How much money do you make from your books?
This question might of interest those looking into self-publishing, and the answer is simple. Let’s examine a typical book I sell on Amazon. These prices are accurate as of the time this post was published. Most of my books are between 82,000 and 85,000 words in length. I typically sell my later series books at around £2.99 for Kindle or £9.99 for paperback. On a Kindle book, I receive 70% royalties, minus a delivery price of about 5 pence. Therefore, I earn £2.06 per Kindle book. The Amazon paperback printing cost is £4.19 for an 82,000-word, 334-page book. I charge £9.99 and get a 60% royalty rate, leaving me with £1.80 per paperback book. My Kindle books are exclusively with Amazon as they are available on Kindle Unlimited. I get paid a varying amount per page read by readers on this scheme. On average, I earn roughly 90 pence per book read on Kindle Unlimited.
Can I find your books in a bookshop?
Not yet, but hopefully soon. My print books are currently with Amazon. It has always been my goal to sell my books in independent bookshops. This is why I have bought my own ISBNs and not relied on Amazon’s free ISBNs, which can only be used on Amazon. If the question is whether you will find my books in Waterstones, the answer is unlikely in the near future. Waterstones take most of their books from traditional publishers and won’t be interested in smaller selling authors. They, like Amazon, are in this to make a profit, and it would be too much of a risk to give valuable shop space to unknowns. The bigger the celebrity you are, the more likely you are to sell in large book retail outlets. It’s understandable, and I hate it, but that’s the way it is.
Smaller, independent bookshops are also in this to make a profit, but they have more interest in supporting their local community and authors. I will be looking to approach some local bookshops soon. To do this, I need to purchase a stock of books. I won’t be using Amazon to print these, as to many small booksellers, Amazon is an anathema. I’ll use another book printer. I will probably need to purchase 50 or so of these books at about £4.50 each and sell them to the bookshops on sale or return. It’s unlikely they will take them under any other condition. This will give me a profit of about £1 per book after they have marked it up and taken their cut. For me to buy 50 books is a risk. I don’t have £225 to spend at the moment. If the bookshops return them, I will have to sell them elsewhere. So, it’s not out of the question, but I need to be able to afford the risk first.
Where do you get your ideas from?
That old chestnut—Answer from the Author would not be complete without it. I’m not absolutely sure, but I know some of the clues to the answer. Where I live has something to do with it. West Sussex is beautiful. I love the Sussex Downs, the woodland, the coastline. It’s full of inspiration for locations.
My experience as a police officer must play a large part of it, but I was never a detective. I was the plod, serving in Portsmouth as a beat officer, then in Chichester city centre and on Response—that’s going to 999 calls. That experience gives me a very good understanding of police procedure and some insights into police methods.
Life experiences probably have the most sway on my writing. That encompasses everything, from my early childhood to my family life now, my work life as a software engineer, my experiences as a musician, and being a dad to three children, one of whom has a severe learning disability and autism.
Another source of ideas we should never forget is what we’ve read. I don’t mean plagiarising other people’s stories, I mean working with how some plots and characters made you feel. Most people remember a good book by how it made them feel. You can’t possibly consider being a writer if you don’t read fiction.
Ideas come to me in the form of images, impressions and feelings. Something could make me sad or angry—injustice is good at that. Things that make me laugh. Other sources of ideas are people I know or have met—their defining characteristics. Lastly, stories are there to entertain, to offer escapism. I don’t write parables, but sometimes, I like to leave people with a sense of hope if I can. Preaching turns people off, but highlighting a noble feature in someone’s character could inspire someone.
What books do you read?
I like a good thriller and some crime fiction too. For many years, I hardly read anything apart from technical books. I had read J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and John Wyndham in my youth, but that was about it. It wasn’t until my wife started her degree in English and Creative Writing that I read more, listening to her experiences with other authors.
I enjoy a wide range of writing styles, from Lee Child to Cara Hunter and Agatha Christie. I also enjoy local authors like Elly Griffiths, Greg Mosse, and Graham Bartlett. I like C. L. Taylor, Ann Cleeves, Ian Rankin, Nicola Williams, and Jacqueline Harrett—so, so many. I’m about to pick up some Roman mysteries by Fiona Forsyth and others by Jacquie Rogers.
Will you continue the DI Angelis series?
This answer may not be popular with Angelis fans. Probably not, unless I get a lot of interest. I left the door open for him in case that happens. The DI Angelis series was my first foray into writing. He taught me a great deal about what people like and don’t like. To be honest, I think people who are avid crime fiction lovers were confused by the supernatural aspects of the plot, and those who love supernatural stories were confused by the police procedural elements. The books were a challenge to classify into a particular genre. As I said, I’ve learned a great deal since then.
What is next?
I am now going to continue writing the Chichester Crime Mysteries series, and hopefully develop those characters. I am always developing story ideas for DCI Dinescu and DS Emily Summers. I have other ideas for writing projects, and if I do write something in a different genre, then I will definitely use a pen name. Perhaps I should hold a competition to create a new pen name.
I’m going to write until I drop. It’s something I love, and it’s good for my mental health too. I want to increase my email list and develop a relationship with those who read my books. I feel that is important. I love reading people’s reactions to the stories and plot twists.
Lastly, I’m going to compose and record some more meditative music. It has a strong connection with my faith and I find it helps to restore my balance.
That’s it for Answers
Thanks for all the questions I receive. I hope I’ve answered your question. If you have more for me, contact me. I’m always happy to receive emails.
