten thousand sales total across all my books before the end of the year, by the looks of it. This makes me happy. Just gotta keep calm and carry on, and see how it goes...
(Note: Edited to reflect sales report, and count KENP properly.)
The Thin Black Line Between Infernal and Divine sold 35 copies, bringing the running total for 2016 to 415.
Keep an Ace in the Hole sold 41 copies, bringing the running total for 2016 to 440.
Dire:Born sold 122 Ebook copies, 5 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale Copies, and had 108 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 2965.
Dire:Seed sold 90 Ebook copies, 6 Print copies, 1 Direct Sale Copies, and had 97 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 2196.
Dire:Time sold 192 Ebook copies, 11 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale copies, and had 247 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 1250.
Overall, things are pretty quiet. I'm dreading October, because the tail from Time's launch is falling quicker than expected. I figure it'll be a slow month, probably be lucky to see $1000 to $1500 royalties. But putting things in perspective, that's pretty huge compared to where I was last year.
It does mean that I'll have to buckle down and save up to cover 2016 taxes. So long as the box set doesn't bomb, I should be able to pay them no problem, good lords and ladies willing and the creek don't rise.
Gotten more negative reviews than usual on Book 3. I knew I'd get some backlash over the ending, but I didn't expect this amount of grief over it. Still, that's where the story took me, and so far the 5 star reviews are outnumbering the rest of them all, combined. So I'm not too upset. And I will note, that though this ending was rough, I've had the lowest amount of return rates for this launch than any other book. Which tells me that if I can knock book 4 out of the park, I'll recover any lost face, here.
Mm. Well, you don't go into this profession without expecting to get a thick skin out of it, so this is good practice.
And it's also good practice for being patient. I'm about a third to a fourth of the way done on my MG book, and there's not else to do besides work on it, and get ready to put the box set together for a November release. I'll give the documents a hard proofread before I start combining them, see if I can fix any lingering errors. I don't have the cover art yet so there's not much point pushing on that until I do. Shouldn't take more than a few nights, right now my time's better spent writing.
Got more freelance western work coming, for the Exiles game. This one's short, three chapters or so, and more comedic than the previous stuff. I'll aim to work on that around November or so. Should have the MG stuff mostly knocked out by then, or at a point where I can hand it off to betas.
:: Cracks his knuckles :: The TL;DR? Things are going well, overall. I'll hit ten thousand sales total across all my books before the end of the year, by the looks of it. This makes me happy. Just gotta keep calm and carry on, and see how it goes...
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Did ya miss me? 
And now, the numbers:
(Note: Edited to reflect sales report, and count KENP properly.)
The Thin Black Line Between Infernal and Divine sold 19 copies, bringing the running total for 2016 to 434.
Keep an Ace in the Hole sold 16 copies, bringing the running total for 2016 to 456.
Dire:Born sold 42 Ebook copies, 2 Print copies, 1 Direct Sale Copies, and had 48 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 3058.
Dire:Seed sold 48 Ebook copies, 2 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale Copies, and had 45 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 2291.
Dire:Time sold 78 Ebook copies, 4 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale copies, and had 70 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 1402.
So, all told, about what I was expecting. Maybe a little on the low end, but still within tolerances.
Oh! Before I get too much farther, I'm happy to announce that Dire:Born got a good blog review! It's over at https://amazingbooksynho.com/2016/10/29/dire-born-by-andrew-seiple/ The two ladies who run the site posted either here or over at Kboards, (I forget where exactly,) looking for Indie authors with good books. I got in contact with them, and here we are. Took them a little while to get the review done, but my work made the grade, so I'm happy. They are looking for more people, if anyone's interested.
Looking back on the last few months, I'm not sure why things tapered off so quickly. It's tempting to chalk it up to the mythical "summer slump," but it could also be election year blues. Or it could be that my third book didn't quite appeal as much. Either way, there's not much to do about it but forge ahead.
