tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post2893505163590818052..comments2024-01-01T11:51:53.860-08:00Comments on Babbles from Scott Eagan: The Changing Model of PublishingScott Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209357682070126879noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-9102371141437533662011-11-08T06:15:27.140-08:002011-11-08T06:15:27.140-08:00As with all sales, marketing is key. Whether self-...As with all sales, marketing is key. Whether self-published, agented or with an epublisher, the author has to understand the power of commuication via marketing. It means WORKING at promoting your book, in addition to all the other things writers do, like drafting, writing, editing, querying, etc. Gone are the days when a writer could just sit in a corner and write, and not be involved in the marketing and promotion of the finished product. That's why they call it book SALES! :)Debbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14716842533070272638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-24594237033121029402011-11-01T06:26:34.206-07:002011-11-01T06:26:34.206-07:00Amanda Hocking didn't have a huge, pre-existin...Amanda Hocking didn't have a huge, pre-existing readership. Yes, she was an outlier—but I know many other self-published authors who are doing well despite not having a pre-existing audience.<br /><br />The question here is "What is 'doing well'?"<br /><br />I've heard the rule of thumb for small businesses is "profit within 5 years", but the (non-writer) entrepreneurs I know personally actually start earning profit in 2-3 years for each venture.<br /><br />That's why, in my book, selling 100 copies a month of a single title at $2.99 or higher counts as "doing well"; it would enable most self-publishers to start earning a net profit within a year.<br /><br />And it's not hard to find "no-name" self-publishers who sell 100 or more <em>per title</em> per month, if you bother to look.<br /><br />Lower that threshold to 10 copies, and a self-publisher who releases 3 $2.99+ titles a year can still be netting a profit within 3 years. So that's still successful, for an good entrepreneur.<br /><br />And if someone can only release 1 title a year, within 5 years of averaging 10 sales per title per month at the $4.95 price point, they'll be netting a profit.<br /><br />Now, it's not hard to find folks who are selling perhaps a handful of copies per title, per month. That's where I am, as I type this—though I'm also still within my first year of self-publishing, and I'm not marketing myself right now.<br /><br />But it's also not hard to find folks who are netting profit after an unusually short time in their small business.Carradeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05431561739001270522noreply@blogger.com