Okay.. so I have posted some great information about how being an independent author CAN yield you great success. Indies ARE killing it out there, no question about it. The face of publishing has changed... but the stories you don't hear, are those that are not breakouts, that don't make the lists. I would say the vast majority of indies. Heres the deal though - you can still get buy, its a numbers game.
So say you're Hugh Howey and you release a short story called Wool - it goes nuclear and suddenly you are rich and touring the world. It happens, BUT probably not to you.
Sorry, that is just the cold hard truth. Hey its not like I am posting this from my personal yacht in the south pacific....
Next option - work hard, write well, kick butt ninja style - unseen.
Do the math - for simplicity I will stick only to Amazon for this example. It will only get easier if you add more stores in. More on that in another post at another time - this one too long as it is.
Release 1 book - sell 5 copies a month @ 2.99. Take home is
5 * 2.99 * 0.70 = $10.47
W00T! You just bought lunch at McDonalds for 2! Dude, that is $10.47 more than you would have had that month if you did not self-pub.
Now, lets play the numbers game. Its fun! A self-pub that wants to win will keep writing. So say that self-pub has 10 books on the market...
10*(5 * 2.99 * 0.70) = $104.65
Sweeeeeeet! Thats a freaking nice dinner for two at a real restaurant. Kicking it high class now. Oppa Gungum style!
Again, an indie that wants to win will keep writing. So that indie in a few years could have 20 books on the self. If each sold 1 copy a day on average...
365 * 20 * 2.99 * 0.70 = $15,278.90
Now, that is not Hugh Howey riches, but heck you could get a decent used car for that or take your family to Disney!
Now if you really want to win, you take some of that money and roll it into marketing and you can reasonably grow that number to a real living. Look at that same collection of books at 4 copies sold a day on average for a year.
4* 365 * 20 * 2.99 * 0.70 = $61,115.60
Again that is an average across ALL the books you have out. So one book might sell 20 copies, and 2 others might sell 1 each. Whatever. If the average number of copies sold per day hits 4 per book, that is what Amazon will pay you.
It is hard work. You will have to discipline yourself to write,and write and write. You will have to learn marketing, book formatting, and much more. It is a business and you have to treat it like one. Case example: Elle Casey puts out a full length novel every month. To do this she puts in 10-12 hours A DAY working on this stuff. She is killing it, and supports her family with that money. Gave up a job as a lawyer for it. It can be done.
So you have to decide, are you in it to make money, or to just have fun? If you are in it to just have fun, then write, publish, repeat and don't worry if you sell. If you want to make money at this game, then you will have to put the work in.
SO my advice for you.. DEFINE "win" as something you are willing to put the work into reach, and then go win.
One final thought - success breeds success. If one or two of those 20 get noticed and makes a big run, they will spill over into your other books. Build a brand around your name and protect it so that you can maximize this effect.
Now - go win!
