198,278 Books Sold
Totals are as of February 21, 2012 @ 10PM and do NOT include over 160,000 FREE downloads
(Amazon and B&N combined Sales)
Borrows have also NOT been included in total sales
Medieval Time Travel Romance
March: 298
April:
894
May:
1,600
June:
1,475
July:
1,291
August:
2,352
September:
1,955
October:
1,527
November:
981
December:
1,074
January: 1,457
February: 1,029*
Total: 15,933*
Medieval Time Travel Romance
March: 247
April: 6,071
May: 4,306
June: 2,414
July: 1,330
August: 9,812
September: 2,088
October: 1,348
November: 876
December: 2,383
January: 2,685
February: 1,055*
Total: 34,615*
Romantic Comedy
April: 30
May: 182
June: 265
July: 310
August: 934
September: 1,872
October: 2,125
November: 2,150
December: 1,561 (272 borrows)
January: 4,393 (782 borrows)
February: 804* (89 borrows)
Total: 14,626*
Romantic Suspense
May: 187
June: 261
July: 325
August: 1,159
September: 3,363
October: 2,089
November: 1,095
December: 4,421 (1,088 borrows)
January: 2,523 (791 borrows)
February: 1,260* (112 borrows)
Total: 16,683*
Romantic Suspense/Thriller
May: 25
June: 694
July: 1,708
August: 12,917
September: 39,413
October: 18,176
November: 6,645
December: 3,649
January: 2,118
February: 23,619* (3,903 borrows)
Total: 108,964*
Dead Weight 
- Released December 22, 2011 $2.99
Romantic Suspense/Thriller
December: 451
January: 1,430
February: 5,576* (181 borrows)
Total: 7,457*
*sales as of February 21, 2012 @ 10 PM (B&N and Amazon combined)
For more info on self-publishing, go to my LINKS tab.
I enrolled ABDUCTED and DEAD WEIGHT in KDP Select in the beginning of February to see if I could get sales moving again. I put Abducted for FREE for 2 days (2/9 and 2/10) and had 50,000 free downloads. 48 hours later, ABDUCTED hit #5 in the All Kindle Paid list. Woohoo! There has been a definite crossover in sales for my other books, too. DEAD WEIGHT has made the Top 10 List in Romantic Suspense and the 100 All Kindle Paid list for the first time. As far as I can tell, ranking is everything. Better ranking = better sales. I know that's pretty obvious, but this is why giving away books can be used as an important marketing tool. Many authors disagree and that's fine. In my family, we often agree to disagree. The famous cookie lady, Mrs. Fields, wasn't selling any cookies until she hit the street and started giving them away.
I realize my sales are above average. To those who might not be selling as well as they would like, remember that nothing has changed when it comes to trends. If you have a well-edited entertaining story, readers will come...eventually. Right now thrillers are HOT. I lucked out, but I'm not talking about dumb luck, I'm talking about hard work + opportunity + good timing = luck. Down the road, another genre will be hot. Until your sales begin to climb, focus on writing the stories that you love to read. Write with passion. Don't rush it. Your time will come.
Recently, Nina Pierce, author of Deceive Her With Desire, wrote a post about her sales because she wanted to let other authors know that "it ain’t all roses and royalty checks for everyone" If you feel as if you're the only one not making enough to quit your day job or buy a new car, you must read Nina's informative and helpful POST.
Self-publishing a book might be easier than ever, BUT you're not going to be successful unless you put in the work. If you have just finished your first book, join RWA or another writers' group. Find a critique partner. Attend writing workshops in your area. Take a class. If you can't afford an editor, but your not sure if your book is ready, have the first ten pages edited so you can get an idea of how much work might need to be done. More than anything you must BELIEVE in yourself. Life is way too short to be fearful. You can do it!
***
David Gaughran is asking self-published authors, whether they have sold 10 books or 10,000 books, to take a quick survey. Steven Lewis runs the Taleist Self-Publishing blog and the Taleist 2012 Self-Publishing Survey is now open. SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED! THANKS TO ALL!
Brenda Hiatt is collecting data on independent publishing. Help her out by sharing your numbers so that we can all benefit. It's all done anonymously. Click HERE for more information.
If you are thinking about self-publishing, but don't know where to start when it comes to marketing, promotion and formatting, don't worry. There are so many helpful authors willing to share what they have learned. My advice to you is to join Indie Romance Ink run by Cate Rowan and Carly Carson. There are over 500 members. Many IRI members are traditionally published and have already self-published a book or two. Some members are undecided. All are welcome to join and learn.
Twice a month I share my number of books sold in hopes that these numbers might help other writers make their own decisions about self-publishing. Every writer has their own personal and unique journey. My hope is that I can inspire others out there who are working hard at their craft to NEVER GIVE UP. Let me know if you have any questions at all.
- Released March 2, 2011 $2.99
- Released May 5, 2011 $2.99