My self-publishing 2023 recap: sales data, marketing data, ads data... Did I mention "Data"?
For the data lovers...
As mentioned in my latest post, I made a profit in 2023. A low five-figure profit. And I actually more than doubled my profit compared to last year.
If next year, I end up with an even bigger profit (which is the goal) or if one of my books hits it big, I want you all to remember this: I am NOT an overnight success.
The data I’m about to share are huge for some and very low for others, but most importantly, I’ve been self-publishing since 2014. I have a backlist. I have a diversified income with bilingual books, a pen name and the books I write under my real name. In terms of hours worked, I am between part-time and full-time. And last but not least: Kindle Vella has really worked for me. And that bonus is, well, it’s not certain and I don’t know how long it’s going to last. Plus… I have refocused my expenses (thank you to the Chemical Engineer for helping me with that).1
In 2023, I published:
Once Upon A Christmas Eve and # Most Eligible Scrooge in the Love in Swans Cove series (steamy romcoms).
Two books (part of a duet) under my pen name: angsty steamy forbidden romance (in KU in English). Those books were first written on Kindle Vella and I started writing them in 2022.
Many episodes on Kindle Vella across three stories.
One translation in French (Once Upon A Christmas Eve).
Republished two translations in Portuguese (A Summer Like No Other and Always Second Best): I have gotten most of my translations back from Babelcube and am slowly republishing them (after getting them edited again).
Two bilingual books.
Audiobooks (three with Google Play in French which I would have narrated myself).
I also wrote more than 60 newsletters, published more than 100 videos across TikTok and Instagram and ran dozens of Facebook Ads. And toward the end of the year, I decided to refocus some of my budget toward my existing readers—which for me, me, has been amazing because I actually really enjoy trying to make me people smile. And it’s easier when you already know your readers a bit.
For my wide books, I mostly use Draft2Digital as aggregator, but following a class with Erin Wright, I did move some of my books from D2D to be direct with Kobo and Barnes & Noble. I was already direct with Google.
As I’ve mentioned, most of my profit in 2023 came from my Kinde Vella stories - in the form of bonuses... which may or may not continue and which have an algorithm. Despite this algorithm, I can’t predict my bonus (to be fair: it’s not very clear what each component is weighted it at).2
Now, if you’re into data, here’s one piece I want to share with everyone (the rest of the analysis will be for paid subscribers) that absolutely makes me grin and it’s seeing my books being picked up in libraries. It’s hard to tell one which one has them—except if they use Overdrive/Libby.
Libraries I sold to via OverDrive:
One thing I love with selling to OverDrive via
Bayern Digital Consortium (DE)
MAIN (NJ)
Libraries Tasmania (AU)
Westchester Library System (NY)
Maebashi City Library (JP)
Contra Costa County Library (CA)
SAILS Library Network (MA)
Brooklyn Public Library (NY)
Ocean State Libraries eZone (RI)
Sanford Public School Department (ME)
Delaware Accelerate Learning (DE)
Old Colony Library Network (MA)
How do royalties work with libraries (ebooks):
When it comes to royalties from libraries, there are different models. Some offer “One Copy, One user”. Others offer “Cost Per Checkout.”3
This is an example of how it looks like in terms of royalties for # Most Eligible Scrooge (screenshot from my Draft2Digital platform).
My libraries’ royalties for ebooks in 2023:
So, my royalties for my ebooks sold/borrowed to/in libraries were: $85.49 (a 20% increase from my royalties in libraries in 2022).
My top 5 ebooks in libraries?
Keep reading for more of my “wheels” which I got from ScribeCount, information about my best-selling books, more details about my profit, the promos I did as well as some of my marketing data (Facebook ads and TikTok videos) … I am putting that content under a paywall - and most of my in-depth monthly data will be behind a paywall. But of course, you’ll also receive free regular posts from me.
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