Adventures in Epublishing: 6 Months In...
I started my epublishing adventure late last summer, but if we want to look at it for sake of official record keeping, my epublishing debut was on November 1st, 2010 with my YA novel, Into the Shadows. My second book, Bloody Little Secrets officially came out May 1st, 2011, 6 months later. I've been at this for 6 whole months and feel I can offer a bit of reflection.
Some of my highlights have been:
- Reaching over 500 readers.
- Becoming a better writer and editor.
- Forming DarkSide Publishing with Megg Jensen and G. P. Ching and adding author Angela Carlie.
- Earning back the money I spent on Into the Shadows and turning a profit.
- Meeting lots of great people as a result of writing and publishing, whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, or KindleBoards.
Something that wasn't as bad as I thought:
- Formatting. I have to thank my husband for helping me get the file into MobiPocket Creator, but after that, it was pretty easy. It was such an awesome feeling when I was able to convert the file to an .epub on Calibre and upload it to PubIt. I did that all myself, at least!
The Frustrations:
- The Missing Link. I have followed every one of Joe Konrath's rules. And I'm certainly not saying he's not right, because he is. Good book, good cover, good price are the best ways to go about the business. And the fourth principle he discusses, LUCK, is the hardest one to come by. We all know that it hits for some but not for others, although I'm pretty confident one or all of us at DarkSide will catch the luck wave at some point. But we haven't just yet.
I'm certainly not complaining, our hard work has paid off with very respectable sales and we have had the opportunity to reach a lot of people. But we aren't selling hundreds or thousands of copies a month yet. Secretly I dream of the day that I get up and check my sales and see a consistent 2 and 3 figures a day. I'll make a prediction (one I made earlier in the year, when we started DarkSide) that in another 6 months, things will be quite different than they are right now. I think even the end of May will be different than it is for me right now.
I'm currently averaging $200 a month. I'd like to make 100 sales a month at least (of course I'd really like more, but it's wise to be conservative!). At 100 books a month x 12 months, I'm selling 1,200 books in a year. And earning slightly more than $2,400. As a teacher, it's similar to running a club, I get paid a little less (about $1800) to run the German Club. So it's like adding an extracurricular. For me, it's not bad and I appreciate it. I'm running on a profit for ITS and will be soon for BLS, so the only thing I spend a lot of is time.
I'm really happy with the results of my epublishing adventure so far. I've learned a lot about writing and publishing the last 6 months, which I think has made me better at both. I'm glad I've been able to share everything with you. I haven't taken a ton of risks in my life and am a pretty cautious person, but this is by far the best and most rewarding risk I've ever taken.
Some of my highlights have been:
- Reaching over 500 readers.
- Becoming a better writer and editor.
- Forming DarkSide Publishing with Megg Jensen and G. P. Ching and adding author Angela Carlie.
- Earning back the money I spent on Into the Shadows and turning a profit.
- Meeting lots of great people as a result of writing and publishing, whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, or KindleBoards.
Something that wasn't as bad as I thought:
- Formatting. I have to thank my husband for helping me get the file into MobiPocket Creator, but after that, it was pretty easy. It was such an awesome feeling when I was able to convert the file to an .epub on Calibre and upload it to PubIt. I did that all myself, at least!
The Frustrations:
- The Missing Link. I have followed every one of Joe Konrath's rules. And I'm certainly not saying he's not right, because he is. Good book, good cover, good price are the best ways to go about the business. And the fourth principle he discusses, LUCK, is the hardest one to come by. We all know that it hits for some but not for others, although I'm pretty confident one or all of us at DarkSide will catch the luck wave at some point. But we haven't just yet.
I'm certainly not complaining, our hard work has paid off with very respectable sales and we have had the opportunity to reach a lot of people. But we aren't selling hundreds or thousands of copies a month yet. Secretly I dream of the day that I get up and check my sales and see a consistent 2 and 3 figures a day. I'll make a prediction (one I made earlier in the year, when we started DarkSide) that in another 6 months, things will be quite different than they are right now. I think even the end of May will be different than it is for me right now.
I'm currently averaging $200 a month. I'd like to make 100 sales a month at least (of course I'd really like more, but it's wise to be conservative!). At 100 books a month x 12 months, I'm selling 1,200 books in a year. And earning slightly more than $2,400. As a teacher, it's similar to running a club, I get paid a little less (about $1800) to run the German Club. So it's like adding an extracurricular. For me, it's not bad and I appreciate it. I'm running on a profit for ITS and will be soon for BLS, so the only thing I spend a lot of is time.
I'm really happy with the results of my epublishing adventure so far. I've learned a lot about writing and publishing the last 6 months, which I think has made me better at both. I'm glad I've been able to share everything with you. I haven't taken a ton of risks in my life and am a pretty cautious person, but this is by far the best and most rewarding risk I've ever taken.
Good for you, Karly! It's always good to see things like this, to see that a new venture is going well. And I think your prediction is correct: things will only get better for DarkSide and at least one of you will catch the Luck wave (though I think all of you will - you're all so talented!).
ReplyDeleteThe most rewarding things in life involve some sort of risk. I'm willing to bet another six months will bring about dramatic changes. This is just the beginning, it's only going to get better! Best of luck to you!
ReplyDeleteI love how you keep us updated on your publishing journey. I think you've done a fantastic job and I really hope your books take off soon. I'll keep spreading the word :)
ReplyDeleteI hope things really take off for you. As I've said before, you''re doing everything right. I don't do well with the promotion side of things and my sales reflect that, but you do a very good job of getting word out about your books and Darkside Publishing. I can't see that not paying off in the long run. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks guys and thanks for stopping by! Best of luck on all of your books! Luckily too, this risk didn't have a lot of negatives. Okay, so maybe I would have lost a little money, but people gamble more on a weekend in Vegas than I spent on setting up ITS! But again, so glad I did it!
ReplyDeleteI think you are well on your way. You are doing what you love and whenever people do what they have a passion for, it's a success because then it's not work :-) I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and I'm sure you'll continue to do better and better. Thanks for sharing your journey, it helps to have a realistic view of what epublishing is like.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lena, and I think it's important to see the other side of it as well. I read about all these people selling thousands of books and while I wish I was me, it's just not yet. And it's not that I think one shouldn't do what I'm doing, BUT it's important to know the realities. Like you may not sell 1000 copies your first month. :D
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you love what you do is the key, Karly. I have hobbies--kayaking, for one--and I haven;t made a cent off it. Ever. And it'll never be a business, an ongoing source of revenue, and even if a magic wand full of luck bonks me on the noggin, I'll still never make a dime from kayaking.
ReplyDeleteSo your hobby, and budding business, in the creative arts is doing a ton better than most of us. LOL
Remeber, Konrath's blog, even though he gives lots of marketing tips, is a highly trafficked promotion for his 41 books. He should be selling well.
The most important thing in whatever you do is that you learn something new and you learn to enjoy and love what you do. I do hope you as well as Darkside Publishing will soon have your predictions to reality. It is true that luck is always a major key to success, in fact, in anything we do. But, luck also comes along positive attitude, determination and lots of hope for success. Good luck to Darkside Publishing and to you Karly!
ReplyDelete