By The Numbers
Possible Delay of Next Week's PostI leave for Laramie, Wyoming next Sunday to attend the 2014 Launch Pad Workshop. This means I may not generate a blog post next week. I'll be meeting another wonderful group of authors, editors, game developers, and others in the entertainment industry. In case you're curious, here's a list of who's coming:
Ann Leckie Ann Toole Lisa Yee Malinda Lo Jenn Reese Meg Howrey WilliamLedbetter Amy SterlingCasil Eugene Myers Marc Halsey Geetanjali Dighe James L. Sutter SarahMcCarry AndrewLiptak Susan Forest Gabriella Harbowry
My apologies for the two missing links. I have not yet mastered the zen of Google. I also hope I got all the links right.
By The NumbersAs an indie author, I like to know where I stand in relationship to other authors – especially other indies. Writing is NOT a competition (which is why I'm not a big fan of awards), but knowing how well you're doing in comparison to other authors is very useful. If my sales figures are low then I need to work harder. Based on reviews it may be better writing or it must might mean I need to spend some time on the internet talking about my book. But, unless other indie authors share these results with the community there's no way to make a comparison. Everyone seems to know how much actors make – especially well-known actors. Why not indie authors?
I've discussed this topic in the past and I mentioned that I've compared my sales (not monetary income but units sold) with another author who is far more well known than myself. I've learned that I'm doing quite well. The daily sales numbers I'm about to present might seem low but they are steady and that's what an author wants – a steady flow of sales.
I'm going to share my sales numbers with you on a regular basis and, if I can find the time, I plan on posting them to my website. I hope that other authors may share their sales figures publicly so other indie authors can learn how well they're doing in comparison. Indiesshould stick together, share our numbers, share how we promote our books, and talk among ourselves.
I don't collect the data every month but usually do it about 3 or 4 times a year. There's a tremendous spike in sales beginning in October of 2011 and peeking in March of 2012. Sales then dropped and have been fairly steady for some time. Smaller spikes occur when I release a new book. Why the giant spike in sales? I wish I could tell you. I suspect Amazon may have featured Translight in their daily deals but I really don't know.
There's a lesson in the sales numbers – just because you have a good month – or several months – don't quit your day job. Sales can fall just as fast as they can rise.
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2009
7 12 6 4 3 9 4 13 2010 31 16 29 6 11 16 12 28 51 53 38 51 2011 51 60 51 64 52 69 89 138 216 676 913 1,197 2012 1,608 8,614 10,752 7,838 5,568 3,693 2,766 2,119 1,429 951 586 455 2013 435 262 280 232 252 189 185 165 133 400 820 526 2014 330 202 149 73 98
If anyone else cares to share their numbers, I would be happy to receive them. If you do, please let me know if I can make them public otherwise I'll keep them private.
Peacekeeper is still being analyzed by my beta readers. If I get comments back before I head to Laramie I'll begin the final editing pass while I'm there. Then it's off to my wife for her proofing.
Ann Leckie Ann Toole Lisa Yee Malinda Lo Jenn Reese Meg Howrey WilliamLedbetter Amy SterlingCasil Eugene Myers Marc Halsey Geetanjali Dighe James L. Sutter SarahMcCarry AndrewLiptak Susan Forest Gabriella Harbowry
My apologies for the two missing links. I have not yet mastered the zen of Google. I also hope I got all the links right.
By The NumbersAs an indie author, I like to know where I stand in relationship to other authors – especially other indies. Writing is NOT a competition (which is why I'm not a big fan of awards), but knowing how well you're doing in comparison to other authors is very useful. If my sales figures are low then I need to work harder. Based on reviews it may be better writing or it must might mean I need to spend some time on the internet talking about my book. But, unless other indie authors share these results with the community there's no way to make a comparison. Everyone seems to know how much actors make – especially well-known actors. Why not indie authors?
I've discussed this topic in the past and I mentioned that I've compared my sales (not monetary income but units sold) with another author who is far more well known than myself. I've learned that I'm doing quite well. The daily sales numbers I'm about to present might seem low but they are steady and that's what an author wants – a steady flow of sales.
I'm going to share my sales numbers with you on a regular basis and, if I can find the time, I plan on posting them to my website. I hope that other authors may share their sales figures publicly so other indie authors can learn how well they're doing in comparison. Indiesshould stick together, share our numbers, share how we promote our books, and talk among ourselves.
I don't collect the data every month but usually do it about 3 or 4 times a year. There's a tremendous spike in sales beginning in October of 2011 and peeking in March of 2012. Sales then dropped and have been fairly steady for some time. Smaller spikes occur when I release a new book. Why the giant spike in sales? I wish I could tell you. I suspect Amazon may have featured Translight in their daily deals but I really don't know.
There's a lesson in the sales numbers – just because you have a good month – or several months – don't quit your day job. Sales can fall just as fast as they can rise.
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2009
7 12 6 4 3 9 4 13 2010 31 16 29 6 11 16 12 28 51 53 38 51 2011 51 60 51 64 52 69 89 138 216 676 913 1,197 2012 1,608 8,614 10,752 7,838 5,568 3,693 2,766 2,119 1,429 951 586 455 2013 435 262 280 232 252 189 185 165 133 400 820 526 2014 330 202 149 73 98
If anyone else cares to share their numbers, I would be happy to receive them. If you do, please let me know if I can make them public otherwise I'll keep them private.
Peacekeeper is still being analyzed by my beta readers. If I get comments back before I head to Laramie I'll begin the final editing pass while I'm there. Then it's off to my wife for her proofing.
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