I will be carrying around a Library Box during Midwinter. If you see me, log into the Library Box wifi, and download some ebooks from indie authors. If you like the book, review it or buy it for your collection.
Here is a list of participating authors and their social media links.
Some of you know that in two weeks over 10,000 librarians and other library industry professionals will be descending upon Denver for the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting. It has been a handful of years since I have been to an ALA meeting and I am beyond excited to see some of my favorite people again.
I am going to revive an experiment I tried at RWA three years ago. I want to give indie authors the ability to offer ebook versions of their books to the super heroes that have the buying power to acquire actual copies for readers: Librarians.
Indie authors, I have a fun and free way for you to get your books in the hands of librarians who can read them, review them, and buy copies for their libraries.
Here is how it works:
My friend Jason Griffey made a device which creates its own wifi signal, allows users to log on to the signal, and then download any content on the device. It is completely open source and completely awesome. Libraries and educators around the world are using it to distribute books and class materials and to reach students in new ways.
Everyone knows ARCs and free books are awesome to get at conferences. My LibraryBox will be a free, easy way for you to give e-copies out to librarians attending ALA Midwinter. Anytime I am at a conference event, I will have the LibraryBox on. Anyone with a wireless device can log on to the wifi signal the box creates and download books to read and review.
LibraryBox keeps tabs on how many of each item is downloaded, but it does not track individual users due to privacy. At the end of the conference, I will post the top 10 downloads. If you are an author or a publisher and you would like to participate, here are some FAQs you might want to know, be aware of, take heed of:
In order to participate in this project, you must be the digital rights holder for the works you send me.
This is for traditionally (with a publisher) or indie (self) published works. WIPs or manuscripts will not be accepted. Works of any length or genre are accepted.
The Midwinter file on my LibraryBox will be deleted after the conference. This means that after the conference, all the copies I have will be deleted from the boxen itself and my computer.
All books for this project will be in a folder marked “Midwinter 2018” on the boxen listed in alpha order by author’s last name.
Files should be in easily readable formats, like epub or pdf.
Do include your author website, mailing list, or other links in your file.
There will be a page on this blog listing all the participating authors and their websites so attendees can take a peek and so you can brag about it.
I will in no way use the books sent to me for profit or in any way not specified in this blog post.
Interested? Send me a copy of your book to mboule at gmail dot com. I will send a confirmation email when I receive your file.
If there are enough books, I will put them in genre or subgenre folders.
That is not a large number for me, but not terrible as things go. I admit that I vacillated between not being able to focus on anything except the huge dumpster fire happening in politics and wanting to escape everything through reading. My yo-yoing numbers reflect this. I have months where I read two books a week and others where I barely managed one every other week.
On a side note, writing has been the same way for me. It has been hard to get out of the reality of the dumpster fire and write something hopeful. I am trying, but this last book in the Turning Creek series is coming so slow. I hope to have it out this year, along with a bridge novella.
Here is a breakdown of the books:
Least in a Month – July with 2. I was packing and moving that month. Instead of reading, I binged Longmire on Netflix while I packed.
Most in a Month – October with 10. It’s my birthday month so I probably felt like indulging a bit more than normal.
My list this year contains more graphic novels than in past years. This is due to both necessity and access. I started a new job this year and part of that job is managing the graphic novel collection at my new library. I have finally been able to read some series I have had on my list for years: Saga, The Walking Dead, The Dark Tower (DNFed), and I finally am finishing up Chew. Other than these great series, there is the usual mix of YA, Romance, and fun stuff in space.
Favorite Book of the Year – As always, I read a lot of great books and I am going to resist the urge to break down my favorite books by genre. If I could only pick one to make you read, there is no contest. The Hate U Give by Angela Thomas is my favorite book of 2017. I think this should be required reading for everyone in America. The main plot is reason enough: a teenage girl watches her childhood friend get gunned down at a routine traffic stop by a cop. However, it is the other themes that Thomas has woven into the narrative that give this book a kick. The book also examines how communities are created, defined, and maintained and what the individual responsibility is to that community. The one that hit me hardest was the way the characters talk about the performance of race. This is a not to be missed book, which is being made into a movie, and I am in raptures to see what Thomas gives us next.
Least Favorite – Rebecca by Daphne De Maurier
This book is a classic example of the main character being TSTL (too stupid to live). Not only is the main character completely vapid, she allows herself to be pulled in whatever direction other people want for her, even if it is dangerous and she knows she should say no. This is made worse by the fact that the main character is surrounded by horrible people. I read this with my bookclub and we all detested it. This is one of those rare cases where the movie is definitely better than the book.
