This is going to be a whining post, so if you’re not in the mood for that, just stop right here.
I hear writers say all the time, “It’s not about the money, it’s about doing what I love to do.” Really? I could make myself feel better by telling myself that if I’m not making any money. But it wouldn’t solve my problem, would it? Because, yeah, it IS about the money. I don’t mean that I don’t love writing. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have started it in the first place. But I want to do this for a LIVING. The cool thing about that is I could have the best of both worlds. Do what I love AND make money doing it. And I used to. I USED to make pretty decent money writing.
A couple of years ago, I was averaging FIVE times the income I’m making now, and that was back when I had fewer books out and they were all .99. (This isn’t counting the two months where I made a LOT of money. I left that out of the average.) Now I’m lucky in some months to make even $100. It fluctuates, but every month pretty much sucks now. Yesterday, I was looking at my book sales, and I only sold about five books. What??? That was REALLY bad. When ebooks and self-publishing were first getting started, it was so much easier to sell books. Now, readers have to slog through THOUSANDS of books to even find mine. In January of 2011, my novella, Guardian Vampire, got up to #134 in the Amazon store. That was pure euphoria. I’ve written several books since then that are so much better than GV, but they’ll never see that kind of success. There’s too much competition.
So how do you get people to find your books? I haven’t a clue. I took out an ad in IndTale magazine. I haven’t seen ANY results from that. I did a couple of other things, but they didn’t pan out either. And I can’t afford ads in more well-known venues. I’m terrible at self-promotion. With a full-time job, it’s hard to even have time for that.
This is the bottom line. Should I keep doing this? Will the writers who aren’t really serious about publishing, who are just dabbling, finally stop when they don’t make money, and trim down the competition? Everyone has a right to write and publish, so I’m not suggesting ANYONE stop publishing if that’s what they want to do. But I keep thinking some people will just get tired of it. I’m almost there myself. Not because I’m not serious about this, but because I AM serious about this…as a business. If I’m not making money writing, shouldn’t I pursue something else? “But, but, Lauralynn! You love writing! Keep doing it even if you’re not making money!” No. Because I NEED a business that makes money. And I can’t keep writing AND do something else AND do my full-time job. It’s a time thing. I need to spend my time in a productive manner. I don’t WANT to live paycheck to paycheck. I have $11 in my regular checking account (not my business one) and my mortgage was due on March 1. My husband will lose about 2 weeks pay because of his broken ankle. I need to be doing something in addition to my full time job so this kind of thing doesn’t happen.
Yes, I know I’ve probably shared more than I should have today. No one should have to hear about my financial woes. But this is MY blog. And I need to vent here.
End of rant.
lauralynnelliott.com 
My heart is going out to you, Lauralynn, because I know that was a DIFFICULT post to write. I know exactly what you mean about not having enough time, or money. I also wonder if I’m failing my family by not doing something more monetarily productive than writing. Hell, I could make a lot more by taking a couple of pizza delivery shifts each week (which was one of my jobs in college), instead of pouring my heart onto the page.
I do believe that a fair number of dabblers will quit publishing when their first book doesn’t sell. Many won’t even write a second. But there will also always be new writers joining the scene. People are still hearing about this grand adventure we’re on, and they want in! That’s pretty cool, because we have a toehold where they will want to follow. Who knows who you could meet tomorrow, and what they’ll be doing ten years from now. The ultimate in serendipity, baby. The only thing we can do to compete today — with so much noise in every reader’s face — is write more great books, and keep talking to people whenever we get a chance.
It WAS a difficult post. And I know I’m not alone in the frustration and discouragement. It’s hard for me because I had such good success in the beginning.
You’re right…some dabblers will quit, but others will join the scene. I’m not giving up yet. Most businesses don’t make good profits the first few years. Unless I find something that I KNOW will make good money, I’m going to stick to writing, I think. What worries me is I’m afraid my quality will go down if my heart isn’t in it. I’ll need your support. 🙂
I think the key is choosing projects that speak to your heart. I know you have more stories to tell. 🙂 Be a cheater and start something totally FUN. If it doesn’t pay like work…maybe it’s play!!! And I can tell you could use some of that!
So sorry you are so frustrated right now. I understand how panicky you can get especially when money is involved. Don’t give up yet. You have a lot invested in your writing. Maybe if you can just get past the current situation you are in it will get better. If time and money are critical right now and you NEED to do something else for the money then step back from your writing for a while. Don’t completely stop; write when you have those few extra minutes to wind down, even if it’s just a paragraph at a time. That way when things do smooth out (and they will..be positive) you are that much farther ahead to pick up and finish whatever you may be writing. You may be just stressing yourself out because you want so much to be a full time writer right now. Right now may not be what you need.
Sorry if I rambled. Not sure if what’s in my head actually came out that clear here. I believe in your writing. I believe in you. Just hang in there and keep putting one foot in front of the other. ❤
I appreciate the fact that you’ve always believed in me. That really helps when I’m feeling down. Honestly, if I could think of something I could do that would make more money, I would probably have already jumped on it, but I haven’t figured that out yet. So I’ll keep writing. And you and J.R. can smack me if you see a slip in the quality of my writing.
