Book Selling Report For 2023, or: Why I Cry

 An interesting thing about the publishing industry is that it takes great pains to make sure an author never knows how many books he's selling.

Meanwhile, at certain points in the process, that's the only thing authors want to know.

Actually, the traditional publishers I've worked with have been good about giving me sales reports--every three or six months. But it can be hard to read their reports, in the same way it can be hard for the janitor at a college to understand a blackboard full of physics equations. Well, maybe they can sometimes. A better example would be someone giving me the full schematics on how to wire an electrical system into a house, then expecting me to actually do it.

"Gee, he seemed smart enough to manage. I'm gonna miss him."

When it comes to places that sell your work, such as Barnes and Noble or the elephant in the room, Amazon ... good luck. Most of my books are independently published, so there is no publisher trying to keep track of my sales. You'd think the bookselling websites would do that, but ... well, you'd think more people would read, too.

Maybe I could sell them like donuts. "I'll take a white one, and a blue one, and ...."

 

I'm telling you all this to explain why, while I've come up with an estimate of my 2023 sales, I have no idea how accurate it is.

Fairly accurate. I think. Within reason.

So, in 2023 we sold 624 books. I think. 482 were e-books, and 142 were print copies. (In 2022 I actually sold a hardcover copy of Images of America: Albion and Noble County. I mention that because, before then, I didn't think you even could buy hardcover copies of our books.)

Our 2022 total was 539 sales, so we're up by 85 books. It's a good number, considering we haven't done an author appearance since the beginning of Covid. Now that I've actually had Covid, I'm not thrilled about going out into crowds in the immediate future, either.

Our best sellers:

151 copies of Coming Attractions.

145 copies of Hoosier Hysterical: How the West Became the Midwest Without Moving At All.

104 copies of Storm Chaser (which was re-released with some fanfare early in the year).

51 copies of The No-Campfire Girls.

The other books were, shall we say, not great sellers. All sold at least a few copies except for Slightly Off the Mark: The Unpublished Columns, which has the disadvantages of having been out for several years, and of being a humor book by someone who isn't already famous.

 

"Dude, these are stale."

 

 

Still, good money, right?

Well ...

I also experimented with advertising all last year. Online ads did indeed increase our sales, but they didn't lead to a profit. For every dollar in gross sales we made, I spent about two dollars. ("I" because Emily wasn't involved in that pile of commercial misfortune.)

But wait--there's more. Depending on how they were published and where they were bought, our profit was between 60% and 6% of each book sold. The 60% ones were the books Emily slaved and sweated over.

Do that math, and for every dollar we made, I spent five dollars in advertising and promotion.

This is fine for a hobby. I could collect toy trains, or fix up antiques, or bend my elbow at the bar every night, for a similar amount of money. It is not, however, what anyone would call a sustainable business model. It's more like trying to sell your product by screaming out the brand name as you leap off a cliff.

"Losing the house is no big deal, I can write in the car."

 

So, I have two goals when it comes to selling books in 2024. One is to sell a thousand copies of our various books in the space of one year. There are a couple of years when I may have done that, but I'm too lazy to go back and do more math--I'd rather think of it as a new obtainable goal.

My second goal is to do that while making more money than we spend. I don't know ... maybe my goal should be to sell the same number as last year, but without taking a loss. Many authors manage to do this.

Not many manage to make a living at it, but if I wanted an easy job I'd be a physics professor.

 

• Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO
• Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"
• Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter
• Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/
• Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter
• Substack:  https://substack.com/@markrhunter
• Tumblr:  https://www.tumblr.com/ozma914

 

Remember: Every time you buy a book, an author can buy a cup of coffee to keep him awake while he's writing his next book.

 

My publisher's dropping me; it's a good thing

Good news, everyone!

The new newsletter is out:  https://mailchi.mp/dbc5dc2002fd/my-publishers-dropping-me-its-a-good-thing?e=2b1e842057

Or you can just read it here:

My publisher is dropping three of my books!

Well, it really is good news, but I'm going to have to explain it.

At my request, Start Publishing has returned the rights to three of my books: Storm Chaser, Storm Chaser Shorts, and The Notorious Ian Grant. They were originally put out by Whiskey Creek Press, which was later bought by Start Publishing. Start is a big company, and made arrangements for their e-books to be distributed by Simon and Schuster, a large and respected publisher.

This excited many WCP authors, as Whiskey Creek Press was a fairly small publisher, with limited resources. I understood going in that I'd have to do a lot of my own selling and promoting; but with these new players, it was hoped we'd get better distribution and more promotion help.