Favorite Reread – I finally got my copy of World War Z back from by brother and devoured it. I was pleased to find that the political discussions and scenarios are no less true eleven years later that they were when Max Brooks first penned this novel. This book is in my top five of all time and with good reason. It is heart-wrenching, suspenseful, hilarious, and reflective. There are scenes from this book that still haunt me. I loved it no less the third reading through.
Here is the month by month list. Starred items are rereads.
January – 5
Saving Grace by Julie Garwood*
Must Love Kilts by Anna Quarles
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R Carey
Ready to Fall by Olivia Dade
February – 3
Driven to Distraction by Olivia Dade
Diablo Lake: Protected by Lauren Dane
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
March – 5
A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood*
The Monster That Stole My Underwear by Kate Cleary
Wolves’ Triad by Lauren Dane
What It Takes: a Kolwalski Reunion Novel by Shannon Stacey
Beyond Control by Kit Rocha
April – 3
World War Z by Max Brooks*
Return of the Earl by Sandra Schwab
Under Her Skin by Adriana Anders
May – 3
The Demon Prince by Anne Aguirre
Wolf Summer by Sionna Fox
Rebecca by Daphne De Maurier
June – 7
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Pack by Jeanine Frost
For the Bear’s Eyes Only by Kathy Lyons
Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Hidden by Loic Dauvillier, Marc Lixano, Greg Dalsedo
Feathers by Jorge Corona and Jen Hickman
July – 2
The Selection by Kiera Cass
Radiance by Grace Draven
August – 8
Frostbite by Richelle Mead
Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
Hard to Handle by Christine Warren
How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days by Kerrelyn Sparks
Ms. Marvel: Crushed by Wilson, Miwazawa, Bondoc
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger v. 1
September – 9
The Walking Dead Book One by Robert Kirkman
Chew vol. 1 by John Layman and Rob Guillory
The Walking Dead: Book Two by Robert Kirkman
Maximum Ride by James Patterson and Narae Lee
Chew vol. 2 by John Layman and Rob Guillory
Chew vol. 3 by John Layman and Rob Guillory
Saga vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
A Seditious Affair by K. J. Charles
Yuletide Truce by Sandra Schwab
October – 10
Saga vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Saga vol. 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
The Bridesmaid and the Hurricane by Kelly Maher
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole
Daring Fate by Megan Erickson
Phoenix Warrior by Ella Drake
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Lost Stars by Claudia Gray
The Elite by Kierra Cass
The One by Kierra Cass
November – 3
Emma by Kaoru Mori
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Hamilton’s Battalion: a trio of romances by Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan, and Alyssa Cole
December – 8
True to the Highlander by Barbara Longly
Beary Christmas, Baby by Sasha Devlin
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E.Schwab
A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong by Celia Grant
Emma vol. 2 by Kaoru Mori
Superman Wonder Woman Power Couple vol. 1 by Charles Soule and Tony S. Daniel
The Silent Duke by Jess Michaels
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
This is Dora’s story. She was the hardest to write so far because she is so tender-hearted and closed-off at the same time. Like her sister harpies, she has found peace in Turning Creek, but she has yet to find true redemption. In this book, we find out some secrets she has kept hidden that have left deep wounds in her psyche.
A couple years have passed in the story since the last book, Letters in the Snow, and you will see all your old favorites and what shenanigans they have been up to. Some of you may be sad that I skipped ahead, but some time needed to pass, both for this story to happen and for history to be correct. Plagues takes place near the end of the Civil War and some of the catastrophes in the book mirror things that were happening in the region at the time. In a couple weeks, I will post some historical notes for the nerds out there.
If you have yet to start the series, or know someone who would like it, the first book, Lightning in the Dark, is now permafree everywhere except Amazon. I am still working on making that change.
Have fun. Go read. Write a review. Thanks for reading, y’all.
Dora Aello, descendant of brutal harpies, has built a life in Turning Creek where she can use her hands to bring healing instead of pain to others. Her new life helps her control the mistakes of her violent past but Dora is afraid she will not be able to keep them at bay forever.
With the blood of healers in his veins, Lee Williams could use his power over life and death as a way to gain wealth and social standing, but that was his father’s way, not his. He has come to Turning Creek to start over and prove that he is worthy to bear the burden of the power of Asclepius.
