from the archives – Page 9 – Self Publishing Advisor

from the archives, Jodee Speaks, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “How Much Do Self-Publishing Authors Earn?”

Welcome back to our Tuesday segment, where we’ll be revisiting some of our most popular posts from the last few years. What’s stayed the same? And what’s changed? We’ll be updating you on the facts, and taking a new (and hopefully refreshing) angle on a few timeless classics of Self Publishing Advisor.

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[ Originally posted: August 18th, 2014 ]

How much do self-publishing authors earn?

There is no one size fits all answer.

What an author earns varies greatly. Income is based on a variety of factors, including the author’s goals, intended market, and marketing strategy.

One of the main reasons author income varies so greatly is because many authors don’t self-publish to make money. They never intend to market and promote their book, so they earn very little. For these authors, success is not defined by the amount of money they make or the number of books they sell. Instead, it is simply based on whether or not they accomplished their goals. Some common definitions of success among self-published authors include:

Sharing their story with family and friends

Reaching a niche market

Finishing and publishing their manuscript, regardless of how many books they sell

Gaining fame

Earning an income

Increasing their business

Building their following of readers

Adding to their resume

Getting picked up by a traditional publisher

And many, many more

I assume you ARE interested in earning money if you asked this question. For those of you who want to make a profit, here is what you need to know:

Depending on the trade discount set by you or your publisher, you can expect to earn royalties on average of $2-$7.

Some self-publishing companies offer more flexibility in setting pricing and royalties, so it is important to select a company that meets your needs.

Marketing is key to financial success! If you want to earn money from your book, be prepared to dedicate your time, money, and effort to marketing and promoting your self-published book.

Quality is also extremely important. You must offer readers a professional, well-written book.

A dynamic cover and professional editing are a must.

A great way to learn more about how much self-publishing authors earn and how they define success is studying other authors. Read interviews and books by successful authors. Network with writer’s in your area. Join professional writing groups. Talk to people who have self-published. Learn about the industry. All of this research will not only give you an idea of how much self-publishing authors earn, but will also offer excellent tips and advice for making your book successful.

– by Jodee Thayer

Jodee’s right, of course–it’s not necessarily useful to know the exact amounts that every self-publishing author makes, since so many aren’t in the game for the cash. But there is a certain benefit, I think, to knowing:

A. Some self-publishing authors are going to hit it big. And by “big” I mean BIG, with Hugh Howey’s Wool saga pulling in roughly $150,000 a month from ebook sales back in 2014, for example–and other authors like Amanda Hocking and John Locke doing very well indeed.

B. Many self-publishing authors are going to find the middle ground, becoming what in the traditional publishing industry might be considered “midlist”–but without the crippling disadvantages of traditionally published midlist authors, who are promised marketing assistance for example but very rarely ever receive it.

and C. Some self-publishing authors aren’t going to make much money, either because they choose not to put the time and energy or money into marketing it (for whatever, possibly legitimate reason) or because they have no idea where to begin. We at Self Publishing Advisor want to move as many authors from category C. to categories A. or B. as possible–assuming that the authors want this too!

I would also like to encourage you with some hard data. Hugh Howey (mentioned above) has done a lot of work to open up the self-publishing industry and render it transparent, and his industry watchdog company (AuthorEarnings.com) does some very necessary and useful work each year in publishing its Author Earnings Report. The latest one posted to the site is from May of this year (2016) and while the nature of the study itself has fundamentally changed (from a longitudinal study to a cross-sectional one), Howey is able to draw some inspiring conclusions.

By broadening the parameters of their search, he says, they appear “to have nearly doubled the count of authors currently earning in this $10K/year ‘tax bracket.'” And while “$10,000/year is hardly a living wage in the US,” he continues, “it’s a nontrivial supplementary income. Especially for doing something you love.” According to this May 2016 study, only 18% of authors make less than $10,000/year–and “almost half” of the remainder “also appear in the $25,000-or-better bracket above”–meaning that roughly 1 in 5 self-publishing authors on Amazon make very little money, 2 in 5 make “a nontrivial supplementary income,” and the remaining 2 in 5 are making a decent chunk of change (more than $25,000/year, at least).