On that note, I'm about finished with my MG experiment. Just two more chapters and a battle scene to go, and my first MG manuscript will be done. Then on to the self-editing, and another draft or two before I hit up my betas and editor. It's definitely been a fun trip, but I don't know if I'm up for this genre full-time. I'll see how this book is received before I go all-in.
On to November's business... I've got three major points coming to conjunction this month:
1. Point the first - It'll be my one-year anniversary on Black Friday. Sure, I started testing the waters and publishing with a novella and short story, but it was 2015's Black Friday when I dropped my novel into the mix, and things really took off. Unless things get very weird, it looks like I'll have sold ten thousand copies across my various books. Ten thousand in one year... I need to do something special to mark the occasion. Maybe a sweepstakes contest with the mailing list, or a goodreads giveaway. Dunno, have to think it over. Suggestions are welcome.
2. Box Set - As we speak, my cover artist is hammering away on the commission for the box set. I was hoping he'd have it done by now, but that's fine, I'm still wrapping up the MG book so there's time. In a week or two, once he's done, I'll combine my first three novels and put the box set up on Amazon. I'm thinking 9.99 as a price, with a Kindle Countdown to celebrate one year of Dire.
I honestly don't know what this'll do, or how it'll go. This is my first box set... I'm pretty sure it'll earn back the $400 cover art cost, but beyond that it's new territory. Pretty exciting, to tell the truth!
3. Acadecon Panels - So, starting on Friday 11 and going until Sunday the 13, Dayton is hosting a roleplaying convention called Acadecon. I've offered to do two panels there, and I'll be there as a vendor throughout, selling books and occasionally sneaking off to play games. If you're in the area, feel free to stop on by! It's down at the convention center, and we're going to have a pretty impressive roleplaying guest list. We've got Kenneth Hite, for goshsakes! The man who debunked the satan out of roleplaying!
My panels will not be quite as exciting as the guests, probably, but I will be speaking twice on Friday about "Self-publishing your dream for fun and profit," and once on Saturday about "Going off the rails! Designing a sandbox campaign for your RPG."
Oh! And a minor point. I just checked in with the bookstore that agreed to sell my books on commission, and they sold one out of the five I gave them. So at some point my first bookstore sale happened... (It's not factored in to the numbers above. I'll roll it in when they pay me.) Milestone achieved! They're amenable to a signing come January or February. I'll talk with them more when the holiday season's done.
So! October was decent, November should go okay. A lot's riding on the box set, but it won't make or break me either way. And now I bend my energy to finishing up a project, taking care of some minor Exiles freelance work, and turning my energies to the next Dire book.
Yeah, this is about where I wanted to be for the holidays. Be well, guys! See you in a month, barring interesting things to report!
And now, the numbers:
(Note: Edited to reflect sales report, and count KENP properly.)
The Thin Black Line Between Infernal and Divine sold 19 copies, bringing the running total for 2016 to 434.
Keep an Ace in the Hole sold 16 copies, bringing the running total for 2016 to 456.
Dire:Born sold 42 Ebook copies, 2 Print copies, 1 Direct Sale Copies, and had 48 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 3058.
Dire:Seed sold 48 Ebook copies, 2 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale Copies, and had 45 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 2291.
Dire:Time sold 78 Ebook copies, 4 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale copies, and had 70 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 1402.
So, all told, about what I was expecting. Maybe a little on the low end, but still within tolerances.
Oh! Before I get too much farther, I'm happy to announce that Dire:Born got a good blog review! It's over at https://amazingbooksynho.com/2016/10/29/dire-born-by-andrew-seiple/ The two ladies who run the site posted either here or over at Kboards, (I forget where exactly,) looking for Indie authors with good books. I got in contact with them, and here we are. Took them a little while to get the review done, but my work made the grade, so I'm happy. They are looking for more people, if anyone's interested.
Looking back on the last few months, I'm not sure why things tapered off so quickly. It's tempting to chalk it up to the mythical "summer slump," but it could also be election year blues. Or it could be that my third book didn't quite appeal as much. Either way, there's not much to do about it but forge ahead.