An ancient evil is unleashed on Turning Creek and it ravages the residents with a cascade of misfortunes. To save the town they call home, Dora and Lee must race to find the source of destruction and stop it before all is lost. Dora will have to relinquish the control of her nature and come to terms with her own desires or risk losing the lives of everyone she loves.
Total Books read: 86 Most books in one month: 14 in August Least books read in one month: 4 in January and April
I do not have a great reason for the low numbers in January and April, but I know exactly what happened in August: The Olympics. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Olympics but my husband really, really, really loves the Olympics. He watched hours and hours of water polo. A lady can only take so much water polo. A lady with a book, however, can withstand endless hours of it.
Books I Loved
I hate picking favorites. Here are all the books that stood out to me this year and a one sentence or so blurb for each:
Before Midnight by Jennifer Blackstream – A retelling of Cinderella with werewolves that was delightful.
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – This book! It was my favorite this year, see below for a full swoon.
Castle of the Wolf by Sandra Schwab – An almost perennial reread for me with characters that I love smack in the heart of the gothic Black Forest.
Must Love Breeches by Angela Quarles – A combination of Pride and Prejudice, time travel, and excellent dialog meant I was guaranteed to love it.
Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole – This is the first of a post-apocalyptic series that managed to be witty, heart-breaking, action-packed, and sexy.
The Leopard King by Ann Aguirre – This is the first in a new shifter series with great world building from an author I already liked.
The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston – This is take on Norse mythology was a wild ride and I loved every single minute of it.
The Trouble With Women by Jacky Fleming – Fleming has created a book of drawings that it humorous, illuminating, and thought provoking.
A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet – This is one of the best romantic fantasies I have ever read, hands down.
Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh – This was a reread for me. It is the last in a wonderful series with elements of Pride and Prejudice, the best dialog, and characters I adore.
I have a lot of trouble picking my favorite book of the year. How do you choose from all your friends? All the books that made the list had things that made me want to squeeze them tight and never let go.
My top pick, if you force me to make one, is Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. This book, y’all. This is space opera at it’s very best. There is an evil corporation, refugees on the run, science gone awry, an AI coming into its own, and humanity on the brink. If that was all this book had, it would still have been amazing. But wait, there’s more. The format is what made this book shine above the rest. It is told in redacted emails, direct messages, video surveillance, and ship schematics. Illuminae sucks in you and refuses to let you go until the very heart-stopping end. The follow-up book, Gemina is also on my list of books I read and it was a great follow-up. I can’t wait to see what these two authors do with this series.
Trends
As always, my list is comprised mostly of things in the Romance genre. There are plenty of shifters, mythology heavy books, and books of various heat levels. In January, I read For The Love by Jen Hatmaker and it is one of those books I wish everyone would read because it is good for your soul.
Happy Reading. Here is the list.
January – 4
Rock Hard by Nalini Singh
The Viscount Who Lived Down the Lane by Elizabeth Boyle
Restaurant Success By the Numbers by Roger Fields
For The Love by Jen Hatmaker
February – 5
Wolf’s Ascension by Lauren Dane
Whispers of Shadow and Flame by L. Penelope
Unmasked Heart by Vanessa Riley
Stalked In Flames by Susan Illene
Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
March – 7
Queen of Starlight by Jessa Slade
A Brewer’s Guide to Opening a Nano Brewery by Dan Woodske
*Before Midnight by Jennifer Blackstream
Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop
Sworn to the Wolf by Lauren Dane
Kilt in Space by Ella Drake
Captive Dragon by Ella Drake
April – 4
The Alchemist Of Souls by Anne Lyle
Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
Merchant of Dreams by Anne Lyle
The Lawyer’s Luck by Piper Huguley
May – 8
The Goblin King by Shona Husk
Leveling the Field by Megan Erickson
*Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Stone Cold Lover by Christine Warren
Kiss of the Goblin Prince by Shona Husk
Eagle’s Honor: Ravished by Sandra Schwab
One Bite by Jennifer Blackstream
Golden Stair by Jennifer Blackstream
June- 6
All For Rose by Jennifer Blackstream
Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon
Mercenary Instinct by Ruby Lionsdrake
Lionmeade by Linda Mooney
How to Catch a Wild Viscount by Tessa Dare
July – 10
Barbarian Lover by Ruby Dixon
Trial and Temptation by Ruby Lionsdrake
Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews
*Castle of the Wolf by Sandra Schwab
*Must Love Breeches by Angela Quarles