Alas, that didn't happen. I continued to promote as best I could, and overall I've liked and gotten along with everyone from both companies. But those three books are older now, and to my disappointment their prices never got lowered. In addition, I felt the print book prices were way too high, especially for an unknown author like me. (WCP and Start specialize in e-books.)

With Storm Chaser now seven years old and set at the same price as when brand new, my sales had dropped dramatically. In the last quarter of 2018 sales of those three books were abysmal, and I know that's a real word because I looked it up.

But I wasn't ready to give up. Many people who read Storm Chaser kept asking me for a sequel, which the other two books were--but the sales of those two weren't as good. I felt there was potential for the series yet, so I asked Start Publishing for the rights back.

It was a long process.

I want to stress that my experience with the publisher was for the most part very positive, and I met many good and admirable people. In fact, I still have another novel, Radio Red, available through their Torrid Books line.

But the rights to the other three are back in my hands, which is why you may notice them disappearing from various websites and resellers across the internet. (I do still have print copies of the two novels for sale. Storm Chaser Shorts, a short story collection, was never available in print--but it will be.)

Emily and I are going to re-release the books, including a print run for Storm Chaser Shorts, once she's designed new covers and otherwise gotten them ready. These are the old covers, which you'll see if you buy any print copies from us before the supply runs out (well, not the middle one, which come to think of it could stand a new title):

I'll probably drop the price of them close to my cost, since the new editions will have a much lower price tag. Emily's hard at work on other projects right now, but I'll keep you updated on when they'll come out. Also, I'll be going back to work later this year on a prequel, as a way of introducing readers to the Storm Chaser series as a whole.

And you'll see all those changes on MarkRHunter.com, of course! Remember to support your local author: Whenever a book doesn't sell, an angel loses his wings--don't jam up the roadways with hitchhiking angels.

Reading, Writing, and Radio Red

Looks like there's been at least one pre-order of "Radio Red" on Amazon--and the print version isn't even up yet! Someone has confidence in me. You can order it and our other books at:

https://www.amazon.com/Mark-R-Hunter/e/B0058CL6OO/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R. Hunter"
 

And everywhere else good books are sold. (Not really, but I can dream.)


Or, you could just hold off until the print version comes in. Or, you could ignore this and go to my next post, which will likely be shilling My Funny Valentine. I don't usually do two sales posts in a row, but it's been a rough week.

Storm Chaser On Review

A new review has been posted of Storm Chaser!

http://authorstowatch.com/2015/01/14/storm-chaser-book-review/

Since I’m posting a link to it, it’s probably not a bad review …

Why The Subconscious Hates Book Signings

I’m sure some writers approach public appearances with the confidence of TV’s Richard Castle, who swaggers into every room like he has the world by the keyboard. Then again, maybe not … Castle seems to have become a bestselling novelist without ever actually writing. In other words, he’s every writer’s dream.

I, on the other hand, have to actually pound away at the keyboard to produce a manuscript. Probably I’m more representative. If that’s true, then most writers approach book signings with no confidence at all. What’s worse? That no one will show up at all, or that they’ll show up to point and laugh at your temerity in thinking you actually deserve any sort of success?

Like most things, the anticipation is worse than the reality. (Not with dentists. Oh, not with dentists.) Still, as I approach the next book signing, I can’t help thinking: Is somebody going to finally call me out?

Dude, you suck. What makes you think people will actually want to read your books?

“Hey, I’m published!”

So was Hitler.

“That’s just mean.”

That’s my subconscious speaking. But my subconscious assures me every time that real people will show up and say the same thing.

It used to whisper to me, “You’re a horrible writer!” Finally, after a few decades, I came to accept that I was actually a pretty good writer. Then it started whispering, “There are millions of good writers! You’re a little minnow in a big sea. You’re so pathetic that even your subconscious can’t come up with a cliché that doesn’t involve little fish in the ocean.”

Other times it gets bored and switches: You’ll never write full time! You’ll die at a keyboard, working two full time jobs and never taking the time to vegetate on the couch with chips and dip.

“Oh, yeah? Well, my wife and doctor won’t let me eat chips and dip anymore, so there!”

Nice riposte, use that in your imaginary Pulitzer speech.

Is it any wonder, then, that I hate promoting myself? Okay, I have a book signing coming up Monday, at the Noble County Public Library in Albion. So why can’t I just yell it out, rather than writing some long article about it? “Hey, be there! Three to six p.m. on Main Street! I’ll have all my books!”

You’re pathetic. That’s your own home turf, what are you worried about? Try having a book signing in Chicago, see who shows up there.

“You’re my subconscious, you just called yourself pathetic.”

I know. It’s pathetic.

You can’t win when you take on your own subconscious.

