Yeah, drabble books are probably not the most lucrative things out there. Many people don't even know what drabbles are! (I haven't sold many copies of my own drabble book yet.)
Just something to be aware of: E-books and paperbacks have different royalty structures on KDP. For e-books, you're correct about the $2.99-$12.99 window for the 70% royalty. Print, however, is different. You have to charge $9.99 or more to get the 60% royalty rate; lower than that, and you get 50%. And if you've enrolled in Expanded Distribution, you only get 40%. (Whew! Don't make it simple or anything, KDP.)
So you should be getting the full 60% royalty for your paperback if you charge $9.99 (at least in the US).
Have you considered submitting some of your horror stories to paying markets to help offset the cost of self-publishing? That's how I managed to pay for my latest book release.
That’s good to know. Thank you. They really do a terrible job of explaining things there. I have my eye on a couple of markets right now and have a few stories that fit. I am thinking of testing the waters to see how it goes.
I'd also encourage writers to consider a hybrid publisher. That's ultimately what I decided to do after nearly two years of agent rejections, and doing the ROI modeling on self-publishing vs. hybrid. Yes, a hybrid publisher is a co-pro model, so you're making an investment. But if you add in the cost of your own time to go the self-publishing route -- and the fact that you'll want to hire your own dev editor -- it ended up being worth it (for me, anyway). It is still a ton of work, but they do take a lot off my plate, and I get the lion's share of the royalties. Keeping in mind that every hybrid will have a slightly different model, you can net as much as 90% with many. You'll also get wider distribution, and not be confined to Amazon. This is a journey for me too, so I might end up eating my words if this all goes sideways, but so far the experience has been good, and I've learned a shit-ton about pitfalls and things to avoid -- mistakes I might have made if I'd been flying solo. Just putting it out there (and yes, you have to do the homework to understand who the really good hybrids are, and who the scam artists are!).
And finally, John -- just started reading your drabbles, and I'm loving them! Hopping on a flight to Chicago this afternoon and looking forward to reading the rest.
This is exciting! It’s cool to get a peak behind the curtain of your self publishing journey, especially as someone who is looking to do the same one day. Looking forward to Tiny Terrors coming out in paperback. Will definitely be picking up a copy!
It is a bit of a sweetheart deal from one of the editors that was with my old publisher. She enjoys my work, so is happy to read and do it at a bargain basement price.
Yeah, drabble books are probably not the most lucrative things out there. Many people don't even know what drabbles are! (I haven't sold many copies of my own drabble book yet.)
Just something to be aware of: E-books and paperbacks have different royalty structures on KDP. For e-books, you're correct about the $2.99-$12.99 window for the 70% royalty. Print, however, is different. You have to charge $9.99 or more to get the 60% royalty rate; lower than that, and you get 50%. And if you've enrolled in Expanded Distribution, you only get 40%. (Whew! Don't make it simple or anything, KDP.)
So you should be getting the full 60% royalty for your paperback if you charge $9.99 (at least in the US).
Have you considered submitting some of your horror stories to paying markets to help offset the cost of self-publishing? That's how I managed to pay for my latest book release.
That’s good to know. Thank you. They really do a terrible job of explaining things there. I have my eye on a couple of markets right now and have a few stories that fit. I am thinking of testing the waters to see how it goes.
Good luck with submitting! It gets kind of addictive. I like collecting rejections; it kind of takes the sting out of not getting picked!
I’m hear for the long haul buddy! If you want help with a cover let me know. I’m not the greatest artist alive but I can definitely get by.
Appreciate you!!
I'd also encourage writers to consider a hybrid publisher. That's ultimately what I decided to do after nearly two years of agent rejections, and doing the ROI modeling on self-publishing vs. hybrid. Yes, a hybrid publisher is a co-pro model, so you're making an investment. But if you add in the cost of your own time to go the self-publishing route -- and the fact that you'll want to hire your own dev editor -- it ended up being worth it (for me, anyway). It is still a ton of work, but they do take a lot off my plate, and I get the lion's share of the royalties. Keeping in mind that every hybrid will have a slightly different model, you can net as much as 90% with many. You'll also get wider distribution, and not be confined to Amazon. This is a journey for me too, so I might end up eating my words if this all goes sideways, but so far the experience has been good, and I've learned a shit-ton about pitfalls and things to avoid -- mistakes I might have made if I'd been flying solo. Just putting it out there (and yes, you have to do the homework to understand who the really good hybrids are, and who the scam artists are!).
And finally, John -- just started reading your drabbles, and I'm loving them! Hopping on a flight to Chicago this afternoon and looking forward to reading the rest.
THis is great advice, and thank you for reading!!
This is exciting! It’s cool to get a peak behind the curtain of your self publishing journey, especially as someone who is looking to do the same one day. Looking forward to Tiny Terrors coming out in paperback. Will definitely be picking up a copy!
Cheers
Thank you for sharing your experience. It is getting more tough to be recognized in this AI age. Wish you the best of luck. ☺️
Where did you find an editor for 75 dollars?
It is a bit of a sweetheart deal from one of the editors that was with my old publisher. She enjoys my work, so is happy to read and do it at a bargain basement price.
Ooh I thought you had some black market contact lol. That's rad.