What was in your head came out perfectly. 🙂
A sales rep is taking me out to lunch today, so at least I won’t have to spend money on lunch. LOL
I’m sorry to hear the money woes, Lauralynn.
I came into indie publishing at the end of 2011, and it was a flooded market at that stage. Like you, I want to be able to make money from writing, but it doesn’t happen for most writers. Even the successful ones make most of their money in writing related projections: speaking at conferences, teaching writing or self publishing workshops, providing writing services like formatting manuscripts into ebooks, editing, cover design, and so on.
I think that’s the way I’m going to have to go if I want to make some proper money. At the moment, what I earn from my ebooks is enough to buy myself a fancy cappuccino and cupcake every now and again.
Have you thought about organizing blog tours or promo days for your books?Maybe hitting up 40 or so bloggers you’re friendly with and get them to post something about your books all in the same week? That might help bring attention your way.
I’ve actually thought about doing a blog tour. It’s just a time problem. I’m SO busy at work, especially this time of year. I don’t think I would be nearly as down about it if I hadn’t had success at the beginning, then had to watch it go downhill.
It was the beginning of 2011 when I made quite a bit of money. I think sometime in the middle of 2011 was when things started going a little bad for indies because so many people had started publishing. The market is just glutted.
I feel for you. It’s the same here. When i first started nearly two years ago now I was selling a lot of books. Now I relaize I shall really have to ujpmy promoting. I have not done any for the last fewmoltnhs as I have been in hospital and could not use my hand for over five months. I’ve been busy catching up writing two books. As you say we can’t do everythning. I hope sales will improve, but the competition is now in the millions and therefore someitmes it gets really hard.
Anyway, I love writing and so will carry on. I do hope it all works out for you as I do enjoy your posts. Maybe play the waiting game?
Thanks, Katy. Two years ago, I was blissfully reaping the rewards of writing books. Now it’s hard to compete. I know because, even as a reader, I feel overwhelmed by so many books. How do I pick what I want to read?
I hope you are feeling better now. I know that caused you a setback for sure.
I guess we’ll all carry on and hope one of our books really breaks out.
It’s good to rant, we should rant a bit more.
Sorry to hear about your monetary woes. Unfortunately sometimes life goes that dark way, but things will get better (I’m of the overbearingly positive type of personality).
As for writing, I certainly hope you continue, but in the end you have to do what’s best for you and your family. Hopefully writing is just so much fun that you’ll keep doing it even if it’s in a limited capacity compared to what you do now.
Best of luck to you and your family, LL.
I’m generally a very positive type, too, so I rarely get discouraged. But when money’s tight, it’s hard not to.
Thanks, Chris!
Do you format your own ebooks or want to make covers? I hear authors who do those services make some decent money. I don’t know how much, but maybe that would be something to look into. The downside is that you might end up dealing with some authors who are jerks (and that would suck).
I’m not sure what I would do in your shoes. You already have a full-time job so it’s not like picking up a part-time job is easy to do, and I hear you on the time commitment that writing requires. There’s only so many hours in the day.
I wonder if putting aside writing for a while might help. Sometimes it helps to get away from something. I hear the frustration in this post, and I completely understand why you’re frustrated. It’s sad because some authors publishing books aren’t really in it because they love writing. They heard of authors like Amanda Hocking and think, “I can write something just as good” and think they’ll publish a book or two and be a huge hit. They’re in it to make a lot of money, not because they want to make a living at what they love to do. I wish they weren’t doing this because it makes life harder for the authors who do love it. Logic suggests they’ll quit when they realize how hard it is, but I wonder how long it’ll take (and how much damage they might do to the reputation of self-published authors who do take their work seriously) before it happens.
I wish I knew the answers. I hope you’ll get more money flowing in soon. And feel free to blog anything you want. It is your blog, and we care about you. I wish I lived nearby so I could give you a hug.
There’s not much to formatting ebooks, but I don’t think I would want to do that for someone else. I thought about it at one time, but I just don’t think I want to. As far as covers go, I would always refer people to the lovely Anya Kelleye for that. She does a great job on my covers, and I’m not rocking THAT boat. LOL. Actually, I would love to do something crafty and have an Etsy shop again, but the eggshell ornaments are seasonal, and the market is glutted with handmade jewelry just like it is with books. I could always take on accounting jobs as an independent contractor, but I do that at my full-time job, and I think I would tear my hair out if I did it on the side, too.
I honestly thought Soul of a Vampire would do well. I loved the book (but I’m biased, lol) and I really thought the title would spark interest. Are people starting to get tired of vampires? I’m curious to see what this latest book will do. It switched genres on me, so who knows?