On that note, I'm about finished with my MG experiment. Just two more chapters and a battle scene to go, and my first MG manuscript will be done. Then on to the self-editing, and another draft or two before I hit up my betas and editor. It's definitely been a fun trip, but I don't know if I'm up for this genre full-time. I'll see how this book is received before I go all-in.
On to November's business... I've got three major points coming to conjunction this month:
1. Point the first - It'll be my one-year anniversary on Black Friday. Sure, I started testing the waters and publishing with a novella and short story, but it was 2015's Black Friday when I dropped my novel into the mix, and things really took off. Unless things get very weird, it looks like I'll have sold ten thousand copies across my various books. Ten thousand in one year... I need to do something special to mark the occasion. Maybe a sweepstakes contest with the mailing list, or a goodreads giveaway. Dunno, have to think it over. Suggestions are welcome.
2. Box Set - As we speak, my cover artist is hammering away on the commission for the box set. I was hoping he'd have it done by now, but that's fine, I'm still wrapping up the MG book so there's time. In a week or two, once he's done, I'll combine my first three novels and put the box set up on Amazon. I'm thinking 9.99 as a price, with a Kindle Countdown to celebrate one year of Dire.
I honestly don't know what this'll do, or how it'll go. This is my first box set... I'm pretty sure it'll earn back the $400 cover art cost, but beyond that it's new territory. Pretty exciting, to tell the truth!
3. Acadecon Panels - So, starting on Friday 11 and going until Sunday the 13, Dayton is hosting a roleplaying convention called Acadecon. I've offered to do two panels there, and I'll be there as a vendor throughout, selling books and occasionally sneaking off to play games. If you're in the area, feel free to stop on by! It's down at the convention center, and we're going to have a pretty impressive roleplaying guest list. We've got Kenneth Hite, for goshsakes! The man who debunked the satan out of roleplaying!
My panels will not be quite as exciting as the guests, probably, but I will be speaking twice on Friday about "Self-publishing your dream for fun and profit," and once on Saturday about "Going off the rails! Designing a sandbox campaign for your RPG."
Oh! And a minor point. I just checked in with the bookstore that agreed to sell my books on commission, and they sold one out of the five I gave them. So at some point my first bookstore sale happened... (It's not factored in to the numbers above. I'll roll it in when they pay me.) Milestone achieved! They're amenable to a signing come January or February. I'll talk with them more when the holiday season's done.
So! October was decent, November should go okay. A lot's riding on the box set, but it won't make or break me either way. And now I bend my energy to finishing up a project, taking care of some minor Exiles freelance work, and turning my energies to the next Dire book.
Yeah, this is about where I wanted to be for the holidays. Be well, guys! See you in a month, barring interesting things to report!
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- Joined
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- Messages
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- Southern California
- Website
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What a night. Yipes.
Well, ignoring politics, two milestones here. First up, Cathleen Townsend was kind enough to interview me for her site. You can read it here, if you like;
https://cathleentownsend.com/…/interview-with-andrew-seiple/
Second of all, I just crossed the threshold. Ten thousand copies sold.
Some joy out of this morning for me, at any rate...
Well, ignoring politics, two milestones here. First up, Cathleen Townsend was kind enough to interview me for her site. You can read it here, if you like;
https://cathleentownsend.com/…/interview-with-andrew-seiple/
Second of all, I just crossed the threshold. Ten thousand copies sold.
Some joy out of this morning for me, at any rate...
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Thanks, guys!
Back from Acadecon. I'll put my thoughts in my blog, but overall it went pretty well. Sold 8 books which paid for the expenses of the con and the price of the books. Which essentially made it a free vacation. (Albeit a working one.)
Also, the panels went well. About half the people who signed up for them showed, which is pretty standard for a roleplaying convention. Got to talk to five aspiring writers, and answer their questions. Pointed 'em this way, along with a few other spots, so who knows if we'll see them here or not but one can hope. Also networked with my fellow vendors. We're going to arrange a facebook group for local con-going merchants, to make cracking this circuit easier and smoother.
