The Kingfisher Has Landed

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
327
Location
North Carolina
Website
www.ursulavernon.com
June 2018

Wonder Engine
Kindle: 731
D2D: 26
Total: 757

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 1408
D2D: 25
Smashwords: 0
Total: 1433

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 51
D2D: 7
Smashwords: 0
Total: 58

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 105
D2D: 8
Smashwords: 0
Total: 113

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 97
D2D: 9
Smashwords: 1
Total: 105

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 72
D2D: 7
Smashwords: 0
Total: 79

Toad Words
Kindle: 26
D2D: 6
Smashwords: 0
Total: 32

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 99
Smashwords: 5
Total: 104


Total Sales to Date

Wonder Engine:
7656
Clockwork Boys:
11610
Jackalope Wives: 3046
Summer in Orcus:
4547
Raven & Reindeer:
6261
Bryony & Roses: 9112
Toad Words: 4947
Nine Goblins: 6712


Whew, another month down! Huge sales bump to Clockwork, directly attributable to a one day sale in the UK. (Does this mean more people buy the sequel? In theory, yes. In practice...no idea. What is it they say, that 20% of marketing works, it's just that no one knows WHICH 20%?) Everything else slithered down as usual for summer.
 

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
327
Location
North Carolina
Website
www.ursulavernon.com
July 2018

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 478
D2D: 40
Total: 518

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 445
D2D: 48
Smashwords: 2
Total: 495

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 55
D2D: 8
Smashwords: 2
Total: 65

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 107
D2D: 9
Smashwords: 2
Total: 118

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 80
D2D: 6
Smashwords: 2
Total: 88

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 74
D2D: 8
Smashwords: 0
Total: 82

Toad Words
Kindle: 25
D2D: 2
Smashwords: 0
Total: 27

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 98
Smashwords: 4
Total: 102


Total Sales to Date

Wonder Engine:
8174
Clockwork Boys:
12105
Jackalope Wives: 3111
Summer in Orcus:
4665
Raven & Reindeer:
6349
Bryony & Roses: 9194
Toad Words: 4974
Nine Goblins: 6814

A big drop for the new releases, but it's been nine months since Clockwork came out, so I am not crying at all about selling nearly five hundred copies. Backlist continues pretty much unchanged from last month, so I'm not really crying. Clockwork is a Kindle Deal this month, so we'll see if the sales bump from that moves the needle on any of the others.
 
Last edited:

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
327
Location
North Carolina
Website
www.ursulavernon.com
August 2018

Wonder Engine
Kindle: 472
D2D: 40
Total: 512

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 727
D2D: 47
Smashwords: 1
Total: 775

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 38
D2D: 1
Smashwords: 0
Total: 39

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 97
D2D: 7
Smashwords: 1
Total: 105

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 84
D2D: 9
Smashwords: 2
Total: 95

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 58
D2D: 3
Smashwords: 0
Total: 61

Toad Words
Kindle: 26
D2D: 2
Smashwords: 0
Total: 28

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 74
Smashwords: 5
Total: 79


Total Sales to Date

Wonder Engine:
8686
Clockwork Boys:
12880
Jackalope Wives: 3150
Summer in Orcus:
4770
Raven & Reindeer:
6444
Bryony & Roses: 9255
Toad Words: 5002
Nine Goblins: 6893


Y'ever stop and think "Wow, this is a really weird job?"

Anyway, Clockwork got a big bump for being a Kindle Daily Deal, and damn, I wish I could say that had driven all kinds of sales, but as soon as it went off deal, all the numbers crashed right back down. It's summer, summer is hard. But on the bright side, moved a lot of physical copies at Worldcon, which is a nice little chunk of change that I certainly am not crying about.

I need to get another book out, but I am in a holding pattern for Reasons and hopefully soon that will resolve. I hope.
 

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
327
Location
North Carolina
Website
www.ursulavernon.com
September & October

Arrrgh, I missed updating last month! Well, October was busy. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

September:
Wonder Engine

Kindle: 234
D2D: 33
Total: 267

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 232
D2D: 31
Smashwords: 1
Total: 264

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 52
D2D: 3
Smashwords: 1
Total: 56

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 70
D2D: 8
Smashwords: 0
Total: 78

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 58
D2D: 12
Smashwords: 1
Total: 71

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 44
D2D: 10
Smashwords: 0
Total: 54

Toad Words
Kindle: 28
D2D: 5
Smashwords: 1
Total: 34

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 54
Smashwords: 5
Total: 59

October:

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 318
D2D: 31
Total: 349

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 651
D2D: 30
Smashwords: 1
Total: 682

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 49
D2D: 4
Smashwords: 0
Total: 53

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 74
D2D: 6
Smashwords: 0
Total: 80

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 55
D2D: 6
Smashwords: 0
Total: 61