I’ll considered myself hugged. 🙂
🙂
I’m sorry you’re feeling so down, but there is never going to be security in writing. I’ve kind of made my peace with that at this stage. Like you, I’m earning less with more books, and the downward spiral is discouraging, but I know that I would write even if the opportunity to publish was taken away, so that’s what keeps me going. You have to figure out what’s best for you both right now and in the future. Money is only one aspect – writing can be good for the soul. 😉
I don’t know if paid ads are the answer, but it’s definitely harder to be discovered now. Popular genres are changing, but there are still people who love vampire stories. You could temporarily set the first in your Libby Fox series as free, post it to all of those sites that advertise freebies – sites like ebookbooster.com charge a fee to do that for you – (just a suggestion. Free isn’t what it was, but it’s still possible to give a boost) link to the sequels as well as Soul of a Vampire in the back so the people who enjoy those kinds of stories have more to read. Also link to it in the back of Guardian Vampire if you haven’t already. Have you set up a newsletter? I use mailchimp (free on small lists). I haven’t seen a lot of success with it, but I know others who depend on their newsletters to push them up in rankings upon release day.
Other than that (and none of those are short-term gains), all you can do is try to make each book better than the last and write characters that people get excited about. That’s the only thing you have real power over, you know? You never know when a book will take off, but if you aren’t enjoying the process, it can show. Personally, the idea of promotion makes me queasy. I hate my blog right now because I feel like it’s all promotion. Lol. I wish I could give you a magic answer that would change everything, but two people can do the exact same thing and get widely varying results. What people want to read isn’t always what we want to write. It’s tough right now, but it always was, it just depends on whether luck is running with us or against us. 🙂
If you end up genuinely thinking about giving up, then I would advise you to do what I tell myself to do when I’m struggling with something. Write one more book and put your heart and soul and every emotion you’ve ever experienced into it without once considering what other people will think about it or how well it could sell. Make it a book you would love, something that is so much fun you wake up every day looking forward to writing the next chapter, a book you would pay to read, and if you don’t fall back in love with what you do, and you still want to give up, then maybe it’s for the best. *I* think *you* will always write though, even if you find another business…
I intended this comment to be honest and encouraging, so if it didn’t come off that way, I’m sorry! If there’s anything at all I can do to help, let me know.
Of course this comment came out as honest and encouraging! You are always encouraging. I appreciate all your thoughts on this. I know you’ve been a little more successful than some of the rest of us. Remember…Apple Break Out Books! 🙂 So you’re selling fewer books than you were? This must be a trend for most of us. I have heard other authors saying their sales were down. Maybe the real key is to find ways to encourage people to read more and stay on Facebook less. LOL.
I know what you mean about promotion making you queasy. I’m terrible at it. As far as my blog goes, I just try to be me. Sometimes I mention my books, sometimes I just talk about stuff. It’s a balance, I guess.
Thanks, Claire, for your helpful comment. You’re a good friend. 🙂
Early this morning, I was thinking the same thing as Claire. Trying one of your books as free and link to your other books from there. It’s the only thing I can think of that might give your books a boost. Other than that, my mind is blank.
Here’s the thing with free. Amazon won’t let you do free. The only way I know of (besides doing KDP Select) is to put them free elsewhere, then click the link to tell Amazon about a lower price. I tried that with The Beast in the Mirror, but Amazon never did anything, and it’s still .99, even though it’s free everywhere else. So that’s not a sure thing. Is that how you made your books free on Amazon?
Right now, I’m doing the Read an Ebook Week on Smashwords, and I’m getting a lot of downloads on the ones I put as free (with coupon). But I also got three sales on books I have as half-price. I rarely sell books directly through Smashwords, but mostly through their retail partners. So those three sales are sales I wouldn’t have gotten if my other books hadn’t been free. So free does help a little.
I put them free on Smashwords and Amazon automatically did it. I’ll go to Amazon and report a lower price to see if that gets The Beast in the Mirror free. There is a wrench, however, with Amazon. Books in the UK that were free and now priced again (mine included). So who knows how long Amazon will price match in the US?
I don’t mind The Beast in the Mirror being .99. I’m actually selling some at that price. But the original intention was to give that away for free as a gift to my readers.
I understand what you are going through. I haven’t eanred $100 in the whole time my books have been published. I’ve not sold a copy of my novel in over three weeks. I am tempted to just throw in the towel and stop.
The competition is stiff, Alex. It’s been a week since I touched my manuscript. But I’m going to go into my office today and write my heart out. And believe that someday things will get better.
You only have one novel and two stories out, right? It’s definitely harder to sell when you don’t have too many books out. So just keep writing. Did you ever write the sequel to Highway to Hell? I’m going to go over and pick up the two Diaries of the Damned stories. I didn’t even know about them until now. 😦
I did, it is coming out in June. Because of the contract everything moves at a sloewer pace. 🙂
You are too kind to look at the diaries. The will make up a nine part series with a release every two weeks.
True, I don’t have much out yet. I hope to have around twenty things done by the end of the yeare?
I have a few of your titles loaded onto my kindle. I will make sure they get read asap 🙂