That's the big advantage of living in the Midwest of America, really. With the highways as they are, and the cities where they are, there's a ton of reachable conventions within easy driving distance. Right now I have to be careful about which ones I pick and choose... Acadecon was only profitable because I didn't have to worry about lodging and (significant) gas charges. But once I go full-time, I plan to do more conventions, and for that having a network of friends and associates in the same boat will help, there.
At the end of the day, I'm all about mutual benefit. And it looks like we've got enough local folks with the same mindset that we can make this easier...
Back from Acadecon. I'll put my thoughts in my blog, but overall it went pretty well. Sold 8 books which paid for the expenses of the con and the price of the books. Which essentially made it a free vacation. (Albeit a working one.)
Also, the panels went well. About half the people who signed up for them showed, which is pretty standard for a roleplaying convention. Got to talk to five aspiring writers, and answer their questions. Pointed 'em this way, along with a few other spots, so who knows if we'll see them here or not but one can hope. Also networked with my fellow vendors. We're going to arrange a facebook group for local con-going merchants, to make cracking this circuit easier and smoother.
That's the big advantage of living in the Midwest of America, really. With the highways as they are, and the cities where they are, there's a ton of reachable conventions within easy driving distance. Right now I have to be careful about which ones I pick and choose... Acadecon was only profitable because I didn't have to worry about lodging and (significant) gas charges. But once I go full-time, I plan to do more conventions, and for that having a network of friends and associates in the same boat will help, there.
At the end of the day, I'm all about mutual benefit. And it looks like we've got enough local folks with the same mindset that we can make this easier...
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Ah, what's that thing, that thing that goes before a fall... yeah, I had that. But things didn't go as planned.
Probably won't go as planned here, either. The board's being extra-poopy for me today. So if there's formatting problems I apologize and I'll fix it tonight or roundabouts.
Check out the numbers:
(Note: Edited to reflect sales report, and count KENP properly.)
The Thin Black Line Between Infernal and Divine sold 16 copies, bringing the running total for 2016 to 450.
Keep an Ace in the Hole sold 12 copies, bringing the running total to 468.
Dire:Born sold 44 Ebook copies, 2 Print copies, 4 Direct Sale Copies, and had 38 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 3146.
Dire:Seed sold 48 Ebook copies, 3 Print copies, 2 Direct Sale Copies, and had 34 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 2378.
Dire:Time sold 50 Ebook copies, 3 Print copies, 2 Direct Sale copies, and had 52 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 1507.
The Dire Saga: Season One sold 4 copies and had 0 KU reads.
Could have been worse, true. My books are still selling, and since we're going into the holiday season, I've noticed an uptick. But still, four copies...I know the reason for part of it. Part of it is that I didn't let my regulars over at the fanfic community know that I put this box set out. It seemed kind of mercenary, since a lot of them have been buying the books in it already. But I think I'll have to get over that and let them know, if I'm to get any traction with it at all. It needs also-boughts and reviews, and the only way to get them is to get people buying.
I do wonder if the cover's another issue. The tarot card theme isn't exactly superhero-ey. It's not without precedent, mind you, but still, but still...
Wellp, no big deal. I remain in this for the long haul. All it has to do is earn out the price I paid for its cover, and then I don't care. The other books are still selling, so if people don't want to take advantage of the three for two deal it offers, hey-o. I can cry myself to sleep with 33% more profit in the long run.
The MG book's done and getting beta feedback right now. Illustrations are on the way from my co-author, figure we won't need more than four or five to start. Come a month it'll be ready to toss to my editor. Maybe earlier, if the stars are right. This one will definitely be getting shipped around to agents first, in an attempt at trade publishing. Talking with people on this board has convinced me that MAYBE it's not a total waste of time for me. MAYBE. So I'll ship it around for a year, pile up rejections on it, and all the while work on other stuff to self-publish so I don't have to care about the rejections. If it gets in, hey, awesome. If not, then once I get tired of rejections I'll self-publish it and see how it goes.