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 43
D2D: 14
Smashwords: 0
Total: 57

Toad Words
Kindle: 18
D2D: 6
Smashwords: 0
Total: 24

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 66
Smashwords: 5
Total: 71

Total Sales to Date

Wonder Engine: 9302
Clockwork Boys:
13826
Jackalope Wives: 3259
Summer in Orcus:
4928
Raven & Reindeer:
6576
Bryony & Roses: 9366
Toad Words: 5060
Nine Goblins: 7023

Big bump in Clockwork in October, corresponding to being a Kindle Deal in the US (I think the last one was in the UK) which pushed Wonder up a bit along with it. Everything else is just in the backlist holding pattern, but there is hope on the horizon! My new novel Swordheart is out at the end of the month, which is set in the Clockwork Boys universe and hopefully will re-energize stuff through the holidays.

Also sold the audio rights to the Clockwork/Wonder duology, which is a nice chunk of change. Now I just gotta write the NEXT book, which is...uh...about 5K along, at this point. Woo?
 

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
327
Location
North Carolina
Website
www.ursulavernon.com
November

Swordheart
Kindle: 1177
D2D: 131
Total: 1308

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 232
D2D: 28
Total: 260

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 226
D2D: 31
Smashwords: 0
Total: 257

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 38
D2D: 10
Smashwords: 0
Total: 48

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 53
D2D: 14
Smashwords: 0
Total: 67

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 73
D2D: 11
Smashwords: 0
Total: 84

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 64
D2D: 13
Smashwords: 0
Total: 77

Toad Words
Kindle: 20
D2D: 6
Smashwords: 0
Total: 26

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 47
Smashwords: 4
Total: 51

Total Sales to Date

Swordheart: 1308
Wonder Engine: 9562
Clockwork Boys:
14083
Jackalope Wives: 3307
Summer in Orcus:
4995
Raven & Reindeer:
6660
Bryony & Roses: 9443
Toad Words: 5086
Nine Goblins: 7074

New book release, which I didn't talk about here because I suddenly had a family mess to handle, so I didn't actually track the sales for Swordheart in the first week too closely. I think we did well over 2K in the first week, and the small press handling physical copies said we moved like 500 hardcovers, which is absolutely nothing to sneeze at! It was close enough to the end of the month that it didn't move the sales on the other books significantly (three days isn't really enough time for knockon effect) but looking at the current figures for December, it looks like it definitely helped the Clocktaur books significantly.

Judging by my sales figures, weird epic fantasy is where it's at. Yay? I think?
 

ASeiple

Livin' la vida biblia
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 7, 2015
Messages
860
Reaction score
93
Location
Dayton, OH
Very yay! Those are good numbers.

Whatever you're doing, it's working.
 

lorna_w

Hybrid Grump
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Messages
3,262
Reaction score
3,236
Amazing numbers, and at that price even better. You're doing fantastically. Congratulations and may 2019 do as well for you.
 

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
327
Location
North Carolina
Website
www.ursulavernon.com
December 2018

Swordheart
Kindle: 2299
D2D: 145
Total: 2444

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 541
D2D: 46
Total: 587

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 643
D2D: 55
Smashwords: 3
Total: 701

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 62
D2D: 7
Smashwords: 0
Total: 69 (niiiiiice)

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 108
D2D: 17
Smashwords: 1
Total: 126

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 102
D2D: 11
Smashwords: 3
Total: 116

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 115
D2D: 13
Smashwords: 2
Total: 130

Toad Words
Kindle: 31
D2D: 7
Smashwords: 0
Total: 38

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 106
Smashwords: 16
Total: 122

Total Sales to Date

Swordheart: 3752
Wonder Engine: 10149
Clockwork Boys:
14784
Jackalope Wives: 3376
Summer in Orcus: 5121
Raven & Reindeer:
6776
Bryony & Roses: 9573
Toad Words: 5124
Nine Goblins: 7196

So last month was pretty damn fine. Lots of it was the holidays, of course, but Swordheart is selling like hotcakes by my standards, and it definitely re-energized the two Clocktaur books set in the same universe. I'm pretty jazzed, to say the least!

The rest of the backlist obviously isn't exactly tearing up the charts, but it's paying for rent and groceries, and that is all I ask of books this late in the cycle.
 

playground

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 31, 2011
Messages
1,404
Reaction score
138
So Swordheart is in the same universe but not connected with the Clocktaur stories, correct?
 

