It’s a Book Birthday Party!

Let’s celebrate Grandfather’s Whispers Book Birthday!

It has been 1 whole year since my debut novel, Grandfather’s Whispers, was released. Since then, I have had it published in paperback, e-book, and audiobook.  It can now be ordered online, found in select bookstores and libraries, or ordered directly from me either online or in-person at various events.

As an Indie author, one of the tools I found helpful along the way was when another Indie author shared an infographic of her first year in self-publication. Even though she broke even, it was a real eye-opener to me and helped me shape my own strategic plan. I knew my first year would be tough and that I would suffer a loss.  I had planned a higher-than-average budget and paced the publication of various formats.  In addition, I did not have multiple books, as in a series, to perform a rapid release. However, I overshot my budget and ended up chasing after some events that didn’t pay out or didn’t even cover the cost to attend the event, which cost me more money than expected.

The reason why my budget was so high?  I hired professionals, paid for travel expenses, operational costs, and events. By the way, events should be at no extra cost for the author to attend, and vendors who ask for table fees should be taken into serious consideration regarding the type of crowd they attract and special provisions they supply – lesson learned! I even paid for promotional materials such as free giveaways, purchased stock and equipment, and extended the fees for my marketing and advertising beyond the scope of my work plan. It was a learning experience and one that I can perfect for the next publication.

I created an infographic below in hopes that it will help my fellow authors in strategically planning for their next release. Because, let’s face it, traditionally published or not, all authors have to pay out something for the business of writing and marketing their own works.  By the way, the average Indie author typically spends between $5,000 and $8,000 in their first year, and you can claim it all on your taxes.

Now that I have my debut release under wraps, I am looking forward to scaling back on the business side of writing and settling back into my writing routine once again. I want to finish the many works in progress for future publication. I discovered that I enjoy self-publication, and I want to continue this journey and embrace my future as an Indie author.

To celebrate the birthday of Grandfather’s Whispers, I am giving away five signed copies of Grandfather’s Whispers. Head on over to Goodreads to enter this giveaway today.

Happy reading!