Acadecon was a lot of fun. Got to talk to about five or six prospective authors, and give them some tips. Always fun to help out locals! Sold enough books to pay for the con, the cost of the books, and food, so it was a good weekend. Also networked with some local artists, lining up support and notification for future conventions. I intend to give as good as I get there, mind you.
I've started on the next Dire novel, falling back into my 1k a day habit. Going to try to push that a bit this month, so we'll see how it goes. I'm estimating a release for it around March... maybe April if the stars fail to align.
Currently debating some promotional stuff for box set buyers. I do have separate card files for each of the cards on the cover, and I know a local printer who works for reasonable rates... A small, limited run might be good, there.
Likewise, I could possible engage the local printer to make up a box for my first three books. Mail that to people and voila! Instant box set!
I think I'll go ask my reader community if they'd like this sort of thing before I commit.
Anyway, I'll try to get things going on marketing the box set while I keep working on the fourth Dire book. Normally I'd be worried about slumping sales, but... well, Christmas is coming on, and that'll skew things. Besides, I'm kind of curious to find my baseline. A little curious to see what happens if I don't release anything new for a few months. My last new material was in August, so... what'll things look like in half a year, barring minor marketing efforts and some basic promos?
I do plan to set up a Kindle Countdown deal starting Christmas day, though... that ought to be fun!
Wellp, wish me luck, guys. Miles to go before I sleep, and all...
Probably won't go as planned here, either. The board's being extra-poopy for me today. So if there's formatting problems I apologize and I'll fix it tonight or roundabouts.
Check out the numbers:
(Note: Edited to reflect sales report, and count KENP properly.)
The Thin Black Line Between Infernal and Divine sold 16 copies, bringing the running total for 2016 to 450.
Keep an Ace in the Hole sold 12 copies, bringing the running total to 468.
Dire:Born sold 44 Ebook copies, 2 Print copies, 4 Direct Sale Copies, and had 38 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 3146.
Dire:Seed sold 48 Ebook copies, 3 Print copies, 2 Direct Sale Copies, and had 34 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 2378.
Dire:Time sold 50 Ebook copies, 3 Print copies, 2 Direct Sale copies, and had 52 KU reads. This brings the running total for 2016 to 1507.
The Dire Saga: Season One sold 4 copies and had 0 KU reads.
Could have been worse, true. My books are still selling, and since we're going into the holiday season, I've noticed an uptick. But still, four copies...I know the reason for part of it. Part of it is that I didn't let my regulars over at the fanfic community know that I put this box set out. It seemed kind of mercenary, since a lot of them have been buying the books in it already. But I think I'll have to get over that and let them know, if I'm to get any traction with it at all. It needs also-boughts and reviews, and the only way to get them is to get people buying.
I do wonder if the cover's another issue. The tarot card theme isn't exactly superhero-ey. It's not without precedent, mind you, but still, but still...
Wellp, no big deal. I remain in this for the long haul. All it has to do is earn out the price I paid for its cover, and then I don't care. The other books are still selling, so if people don't want to take advantage of the three for two deal it offers, hey-o. I can cry myself to sleep with 33% more profit in the long run.
The MG book's done and getting beta feedback right now. Illustrations are on the way from my co-author, figure we won't need more than four or five to start. Come a month it'll be ready to toss to my editor. Maybe earlier, if the stars are right. This one will definitely be getting shipped around to agents first, in an attempt at trade publishing. Talking with people on this board has convinced me that MAYBE it's not a total waste of time for me. MAYBE. So I'll ship it around for a year, pile up rejections on it, and all the while work on other stuff to self-publish so I don't have to care about the rejections. If it gets in, hey, awesome. If not, then once I get tired of rejections I'll self-publish it and see how it goes.
Acadecon was a lot of fun. Got to talk to about five or six prospective authors, and give them some tips. Always fun to help out locals! Sold enough books to pay for the con, the cost of the books, and food, so it was a good weekend. Also networked with some local artists, lining up support and notification for future conventions. I intend to give as good as I get there, mind you.
I've started on the next Dire novel, falling back into my 1k a day habit. Going to try to push that a bit this month, so we'll see how it goes. I'm estimating a release for it around March... maybe April if the stars fail to align.