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
327
Location
North Carolina
Website
www.ursulavernon.com
January 2019

Swordheart
Kindle: 1200
D2D: 56
Total: 1256

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 452
D2D: 46
Total: 498

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 485
D2D: 46
Smashwords: 2
Total: 533

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 63
D2D: 3
Smashwords: 1
Total: 67

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 111
D2D: 10
Smashwords: 1
Total: 122

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 123
D2D: 5
Smashwords: 1
Total: 129

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 135
D2D: 7
Smashwords: 0
Total: 142

Toad Words
Kindle: 32
D2D: 0
Smashwords: 0
Total: 32

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 78
Smashwords: 7
Total: 84

Total Sales to Date

Swordheart: 5008
Wonder Engine: 10647
Clockwork Boys:
15317
Jackalope Wives: 3443
Summer in Orcus: 5243
Raven & Reindeer:
6905
Bryony & Roses: 9715
Toad Words: 5156
Nine Goblins: 7280

Everything drops post holidays, of course, but not as brutal as drop as one might think. The fact that a year-old book like Clockwork Boys can still move 500 copies in a month, even with holiday/new book bump, fills me with relief. This whole self-pub thing may work out yet!

Clockwork's a Kindle Deal in the UK this month, so that will undoubtedly push things, and Seventh Bride, through 47North, is a deal in the US, so there may be some knockon effects from those two as well, but of course February is The Month Where Books Go To Die, so I'm not holding my breath.
 

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
327
Location
North Carolina
Website
www.ursulavernon.com
February 2019

Swordheart
Kindle: 615
D2D: 34
Total: 648

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 394
D2D: 38
Total: 432

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 750
D2D: 43
Total: 793

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 40
D2D: 9
Total: 49

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 77
D2D: 13
Total: 90

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 121
D2D: 13
Total: 134

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 122
D2D: 16
Total: 138

Toad Words
Kindle: 25
D2D: 7
Total: 32

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 67
Smashwords: 6
Total: 73

March 2019

Swordheart
Kindle: 422
D2D: 35
Total: 457

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 251
D2D: 31
Total: 282

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 245
D2D: 37
Total: 282

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 38
D2D: 4
Total: 42

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 75
D2D: 13
Total: 88

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 92
D2D: 11
Total: 103

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 112
D2D: 11
Total: 123

Toad Words
Kindle: 23
D2D: 4
Total: 27

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 69
Smashwords: 3
Total: 72

Total Sales to Date

Swordheart: 6113
Wonder Engine: 11361
Clockwork Boys:
16392
Jackalope Wives: 3534
Summer in Orcus:
5421
Raven & Reindeer:
7142
Bryony & Roses: 9976
Toad Words: 5215
Nine Goblins: 7425

March was pretty grim for my top earners, no doubt about it, but stable for the backlist. (Honestly, the two Clockwork books are solidly backlist by now, but they still sell better than most of the others, and get occasional bumps.) I really gotta get a new book out, but I say that every time. *grin* Still, it's paying the rent.

Made the decision going forward to stop bothering to track Smashwords. At this point, sales there are basically a rounding error unless it's a new book release day. I am glad there's a platform for my readers who will not do Amazon, and I want to support them, but it's just not worth the energy calculating exact figures.
 

Friendly Frog

Snarkenfaugister
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 23, 2011
Messages
4,098
Reaction score
4,943
Location
Belgium
Ah, is that why Swordheart and Wonder Engine haven't been added to Smashwords? I thought it was just me who couldn't find them. Pfew. I reckon it's time then to migrate to D2D, then.
 

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
327
Location
North Carolina
Website
www.ursulavernon.com
April, May, June 2019

*sob* I was in Tibet! And then I had like four books due simultaneously! Oh god, my poor records are so far behind...

April 2019

Swordheart
Kindle: 1572
D2D: 21
Total: 1593

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 254
D2D: 15
Total: 269

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 241
D2D: 24
Total: 265

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 37
D2D: 4
Total: 41

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 61
D2D: 12
Total: 73

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 94
D2D: 10
Total: 104

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 102
D2D: 8
Total: 110

Toad Words
Kindle: 16
D2D: 3
Total: 19

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 71
Smashwords: 7
Total: 78

May 2019

Swordheart
Kindle: 388
D2D: 31
Total: 419

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 241
D2D: 34
Total: 275

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 241
D2D: 34
Total: 275

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 28
D2D: 5
Total: 33

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 60
D2D: 5
Total: 65

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 88
D2D: 7
Total: 95

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 83
D2D: 9
Total: 92

Toad Words
Kindle: 24
D2D: 4
Total: 28

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 47
Smashwords: 2
Total: 49

June 2019

Swordheart
Kindle: 184
D2D: 17
Total: 202

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 160
D2D: 23
Total: 183

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 149
D2D: 24
Total: 173

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 31
D2D: 3
Total: 34

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 40
D2D: 10
Total: 50

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 64
D2D: 13
Total: 77

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 76
D2D: 14
Total: 90

Toad Words
Kindle: 16
D2D: 3
Total: 19

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 47
Smashwords: 8
Total: 55


Total Sales to Date

Swordheart: 8327
Wonder Engine: 12088
Clockwork Boys:
17115
Jackalope Wives: 3642
Summer in Orcus:
5593
Raven & Reindeer:
7418
Bryony & Roses: 10268
Toad Words: 5281
Nine Goblins: 7607

Kindle Daily Deal for Swordheart certainly made an impressive splash, though of course the price also dropped. I'm amused to see that somehow Clockwork and Wonder Engine sold the exact same amount one month. What are the odds?

