This post is both an Indie Life post and an Insecure Writer's Support Group post :-)
When it comes to specific sales numbers, I've always been a little scared to share mine. And yet, I've always been very interested to read the sales data of other authors when they share it. So ... I guess it's time for me to be brave!
I'm sure everyone has a different number in their head when they think of how many sales they want to achieve in a year, or how many sales would make them feel like their book/s has/have been a success. To be honest, I didn't actually have a number in my head at the beginning of 2013. I had no goal I was aiming for in terms of sales. I really had NO idea what to expect from 2013, my first year as a full-time writer. So all I can say is that I'm THRILLED at the "magic number" I managed to reach last year! And that magic number is ...
...
...
...
10,000!!!
Yippee!!! Now, I know there are many indie authors selling way more than that in a year. So some of you are probably looking at that number and thinking, Well, I don't know how everyone else is doing, but at least I know I sold more than Rachel Morgan! But I look at that number and feel totally, awesomely, butterflies-in-my-tummy excited!
Anyway, I think it's interesting to see the breakdown of sales across the different online retailers, so I'm going to share those numbers, in case anyone's interested in looking at them. I've organized these numbers into two tables -- one that includes free downloads, and one that is paid titles only.
Note:
- These numbers are EBOOK SALES ONLY. Print sales were rather pathetic in comparison - not more than 200 copies.
- Amazon numbers are for the US and UK stores combined (I sell barely anything on the other Amazon stores).
TFG = The Faerie Guardian
TFP = The Faerie Prince
TFP = The Faerie War
PART I = Part I of The Faerie Guardian. Free, although it was $0.99 on the UK Kindle store for part of the year. Unpublished in October.
A to Z = An A to Z of Creepy Hollow Fae. Initially $0.99. Changed to free in October.
PAID TITLES ONLY, NOT INCLUDING FREE DOWNLOADS
PAID TITLES AND FREE DOWNLOADS
Amazon has always been the major player. I think that's the case for all of us. But for those of you who also publish on Apple and B&N, where do you sell more books? On Amazon, it looks like about a third of the downloads of my free Part I translated to sales of my first book. Is that good? I don't actually know!
~ ~ ~
Indie Lifers: Isn't it awesome to have almost instant access to your sales data? How did 2013 go for you? Are you happy with how your book/s did over the past year?
Insecure Writers: I started out as an insecure writer (and I still get insecure at times!) and after almost two years of publishing, here I am. SUPER happy with my sales so far and aiming to sell at least DOUBLE that number this year. And if I can do it, so can you!
30 comments:
Awesome. Thanks for sharing this. I'm no expert that that number sounds amazing! Also, I'm one of those 200 that has one of your print copies! (:
That seems like a pretty healthy number to me, Rachel. Congratulations and here's to exceeding that figure this year.
Well done! I think you did awesome. :-D
wow, impressive numbers. That's so awesome!! Congrats!
Very cool of you to be sharing your sales numbers! Writers need to be more willing to do this, I think. Congrats on all these book sales, and I think 10,000 is a lot, considering I don't even have books on sale yet. ;)
I do wonder, if you were getting 1/3 of your sales of TFG Book 1 from having a free sample of it, then why did you unpublish that free sample? Seems like it was helping you a lot.
That's awesome, Rachel. Congrats!
That's awesome, Rachel. Congrats!
Sounds like good numbers to me, Rachel. At the risk of sounding dumb, is there a way on the Amazon dashboard to see how well books have done all year. I fear I won't know 'cause I'm too lazy to go month by month adding numbers. I can hear you thinking that I should be looking more closely at the dashboard thingie. :)
that is an awesome number. Here is to another year and your fan base growing.
10 000 sold sounds pretty amazing to me. Congratulations! Wishing you all the best for 2014.
Congrats, Rachel! 10,000 copies sold is AWESOME! :D
Congrats, Rachel! 10,000 copies sold is AWESOME! :D
Oh wow, that sounds like a great number to me! Congratulations :)
Those are awesome numbers, Rachel! Of course, you wrote an awesome series to go with those numbers! Congrats!
And besides Amazon, I tend to sell about even between Kobo and B&N. So far, I can barely give my books away on Apple. It'll be interesting to see what happens when I release a novel, though.
Wow! Those are impressive numbers. I've had 10,000 sales but total. Last year was a bit thin.
But 2014 is shaping up to be a banner year. Good luck to you moving forward and may this year be the best yet!
My self-published poetry book, in print version only, sold 8 copies. Including my copy, my mom's copy, the one I gave to my therapist, and my cousin Brian's copy. But then I haven't really promoted the book.
It is nice that you can get all your sales stats easily. That way you can compare different things you've written and see what seems to be selling more, and adjust your publishing plans accordingly.
Get excited, Rachel - that's an awesome figure!
I don't even have 1% of that, so I'd say you're doing pretty well.
Thanks so much for sharing your numbers. It's always great to be able to see what the possibilities are. You've given me something to strive for. 10,000 is an incredible number and you should be so proud.
Congrats! And that's a huge milestone I hope to reach some day! I am thankful for each and every sale I make! :) I can continue to invest in future books and I help my family out.
Thanks so much for sharing your numbers. I would be so happy with those results. Congrats.
I got TFP on Smashwords. I won book one and got book three for free in exchange for a review. Before your series became a collection, I had bought part one and two and even reviewed them on my blog as well.
Congrats on your sales, you achieved publishing success and good sales. Pat yourself on the back Rach!
I'll be jumping up and down with joy if my upcoming release sells a fraction of that. Congrats, Rachel!!!!
Well Done! Hope your move went well
Sue xx
http://crushingcinders.wordpress.com/
Rachel, that's awesome! I'm so stoked for you. Way to get out there are ROCK IT!!!
About 80% of my sales come from Amazon, about 13% from B&N, 5% from Apple, 1% from Smashwords, and 1% from others.
10,000 is fantastic. I can only hope to be there someday. Just think how much better you'll do as you keep adding more books. Congratulations!
That's great Rachel! I don't even know you and I am so proud of you. 10,000 sure seems like a lot to me. Revel in it.
Leanne ( http://readfaced.wordpress.com/ )
Boohoo I wrote a big comment and it got eaten. Fingers crossed this one doesn't!
Those numbers are AWESOME, Rachel. Seriously. I'm so happy for you! :-)
The Big Smoke hasn't done anywhere near as well as your books, but I haven't done any marketing or promotion for a long time so I'm not too devastated about it. I'm just focused on learning for my next book - if I ever get time to write it!
First, wow. Like, WOW! Rachel, I can't tell you what an inspiration you are to me. So much so that all I can think about lately is the business of going indie. I teach in a Catholic school and don't make much money. I love to write. Thanks to this post, I'm researching more about self-publishing. I don't know if it's viable since I'd still work full-time and have three kids, but I'm definitely interested. Thank you. I've loved watching your journey every step of the way (and reading your work, of course!) And if I do go indie...I'm coming to Morgan Media. :) Thanks very much for giving me feedback on my first page. Christy
Hey Rachel
Congratulations. 10 000 is a very impressive number. Seriously impressive. BTW, when I read your bio on your Creepy Hollow website, I thought "she's my twin!" Cos I majored in Chemistry and then I also decided I preferred made up "facts."
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