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Must Love Chainmail by Angela Quarles
Renegade Leo by Delores Diamond
Renegade Orion by Delores Diamond
August – 14
Barbarian Mine by Ruby Dixon
Freeker by Ella Drake
Her Guardian Wolf by Jax Garren
Talk Sweetly To Me by Courtney Milan
Diablo Lake: Moonstruck by Lauren Dane
Sacrificed to the Dragon by Jessie Donovan
Sleeping With the Wolf by Maddy Barone
Desert Hunt by Anna Lowe
Desert Moon by Anna Lowe
The Taming of Jessie Rose by Beverly Jenkins
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan
*Radio Silence by Alyssa Cole
Signal Boost by Alyssa Cole
Mixed Signals by Alyssa Cole
September – 7
One Week in Wyoming by Alexis Anne, Audra North, Julia Kelly, and Alexandra Haughton
Mr. Right Next Door by Farrah Rochon
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Agnes Moor’s Wild Knight by Alyssa Cole
A Perfect Holiday Fling by Farrah Rochon
How Beauty Met the Beast by Jax Garren
How Beauty Saved the Beast by Jax Garren
October – 6
How Beauty Loved the Beast by Jax Garren
*The Leopard King by Ann Aguirre
Broken Resolutions by Olivia Dade
Out on Good Behavior by Dahlia Adler
Scorched by Mari Mancusi
Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen
November – 6
*The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston
Gemina by Kaufman and Kristof
*The Trouble With Women by Jacky Fleming
The Bear Who Loved Me by Kathy Lyons
License to Shift by Kathy Lyons
My Reckless Valentine by Olivia Dade
December – 9
Mayday by Olivia Dade
*A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
Bringing Christmas to the Dragons by Rinelle Grey
The Centurion’s Choice by Sandra Schwab
Reluctant Mate by Lauren Dane
Pack Enforcer by Lauren Dane
All Star Superman vol. 1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly with Jamie Grant
The Prize by Julie Garwood
*Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
Summer vacation is over. School started yesterday and my emotional state is somewhere along these lines:
It has been a good summer, but everyone in our house was ready for school to start. I have two children in school (Thank you, Baby Jesus) because the youngest is entering Kindergarten. Life is a beautiful thing. I put those small male humans on the bus yesterday and then felt like the rest of the day should be margaritas and dancing.
We had some fun adventures this summer that looked like this:
One of our college friends was nice enough to get married in one of my favorite places in the world, Jackson, WY. It gave us an excuse to pack up and head to the mountains.We went north to Yellowstone after the wedding and spent a week camping there. This nice gentleman blocked traffic our first day and let me take a great picture.We went hiking, looked at geothermal sites, and saw many animals. The boys loved it and I did not want to leave. Seriously, I cried when we left.How could anyone want to live at sea level after seeing this?
If you have been around this space with me long enough, you know the mountains have always called to me. I was born in Texas and live in a swamp (marshland, actually, but still hot and humid), but this is not where my soul loves to be. Houston is where we will probably be forever for various important reasons, so I will strive to be content in my circumstance. I have decided to pepper my house with mountain pictures, which will either make me exceedingly happy or depress me. We shall see.
I did do some writing this summer. Despite crazy schedules and trying to write a business plan for a brewpub, I still managed to write almost 30k words on Plagues of the Heart. I am about 20k away from finishing the draft, but it needs some tweaking. I do not have a publication date for it yet. Sorry, gentle readers. Words take time and sometimes time does not extend to all the things I wish it to.
I read quite a lot this summer. My reading numbers were boosted by a long car vacation and a husband who is obsessed with the Olympics. He wanted to watch ALL the sports, so I read and partially watched. Here is a list of what I read:
All for Rose by Jennifer Blackstream
Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
Barabrian Alien by Ruby Dixon
Mercenary Instinct by Ruby Lionsdrake
Lionemede by Linda Mooney
How to Catch a Wild Viscount by Tessa Dare
Barbarian Lover by Ruby Dixon
Trial and Temptation by Ruby Lionsdrake
Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews
Castle of the Wolf by Sandra Schwab
Must Love Breeches by Angela Quarels
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Must Love Chainmail by Angela Quarels
Renegade Leo by Delores Diamond
Renegade Orion by Delores Diamond
Barbarian Mine by Ruby Dixon
Freeker by Ella Drake
Her Guardian Wolf by Jax Garren
Talk Sweetly to Me by Courtney Milan
Diablo Lake: Moonstruck by Lauren Dane
Sacrificed to the Dragon by Jessie Donovan
Sleeping With the Wolf by Maddy Barone
Desert Hunt by Anna Lowe
Desert Moon by Anna Lowe
The Taming of Jessie Rose by Beverly Jenkins
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan
By the end of the summer, I realized a couple things. One: Most of my reading this summer involved aliens, shifters, or shifter aliens. I am not sorry about that. Two: I have not been including enough writers and characters of color in my list. I am sorry for that and have been remedying that post haste.
