Welp. We survived to the end of the year. Can I believe it? No, of course not, because 2022 was wild and crazy, but we did it, so now, it’s time to start working on some wrap ups!
Please note, the 2022 as a whole wrap up won’t be up for another few weeks as I work on some other things and wait for final payouts, but in the meantime, let’s do this…
Previous Posts, if you are interested!
Also!!! If there’s a statistic or a number or something you would like to see added to these posts in 2023, please please please ask! I am just freeballing this thing, like everything else I do these days. If you want to see something more, let me know!
Okay. Woo. Let’s go.
2022 Q4 Overview:
- Closed Patreon and moved to website (October)
- Release Return to Garoureve (November)
- Commissioned Art and Audiobooks? (December)
So… I did a whole lot of nothing. If it wasn’t obvious from basically everything in life… I was burned out. Massively. I was just tired. I was exhausted. I have been pushing so hard for so long, and I just needed a break. I literally didn’t write at all in December, okay? And I was pushing at deadlines. But, I got it done, and we’re back up on the horse now, so uhh, yeah. Let’s never again have a list this blank and ugly. Okay cool.
NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS
So uhh… I didn’t really send any at all. Which is bad. I know. I don’t know how it happened. Like I said, burn out.
I was at 801 at the end of September, though, and I ended the year with over 200 more. So like… I had to upgrade to a higher account which is now paid, which is… amazing??? But yeah, I barely sent any. I’m thinking of shifting down to just every other week, OR, the first and fifteenth. I need to plan that out with my new PA. But going so long without a newsletter… because I JUST sent one last week… Like…
I had a release and didn’t send one. When I say burn out… that’s like a huge author nono. So. Definitely don’t be me.
Let’s get into the budget.
OCTOBER
So, let’s take a look at October, shall we?
October was the first month that I was really getting back down to business. I sat down with an accountant and figured out what I did and didn’t need to be doing. I figured out that I had somehow screwed up my tax withholdings (so if you notice the numbers being different from the previous posts, that’s why). I had to change my PO box and I formed my LLC and I got branding and bookplates done and I ordered books and—
And I moved over here to this website! Woo!!!
It was a good month. A tight month.
Also you will note that I’ve started putting in the top right corner which month’s royalties it is for which platform, because shit is confusing.
These royalties are from the month I actually moved into my new place so yeah they took a dip.
NOVEMBER
November was release month for Return to Garoureve, so I had a lot going on. This is also the month where I received royalties for Owen’s release. So, you know, a lot of money happening. I had to buy swag things for signed copies, still paying for the LLC, Website, Proofs, Art, etc. Lots going on over here!
Ummm so yeah.
DECEMBER
And finally, the month where I crashed and burned. This will really be reflected when you see my royalty numbers.
I upgraded my mailerlite account. Renewed my website subscription. Mailed out books. Got a google workspace which is fun. Did other stuff along the way.
LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL ROYALTY NUMBER which is very good because we’re going to need that to pay for the audiobooks I’ve commissioned.
So umm yeah.
2022 Q4 Spending Overview:
I give you… numbers?
We’ll talk about all of this a lot more on my full year post.
PRE-ORDERS
This number is fucking… wild. Like, holy shit. And granted, the pre-order was up for like… 7 months. But still. Holy crap. Yeah.
I need to do… more of this without the crazy chaotic rush at the end.
ROYALTIES OVERALL
So I started off October on a high (and sorry it cuts off the first few days) because of the release of Owen and a few viral videos, and then as it always does after a new release, it starts slowly going down again. Just how it goes. I was busy in the writer cave, etc, and then the release of Return, and then steady again, and then a slight uptick at Christmas. All in all, my numbers were… solid.
Given how little marketing I was doing, this is good. I was happy with this. This is fine.
Owen continues to be a rockstar, but of course, the release of Return gets it popping, and the read throughs as well. Always have to push for the read throughs.
Here’s the full breakdown:
October: $4,253.81 (pd end of December)
November: $2,594.90 (pd end of January)
December: $2,617.07 (pd end of February)
So, yeah. January and February I am trying to get my marketing act together, because… yeah. Yeah!
KENP PAGE READS
It was a good month, obviously. A steady amount of page reads with a few slow dips, because of marketing etc. I really wish that my numbers would stay up as a whole, though. I have five books out and this looks the same as it did six months ago when I had three books out. So.
The actual numbers. Of course, Owen did amazing, as did One Night as per normal. I think this right here really shows that, while Needed was a huge earner, it was more orders than page reads. Hoping these will all go up with the new year, but it is what it is.
ORDERS
Look. Numbers.
I never really know what to say in this section at all.
Look. There’s the numbers. It’s pre-orders. Plus not pre-orders. It’s numbers. Woo.
LIFETIME
Here’s the final numbers for both 2021 and 2022. If these numbers don’t add up with the graphics above, remember, a few days do get cut off because Amazon is drunk as a skunk.
2021 + 2022 Total Royalties: $37,962.06
Book 1 Royalties: $18,809.13
Book 2 Royalties: $8,282.91
Book 3 Royalties: $5,012.65
Owen Royalties: $4,283.36
Book 4 Royalties: $1,537.73
2021 + 2022 Total Page Reads: 6,419,980
Book 1 Page Reads: 3,185,104
Book 2 Page Reads: 1,441,556
Book 3 Page Reads: 849,032
Owen Page Reads: 752,253
Book 4 Page Reads: 184,463
2021 + 2022 Total Orders: 3,034
Book 1 Orders: 1,495
Book 2 Orders: 622
Book 3 Orders: 403
Owen Orders: 291
Book 4 Orders: 212
ACX
Idk what the hell I’m doing on ACX.
*gestures wildly at all of the random numbers and details ACX gives, none of which explains why I get paid what I get paid or how any of it works*
Anyways. 2023 is the year of the audiobook for me. So, be prepared.
IN CONCLUSION
I need to spend more time marketing and less time having panic attacks. Because the moral of the story is, so long as I keep posting about my books, eventually, something is going to pop off, and I’m going to sell books, and it’s going to be okay, and uhh…
I made more this year than I ever imagined.
I’ll have more thoughts on this in my full wrap up for the year.
Okay. Bye.