I have a new novella coming out soon, which will hopefully kick things back up.
 

playground

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 31, 2011
Messages
1,404
Reaction score
138
Not sure if you saw, but someone referenced your book on reddit fantasy today, asking for suggestions of more books like Swordheart!
 

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
327
Location
North Carolina
Website
www.ursulavernon.com
July 2019

Minor Mage
Kindle: 689
D2D: 70
Total: 759

Swordheart
Kindle: 163
D2D: 20
Total: 183

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 139
D2D: 31
Total: 170

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 156
D2D: 30
Total: 186

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 27
D2D: 5
Total: 32

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 47
D2D: 3
Total: 50

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 65
D2D: 12
Total: 77

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 78
D2D: 14
Total: 92

Toad Words
Kindle: 22
D2D: 6
Total: 28

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 62
Total: 62

August 2019

Minor Mage
Kindle: 3771
D2D: 117
Total: 3888

Swordheart
Kindle: 300
D2D: 25
Total: 325

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 139
D2D: 18
Total: 157

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 248
D2D: 24
Total: 272

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 7
D2D: 5
Total: 12

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 79
D2D: 5
Total: 84

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 139
D2D: 19
Total: 158

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 79
D2D: 13
Total: 92

Toad Words
Kindle: 37
D2D: 7
Total: 44

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 111
Total: 111

Total Sales to Date

Minor Mage: 4647Swordheart: 8835
Wonder Engine:
12415
Clockwork Boys:
17573
Jackalope Wives: 3686
Summer in Orcus:
5727
Raven & Reindeer:
7653
Bryony & Roses: 10452
Toad Words: 5353
Nine Goblins: 7780

New novella out, and it's doing really well! Unexpectedly well! Who knew that people wanted the saga of a snarky armadillo? I'm not used to anything going that well out of the gate, so I'll just sit over here being quietly gobsmacked...I mean, it had a good cover, but not THAT good!

My new horror novel from Saga comes out tomorrow. Genuinely curious as to whether that will boost sales or not...
 

RedWombat

Runs With Scissors
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
1,197
Reaction score
327
Location
North Carolina
Website
www.ursulavernon.com
September, October, November 2019

I kept meaning to update, and then...well...life. Just gonna combine all three months this time.
Minor Mage
Kindle: 6251
D2D: 184
Total: 6435

Swordheart
Kindle: 1049
D2D: 52
Total: 1101

Wonder Engine

Kindle: 1068
D2D: 37
Total: 1105

Clockwork Boys
Kindle: 1205
D2D: 68
Total: 1273

Jackalope Wives
Kindle: 225
D2D: 19
Total: 244

Summer in Orcus
Kindle: 420
D2D: 22
Total: 442

Raven & Reindeer
Kindle: 420
D2D: 38
Total: 458

Bryony & Roses

Kindle: 410
D2D: 25
Total: 435

Toad Words
Kindle: 155
D2D: 13
Total: 168

Nine Goblins
Kindle: 601
Total: 601

Total Sales to Date

Minor Mage: 11082
Swordheart:
9936
Wonder Engine:
13520
Clockwork Boys:
18846
Jackalope Wives: 3930
Summer in Orcus: 6169
Raven & Reindeer:
8111
Bryony & Roses: 10887
Toad Words: 5521
Nine Goblins: 8381

Sales went significantly up in this period, almost double August for some of them like Bryony. Saga released my first trade-published novel as T. Kingfisher in October, but sales were already ticking up before that, so I'm honestly a bit stumped. Minor Mage may have done it, since it has been absolutely blazing compared to my usual, but I still don't know why. Novellas are usually death! Was it the cover? The blurb? The armadillo? The keywords? A review somewhere?

I have no explanations. I am not at all complaining--this is paying my taxes!--but I wish I understood WHY. (Of course, if I understood that, perhaps my life would be very different...)
 

ULTRAGOTHA

Merovingian Superhero
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 17, 2011
Messages
2,467
Reaction score
313
Wait. Clockwork Boys is over 10,000. Does that explain why you now have goats (on your property if not actually in your possession)?
 

Friendly Frog

Snarkenfaugister
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 23, 2011
Messages
4,098
Reaction score
4,943
Location
Belgium
Seen as Minor Mage is also over 10,000, can we expect the goats being joined by armadilloes soon?