Monday, June 20, 2016

Proof that Amazon and KU is not the end all and be all

As I have admitted very often, I have no fucking idea what I'm doing. I look at what others who seem to be successful are doing and do my best to try and copy what they are doing. One goal though has always been clear, write as many stories-good stories-as I possibly can. Over and over I have read and seen for myself what having a strong catalog can do. So, fuck me it's been almost two damn years now...sorry just realized that. Any way I did a release of two books together in one month and that was when I saw what good release can really do for sales, not only did my new ones sell but my whole catalog sold. I'm just going to get real here and use numbers. I made $800ish total almost dead even between Amazon and Nook then it slowly trickled down, $600ish untl almost three months later it stayed at $200 for months and that's where it's been on a monthly basis pretty consistently ever since, between all three-Kindle, Draft2digital, and Nook. But lately Nook has sunk to the toilet and I'll admit it worried the hell out of me going into my latest release. 

After a lot of thought I decided to release my two latest month after month, hoping to keep those interested coming back, nevermind that I didn't and do not have anything even half way finished to follow those up with. So I did the rounds, hit up bloggers saw a dismal showing in people who supposedly support me as I have always supported them-I cut those bitches off-and an attempt at Facebook advertising and even a round on Twitter. Release day came and the sells at only .99 cents for a limited time weren't anywhere near what I hoped they would be. Despite hitting refresh a dozen times day it didn't move the number on Kindle and I never got closer than in the 200 area. I curled into a ball and cried for a few days, I was also without my anti-anxiety meds but still it was a rough fucking week. 

Then in a last desperate hope to see something I checked on my sales for Draft2digital which sell me on Kobo, Apple and other things that rarely sell except Apple. When I saw the number of books sold I blinked, then blinked again. Holy fucking shit, my chest got tight and I couldn't breathe for a minute. No fucking way. I had sold over 300 books and was at double what I had made on Kindle at that point and this was after the increase from .99 cents to $3.99. I did a search and found out was in the top 20 on Erotic Romances for iBooks and had been in the top 10 for days. When the month ended I made on Apple more than I had made on all the other platforms combined in one month. All those years of hard work had finally paid off, my others were selling, it wasn't just my new one. While yes my new release sold 238 at .99 cents it then went on to sell 179 at $3.99 I sold 247 of my other titles in May and with Kobo and the other sites I ended the month at 787 books sold. My other titles are now selling about what my new release for June is selling. Once again on Apple I will likely end the month at more than I have sold on all the other platforms combined and am currently at 517 books sold.

Will this last? Duh, no but I fizzled so fast on Kindle with my second release even with the sales on Apple I was disappointed. On Kindle last month I barely hit 100 sold of the new release, this month I think I'm sitting in the seventies. The point is I found new readers and readers found a new author and they weren't so cheap they only bought me at .99 cents and they came back and bought more books. What happened on Apple for me is in every way possible for another author, it wasn't a fluke. 

Last month gave proof and real numbers supporting the fact that Kindle isn't the only place to sell. It isn't the only place to make money and Amazon doesn't hold all the cards. 

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