Currently debating some promotional stuff for box set buyers. I do have separate card files for each of the cards on the cover, and I know a local printer who works for reasonable rates... A small, limited run might be good, there.
Likewise, I could possible engage the local printer to make up a box for my first three books. Mail that to people and voila! Instant box set!
I think I'll go ask my reader community if they'd like this sort of thing before I commit.
Anyway, I'll try to get things going on marketing the box set while I keep working on the fourth Dire book. Normally I'd be worried about slumping sales, but... well, Christmas is coming on, and that'll skew things. Besides, I'm kind of curious to find my baseline. A little curious to see what happens if I don't release anything new for a few months. My last new material was in August, so... what'll things look like in half a year, barring minor marketing efforts and some basic promos?
I do plan to set up a Kindle Countdown deal starting Christmas day, though... that ought to be fun!
Wellp, wish me luck, guys. Miles to go before I sleep, and all...
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Awesome! What a milestone. Way to go, and thanks for sharing your successes with us.
I'm very curious about your MG title. Is it in the same genres as what you've published? I'm also very curious about your illustrations. I have 10-15 illustrations in my Revenger books and have found they are an aspect readers comment on in reviews as something they like. They cause a huge bottleneck for my releases mind you, but I'm committed to keeping them going.
Looking forward to reading more updates from you.
Same genre? No, actually. this is my attempt to expand my horizons, and help out a friend at the same time. It's epic fantasy, and all my published stuff to date has been "R"-rated superheroes. So I have no clue how a book about cute little dragons having adventures in the aftermath of a great war will do, but I'm eager to find out.The illustrations are happening because the lady I'm working with can draw seriously well, and she's got three of them done already. She was actually planning a coloring book first, but we'll see about dovetailing it in with the release if they happen around the same time. I only need about five of them for the first book... and if it gets picked up by a publisher, we might not even need'em.This book basically delayed my ongoing series by about three months, but it should be worth it in the long run, both as a chance to expand my horizons, a break when I needed one, and the establishment of a series that I can slowroll. Unlike my flagship, which I must dedicate time to at least 2-3 books a year, I want to see how well the MG one does with only one book a year or so.I update once a month, and I love answering questions. Feel free to ask'em at any time! I haunt these boards more than Batman spends time stalking his rogues' gallery.
Hey all! We survived the holidays. Wooo! It wasn't exactly the bonanza I was hoping for. Still, I'm happy with how it went.
(Note: Edited to reflect sales report, and count KENP properly.)
The Thin Black Line Between Infernal and Divine sold 15 copies, bringing the final total for 2016 to 465.
Keep an Ace in the Hole sold 17 copies, bringing the final total for 2016 to 485.
Dire:Born sold 40 Ebook copies, 8 Print copies, 1 Direct Sale Copies, and had 29 KU reads. This brings the final total for 2016 to 3224.
Dire:Seed sold 32 Ebook copies, 6 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale Copies, and had 20 KU reads. This brings the final total for 2016 to 2436.
Dire:Time sold 41 Ebook copies, 9 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale copies, and had 27 KU reads. This brings the final total for 2016 to 1584.
The Dire Saga: Season 1 sold 30 copies and had 2 KU reads. This brings the final total for 2016 to 36.
What have we learned?
Well, the first thing I learned was that the self-publishing maxim about selling more print copies during the holidays was true. It was a noticeable spike, not a huge one, but a good one nonetheless.
I also managed to sell more Dire Saga box sets by lining up a Kindle Countdown from Christmas on. That helped move a bunch.
Also got a sizeable spike by doing a promotional campaign. See, the cover artist for the box set collaborated with me... he made the cover in such a way that the individual cards could be separated out and printed up as promotional items. I did that, using a local print shop (about $100 to get it done for a big batch of each) and offered a portion of them to my readers, free of charge. Just send me a mailing address, and you get free arty cards.About a hundred people responded, from across my various platforms. Cost me about another $100 in postage to get them sorted. (International mailing's a pain.) But I had increased sales the two weeks following my announcement of the promo, which covered the money I paid. (Which is tax deductible, so that's fine.) This was also a sanity check for me, of sorts. It showed me that I don't have a thousand true fans yet. I've got a tenth of that.
