Happy Friday, Some guy wrote an article on Medium saying he self published a children’s book and made over $5,600. Most self published books fail horribly so my first thought was wow, maybe I’d like to talk to this guy, see what he’s doing right. So I clicked to read the piece.
Yes, Linda, people are extremely gullible, even those of us who know better. This morning, I clicked on a post from FB page entitled something like “historical photographs.” The post was about the largest recorded number of children born to the same woman. It was over 60. There were two photos under the title. One was of a Victorian Mother Hubbard type and the other of a 20th century large family group. The story went on to say this happened in the 1700s. Clearly, the photos had nothing to do with the alleged Mother of All Mothers. I seem to be the only person to have noticed.
Omg, Denise. I am stuck on 60 children. God, could you imagine? I follow some historical stuff on FB, too and often I see the same thing. Photos don't match content and no one seems to notice. Sometimes it makes me wonder how we got here. lol
How many self-published books on average are sold?
A friend of mine’s simple workbook is making $1-2,000 a month on it. She had sold approximately $14,000 since the workbook launched the middle of last year.
My book has sold over $5000 since Feb 14, 2022. I suspect both of us are defying the odds because we each have built a massive online following. She’s a even much larger brand than me with 1/2 million followers on TikTok, >50k followers on Instagram, and >20,000k on YouTube.
It takes constant sales work, but it so worth it. ❤️
I’ve found my website to be irrelevant. Credibility seems to be most important factor. Since my book is a memoir, people want to know if I have something important to say that will affect their life.
Short videos and going live on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook are pivotal in establishing brand authority. I’m soon going to be launching an online course with a companion standalone workbook. The hype is already building. I can’t wait!
That is amazing, Kerry. Statistically, most books sell under 200 copies. Something like 90% never pass that 200 mark. I'd have to dig up current numbers. What's your course about? You are both defying the odds, for sure!! I am so proud for you, omg.
She confided what she’s made on her online course in a year - in addition to the workbook sales. You’d be blown away. Blown away!
My course is called, “Why Can’t I Get Over This Person? Breaking the Toxic Hold of Cognitive Dissonance.”
The one decision I might have changed is to sell exclusively through KPD. I’m losing 50% on every ebook sale. But it’s also sold directly on my product page -so that wouldn’t have been allowed. I’ll bet that decision has cost me close to $2000 dollars.
Are you getting hit by the refund issues that Amazon has been having? I'm not sure how you're losing 50%? Is that the cost of not going exclusive? Yikes.
I'd love to know what your friend is doing. I don't mean numbers, lol. Curious what her workbook and course are about, though. I love to hear people are doing well. Would love to go have a peek at what she's doing!
Unfortunately, that’s the difference between the KPD exclusivity royalties of 70% vs. 35% for non-exclusivity. It adds up quickly.
Audiobooks are even worse— with what I know now about the reimbursement rates for an audiobook, I’d tell anyone considering making one not to bother. Amazon royalties for that are a travesty— only a pittance.
Re: my friend. The two of us are marketing to a particular niche: victims of narcissistic abuse. Her online course and companion print journal called Trauma Bond Recovery Course & Journal, and are marketed primarily through short educational videos that describe the pain points. To check her out- see her IG account- @_stronger_than_before_coach. There’s considerable demand because of how many people are desperate for help.
The two of us have also teamed up with 14 other content creators to promote each others’ platforms and products. This group has it's brand and designated hashtag. This fall, we are meeting followers around the country at local meetups. The group's collective power is incredible, primarily since we collectively represent over four million followers. That’s been another critical factor in marketing.
Who would have thought making videos would be a great way to sell books? My favorite brand-building activity is the TikTok and Instagram lives. Twice a week, I answer followers’ questions from a psychological angle. (I’m a licensed psychologist.) What an up-and-close way to hear your target audiences’ needs—directly from their mouth! ❤️
I have self-published several fiction books, and, despite getting some good reviews for some of them, I have not earned anywhere near the amount that person claims to have made. My conventionally published books earn me more.
That's interesting, David. Are your traditionally published books doing better at Amazon compared to self published, or are they doing better offline in stores?
Yikes, I hearted this post too but let me know if it didn’t stick. A few tech issues today. Hey wait, it feels like Monday. It’s not right? Just a Friday acting like a Monday.🙄
You ask: Why do people believe so easily? I think James Knight on Medium addresses this issue nicely when he talks about the lack of critical thinking (in general) in the population. It is so easy to believe a quick FB post from Uncle Bob than to do some digging. The instant gratification culture.
And then on top of that: the sole focus on money and better still, easy money because Uncle Bob says buy my course because, there really is a “free lunch” (instead of working for it). For $499.00 plus tax Bob will show you the way to easy street. And in our fabricated instagrammed world, why not believe things will come your way for little effort. Who wants to hear someone say otherwise?
Lack of critical thinking, for sure. I have no idea how to fix any of it. lol. Thank god it's not Monday. I need the weekend to take a mental break before I start again.
As far as I know, no store sales for awhile. I had friends and family help get sales for one with a book launch, but it's mostly been online since. And the other one is a reference book with a high price, so I'm lucky to get sales on it at all.
There is an entire field of Confidence Men/Hucksters/Shysters/Scam Artists and so forth that prey on people's general willingness to believe a stranger. They frequently doubt people they know, particularly family members, but absolute strangers or talking heads on TV are given blind trust. Lots of psychology papers studying it, but few tools provided to avoid it.
I'm leaning towards lie. I published a really crappy little ebook in 2011. It was only 47 pages long and only sold roughly 200 copies and I've got at least 20 five-star reviews online.
Did you check the Amazon sales rank on this book? If it had sales in the past 30 days, the sales rank should be 6 digits or less (and really 5 digits or less).
Ha ha, I found the article and looked up the book. It doesn't have a sales rank and was published less than 30 days ago. That means it sold 0 copies on Amazon.
I suppose he might've sold all the books directly through Lulu... but it would be extremely weird to make thousands selling through Lulu and not make a single sale on Amazon.
I thought that, too, Sara. Just seemed weird to me to do that kind of volume and not have a single review. Maybe he does, but it pushes the cynicism buttons. lol.
Yes, Linda, people are extremely gullible, even those of us who know better. This morning, I clicked on a post from FB page entitled something like “historical photographs.” The post was about the largest recorded number of children born to the same woman. It was over 60. There were two photos under the title. One was of a Victorian Mother Hubbard type and the other of a 20th century large family group. The story went on to say this happened in the 1700s. Clearly, the photos had nothing to do with the alleged Mother of All Mothers. I seem to be the only person to have noticed.
Omg, Denise. I am stuck on 60 children. God, could you imagine? I follow some historical stuff on FB, too and often I see the same thing. Photos don't match content and no one seems to notice. Sometimes it makes me wonder how we got here. lol
It's in the Guinness Book of Records, multiple sets of twins, triplets and so on. I've read of the same woman many times over the past 30+ years.
Sounds like a Dingus Daddy from Duma (just kidding).
lol.
How many self-published books on average are sold?
A friend of mine’s simple workbook is making $1-2,000 a month on it. She had sold approximately $14,000 since the workbook launched the middle of last year.
My book has sold over $5000 since Feb 14, 2022. I suspect both of us are defying the odds because we each have built a massive online following. She’s a even much larger brand than me with 1/2 million followers on TikTok, >50k followers on Instagram, and >20,000k on YouTube.
It takes constant sales work, but it so worth it. ❤️
I’ve found my website to be irrelevant. Credibility seems to be most important factor. Since my book is a memoir, people want to know if I have something important to say that will affect their life.
Short videos and going live on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook are pivotal in establishing brand authority. I’m soon going to be launching an online course with a companion standalone workbook. The hype is already building. I can’t wait!
That is amazing, Kerry. Statistically, most books sell under 200 copies. Something like 90% never pass that 200 mark. I'd have to dig up current numbers. What's your course about? You are both defying the odds, for sure!! I am so proud for you, omg.
She confided what she’s made on her online course in a year - in addition to the workbook sales. You’d be blown away. Blown away!
My course is called, “Why Can’t I Get Over This Person? Breaking the Toxic Hold of Cognitive Dissonance.”
