The Troll Hunter––18
No Experience Necessary— 5
The Missing Boatman—22
Flight of the Cookie Dough Mansion–– 2
The Bear That Fell From The Stars–– 983
The eighth month was the charm for me. At least in regards to Bear, but I like to think there were some readers that picked up Troll Hunter and Boatman after reading the .99 cent ninja story. Also, I switched off the PC last night at 10:30, and I usually see most of my sales after that time, so it’s very likely that Bear went over a thousand copies. The month started out good, and just kept getting better, going from 13 -24 sales per day in the first two weeks, to 21-80.
I’m happy with the sales, but there is still more to do. New books are forthcoming.
August approaches. A buddy asked me “What happens in August?” Well, when I first decided to do this–stop teaching EFL overseas and move back home to pursue a writing career, living off of nothing more than a year’s savings, I put reality checks in place. I had enough money to exist, living frugally, for a year… but at what point do you say “Okay, this isn’t working,” and I have to find “a real job?” If the books simply weren’t selling. August 2011 was the decided upon first reality check. If sales weren’t there, if the reviews were crappy (“I’ll sacrifice my kid before I buy another!”) then I would abandon the dream job… and find something else to do. Very scary for me, because at this point, I don’t know what else there IS for me. I left Canada 14 years ago to teach EFL overseas, with the plan of leaving that when the writing could support me. When Ebooks came along, I decided to take the plunge, jump off that cliff, and see if I walked away. It’s both exhilarating (I’m getting letters from readers now) and potentially depressing (if the letters stop, reviews turning bad).
August is the first reality check, and right now, it looks as if I made it around the corner.
March is the second reality check. If sales are not there in March, which will mark the first year of my self-publishing existence, then I find something else.
So, anyway, with May behind me and a cheque on its way (I think) I feel good. Still not enough to live on, but I hope that will change. I’m currently doing a beta read for some fellow writers, and once that’s done, writing will resume in earnest.