This is good news. Aiming to eclipse the superstars like Hocking and Locke and Howey may not be an attainable goal, but earning good money from your books is. Now get writing!

Thanks for reading. If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them. Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can. ♠

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog, kellyschuknecht.com.

from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “self-publishers raking it in…”

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[ Originally posted: January 30th, 2009 ]

That was the subject line of a recent email sent to me by my good friend and author currently writing and teaching writing at the University of Massachusetts.

I had yet to see the New York Times article he was referencing. Despite our professional inclinations, email conversations between Mr. Anderson and I generally involve topics like beer, music, or YouTube videos.

I was interested in what brought Mr. Anderson’s attention away from his highbrow academia to the world of self-publishing. His email read only one line – something like ‘looks like you’re in for a raise…’ followed by the link to Wednesday’s Times article, “Self-Publisher’s Flourish as Writers Pay the Tab.”

Good news for self-publishing authors…

The Article opens stating that booksellers, hobbled by the current economic situation, are struggling to lure readers. And with traditional publishers and brick and mortar retailers exercising cutbacks and layoffs, readers are still finding their way to books. And the fact that they are suggests that one aspect of the industry is, according to the Times, “…actually flourishing.”

Of course the article discusses some of those alleged downsides of self-publishing (there are some less attractive options out there), but concludes with a quote from Louise Barker, publisher of the traditional house, Pocket Books, “Self-Publishing is no longer a dirty word.”

Ms. Barker’s Pocket Books recently contracted Lisa Genova, an author profiled on this blog previously. Despite the suggestions from many industry professionals, including her agent, that self-publishing would destroy her chances at success, Genova’s book, Still Alice, saw considerable independent success prior to being picked up by Pocket Books on a 6 figure contract.

Barker goes on to comment that publishers now trawl for new material by looking at reader’s comments online about self-published books.

Self-publishing is truly changing the way we write, read, and retail books. That is good news for authors.

Have fun. Keep writing.

– by Karl Schroeder

Is self-publishing “truly” changing the way we write, read, and retail books? Or is something else? Truth be told, Karl’s post made a lot of sense in the context of 2009 … and not so much in 2016. After all, seven years and innumerable things have happened–the world is a fundamentally different place, and the technologies we use to engage with that world are equally different. Two examples illustrate this fact perfectly:

Consider the Rise & Plateau of the Espresso Book Machine

There’s no greater way to mark the passage of time than to recount the stories of empires risen and gone, their vast empires now ruins eaten away by time and the elements. That’s perhaps a bit dramatic when we’re talking about emerging technologies on a seven-year span, but sometimes it kind of feels like it! And there’s no better illustration of the emergence of new technologies in the publishing world–the self-publishing world–than the Espresso Book Machine, a fabulous little engine of progress that allows authors to print physical copies of their books on demand while taking no more time than–you guessed it–drinking an espresso. Their fast, their effective, they’re a great addition to college libraries like the University of Arizona–in short, there aren’t a lot of downsides.

But the Espresso Book Machine hasn’t revolutionized self-publishing. Or rather, it hasn’t revolutionized the industry and then stayed a centerpoint of the process. Like so many new and wonderful things, it serves as a symbol of what’s possible for authors and readers alike–but is too clunky, too expensive to install, and too massive a physical object, to be widely adopted. In many ways, the evolution and miniaturization of hardware and the constant improvements to open-source software have outpaced any one technology’s relevance. And so the Espresso Book Machine–while still worth the expense and space issues to some institutions–is not likely to ever see as much interest again as when it premiered. Unless, of course, its manufacturers determine how to create 3D printers that can print physical books in the comfort of the average person’s home.

Consider, Too, the Rise & Fall of the Dedicated E-Reader

You know this story–we’ve been covering it here at Self-Publishing Advisor from the beginning, when e-readers were game-changers, bringing transportability and easy storage to entire libraries of books, putting the power of the internet in the hands of tech-savvy readers. Like the Espresso Book Machine, e-readers changed what we thought possible for books and self-publishing. You didn’t need to publish a physical book at all! You could collect hundred or even thousands of titles and take them all with you wherever you went! You could get rid of those bookshelves at last but still be a big reader! You could make literacy fun and accessible to kids! You could cure the income disparity anywhere by handing out free tablets!

