What if you had to live entirely off your royalties?

foreverjuly · 10-20-2010, 04:47 PM

I posted this over at kindleboards, but I'm curious to see what the people over here might say.

Using only your royalties, what would you be able to afford each month? Hopefully this is a fun game and not anything that should be taken seriously. Here are a few categories to consider. (You can allot the entire amount of your monthly royalties to each one.)

For dinner? I think I could do pasta everyday, with sauce as long as it wasn't the expensive stuff.
Lodgings? In a cheap hostel for most of the month, probably a few nights sleeping on a park bench.
Transportation? A used bicycle.

Yeah, it would be a pretty rough life. How about you?

meromana · 10-20-2010, 05:05 PM

Peanut butter sandwiches under a highway overpass...

Maria

Cliff Ball · 10-20-2010, 06:45 PM

Probably be able to put gas in my car, or buy a Coke.

J. Strnad · 10-20-2010, 09:08 PM

A one-way bus ticket to my sister's house.

Luke King · 10-20-2010, 10:14 PM

A McDonald's happy meal each quarter.

meromana · 10-21-2010, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

A one-way bus ticket to my sister's house.

Depending on what kind of house you sister has and how good a cook she is, that might not be bad. But would she definitely take you in?

Maria

Steven Lyle Jordan · 10-21-2010, 09:48 AM

Air for my bicycle tires.

Steven Lake · 10-21-2010, 10:01 AM

lol. My royalties are so irregular I can't say one way or another how I'd live, cause sometimes I could live like a king, and others I couldn't even make it as a pauper. It's like I get bum rushed, and then nobody wants to have anything to do with me, then I get bum rushed again, and then everyone avoids me again. Rinse, repeat. ^_^;;

M T McGuire · 10-21-2010, 10:42 AM

I would die! ;-)

Cheers

MTM

J. Strnad · 10-21-2010, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meromana

Depending on what kind of house you sister has and how good a cook she is, that might not be bad. But would she definitely take you in?

Maria

Ahh...let's just say that both of us have a keen interest in my making it on my own.

foreverjuly · 10-21-2010, 12:59 PM

You know, this is funny because there were a lot of similar answers on KB too. Just looking through the few users who've posted in this thread, I spot several books that seem well put together with decent covers.

I guess I thought the average indie author was doing pretty decently (making something in the way of regular money). Am I wrong? Are most people just face down in the water?

HistoryWes · 10-21-2010, 01:02 PM

I would be able to enjoy a nice dinner at PF Chang's, with my family-- about once every three months.

jaxx6166 · 10-21-2010, 08:46 PM

A lot of it is probably smoke and mirrors. The same as a real estate salesman driving around in a six year old BMW and wearing the street Rolex. Its like a hive mentality. If other people like this, I will too!!

Coming from a no sale hack author, I have to say the Zoe Winters, JA Konraths, and Jeremy Robinsons are the exception and not the rule.

That being said, one day I will put something for sale and become a billionaire. Then you all can live in my basement.

If I had to live off my royalties, I'd be under the bridge eating bag lunches from charity organizations and churches.

HistoryWes · 10-22-2010, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaxx6166

A lot of it is probably smoke and mirrors. The same as a real estate salesman driving around in a six year old BMW and wearing the street Rolex. Its like a hive mentality. If other people like this, I will too!!

Coming from a no sale hack author, I have to say the Zoe Winters, JA Konraths, and Jeremy Robinsons are the exception and not the rule.

That being said, one day I will put something for sale and become a billionaire. Then you all can live in my basement.

If I had to live off my royalties, I'd be under the bridge eating bag lunches from charity organizations and churches.

Do you have an xbox in your basement? Wifi?

M T McGuire · 10-22-2010, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaxx6166

If I had to live off my royalties, I'd be under the bridge eating bag lunches from charity organizations and churches.

Ha! I forgot about the charities perhaps I wouldn't die after all, mind you, a box on Embankment is cold this time of year...

Actually, I know everyone probably says this but apparently, only something like 10% of paper books sell more than 1,000 copies and if you look at some of the guys who are doing really well out of self publishing, they're the ones publishing factual books. Aaron Shepherd says somewhere in his book that an indie author publishing fiction shouldn't expect the earth... not straight away anyway.

