Let's Talk Money...Again

Tip of the Day: What would publishing look like if Hugh Howey was in charge? Check it out!

There's a lot of talk going around Facebook & the web about how much traditionally published authors make and how much self-published authors make. Wendy Higgins, a YA author, had a post up, but then was forced (?) to take it down, detailing her income over the last two years. Basically, she made $6,000 as a traditionally published novelist.

I can't link to Wendy's original post, but Google cached an image of it here:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3A6FHJqkM6ShQJ%3Awww.wendyhigginswrites.com%2F2014%2F01%2Fhonety-pot-average-traditionally.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

(Just more proof that nothing can ever be deleted.)

I think Wendy sounds like a total sweetheart. I also think she's very happy with the decisions she's made in her publishing career, for the most part.

Here's what we need to take from this: assume NOTHING about how much authors make. Some make tons. Some don't. Just because a book is on the shelf at your local Barnes & Noble, it doesn't mean that author is rolling in dough.

Most authors cannot make a living at writing. On top of that, most authors who make enough to support themselves have NO GUARANTEE they will be able to sustain it over the long term.

Publishing is a fickle lover. One day you're on top. The next, you're forgotten.

So, really, does income matter? Sure. It matters to me. I want to put my kids through college someday. If I can't make enough money writing, I'll have to get a job. It's that simple. I'm also lucky in that my husband is the primary breadwinner, so my income is a little less important.

In 2012 I made over $50,000 self-publishing.
In 2013 I made over $25,000 self-publishing.

Why the difference? Well, I put a lot more effort into 2012 than I did into 2013. In 2013, we had to deal with my husband's major health crisis and then we moved (and were between houses for nearly 6 weeks). I just didn't have the time or energy for as much writing and marketing as I did in 2012.

Even though it's less, my 2013 income was still more than what I would make at a part-time minimum-wage job (which is really all I can get since I've been an at-home mom for 12 years and my degree in medieval history is fascinating, but useless).

I hope to make more in 2014 than I did in 2013. With a little effort, I'm sure I can.

Now you know what I made. So what? It's not that big of a deal, really. One author's income doesn't correlate to another's. You can't assume you'll make what your friend does (or doesn't) make.

Publishing is a lot like gambling. You don't always get out what you put in. The best you can do is follow your heart, make the choices that work for you, and always remember that it's about the reader and entertainment. Try not to take yourself too seriously!

XoXo,

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber
www.meggjensen.com

E-Pub Excellence (or Electric Feels*)

*with apologies to MGMT

Tip of the Day: Time Warner is now carrying Showtime again -- get ready for Homeland Season 3 on Sun, Sept. 29 @ 9PM! It is a great lesson in character development, plot twists, and cliffhangers.

When I bought my Nook in December 2011, part of my excitement was that I could easily purchase and read self-e-pubbed books. And since then I've read some really great ones -- including those by my critique partners (Theft of the Star Tracker by Lisa Tiffin) and my A2A Misses (Paparazzi Project by Kristina Springer and Sleepers by Megg Jensen). Today I'd like to mention some and here they are, in no particular order:


I read Shana's first traditionally pubbed book, SOMETHING TO BLOG ABOUT, when it came out in 2008 and found it hilarious. Earlier this year I read The Rules of You and Me and wow, Shana has grown as a writer with this beautiful realistic tale that fans of Sarah Dessen will enjoy.





I've read traditionally pubbed books by both Cyn and Mandy, so when I saw this book written by both of them for only 99 cents, I couldn't pass it up and I'm glad I didn't. Getting Caught is a clever school story of girls who have been best and worst friends.










I won a copy of Dolphin Girl from the author and put off reading it for a bit because I thought it was a paranormal romance. Not so! It is another lovely contemporary YA school story with a great setting and well developed main character.







I'd heard Megg mention Wool numerous times on Facebook and I finally purchased the first installment -- and flew through it. I immediately bought the whole omnibus. While it has been bought by a trad publisher for its print book form, Hugh's work was originally an amazing self-e-pubbed adult novel with an intriguing sci-fi setting and captivating chapter endings.




I know there will be many more great self-e-pubbed works in my future! Which ones have you read and loved lately?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
www.deenalipomi.com

How to Sell 20,000 eBooks

Tip of the Day: Enter to win a copy of Shari Brady's new book Wish I Could Have Said Goodbye on my blog!!!

You can buy ebooks on marketing your ebook. There are a lot of them out there. Or you can read this post and I'll tell you the top three things I've done to get to 20,000 ebook sales.

http://l00065619.wordpress.com/2010/02/

When I posted on my Facebook page that I broke 20k in sales, I received many emails, PMs, posts, etc asking me how I did it.

I know some people think I should keep my marketing strategies a secret. I call BS. Seriously? I'm happy to tell you what I've done.

Unfortunately, there isn't a magic bean. I wish there was, because then we'd all be sipping sweet tea on a beach. However, I can tell you some steps I've taken to increase visibility of my ebooks:

- Set the first book in a series free -

This is the same tactic they use at Costco. Have you ever tried walking through that place without eating enough sample food to fill you up for a week? If it's yummy, you might even buy it. It's the same with ebooks. Yes, Anathema has been downloaded, hold your breath, close to 2,000,000 times (thanks mostly to Wattpad and Amazon).

Don't tell me my sales suck. I'd guess there are tons of people hoarding ebooks on their ereaders, assuming someday they'll read them. I know, because I'm one of the hoarders. I'm really proud of my sell-through rate. The fact that anyone buys my sequels is encouraging!

- Get mentioned on the right websites - 

There are some incredible websites that advertise ebooks. Some charge money for ads. Some will list free ebooks. All four of these are the right place to be. Yes, I'm sure there are more great ones out there. If you know, please share them below in the comments.

Pixel of Ink (my favorite!)
Kindle Nation Daily
eReader News Today
Kindle Fire Department

- Befriend book bloggers -

There's nothing better than someone who loves your books and will tell the world about them. This is where bloggers come in. These readers are happy to devour your book and then tell the world how much they love it.

I'm not going to list my favorite book bloggers because the blogger you query should be targeted for your book. They don't all like fantasy, they don't all like contemporary. Find the right reader for your book and ask them if they're interested in reading it.

But do me a favor, treat them kindly. You aren't entitled to a review, or even a good review. Let them have their opinions. They don't owe writers anything. However, a friendly relationship can go a long way.

Just yesterday a blogger sent me interview questions. She actually apologized for them, assuming many of them would be repeats from the hundreds of other interviews I've done. My response: I'm happy to answer any questions, no matter how many times I've been asked. Just because other people know the answers, it doesn't mean her readers do.

http://bit.ly/LNbMrD

These are the top three tips I have for you. There's always discussions on getting into the right categories, promoting on Twitter (which I suck at, so don't ask me about it), promoting on Facebook (I generally use it as a way to connect with readers who already know about my books), etc.

You could try the spaghetti method (you know, throw it against the wall and see what sticks), or you could do the obvious: write, edit, write, edit, write, edit.

Take these words of wisdom from Hugh Howey (WOOL) in his Huffington Post article on snagging a film deal with Ridley Scott:

"My inbox lately has become sprinkled with missives from other independent writers asking me for any advice I might have. So I tell them what you have taught me: Please the reader. Write your best works for them; make those works affordable; interact with your fans; and take their feedback to heart. Without a single dime spent in advertising, a short story I wrote and didn't even work to promote climbed to the top of the Amazon charts. It drew the attention of Hollywood. It landed me an agent and half a dozen foreign book deals. All because of word of mouth. Because I happened to please you, and you told someone else, and they spread the word further."
  
Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber