Authors who have sold more than 50,000 self-published ebooks to date

[Triceratops]

I think the greatest sales coming from my publisher is through their erotic imprint "Carnal Passions". I doubt even those authors are seeing crazy high numbers, though one was pocketing over $1000 a month in royalties (that's 30 percent, probably). Unknown how many books that is, and suspect the sales surge would be short lived.

Me? No way am I approaching these kind of sales. I doubt many e-pub authors are, but that's why such figures are "exceptional", eh?

Keep in mind that success for any author in the e-book realm is a crap shoot. Did the author come into the market after already establishing themselves in the mainstream? Did they have contacts to boost their media exposure? Did sheer luck and the right review at the right time play a part?

For those looking at e-publishers as opposed to going it alone, you do need to look at several factors. How large is the publisher? Do they have quality authors in their ranks? What kind of readership may they have? How long have they been in business? Do they have dedicated editors? Do they have wide distribution? You have to do your homework as with all publishers - and then some. It is dead simple in the e-book world to go out there and call yourself a "publisher" due to low overhead costs. Preditors & Editors is a website you want to frequent. Also Writer's Water Cooler forums.

Take Double Dragon for instance - one of (if not the) largest SF/Fantasy publishers in the e-book realm. That can be both good and bad. Good in that they will have a great following. Bad in that you will be looking at the same wait times and relatively impersonal handling as you would get with a traditional publisher - I would even suggest getting an agent to approach them. Not so with a smaller publisher, but then you have your other trade offs.

If I were out on the market again, I would look for the following in an e-book publisher.

1. They've been in business for at least three years. The longer, the better.
2. They have EPIC Award finalists and winners among their ranks.
3. They have editors and graphic artists.
4. They maintain an industry average for acceptance and rejections.
5. No bad words in either Preditors & Editors or Water Cooler.
6. They have a presence on Amazon and B&N as well as several smaller venues. Presence on the nearly defunct Fictionwise a plus.
7. Yog's Law - money flows only TO the author.
8. Competitive contracts that don't lock you in forever.
9. They provide trade paperbacks.

Once you pick your publisher, be sure to follow their submission guidelines to the absolute letter. For many publishers, this is a litmus test to see if you can work with them. Just like the traditional publishers, e-book pubs may be looking for only certain material as well.

Waiting times between submission and publication will vary with the publisher and their size, but is normally far shorter than with the traditional publishers.

Kerry

I don't think anyone could have said it better than this example. If you are e-pubbed by a small press, like I am, it takes a concerted and devoted effort to promote and carry some of the marketing, while your publisher does everything in their capacity. My publisher and I did a lot of research and picked up the gems posted by the successful e-book self pubbers. Mainly price point and free trial staggering worked wonders, as well as adding prequel short stories that linked directly to the book. It's tough, but it can be done. I've never approached the whopping ranks and numbers of these semi and celeb self-publishers, but I have made a huge dent and realized sales that I never thought I would. I had a small fan base to begin with, but I had to beef that up considerably since I've having multiple releases at the present.

chris

 

[sullivan_riyria]

I dont want to sign with a publisher unless they give me a million dollar advance and let me retain all eBook rights.

And of course you'll get neither. But to be honest, it won't matter....you are doing well enough on your own that it would be unlikely to top your current earnings with traditional. I thought I would lose a few hundred thousands when I made the switch, but higher than expected sales, and more than 13 foreign language deals made up the difference for me...still on average if you have a book that "could be" released either way - i.e. you have a traditional contract in hand and are debating whether you should sign or not - you'll likely make more in self-publishing.

 

[Triceratops]

. you have a traditional contract in hand and are debating whether you should sign or not - you'll likely make more in self-publishing.

This is beginning to bear out some truth all across the board. Publishers pretty much had writers locked in for decades, with their acceptances and advances declining in these last five to seven years. The Amazon e-publishing phenom has allowed hundreds, if not thousands, to realize their dreams and makes some substantial earnings besides.

Being published by a press, I hold no power or advantage over the self e-publishers out there who are doing things right by producing good books and offering digestible and competitive prices.

chris

 

[sullivan_riyria]

This is beginning to bear out some truth all across the board. Publishers pretty much had writers locked in for decades, with their acceptances and advances declining in these last five to seven years. The Amazon e-publishing phenom has allowed hundreds, if not thousands, to realize their dreams and makes some substantial earnings besides.

Some sobering facts about traditional publishing:

• The average debut contract is 5,000 - 10,000 a book (and has been for quite some time).
• Only 20% of books earn out (so most will make only the advance)
• It can take 12 - 24 months from signing before the book is available for sale.

These factors, combined with the fact that it can take years to write a book are just some of the reasons why many writers have day jobs. Trust me when I say that I know how rare it it is to write full-time and I'm always grateful to the readers that make this possible for me.

 

[Triceratops]

Your facts are accurate. And it's worse for the small and indie presses who DO NOT pay advances and offer mediocre or low royalties--you can trust me on that one--I've been through it five times now, with two or three more books up for pub. My third agent has not made a sale yet, and she has four of my titles.

chris

 

[kmtolan]

Your facts are accurate. And it's worse for the small and indie presses who DO NOT pay advances and offer mediocre or low royalties

I am in complete agreement on the above quote - this remains one of the largest stumbling blocks for e-pub authors. Much of the fault comes from e-books being sold far below their actual value. I'm even wondering if I should jump ship and go traditional, but the hassle of getting an agent, waiting forever, and then trying to please some marketing department obsessed with the latest fad....sigh. I'm not getting any younger. Also, keep in mind that most traditional authors aren't exactly doing that great either - but at least they're being paid up front even if their books never hits the shelves (or disappears in a couple weeks). No, there isn't much cheery news on either side of the fence. I think the only reason the e-pub model works at all is simply because writers are driven to write whether they get paid or not.

Kerry

 

[sullivan_riyria]

I am in complete agreement on the above quote - this remains one of the largest stumbling blocks for e-pub authors. Much of the fault comes from e-books being sold far below their actual value. I'm even wondering if I should jump ship and go traditional, but the hassle of getting an agent, waiting forever, and then trying to please some marketing department obsessed with the latest fad....sigh. I'm not getting any younger. Also, keep in mind that most traditional authors aren't exactly doing that great either - but at least they're being paid up front even if their books never hits the shelves (or disappears in a couple weeks). No, there isn't much cheery news on either side of the fence. I think the only reason the e-pub model works at all is simply because writers are driven to write whether they get paid or not.
Kerry

I can understand your reasons for feeling pessimistic - but truly there has never been a better time to be a writer than now. I've done a bit of each and can produce a living career with either traditional or self-published so it's not all doom and gloom. I do think that the low-price point $0.99 and $2.99 may not be the best choice. I think authors should be concentrate on quality not quantity and charge a bit more because their work is worth it.

 

[kennychaffin]

....but at least they're being paid up front even if their books never hits the shelves (or disappears in a couple weeks). ...

and therein is exactly where the problem lies with the traditional/big publishing houses, in not doing a proper evaluation and marketing study, over-promising, or under-selling and basically not doing their job by pushing everything they can at the market instead of evaluating it and buying/selling as best they can. The are bloating the market and being inefficient which they have been able to get away with because they had a "captive" source and market.

 

[kennychaffin]

I can understand your reasons for feeling pessimistic - but truly there has never been a better time to be a writer than now. I've done a bit of each and can produce a living career with either traditional or self-published so it's not all doom and gloom. I do think that the low-price point $0.99 and $2.99 may not be the best choice. I think authors should be concentrate on quality not quantity and charge a bit more because their work is worth it.

Agree with the bolded part other than to gain attention and that seems a bit hit and miss as well.

 

[Igor]

What's wrong with offering a low-priced content for your readers?
Igor

 

[kennychaffin]

Nothing really, but it's like the variety of price/quality in cars, horses, houses, or furniture.

 

[Triceratops]

You can always hit the middle of the road: $2.99 to $4.99. The 2.99 price point seems to work perfectly for my book. I have a new release marked for 4.99. I'm going to watch and see how the two compare. I've always thought that an e-book should be accessibly priced at slightly below the price of a MMP edition. Since 2008 to 2009, my hardback sales just tanked. I haven't had a trade paperback release since then, but I'm really not hopeful for any trade paperback sales in the future, being that I have no book store placement or distribution with these publishers.

chris

 

[kennychaffin]

You can always hit the middle of the road: $2.99 to $4.99. The 2.99 price point seems to work perfectly for my book. I have a new release marked for 4.99. I'm going to watch and see how the two compare. I've always thought that an e-book should be accessibly priced at slightly below the price of a MMP edition. Since 2008 to 2009, my hardback sales just tanked. I haven't had a trade paperback release since then, but I'm really not hopeful for any trade paperback sales in the future, being that I have no book store placement or distribution with these publishers.

chris

Yep. I'd fully agree with the middle of the road approach. Less than the print version, but more than the Friends of the Library/garage sale version.