I suppose, after reading that, it never occurred to me I'd make any money. I'm aiming for 50 sales overall. I'm currently at 2 paperback and 4 e-book giveaways. My sales rank on Amazon has gone from 400,000 and something 54,634 with the book billed as being "temporarily out of print" ie past its launch date and still not available. That must mean somebody, somewhere has bought an advance copy (as well as my friend Jill and my Mum).

I think it's like being an indie band, you put in a lot of hard work but even if you've produced a good book that does well, you need luck, too, for it to really fly.

That's probably the most long-winded way of saying 'I don't expect to' ever written...

Cheers

MTM

10-20-2010, 04:47 PM	#1
foreverjuly Crank Up The Awesome! Posts: 315 Karma: 708054 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Japan Device: Kindle, Nook, iPhone	What if you had to live entirely off your royalties? I posted this over at kindleboards, but I'm curious to see what the people over here might say. Using only your royalties, what would you be able to afford each month? Hopefully this is a fun game and not anything that should be taken seriously. Here are a few categories to consider. (You can allot the entire amount of your monthly royalties to each one.) For dinner? I think I could do pasta everyday, with sauce as long as it wasn't the expensive stuff. Lodgings? In a cheap hostel for most of the month, probably a few nights sleeping on a park bench. Transportation? A used bicycle. Yeah, it would be a pretty rough life. How about you?

10-21-2010, 08:46 PM	#13
jaxx6166 Wizard Posts: 1,222 Karma: 769316 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Eternal summer Device: 350, iPad, PW	A lot of it is probably smoke and mirrors. The same as a real estate salesman driving around in a six year old BMW and wearing the street Rolex. Its like a hive mentality. If other people like this, I will too!! Coming from a no sale hack author, I have to say the Zoe Winters, JA Konraths, and Jeremy Robinsons are the exception and not the rule. That being said, one day I will put something for sale and become a billionaire. Then you all can live in my basement. If I had to live off my royalties, I'd be under the bridge eating bag lunches from charity organizations and churches. Last edited by jaxx6166; 10-21-2010 at 08:51 PM.

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10-20-2010, 05:05 PM	#2
meromana Zealot Posts: 129 Karma: 11430 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: NC, USA Device: my laptop	Peanut butter sandwiches under a highway overpass... Maria

10-20-2010, 06:45 PM	#3
Cliff Ball Zealot Posts: 135 Karma: 525420 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Texas Device: none	Probably be able to put gas in my car, or buy a Coke.

10-20-2010, 09:08 PM	#4
J. Strnad Guru Posts: 915 Karma: 3537194 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo, Kindle 3, Paperwhite	A one-way bus ticket to my sister's house.

10-20-2010, 10:14 PM	#5
Luke King Member Retired Posts: 173 Karma: 200000 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle 2	A McDonald's happy meal each quarter.

10-21-2010, 09:48 AM	#7
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Air for my bicycle tires.

10-21-2010, 10:01 AM	#8
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	lol. My royalties are so irregular I can't say one way or another how I'd live, cause sometimes I could live like a king, and others I couldn't even make it as a pauper. It's like I get bum rushed, and then nobody wants to have anything to do with me, then I get bum rushed again, and then everyone avoids me again. Rinse, repeat. ^_^;;

10-21-2010, 10:42 AM	#9
M T McGuire Addict Posts: 231 Karma: 1006970 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England Device: kindle	I would die! ;-) Cheers MTM

10-21-2010, 12:59 PM	#11
foreverjuly Crank Up The Awesome! Posts: 315 Karma: 708054 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Japan Device: Kindle, Nook, iPhone	You know, this is funny because there were a lot of similar answers on KB too. Just looking through the few users who've posted in this thread, I spot several books that seem well put together with decent covers. I guess I thought the average indie author was doing pretty decently (making something in the way of regular money). Am I wrong? Are most people just face down in the water?

10-21-2010, 01:02 PM	#12
HistoryWes Teacher/Novelist Posts: 632 Karma: 2274466 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Nevada Device: Nook STR, iPad	I would be able to enjoy a nice dinner at PF Chang's, with my family-- about once every three months.

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