Ten Years

I had a great idea for a post for today, but that was last night, and now it's gone.  So, let's see what I can come up with...

As you know, it's my 10th Anniversary celebration week.  Woohoo.  It's been one helluva ride (which is something you apparently can't say on FB because I had several marketing posts declined there yesterday using the made-up word 'helluva' when without the word, they were approved.)  

In the past ten years, I've published 17 novels in 8 genres - suspense, mystery, thriller, urban fantasy, paranormal mystery, dystopian, hard-boiled crime, and fantasy.  I have 4 series in the works (with more than one book in them) and two books that are waiting for their sequels.  One of those will have a sequel out either this month or next.  I have three books that will never have sequels - the two dystopians and the political thriller.  Hell, I didn't PLAN for any of my initial books to be the start of a series, but they worked out to be Book Ones.  SLEEPING UGLY, while planned as the start of a series, was not one of my initial books.  Just sayin'.

Over the decade of publication, I've sold almost 3300 books for nearly $4000.  So, that works out to about 330 books and $400 a year.  Ummm... woot?  I've also given away just over 8000 books.  

My biggest seller is DYING EMBERS, of course.  It's also the one that's been out there the longest, so no big surprise.  Then ACCIDENTAL DEATH.  Then WISH IN ONE HAND.  That's the order they were published in, so again no big surprise.  Unfortunately, the fourth oldest book is not next on the top sales list.  PROJECT HERMES isn't for everyone and that's fine.  It's #9 and has been passed by all the books in the genie series and the second book in the SCIU series.  

Sadly, my lowest seller has been my last book - SONG OF STORM AND SHROUD.  Poor thing.  It didn't get a whole lot of marketing love from me, since I went back to a day job shortly after it was published.  It's also supposed to have sequels which would help sales, but I haven't mustered the will to write those books yet.  I expect it will continue to languish in obscurity until I get those done.  The ideas for them are there, just not the words.  

Only 8 of my books have earned me more than $100 each.  The rest of them are still in the double digits.  It can disheartening.  Believe me.  I lost count of the number of times I swore I'd quit this endeavor.  It ain't for the faint of heart.  It might be a sign of a tendency toward masochism, but I'm undiagnosed by medical professionals, so we'll ignore that.  ;o)

I also lost count of how much money I've spent on this.  Last tally was over $11000 - most of that in the first year.  I'd like to eventually have this publishing thing fund itself, but I'm not holding my breath.

If I could go back and do it all over again, would I?  Yeah, I think I would.  I'd do a few things differently.  I wouldn't pay that first cover artist for WIOH for one thing.  All in all, though, I think I've done all of this the best way I knew how at the time.  I'm still at this and I don't foresee quitting any time soon.  

Anyway... here's to Ten Years!  Thank you to everyone who's helped me along the way and to all the readers who've enjoyed my work.  I can't wait to see what the next ten years bring.