Sales and Profits

For any of you who follow me, have sat and had a conversation with me at various meets-and-greets, or have listened to me on the radio, will know that I absolutely embrace and advocate connecting with that inner child of creativity that resides within each and every one of us.

This is about the love and art of storytelling and writing. However, as an indie-author, there is most definitely a business aspect that absolutely must be considered. Whether one falls victim to overpaying through various crooked printers, false publishing companies or print-brokers posing as publishers, navigating the world of the indie-author has its potential pitfalls. With a little bit of confidence, some practice and time, I do not believe it is difficult to sell your books...but it isn't about selling your books. It's about turning a profit. You must be cautious of the venues that yield sales but not profits. Large venues, big-box stores and high traffic events will definitely drive up sales. But are their expenses and commissions too dear? Outside of the cost of printing, will certain purchases and expenses see a return? Is that $250.00 roller banner worth its money? Will that $3,500.00 editor fee make your book unsellable? Does your Facebook booster-cost yield direct sales? Will that $100 roll of stickers sell more books? Selling $400.00 of books at Chapters/Indigo/Coles is the exact same as selling $220.00 at the Byward Authors' Market. This is not to say one is better than the other, just the profit margins are structured differently. A certain venue or event which increases your sales by tenfold will also have attached a significantly higher cost, likely more than tenfold. Yes, some events - even if at a monetary loss - are worth their exposure. But bare in mind, some larger conventions are littered with 'sign pollution', effectively rendering their 'exposure-value' useless. If everything is loud and stands out, then nothing is loud and stands out.

Cost, sales and inventory needs to be recorded and tracked, preferably on a regular basis.

(And I am happy to say that my sales have been increasing year over year).

Some venues work, some don't. Trial and error is necessary. Tweek things as you go.

I track my ebook sales vs print editions (admittedly focusing more upon print). I look at growth from year to year, and if it isn't there, ask the tough questions as to why?

My biggest challenge? Juggling 5 published books (with a new novel out early next year, followed by a new series) means I am constantly topping up my inventory. Some days it feels like whenever I'm up, one title or another needed more copies printed.

The point of this post isn't how well I am or am not doing. I have deliberately blotted out concrete numbers for neither is this meant to be competitive or comparative. This isn't about how I'm doing vs another local indie-author. (I firmly believe if any one of us succeeds, we all succeed!)

The point is simply to be aware. Make good choices. Make smart decisions.