By the time November 17^th rolls around I’ll be too worried about the details of the signing to let my inner voice bother me. I’ll sell some copies of my various works, go home happy that anyone bought any at all, and go back to work on my next book project.

Then the voice will start whispering again. But you know what? I’m a good writer, by gosh, so I’ll ignore it … at least, until it’s time to send in the next manuscript.

I signed a book for a Senator, so there.

The Notorious Unknown Release Date

SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK

            People may think I brag too much about having written five books (some people think I don’t brag enough, but they’re other writers). If I do, there are two good reasons: First, hey—I wrote five books. It takes some effort, even to write a bad one.

            Writing a good one is harder, of course. What I don’t often mention is that I didn’t write five books—I’ve finished lots more. The others are the bad ones. In the business they’re called “trunk books”, because that’s where they need to stay. Other occupations would call such a thing “training”.

            The other reason I brag about them is because I want to sell them. I want to sell them so I can write more, which I guess makes writing a kind of addiction.

            More and more, publishers ask authors for a business plan, along with their book submission. It’s pretty much what you think it is: a written plan for how you’ll help promote and sell your stories once they’re published.

            The problem is, most authors are horrible business people. Have you ever heard the term “starving artist”? I rest my case.

            I came up with a business plan for a submission, back in August of 2013. I told the editor of Whiskey Creek Press that I had a heavy presence in social media, which isn’t exactly unusual these days. I also pointed out that The Notorious Ian Grant had a built-in audience, since it was a sequel. Also, I explained, I was a really nice guy, and almost everyone liked me.

            I had no idea if any of that was true, but this is advertising. I must have said it right, because they offered me a contract in October. It was the first time I ever liked October.

            In January I got paperwork with a confirmation, and WCP announced a release date of October, 2014. Then I really liked October, as I began planning a book launch.

            Unknown to me, my wife began planning a book launch party, for September. Meanwhile, I began searching for ideas to bring attention to the book.

            Getting local people interested seemed easy. The book’s set mostly here in Noble County, just as Storm Chaser was, with some other scenes in the Fort Wayne area. We would revisit the fictional town of Hurricane, and add fun stuff like car chases, fires, explosions, bad guys, and puns. I brought in a new character (hint: His name is Ian Grant) who I thought carried the story with a great sense of fun.

            By late July, with increasing anticipation, I began planning. There would be a cover reveal, a press release, maybe some flyers. Maybe I’d rent a billboard, or have the title tattooed to my back and go around shirtless. I began working on a series of short stories featuring Ian, which would follow him on his road trip from California to the book’s opening near Albion. As we got closer to October, I’d contact some people about book signings and displays, and make arrangements for the print version to come out near the same time. There would be problems if the release should be delayed for some reason, but overall it was a great plan.

            You know what happens when I plan things.

            As I mentioned in an earlier column, once in a while I check the internet to see how my sales are doing. On August 16^th I went on my Amazon author’s page (I have an author’s page!) There were all my books, plus the one I had a humor piece printed in: Storm Chaser; My Funny Valentine; Storm Chaser Shorts; Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights; The No-Campfire Girls; The Notorious Ian Grant … wow. Five books of my own, plus …

            Wait.

What?

            I looked again. Yep, there it was for sale as an e-book. My book, the one being released in October. Next October. It had come out on August Fourteenth, a Thursday. It was now Saturday.

            I went over to the Barnes and Noble website. There it was, released on Friday. There was my cover, unannounced by me.

            I went over to my publisher’s website. There it was.

            $3.99 as an e-book, a buck less than what Storm Chaser was selling for. This should have made me very happy, as it might mean more sales, but for the moment I was too stunned to think about it.

            I’d never imagined that it might come out early. No cover reveal! No big buildup! No airplane with a banner flying behind it! No sneaking the title into a Presidential speech! And once my wife found out, she had to fess up to the book launch party plan.

            I suppose the mix-up was related to my publisher being bought out by a larger company, Start Publishing. After some wailing and gnashing of teeth, which takes more skill than you might imagine, I realized it wasn’t really so bad. The book could have been delayed until February, the month from the depths of Hell. The contract could have been canceled altogether. I might never have been contracted at all.

Instead, I still have the comic capers of B-list celebrity (and need I say notorious) Ian Grant, running riot over northeast Indiana. It’s kind of hard to complain about that. (Come to think of it, showing up early is exactly the kind of thing he’d do.)

Plus, once arrangements are made for the print version to come out, I get a chance to publicize it all over again. Definitely a good news/bad news kind of thing.

            I won’t even try to predict when that will be.

But at least my publisher made me this nice graphic!