Shoot, that's fine. If I'm doing this well on a hundred or so hardcore fans, then the future's pretty damn rosy. Just have to keep writing and releasing!
Next hurdle's going to be taxes. Got money put aside for that, but I have no idea if it'll be enough. And the earliest I can launch the next Dire book (which is about a third written so far and looking good) is March. And that's only if everything falls into line, there. So... this might be the first year I hold off on filing taxes until the April deadline.
Got the suggestions in from my betas on the little dragons book, but I want to hold off on finalizing things until the Dire book's out for review. That'll give me something to work on, and I'll come at it with fresh eyes.All in all... so far, so good. Could be better, but I'm happy with what I've got so far. Wish me luck, and let's make this an awesome year!
(Note: Edited to reflect sales report, and count KENP properly.)
The Thin Black Line Between Infernal and Divine sold 15 copies, bringing the final total for 2016 to 465.
Keep an Ace in the Hole sold 17 copies, bringing the final total for 2016 to 485.
Dire:Born sold 40 Ebook copies, 8 Print copies, 1 Direct Sale Copies, and had 29 KU reads. This brings the final total for 2016 to 3224.
Dire:Seed sold 32 Ebook copies, 6 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale Copies, and had 20 KU reads. This brings the final total for 2016 to 2436.
Dire:Time sold 41 Ebook copies, 9 Print copies, 0 Direct Sale copies, and had 27 KU reads. This brings the final total for 2016 to 1584.
The Dire Saga: Season 1 sold 30 copies and had 2 KU reads. This brings the final total for 2016 to 36.
What have we learned?
Well, the first thing I learned was that the self-publishing maxim about selling more print copies during the holidays was true. It was a noticeable spike, not a huge one, but a good one nonetheless.
I also managed to sell more Dire Saga box sets by lining up a Kindle Countdown from Christmas on. That helped move a bunch.
Also got a sizeable spike by doing a promotional campaign. See, the cover artist for the box set collaborated with me... he made the cover in such a way that the individual cards could be separated out and printed up as promotional items. I did that, using a local print shop (about $100 to get it done for a big batch of each) and offered a portion of them to my readers, free of charge. Just send me a mailing address, and you get free arty cards.About a hundred people responded, from across my various platforms. Cost me about another $100 in postage to get them sorted. (International mailing's a pain.) But I had increased sales the two weeks following my announcement of the promo, which covered the money I paid. (Which is tax deductible, so that's fine.) This was also a sanity check for me, of sorts. It showed me that I don't have a thousand true fans yet. I've got a tenth of that.
Shoot, that's fine. If I'm doing this well on a hundred or so hardcore fans, then the future's pretty damn rosy. Just have to keep writing and releasing!
Next hurdle's going to be taxes. Got money put aside for that, but I have no idea if it'll be enough. And the earliest I can launch the next Dire book (which is about a third written so far and looking good) is March. And that's only if everything falls into line, there. So... this might be the first year I hold off on filing taxes until the April deadline.
Got the suggestions in from my betas on the little dragons book, but I want to hold off on finalizing things until the Dire book's out for review. That'll give me something to work on, and I'll come at it with fresh eyes.All in all... so far, so good. Could be better, but I'm happy with what I've got so far. Wish me luck, and let's make this an awesome year!
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All right, the forums are being extra cranky today and eating my formatting. I'll have to try again tonight with a different browser, and see if that makes a difference. Sorry for the word stew, I'll try reformatting tonight, guys...
A suggestion - start paying quarterly state taxes. That way it'll be easier to spread out all the payments than have one lump sum at the end of the year.
It's a bit more paperwork but well worth it if/when you do the big income tax hit at the start of the year - it's all laid out in a row and if you're lucky you'll get a refund!
