Adventures in Epublishing - The Numbers

Even though writing is an art, it's also a business.  Some people are very interested in numbers.  I know I am.  I'm always curious to see what people have done to help measure what I'm doing.  Obviously, everyone's situation is a little different.  Some people have little in the way of friends/followers, but have still sold a ton of books.  I'm interested to see if my 'numbers' will actually translate into more sales or if it has no effect.  Some people say you need to have a 'platform' to sell a lot of books.  If I do actually have a platform, it's all because of social networking, something everyone can easily replicate.   So here are all the stats for this ebook project.  I'll post sales numbers monthly, just to keep you updated on its progress.

How long it took to write ITS:  1 year
Years in revision:  2 years/revised 3 times alone in 2 mos. before had to be ready.  Approximately revised a total of 9-10 times.
Rejections from agents/editors: approximately 80


Friends and Followers
Facebook: 4,147
Facebook like/fan page: 685
Twitter: 795
Goodreads: 424
Karly Kirkpatrick blog: 76
KK blog on Networked blogs: 584
Top 50 writing blogs (on Networked Blogs): #40

Top 50 publishing blogs (on NB):  #4
Top 50 young adult blogs (on NB): #1
YA Flash Death Match: 56
YA Flash Death Match on Networked Blogs: 60

(There are some overlaps in friends/followers.)

Viral Marketing
Blogsplash: 5 blogs
Facebooksplash: 138 Facebook pages

Contributing writer at www.flyovergeeks.com - articles on ebooks and epublishing.

Costs

Ebook at Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, BarnesandNoble.com
Cover: $300 (by Carl Graves cgdouble2@sbcglobal.net)
Formatting: $180 (included files for Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble - Rob Siders rob@52novels.com)
Total Investment: $480
Need to sell:  240 ecopies to cover investment
Price:  $2.99
Profit per ebook sold: $2.00 (give or take a couple cents depending on the site)


POD book (coming soon through CreateSpace) at Amazon.com
Cover: $100 (by Carl Graves)
Formatting: estimated $150 (by Rob Siders)
Pro Plan: $39 (for better royalties thru CreateSpace)
Total Investment: $289
Need to sell: 128 books
Price:  $11.00
Profit per book sold: $2.27