The problem, if you want to call it that, is that technologies necessarily age. Even the really, really good ones–the ones that change the face of self-publishing. So e-readers filled a gap in peoples’ technology and literary needs for a while, but then they didn’t anymore because smartphones leveled up the playing field once again. Over the course of five years, e-readers went from “the next hot thing” to “old news, man.”

In short, yes, self-publishing changes things. But the technologies we associate most closely with self-publishing–these “great leaps forward” in our ability to reach new readers–may actually be the consequence of technology evolving. Many of the things we thought would fix our deepest problems–the stigma of not being traditionally published, the gap in marketing power between self-published and traditionally published authors–remain largely untouched. We have to face the fact that, despite our best attempts, self-publishing authors are not, by and large, “raking it in.” Sometimes, like Lisa Genova or Andy Weir, we find success–and are stolen away into the traditional publishing matrix. Luckily, we have staunch self-publishing advocates like Hugh Howey at our backs these days, and other authors who may dabble in traditional publishing but whose hearts remain firmly in the indie camp.

We have come a long way, but it wasn’t entirely our own work that got us here–it was the work of countless engineers and technicians, innovating technologies that may or may not serve us in the future. Self-publishing authors still remain at a disadvantage, and still must seize upon emerging technologies–remaking them or at least adapting them to fit our own needs.

What Will the Next Big Step Forward Be?

Thanks for reading. If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them. Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can. ♠

from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “6 Radio Interview Tips for Self-Publishing Authors”

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[ Originally posted: March 6th, 2013 ]

Radio interviews are a great way for self publishing authors to promote themselves and their books, but many people are nervous about doing radio interviews. With these great tips, you are sure to have a successful and fun experience.

1. Keep it fun!

Most radio listeners enjoy some humor and natural conversation. The easiest way to nail your interview is to not over think it. Just go with the flow and don’t take yourself too seriously. Listeners can tell if you are having fun, so don’t forget to smile and be enthusiastic. Even though you are on the radio, listeners can still sense your expressions.

2. Keep it natural!

Interviews that are over-rehearsed and presentation-like are boring and awkward. While you can practice a little bit ahead of time, don’t read from notes or memorize your talking points. Just act as if you were talking to a friend.

3. Don’t worry about silence.

Many people worry about moments of awkward silence. It is the radio host’s responsiblity to fill those gaps and keep the interview moving, so don’t worry. The pressure isn’t on you.

4. Be ready to go live.

If you are doing a phone interview, know that many hosts start the interview shortly after the call begins. Some hosts will give you a few minutes to listen and get comfortable, but be prepared to go live immediately.

5. Keep it short.

Keep your answers to 30 seconds or less. This allows for more questions and some commercial breaks, and it keeps the listeners from getting bored.

6. Be respectful.

You may get some callers who aren’t very pleasant. They may challenge or insult you, but you must stay professional. While it is okay to defend yourself or the topic when the caller is wrong, be sure to do so gracefully. The listeners will respect you if you remain respectful.

I’d love to know, do you plan on doing radio interviews?

– by Kelly Schuknecht

We’ve written about radio interviews occasionally here on Self Publishing Advisor—here, here, and here–but while the world has changed a great deal in respect to its usage of technology, we authors have yet to take full advantage of the changes that have taken place within the radio industry.

Take the changes in listenership, for example: according to Ryan Faughnder of The LA Times, “the millennials so desired by advertisers (specifically, people in the 18-34 age group) listen to an average of 11.5 hours of radio a week. That’s less than people in Generation X (those aged 35-49) and baby boomer (50-64) categories, who average 14 hours and 14.5 hours a week, respectively.” Where have they gone? As Faughnder goes on to explain, they’re still listening to audio–but they’re streaming it. “While nine out of 10 millennials still listen to at least five minutes of traditional radio a week,” he says, “young adults are splitting their time with other audio options such as streaming services (including Spotify, Rdio and now Beats Music) and their personal music collections.” In a world of streaming audio, self-curated content is king.