It's a bit more paperwork but well worth it if/when you do the big income tax hit at the start of the year - it's all laid out in a row and if you're lucky you'll get a refund!
Problem is, I tried getting that lined up. The CPAs I talked with told me I wasn't making enough to worry about it. I disagreed, but didn't have the time to argue or try to convince someone who fundamentally disagreed with me to take my money. So we'll see. I'll pay the price now, and try to get quarterly payments lined up this year.
NOTE: I am not a tax professional and you should do your own research and this is U.S.-specific, but it comes up pretty often and I've dealt with it in my own business for the last seven years, so...
Not sure if this is what they were talking about but the first year you have significant income from your self-publishing (where you'll have to pay more than $1,000 in taxes on it) if you still have a day job you probably don't need to make estimated payments. (You only have to pay as much as you paid the prior year in taxes or, if you're doing really well, 110% of that amount.) So if you have a day job and paid $X in taxes last year and still have that day job and don't change your withholding drastically and still earn the same or more than you did the prior year you're probably going to pay $X in taxes again and likely be off the hook for making estimated payments for that first year of significant self-pub income. But that won't be true the next year. The second year is when you likely need to make estimated payments or face late payment penalties because now your minimum payment amount is based upon your day job and your self-pub income from that prior year and what you're paying in taxes through your day job won't be enough to cover it. (The IRS website has a publication on the whole thing. Just search for "estimated payments" I think it is).
Not sure if this is what they were talking about but the first year you have significant income from your self-publishing (where you'll have to pay more than $1,000 in taxes on it) if you still have a day job you probably don't need to make estimated payments. (You only have to pay as much as you paid the prior year in taxes or, if you're doing really well, 110% of that amount.) So if you have a day job and paid $X in taxes last year and still have that day job and don't change your withholding drastically and still earn the same or more than you did the prior year you're probably going to pay $X in taxes again and likely be off the hook for making estimated payments for that first year of significant self-pub income. But that won't be true the next year. The second year is when you likely need to make estimated payments or face late payment penalties because now your minimum payment amount is based upon your day job and your self-pub income from that prior year and what you're paying in taxes through your day job won't be enough to cover it. (The IRS website has a publication on the whole thing. Just search for "estimated payments" I think it is).
Yeah... don't know your CPA but I'm calling BS on that one. I've paid quarterly state taxes of thirty-eight cents and gleefully mailed the checks to the govt offices. This isn't hard to do - call the offices and have them send you the forms. I do mine every three months, write the check and mail it to the office. Not hard, not complicated and if you're making a substantial amount of money, well worth not getting the penalty bill every year in December.
I use ye old H&R Block for my taxes and they're the ones who advised us to file quarterly just to save cash in the long run. But that's us.
@M.H. Lee: Thank you! My research had turned up something of the sort, but I was a little worried because technically I started self-publishing back in 2015, and declared this as my second job back then. This year will be the first where I'll be paying taxes over a thousand, though.
@Sheryl: I called bullshit as well. Which is why there are a couple of CPA's in my area that will never see my business again. All I really need is a CPA to walk me through the first couple of estimated payments, to help answer the niggling little questions that some of the form fields bring up, and I'll be fine. So next month after the paperwork comes in I'll go hunting for one who isn't trying to snow me.
@Sheryl: I called bullshit as well. Which is why there are a couple of CPA's in my area that will never see my business again. All I really need is a CPA to walk me through the first couple of estimated payments, to help answer the niggling little questions that some of the form fields bring up, and I'll be fine. So next month after the paperwork comes in I'll go hunting for one who isn't trying to snow me.
Andrew:
Not sure why I haven't commented on your thread before. I just read or skimmed most of your reports, and I'm very impressed. You have sales that far exceed what the typical self-publisher sees, me included. You obviously have a popular genre, and people are following you.
Keep up the good work,
NDG
Not sure why I haven't commented on your thread before. I just read or skimmed most of your reports, and I'm very impressed. You have sales that far exceed what the typical self-publisher sees, me included. You obviously have a popular genre, and people are following you.
Keep up the good work,
NDG