Now for a dose of reality.
While 2014 started off with a bang for me, I sold 105 books in January, with 74 copies of Shadows of the Past being purchased, I only earned $39.51 in royalties. My best month was in March when I sold 56 copies but earned nearly a buck a sale, making $50.03 in royalties for the month. For the entire year I had 396 sales, and gave away 15,385 copies via two perma-free short stories and a couple of Select free promos. For all of 2014 I earned $281.78 in royalties.
My collection of short stories, 9 Dark Tales, earned me the most for the year. Running a free promo in March I gave away 255 copies, but sold 16 copies at the full price, earning $35.42 in royalties for that month. for the whole year I sold 64 copies and earned $128.59 in royalties.
For my novel, Shadows of the Past, I ran two promos during the year and gave away 1,225 copies, selling an additional 214 copies for the year, but since it is only priced at $0.99 I only earned $74.68 in royalties for that title.
On the writing front I released two novels, White Walker, and Parasite: Shadows of the Past Part II, as well as part one of my 30,000 word novella Bordertown: Meat Goes to Richmond.
Some things to note though. I have no marketing budget, nor do I have the time to spend a majority of my day online promoting my work. I work a full time job in retail and majority of my money goes towards paying the monthly bills. As I like to tell people, I've developed a few bad habits during my life, such as eating, staying warm and dry, and having a comfortable place to sleep.
Writing for me is most of the time a pleasure. Yeah, there are times when the muse teases me and the words refuse to flow, but all in all I'd keep writing even if I didn't make anything. Yet at the same time I feel a writer should be paid for their work. I'll keep producing and maybe in time I'll make enough to supplement my income, at the current rate I'm not going to be retiring from the daily work force any time soon.
Showing posts with label KDP Select. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KDP Select. Show all posts
What's a writer to do?
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year you may have noticed a bubbling discontent with Amazon by a number of better known indie authors out there. J. A Konrath has recently stated, in the comments for his December 19 post, that he was stepping away from Amazon's KPD Select program, once his ninety days were up in late January. Holly Ward, who writes romances under the name H.M. Ward recently revealed that in KU her earnings have plummeted by as much as 75% as a result of borrows instead of sales.
For an indie author, enrollment in Amazon's Select program allowed them to offer the enrolled title free for five days for every ninety day term. Aside from price matching making a title permanently free it was the only way an author could offer their work for free to the massive audience Amazon has nurtured. The Select program, in its infancy, was directly responsible for a number of indie authors becoming bestsellers.
Earlier this year Amazon rolled out its subscription service, Kindle Unlimited, that allowed members to borrow an unlimited number of kindle titles for one low monthly fee. It was Amazon's response to Oyster and Scrib'd, two stand alone subscription services that have done for e-books what Netflix has done for movies.
If the member read the borrowed title beyond ten percent it triggered a payment to the author. Some authors, those with titles priced from $0.99 to $2.98 actually benefited from the program as the payment was averaging about $1.30 per borrow. On titles priced between a $0.99 and $2.98 the author makes 35%, of the purchase price for each sale. So for a book priced at say $2.98, the author would make approximately $1.05, or $0.35 for each dollar.
Authors with higher priced books such as $2.99, who were used to earning 70%, or $2.06 for each sale, were taking a beating due to Kindle Unlimited. To add insult to injury it was learned that Amazon was also offering two payment tiers for its lending program. Trad published titles were being reimbursed at their agreed upon rate, while Indie authors were being paid from a pool, with payments ranging from $1.30 to $1.60 per borrow.
When I began this journey at the end of 2011, the possibilities seemed unlimited. But the times they are a changing, much has been said about the Amazon lending program both for and against it. Some heavy names have weighed in with their discontent.
But you know what?
Does anyone really have any control over what Amazon does?
No.
The only thing I have any control over is my own writing, whether it gets done or not in a reasonable amount of time. So while everyone's gnashing their teeth, and spouting off about what evil Amazon has once again foisted upon the world of Indie publishing, I'll be over here writing.
After all that's the only thing I have any control over.
For an indie author, enrollment in Amazon's Select program allowed them to offer the enrolled title free for five days for every ninety day term. Aside from price matching making a title permanently free it was the only way an author could offer their work for free to the massive audience Amazon has nurtured. The Select program, in its infancy, was directly responsible for a number of indie authors becoming bestsellers.
Earlier this year Amazon rolled out its subscription service, Kindle Unlimited, that allowed members to borrow an unlimited number of kindle titles for one low monthly fee. It was Amazon's response to Oyster and Scrib'd, two stand alone subscription services that have done for e-books what Netflix has done for movies.
If the member read the borrowed title beyond ten percent it triggered a payment to the author. Some authors, those with titles priced from $0.99 to $2.98 actually benefited from the program as the payment was averaging about $1.30 per borrow. On titles priced between a $0.99 and $2.98 the author makes 35%, of the purchase price for each sale. So for a book priced at say $2.98, the author would make approximately $1.05, or $0.35 for each dollar.
Authors with higher priced books such as $2.99, who were used to earning 70%, or $2.06 for each sale, were taking a beating due to Kindle Unlimited. To add insult to injury it was learned that Amazon was also offering two payment tiers for its lending program. Trad published titles were being reimbursed at their agreed upon rate, while Indie authors were being paid from a pool, with payments ranging from $1.30 to $1.60 per borrow.
When I began this journey at the end of 2011, the possibilities seemed unlimited. But the times they are a changing, much has been said about the Amazon lending program both for and against it. Some heavy names have weighed in with their discontent.
But you know what?
Does anyone really have any control over what Amazon does?
No.
The only thing I have any control over is my own writing, whether it gets done or not in a reasonable amount of time. So while everyone's gnashing their teeth, and spouting off about what evil Amazon has once again foisted upon the world of Indie publishing, I'll be over here writing.
After all that's the only thing I have any control over.
Free for Three
Every doctor her mother took her to when she was a child came up with the same diagnosis. Dissociative Identity Disorder, more commonly referred to as a split personality.
But they were wrong.
On the surface her plan was brilliant in its simplicity. Return home, take the place of her twin sister, and live out the rest of her life in relative peace. Unfortunately even the best laid plans had their flaws. This one involved Margaret’s alter ego Candice, who was hell bent on leaving a bloody trail in her wake. But not even Candice had planned for one simple truth.
The dead always got their revenge.
Free for Three days August 21, 22, & 23.
Get your Copy Today.
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