\After all, when you know what you like, why leave the soundtrack to your morning commute up to chance? Radio is famous for operating somewhat independently of its listeners’ stated interests–NPR, for example, perceives itself as a discovery tool as much as it does programming for the people. Much of the disconnect between Millennial listeners and traditional radio services can be chalked up to this difference in perception–but the good news is, they still listen, albeit not for long and not always by the same methods we are used to. This means you must capitalize on the brevity of the format–keeping it short and vibrant for listeners who live with their finger on the radio dial–and you must also go looking for new marketing ideas in radio. Remember podcasts? Very often they feature specialized content that would complement your work perfectly–and they have a fairly wide reach, too, given that they’re archived online and available to stream through iTunes and other services. And book bloggers who also run podcasts might be willing to work with you on a brief interview for on-air and a longer interview to be hosted on their website, allowing you the best of both worlds. Check out the advertising options for radio programs and podcasts that you like, and consider paying for an ad instead of an interview, as ads are repeated often enough to reach multiple demographics.

Radio isn’t dead, but it’s evolving! Even in the three years since I posted my original article, we’ve seen massive clusters of readers move from traditional radio to streaming services. As Kobi Yamada writes in What Do You Do With a Problem? (one of my new favorite picture books, by the way!), don’t think of this as a problem–think of it as an opportunity!

Thanks for reading. If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them. Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can. ♠

Cheri Speaks, from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “How Much Do Illustrations Cost?”

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[ Originally posted: April 16th, 2012 ]

Like ghost writing or copyediting, illustrations take time and require a great deal of skill and talent. It is important to remember that illustrators must be paid fairly for their time and expertise. The price for illustrations can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. It depends on the size and complexity of your project. When considering illustrations, it is important to do some research, figure out your goals, and create a budget. Once you know your expectations, you’ll want to find an illustrator who meshes with your style. To do this, find out if your self publishing company offers illustration services and get a quote. You can also look at sites such as guru.com or elance.com to find a freelance illustrator. Be sure to always look at sample work before choosing an illustrator. There are many different styles, and you want to find an artist who matches your vision.

For more information on illustrations, check out these articles.

The Importance of Illustrations

What You Need to Know About Custom Covers

Illustrations Affect the Success of You Children’s Book

– by Cheri Breeding

I love Cheri’s post from 2012 in part because she has such a legacy on this blog of creating a space for illustration and fine art in the context of self-publishing. Her attitude is not all that common! Like many contractors with carefully curated skill sets, illustrators often struggle to make ends meet as well as earn the respect they deserve for a lifetime of work. Why is this? In part, it’s because illustrators often do not own the rights to the work that others commission, or pay for. This depends on what contract they sign with the commissioner, of course, but self-publishing authors know all about what it’s like to sign away rights to something, and thereby lose access to future profits. Illustrators also often struggle because making art for someone else just doesn’t have the social cachet or respect as making art for the sake of art.

The world can be an very unfair place. But you don’t have to be!

To expand a little upon what Cheri rightfully included in her original post, I thought I’d provide a couple of resources to get you started calculating hard numbers–actual figures to pay any illustrator you hire. And I won’t lie: good art doesn’t come cheap. In fact, if you’re hiring someone and they’re not asking for much, you should always go back and re-read the fine print. They may just be young illustrators starting out and looking to build their portfolios, or otherwise inexperienced in the market, or something more sinister. It’s worth checking.

The first step is finding the illustrator whose art you like, right? Between the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (very respectable, high-end) and DeviantArt (a real mix of experienced and inexperienced illustrators) it’s fairly easy to find what you need. If you’re still feeling a bit lost, this article from The Creative Penn provides a handy launchpad for further illustrator-sleuthing.