 

[sullivan_riyria]

What's wrong with offering a low-priced content for your readers?
Igor

It basically shows: desperation, a lack of confidence, and an overall impression that you don't think your work is very good. A discounted price from time to time to goose sales is all find and dandy but to price low routinely just puts you in a category of writers that say "I'm not really worth" much.

 

[Igor]

Interesting. I was looking at it from a different perspective; content, irrespective of price, and the lower bar might sometimes entice me to content I would not contemplate otherwise. We're not talking about authors I'm already well familiar with, so the price becomes irrelevant.
Igor

 

[sullivan_riyria]

Interesting. I was looking at it from a different perspective; content, irrespective of price, and the lower bar might sometimes entice me to content I would not contemplate otherwise. We're not talking about authors I'm already well familiar with, so the price becomes irrelevant.
Igor

There are some (maybe even a lot) of people that fall into that category. But there is also a fair amount of books purchased at that level which are not read. The other aspect about a higher price is the person is more likely to actually "read" it. I think low priced books are often "passed over" for other titles and even though you have the "sale" you haven't necessarily found a new reader/fan.

 

[M. R. Mathias]

There are some (maybe even a lot) of people that fall into that category. But there is also a fair amount of books purchased at that level which are not read. The other aspect about a higher price is the person is more likely to actually "read" it. I think low priced books are often "passed over" for other titles and even though you have the "sale" you haven't necessarily found a new reader/fan.

I agree that probably more than half of free promo books that get downloaded dont get read, but when someone spends even a dollar they are probably going to, at the very least, peruse a book.

My newest is doing great though, at $9.88 (The Wizard and the Warlord - Wardstone Trilogy Book III)...top 2k in the store, has been all week. (Book I and Book II are selling well by proxy. The good part for me is Orbit doesn't get jack off my book. I get the full 6.86 per copy sold.

 

[sullivan_riyria]

I agree that probably more than half of free promo books that get downloaded dont get read, but when someone spends even a dollar they are probably going to, at the very least, peruse a book.

My newest is doing great though, at $9.88 (The Wizard and the Warlord - Wardstone Trilogy Book III)...top 2k in the store, has been all week. (Book I and Book II are selling well by proxy. The good part for me is Orbit doesn't get jack off my book. I get the full 6.86 per copy sold.

Yeah that book has been doing well - congrats. I didn't sign with Orbit for the money (although I've not done too shabby in that regards). I'm actually surprised at the sales. My highest self-publishing month was about 11,500 (across 5 books) and with Orbit 26,000 across 3 titles. And those 10,000+ months were the four months around the holidays, whereas I've been in 5 digits each month for 9 months. I don't mind getting less per book to get more copies out there.

 

[M. R. Mathias]

Yeah I have 0 paperback distribution. If I had it I would be killing it off of the shelves too. I want a million for paper back distribution rights and I keep the eBook rights. I have a 4.5 star fantasy trilogy completed. AND a 4.0 star YA fantasy trilogy completed. AND an award winning horror thriller. If I can sustain numbers close to Orbit, TOR, and DAW fantasy authors all by myself in the kindle store, then Imagine how much money a publisher could make from my paperback distribution world wide. There is far less competition on the shelves. My books prove themselves daily against the big dogs at big $ prices.

What I am saying is: Its my way or my way. I'll keep my freedom and my ebook rights. Even if it means no publishing company gets to make a profit off of my proven writing. In this case it really is their loss if they pass.

 

[M. R. Mathias]

You can always hit the middle of the road: $2.99 to $4.99. The 2.99 price point seems to work perfectly for my book. I have a new release marked for 4.99. I'm going to watch and see how the two compare. I've always thought that an e-book should be accessibly priced at slightly below the price of a MMP edition. Since 2008 to 2009, my hardback sales just tanked. I haven't had a trade paperback release since then, but I'm really not hopeful for any trade paperback sales in the future, being that I have no book store placement or distribution with these publishers.

chris

I figure that the first year a 400+ page epic fantasy should be over $7. The second year between $4 and $7 and then as time and numbers dictate, and newer titles come out, the price can go even lower. Starting a new book at .99 is only smart of you have a $5 book out for the reader to buy next.

The great thing about fantasy readers is that they devour books like sharks at a seal beach. Chomp Chomp Chomp. There will allways be readers if you write well.