A Penny For Your Thoughts

Hey out there! Are you thinking of quitting your day job and making money writing the book that will set America on its heels? I have one word for you—DON’T.  Don't quit your day job, that is. By all means, write the book.

Let me tell you what just happened to me. Granted, I don’t have a day job to quit, but on the other hand, the money I make on my books would barely buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

All of my books are with Amazon and happily so. Some are in print, some in digital, some in audio, some are in all three forms. Every month I get an email or two from Amazon telling me that on the 29^th I’ll be getting my royalties deposited into my bank account. They give me ten days to look forward to that wondrous event. In July I had the whopping sum of $7.30 added to my bank account for digital royalties.

In August I got two separate deposits; the first I assume was from print books and was for the sum of $3.34. Wow, no Starbucks this month. The second royalty was from digital books in the sum of ………………are you ready?  The gargantuan sum of one cent. That’s right, they deposited one penny into my bank account as a royalty payment!

Now I have my thoughts on this, one of which I’ll tell you and the others, well, they’re not quite suitable for tender ears. Since absolutely NO royalties are as low as one cent, I can only conclude that they made a mistake in July and my amount should have been $7.31 and they corrected their error in August by adding the one cent.

Does this mean I’ll say to heck with it and stop writing because it isn’t worth it? Not by a long shot. I don’t write for the money (obviously), I write because I love writing. It makes me happy and, just maybe, it makes other people happy, too. I can make up a world and fill it with the people I want in my world and have them say and do what I tell them. Well, okay, more times than not they tell me what they’re going to do. That’s where the fun comes in—I have no preconceived idea what’s going to happen in my stories, I just let the story go where it wants. At the end, I’m as surprised as you are!

So don’t think writing is going to make you a millionaire, or well-off, or even comfortable, unless your name is John Grisham, Stephen King, or J. K. Rowling, and, trust me, those names are already taken. If you write, write because you have something to say and you love having a chance to say it. 

Quote of the Day:  Live out of your imagination, not your history. Stephen Covey

Cents and Nonsense

If you have ever thought of leaving your job and becoming a writer, think twice.  Unless your name is John Grisham, or j k rowling, or James Patterson, you'd better keep your day job.

My book, If You Don't Like Worms, Keep Your Mouth Shut, was published through Diversion Press, a traditional small press publisher.  I was ecstatic when I learned they wanted to publish my book.  The length of time from contract (April 2009) to publication (March 2011) was two years.  Since the company issues royalty checks once a year, I received my first royalty check from them last week.  I eagerly opened the envelope, pulled out the check, and nearly cried when I saw the sum of $6.78!  This check covers ten books for total sales of $67.73, of which I received ten percent, or $6.78.  I get 67 cents a book.  If that doesn't shock a starry-eyed writer into reality, nothing will.

What's the answer?  Outside of working 24/7 on marketing your book in an effort to garner more sales, another option is to self publish.  I self published Bumps Along the Way through www.lulu.com.  It cost me nothing as I did the formatting, editing, cover design, etc. all myself.  Because I didn't know what I was doing and had to learn as I went, it took me two months to get the book completed.  Compare that with two years with a publisher.  I can buy the book from Lulu for about $8 and if I sell it for $15, I've just made a $7 profit (as opposed to 67 cents).

Hmmm.  It seems that self-publishing is faster and pays better.  But here's one more reason to keep your day job.  I had a book signing lined up with Borders in December of 2010.  I purchased forty copies of Bumps Along the Way in advance and brought them to the book signing.  My friends, neighbors, and writing group were wonderful as they all came and supported me and bought books.  I ended up selling 25 books and 5 calendars that are in conjunction with the book.  The books had to be purchased at the counter and then I was to get my commission check a short time later.  My check for $350.80 never came.  In February, Borders filed bankruptcy and I had to file a Proof of Claim in hopes of getting some of my money back.  If I get anything, the most I can expect to receive is $35 and it may be way less than that.

Writing is a wonderful hobby right now and that may be all it ever is for me. But I won't quit.  There's always the hope that some day, some book, will make it big.  And since I'm retired, I don't have a day job to worry about keeping!


Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete.
If you're alive, it isn't.   Richard Bach