The second step is negotiating a commission fee and contract. I find it’s most helpful to start from the same materials that illustrators are using to determine their requested charges, and this article from the Business of Illustration blog is one that my illustrator friends keep pointing me to. It is thorough, and allows for multiple different scenarios. Illustrators Online provides a handy chart to start your rough calculations–another excellent resource. And Elizabeth O. Dulemba provides a list of questions to ask before hiring an illustrator, specifically geared towards authors.

Last but not least, it’s worth keeping bundles in mind. I mean the service bundles provided by hybrid or self-publishing companies like Outskirts Press, which provides options for a custom-designed book cover as well as full-color illustrations. If you’re already looking for an avenue to self-publish your book, keep an eye out for deals and price specials amongst these bundles–it’s a great way to save money and let someone else manage the fiddly bits.

No matter which option you choose, do your own calculations. Price check your illustrators! And most importantly of all, get in direct contact with every contractor who is going to design material for your book. The more an illustrator knows your mind, the more quickly and easily he or she will be able to create artwork that meets or even exceeds your expectations!

Thanks for reading. If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them. Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can. ♠

from the archives, Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “Ask the Right Questions”

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[ Originally posted: March 6th, 2009 ]

Regardless of whether you are holding out for an old-fashioned publishing contract or taking matters into your own hands with custom self-publishing, here are 5 questions you should know the answers to when you decide to publish:

1 – What is the minimum number of books you have to purchase, and what does
each book cost you? Many require certain quantities to be purchased at highly marked up prices. That is how they ‘get you.’

2 – Who determines your retail price? How much is it? – Here’s another one
to look out for. You should have that control. Publishers that don’t allow that are often in the business to make money on your book. You’ve done the work. You should see the rewards.

3 – Who determines how much money you make from each book? Another good test.
Your publisher should pay 100% of the difference between the wholesale price and the
production price of the book. Most publishers pay anywhere from 5%-50%.

4 – Do you receive marketing support after publication? Free services like the Marketing COACH offered by Outskirts Press is an invaluable collection of proven tactics shared to help improve your book sales.

5 – Do you retain all the rights to your book? You definitely should. Check
the contract of wherever you publish.

Isn’t this fun!

– by Karl Schroeder

Karl was right back in 2009, and he’s still right today in 2016–when it comes to publishing your book, it’s better to ask the right questions ahead of time, so that you don’t end up locked into an unsatisfactory contract or stuck in a bad situation after the fact. His five questions, too, were well-chosen, and if you’re just setting out to self-publish for the first time I recommend you start with his original list as a starting point; while the market and self-publishing process is always going to be something of a moving target, most of his fundamental assumptions about the nature of self-publishing companies remain highly relevant.

And the most important assumption of all?

Self-publishing companies are out to make money.

But of course they are! If they weren’t, they’d operate as nonprofits–and I have actually worked alongside several nonprofits that publish as a part of their service mission, enough to know that they tend to be highly competitive as well as highly selective, and therefore look very much like a traditional publishing model. Which brings us full circle, back to the self-publishing company as a wholly unique animal on the world stage. If I were to add any question to Karl’s list, it would be:

How transparent is the company in question about how it makes its profit?

Because it’s one thing to partner with an ethical, reliable, and empowering company with sound business acumen which it places at your disposal as well as at the service of its shareholders–and it’s another thing altogether to sign on to a publishing venture which is out to pad its bottom line, no matter what the cost.

The takeaway? It all comes down to research. Talk with the company directly, and don’t hesitate to ask the tough questions. Ask how they make their money, and what their internal corporate goals are. Ask previous customers about their experiences, and specifically how well they felt they were treated. Ask the company to treat you like an adult, which you are. And if at any point you feel like the shareholders are the company’s priority and not the authors, take that as a sign and take your business elsewhere. There’s no point in expecting a company to alter it’s corporate DNA for one customer–when it comes to self-publishing, you deserve to be at the heart of your own story.

Thanks for reading. If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them. Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can. ♠

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Consider the Rise & Plateau of the Espresso Book Machine

Consider, Too, the Rise & Fall of the Dedicated E-Reader

What Will the Next Big Step Forward Be?

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How transparent is the company in question about how it makes its profit?

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