I wrote some guest blog posts around the web which you may find amusing:
I want to have a break-up conversation of the “It’s not me, it’s you” variety. Grab a glass of your favorite beverage, chocolate, or ice cream and let’s discuss book break-ups, aka the DNF.
I used to feel guilty about DNFing (Did Not Finish) a book. Maybe it was a holdover of well taught Catholic guilt, but I never DNFed a book, no matter how poorly written or how much I wanted to strangle one of the characters. I persevered through countless books I ended up hating because I felt bad for them. I couldn’t help it.
I no longer have that problem. I say no, guilt free, to plenty of books these days.
This change of heart happened because am an actual adult now with an actual job and a family who expects me to spend time (time I used to spend reading) doing crazy, time consuming things, like cooking/serving 2+ meals a day, laundry, dishes, a paying job, and just enough housework to keep Mr. R from getting annoyed. In between my adult duties, I self-publish my own books and read, a lot. I average about a book a week, more than most I know, but less than others.
The blunt point is my reading time is precious and less frequent than it used to be. I refuse to waste it on books I don’t like.
If you, like me, have found your time is too precious to waste, here are some guilt free reasons to DNF a book. Bonus: with Liz Lemon.
Yesterday, you really wanted, no needed, to read that post-apocalyptic erotic romance by Kit Rocha, but today you need something sweeter. You should not feel bad about putting one book on hold to start another. Unlike past relationships, books will always wait for you and you should pick that Rocha book back up later. When you are in the mood. Go binge those dragon shifters then flounce back to Regency romance. All is well.
#2 – The character/plot/writing style is so awful or insipid you are afraid that if you keep reading you may strangle the character/author/or yourself.
Just say no to this one. Put it down and do not look back. I give a book 100 pages or about 50% to turn around a bad plot, a TSTL character, or mediocre writing. If, after that, the book is still making me want to claw my eyes out, I switch books and never look back. It is also unlikely I will go back to that author unless I get a great recommendation from someone I trust.
#3 – A TSTL or useless female lead or an alphole hero.
This one is related to #2, but has it’s own category because it annoys me that much. Sidenote: I will also breakup with TV shows displaying one of these two characters without relief. If the female lead always needs rescuing and is a complete idiot, I can’t like her enough to care that she is in peril and I definitely do not want her to get the guy. Alternatively, if all the female characters in a story are two dimensional or completely absent (not in romance usually, but other genres populated by men*), I am out. I want to see myself in the story and I am neither an idiot nor useless.
If all the males, and especially the lead, are alpholes, I am gone. An alphole is a term in the romance community which means an alpha asshole. A good, recent example of this is Christian Grey. You know this guy. He treats other people like dirt and he always has to be in charge because he is better than everyone else… in his own mind. The worst part is there is usually no true redemption or grovelling. If you are an alphole, there better be some epic character development and groveling. Hands and knees, flat before God groveling. And even then, I may not forgive you.
Sometimes, I read non-fiction or heavy fiction (Literature)**. I read a little and take breaks, interspersing my forays into improving my mind with genre fiction. After some nice shifter or regency or post-apocalyptic novels, I will go back to the non-fiction or Literature. Most of the time. Sometimes, the non-fiction is too boring or the fiction is so prose heavy and sad, I just can’t, so I leave. No looking back.
That’s it. Those are the four reasons I DNF books or take a break from them. All in all, I probably only DNF about 5-7 books a year.
Next time you start feeling like you just can’t bear another page. Quit. Say no guilt free. Life is too short to spend it reading books you don’t like when there are so many great books out there.
*wide generalization, sorry, it is sometimes true and sometimes not.
**Let’s not start in on the whole what is “literature” argument. It is a good conversation and I have opinions, but not right now.
