I would like to enter the "How Many Jellybeans in the Kayak" contest. What is the prize for winning? A brand new Mariner Kayak? My guess is negative seven cents per hour. Do I win? Bruce McC WEO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Okay I went back and got my tax records so I could get this exactly right and found out I have made more than I had guessed myself. Total paid to me so far (royalties through 6/30/00) counting my $1000 share of the $4,000 advance has been $4258.06. I didn't count how many books have been sold overall but in the first year and one-half it was 5571 copies overall. I think it must be a little over 10,000 copies now adding the two years since them. I think having broken 10,000 copies we just got a raise so I just started making about .60 per book (at best--1/2 that for those sold at more than 57% discount--which a considerable number have been). Made about .50 /book between 5000 and 10000 copies sold (if memory serves me) and about .41 per book (at best) for the first 5000 sold. >From what wanewman_at_uswest.net wrote: <SNIP> >>>Deep trouble is probably doing better than our regional guidebooks but typical royalty is 10-12%of net - net being on the order of 50-60% of cover price. Sarah and I have our books sold for $15.96 cover price by Globe Pequot which means if we don't sell them direct we get about $0.89 per book. Sales on the Western Great Lakes book were 5,000 the first year. So here goes my guess.<<< Well it looks like regional guidebooks may sell better than "Deep Trouble". My my, 5000 in the first year alone. In our shop Randy Washburne's regional guide "Kayaking--Puget Sound, the San Juans, and Gulf Islands" is the next best seller to "Deep Trouble" (which probably sells far better in our shop than anywhere else in the country -- if not, then certainly on a relative to total book sales basis). Significantly, Randy, wiser from past experience, gave up all royalties to his guide book rather than have to update it again for the second time as required by the publishing contract if the publisher requests it (R. Carey Gersten did the update this last time and is listed as the "editor" of the latest edition). George Gronseth (second author of "Deep Trouble") wanted us to self publish a "Deep Trouble" like book at some unspecified later date. I felt it was time the information got out again to the new kayaking public even though I knew from past experience that self publishing would probably be more profitable, I didn't want to wait any longer and was prepared to go ahead with the project, with or without George. George finally decided to join in with his articles (rather than possibly do a sequel later). My past experience had been that I sold 11,000 copies of my self published, self stripped, self laid out, self collated, self trimmed, and self sold, staple back book "Freestyle Skiing--the parka pocket guide to trick and hot dog skiing" back from 1972 to 1975. My brother, Cam did the cover and all the illustrations. I made about $1.00 per book (it retailed at $2.75). When I then sold a revised edition of that book to a New York publisher all I made was the advance of $1000 on about 5000 copies sold before it went out of print. It retailed at $7.95 in hardback and I think either $3.95 or $4.95 in softback. Remember, $1.00 was worth a lot more back then, I bought an old house in 1977 for $10,750. I make more than that each year in rent from it now. Back in the early 70's no book distributor would touch a self published book. I had to sell them separately to each ski shop and bookstore myself. Now things have changed, many distributors will handle a self published book that has potential. I think John Muir's self published, yet extremely popular, "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, a manual for the Complete Idiot" had much to do with that change. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Matt Broze wrote: > > Okay I went back and got my tax records so I could get this exactly right > and found out I have made more than I had guessed myself. Total paid to me > so far (royalties through 6/30/00) counting my $1000 share of the $4,000 > advance has been $4258.06. I didn't count how many books have been sold > overall but in the first year and one-half it was 5571 copies overall. I > think it must be a little over 10,000 copies now adding the two years since > them. I think having broken 10,000 copies we just got a raise so I just > started making about .60 per book (at best--1/2 that for those sold at more > than 57% discount--which a considerable number have been). Made about .50 > /book between 5000 and 10000 copies sold (if memory serves me) and about .41 > per book (at best) for the first 5000 sold. [snip] If this exchange is intended to warn potential book authors away from this lucrative (yeah, riiight!) endeavor, it's working! Have you computed the hours you put into "Deep Trouble?" Just wondering if you made minimum wage. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
My feeling when I wrote my book was that I would not make much money from it. I was right. I wrote it primarily to help me sell kayak plans. It has helped significantly. I think you need to have some other reason for writing a small market book than making money directly off the book. I could make significantly more money if I had self published. With the internet, direct sales have been very good and I could have kept everything instead of about 1/2 the sale price. Book distributors are quite happy to take self-published books these days. My mother is doing fairly well with a self-published photography/poetry book. However, there is still a lot of work the publisher does for you. They do some publicity and they and deal with printing and distribution. None of which are necessarily hard, but I figured why put in the time and effort into something I don't really know how to do and probably wouldn't enjoy anyway when I still won't make much money even with the increased effort. Nick At 9:53 PM -0700 10/14/00, Matt Broze wrote: >Okay I went back and got my tax records so I could get this exactly right >and found out I have made more than I had guessed myself. Total paid to me >so far (royalties through 6/30/00) counting my $1000 share of the $4,000 >advance has been $4258.06. I didn't count how many books have been sold >overall but in the first year and one-half it was 5571 copies overall. I >think it must be a little over 10,000 copies now adding the two years since >them. I think having broken 10,000 copies we just got a raise so I just >started making about .60 per book (at best--1/2 that for those sold at more >than 57% discount--which a considerable number have been). Made about .50 >/book between 5000 and 10000 copies sold (if memory serves me) and about .41 >per book (at best) for the first 5000 sold. -- Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 824 Thompson St, Suite I Glastonbury, CT 06033 (860) 659-8847 Schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ >>>>"It's not just Art, It's a Craft!"<<<< *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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