The one decision I might have changed is to sell exclusively through KPD. I’m losing 50% on every ebook sale. But it’s also sold directly on my product page -so that wouldn’t have been allowed. I’ll bet that decision has cost me close to $2000 dollars.
Are you getting hit by the refund issues that Amazon has been having? I'm not sure how you're losing 50%? Is that the cost of not going exclusive? Yikes.
I'd love to know what your friend is doing. I don't mean numbers, lol. Curious what her workbook and course are about, though. I love to hear people are doing well. Would love to go have a peek at what she's doing!
Unfortunately, that’s the difference between the KPD exclusivity royalties of 70% vs. 35% for non-exclusivity. It adds up quickly.
Audiobooks are even worse— with what I know now about the reimbursement rates for an audiobook, I’d tell anyone considering making one not to bother. Amazon royalties for that are a travesty— only a pittance.
Re: my friend. The two of us are marketing to a particular niche: victims of narcissistic abuse. Her online course and companion print journal called Trauma Bond Recovery Course & Journal, and are marketed primarily through short educational videos that describe the pain points. To check her out- see her IG account- @_stronger_than_before_coach. There’s considerable demand because of how many people are desperate for help.
The two of us have also teamed up with 14 other content creators to promote each others’ platforms and products. This group has it's brand and designated hashtag. This fall, we are meeting followers around the country at local meetups. The group's collective power is incredible, primarily since we collectively represent over four million followers. That’s been another critical factor in marketing.
Who would have thought making videos would be a great way to sell books? My favorite brand-building activity is the TikTok and Instagram lives. Twice a week, I answer followers’ questions from a psychological angle. (I’m a licensed psychologist.) What an up-and-close way to hear your target audiences’ needs—directly from their mouth! ❤️
I have self-published several fiction books, and, despite getting some good reviews for some of them, I have not earned anywhere near the amount that person claims to have made. My conventionally published books earn me more.
That's interesting, David. Are your traditionally published books doing better at Amazon compared to self published, or are they doing better offline in stores?
Yikes, I hearted this post too but let me know if it didn’t stick. A few tech issues today. Hey wait, it feels like Monday. It’s not right? Just a Friday acting like a Monday.🙄
You ask: Why do people believe so easily? I think James Knight on Medium addresses this issue nicely when he talks about the lack of critical thinking (in general) in the population. It is so easy to believe a quick FB post from Uncle Bob than to do some digging. The instant gratification culture.
And then on top of that: the sole focus on money and better still, easy money because Uncle Bob says buy my course because, there really is a “free lunch” (instead of working for it). For $499.00 plus tax Bob will show you the way to easy street. And in our fabricated instagrammed world, why not believe things will come your way for little effort. Who wants to hear someone say otherwise?
Sigh. Can we fix this? How?
Lack of critical thinking, for sure. I have no idea how to fix any of it. lol. Thank god it's not Monday. I need the weekend to take a mental break before I start again.
I saw that too, and also noted that nowhere did he mention earnings. Now I'm mad that he'll make a fraction of a cent off my read.
As far as I know, no store sales for awhile. I had friends and family help get sales for one with a book launch, but it's mostly been online since. And the other one is a reference book with a high price, so I'm lucky to get sales on it at all.
There is an entire field of Confidence Men/Hucksters/Shysters/Scam Artists and so forth that prey on people's general willingness to believe a stranger. They frequently doubt people they know, particularly family members, but absolute strangers or talking heads on TV are given blind trust. Lots of psychology papers studying it, but few tools provided to avoid it.
I'm leaning towards lie. I published a really crappy little ebook in 2011. It was only 47 pages long and only sold roughly 200 copies and I've got at least 20 five-star reviews online.
Did you check the Amazon sales rank on this book? If it had sales in the past 30 days, the sales rank should be 6 digits or less (and really 5 digits or less).
Ha ha, I found the article and looked up the book. It doesn't have a sales rank and was published less than 30 days ago. That means it sold 0 copies on Amazon.
I suppose he might've sold all the books directly through Lulu... but it would be extremely weird to make thousands selling through Lulu and not make a single sale on Amazon.
I thought that, too, Sara. Just seemed weird to me to do that kind of volume and not have a single review. Maybe he does, but it pushes the cynicism buttons. lol.