This month I am giving away ebooks to some of my newsletter subscribers and I promise, you will not want to DNF them.
Because I have been remiss in sending out monthly newsletters, which are really just an excuse for me to give away copies of books I love, I am going to give away three ebooks this month to three different subscribers. Join my mailing list (below) for a chance to win one of these wonderful reads.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – It’s still my favorite book of all time and it should be yours too. Unmasked Heart by Vanessa Riley – A Regency Romance with a surprising heroine. Rock Hard by Nalini Singh – I do not read contemporaries very often but this one is swoon worthy.
One of the things I love about the writing community, and the indie author community in particular, is its transparency. Gone are the days when discussions about contracts and money were things you just did not do. I applaud authors who are forthright with what contracts say and how much they make. This transparency helps us all learn and be realistic about our prospects.
I have had books on sale for over a year and I completed my first tax return in which I had sales to report. Since today is officially tax day, I thought it would be beneficial to share what taxes look like, honestly, for newbie indie author.
This was not an easy post to write. I will admit that being this transparent is nerve-wracking, but I believe it is important.
Disclaimer: I did not become an author to make gobs of money. I became an author because I have stories to tell and I love writing. Yes, I want people to read my books and like them, but even if I never published another book, I would keep writing. It is part of who I am.
Another Disclaimer: I am in this writing books thing for the long haul. I have done my industry research and I know I will need more books in my backlist before I start making any meaningful money. I define “meaningful money” as my books pay for themselves and that book reading habit I have.
Here are the numbers:
First, I tracked how much production cost for each book I have produced. This only includes my outside costs. It does not include my own labor cost for things like formatting.
Clarifications:
Content Edits include developmental edits and line edits.
Copy Edits are the last round of edits and include copy editing only.
Covers also includes all the Twitter and Facebook banners and other graphics for each book.
These numbers do not include an entire hosts of other expenses which includes, but is not limited to the costs of: ISBNs (I used to be a librarian. I think these are expensive but important.), proof copies of the paperbacks, software I use to compile the ebooks, traveling to a writers conference, traveling for research, copies of the print books I order to do giveaways, other giveaway items, envelopes for mailing, postage, marketing, writing classes, books on writing, domain costs, web server costs, professional organization dues, or the sheer amount of caffeine I consume in the form of tea and coffee per year.
If you total up the production costs (not including anything from the paragraph above) of putting out three books, the total is a whopping $3,965, averaging $1,321.67 per book.
There are cheaper ways to make books. You can forgo hiring a professional editor. You can hire a cheaper editor. You can buy stock covers or make your own. You can rely on readers or beta readers to do your copy editing.
You can. You can do all those things, but I do not. I want to put out the best possible book I can write. That means, I contract out the best people I can find and pay them decent money for the very hard work they do for my books. Some authors pay more than I do. Some pay less. The best thing about being an indie is I choose, and this is the path I have chosen. Your path may differ and that is okay.
Now for the hard truth. My tax returns included sales for the first two books which combined cost me $2,630.50 to produce. The third book, Letters in the Snow, did not go on sale until early in 2016. I included it here for comparison purposes.
With two books on sale, I made a whopping $448 last year.*
I did not forget any digits. That is $448 before taxes.
This is the hard truth of self-publishing, but I have friends who have gone the traditional route and their finances do not look that much better than mine.
What it means:
I am not going to lie. The numbers are disheartening, but I know they can get better. They will, eventually.
I still have a ton of work to do. I have mountains of words to write. If I want to make more money, I have to write more books. Good books, maybe even great ones. Books people want to keep reading at any rate. The ones out already get fabulous reviews, so I know I have the start of an audience and that is an amazing thing all by itself.
If you are new to publishing or thinking of jumping in, it is absolutely worth it. I did not write this post to scare you. I did it so you do not work under the belief that writing, packaging, and marketing books is an easy wave your wand thing to do. Mrs. Weasley is not going to do all that work for you, my dear. It is work, rewarding, but work.
For most of us, it also takes time. This is not my full-time job. It is another job I do, in addition to many other things that require my attention. I wish I did hide in a little hut all day and write, but that is not reality. I am learning to be content with the time I am have and be wise in my use of it.
My best advice? Do your homework and make an informed choice. Even more than that, find a circle of cheerleaders who will jump down the rabbit hole with you.
The even better advice? Keep writing, my friends.
*Updated: That is gross, not net. I lost money in the long run.
