The month started off well!
Thunder-Con
I was in Alpena, Michigan at the start of the month, attending Thunder-Con. For it being a pretty small event - maybe 15-or-so vendors - it was pretty successful. All in all, I sold quite a few books. Not as big of a sum as Midland, but nothing to sneeze at either, and we nearly sold out of THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB. The trip doubled as a mini-vacation as well. On the second night, we stayed at a nice hotel on a nearby lake (whose name escapes me at the moment) and ate at their expensive restaurant. Trust me when I say the restaurant was much better than the hotel room. After that, the wife and I traveled to my mother-in-law's house where we finished out the rest of the holiday week.
The next event will be at the New Baltimore Trade Center in New Baltimore, Michigan on August 18th. You can find the details here. If you're in the area, stop by. On September 6th - 8th, I'll be at BasedCon in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Also, I'm working on attending A Novel Event in Fenton, Michigan sometime in early October. I'll provide more details as things become finalized.
The Revenant and the Cult, Book One
Thus far, sales have been disappointing. There are lots of factors that go into why the sales aren't great: the book is the first in a short series, the economy isn't great, and it's an election year (people tend to restrain discretionary spending). Likewise, I haven't been advertising the book...at all. I'll talk about how things are going, financially, later on in the update.
The Revenant and the Cult, Book Two
I've done my final revisions. The manuscript is in the hands of the editor. Things are moving forward.
I was going to do a Kickstarter to raise funds for this book, however, I'm beginning to think that will be more trouble than it's worth, right now. I have a whole slate of stuff lined up to attend this year. I'm still trying to smooth out the rough patches with this business thing, and I'd need to get certain things in place before even starting the campaign. My intention is to release the book in March, just like THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB and THE WIZARD'S STONE. That means I'd have to run a campaign in September and fulfill in January at the latest. Then I'd have to promote the campaign WHILE completing the tasks required to have a paperback, eBook, and audiobook in place. Oh, and writing another book while I'm at it. I would be stretched too thin. So, a Kickstarter is out of the question for the time being.
That being said, I also have alternate plans. More below.
The Book After the Next Book
Well, I stopped one book and started another. The one I was working on had theological issues, and there were parts of it that I found utterly annoying to write. I'm taking the hint and I'm stopping development now.
This new book is a jungle adventure. It's the same world as Halsedric but with a totally different character. It shows more promise than what I was working on before. So, it's full steam ahead. And that's all I'm going to say at present.
The Last Bits
So, okay, I said I'd talk a little more about the business later. Well, this is "later."
Sales of my new book have been disappointing, yes. Overall sales? Not so bad. While I don't think I'll match last year's sales volume, I'm already close to 2022's numbers at present. Furthermore - and this is the funny part - thus far I've pulled in more revenue than the entirety of last year. Yes, you read that correctly.
Selling at live events generates way more revenue than selling books online. Mind you, I'm talking revenue. Selling at live events also costs more when you factor in transportation, hotels, meals, and table fees. Either way, I'm not making a profit, but I can float the expenses. This allows me to take the proceeds I make from these events and pour them into the next book, ads, or whatever.
Honestly, selling on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible, and so on is not getting me anywhere. Selling direct, in one form or another, is where I'm seeing gains in readership and income. No, I'm not going to pull all my books from the online retailers - that would be stupid. What I'm going to do this year is open up an online store. I mentioned doing this in the last update. I was going to put it off until after the Kickstarter, however, now that the Kickstarter is not on this year's slate, I can move ahead with the store.
Moreover, having an online store of my own allows me to not only sell books directly to readers, but I can sell signed volumes, discounted book bundles, swag, and so on. I'm going to start with my paperbacks, and gradually move into audiobooks, eBooks, and other things. Start small and grow organically. Plus, I'll be able to take pre-orders. This means that if you buy directly from me, you'll be able to preorder a signed copy and potentially get it before Amazon sends it to you. Unfortunately, I can't do free shipping and I'll probably limit the store to US customers initially. But, you'll be able to get things you won't be able to get at Amazon - like book-specific bookmarks and (as I said before) signed copies.
I intend to start small and grow organically. I'm going to wait until after the New Baltimore Trade Center event to pull the trigger on this.
As for a Kickstarter next year, I'm seriously considering doing an illustrated hardback version of THE WIZARD'S STONE. But that's something I'll worry about later.
Anyhow, that's it for this month. If you aren't already subscribed to my website, please do so. That way, I can keep you updated on my monthly progress.
Until next month, folks...
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