The best way to sell books is to already be famous or famous adjacent.

That’s my takeaway from a recent article* discussing the state of the publishing industry. And, to an extent, that’s not even true but already being famous is the best way to make money as a writer. The bigger your name and fame, the bigger your advance. This tiny portion of the writing community command 6- to 7-figure advances and 5-figure marketing budgets. The chances of a writer like me making that kind of money are about the same as winning the lottery. Not impossible, but highly unlikely. Yet, despite the odds, I keep trying on both counts.

On a recent holiday with the extended family-in-law, my accountant nephew asked how many thousands of copies of ‘Letters From Elsewhere’ I’d sold. I laughed so hard, I almost cried. Then he complained about how expensive the book was and suggested that was why it wasn’t selling. I was confused because I deliberately kept the price low to maximise sales. When he said he’d looked at it on Mighty Ape, I was even more confused, as I don’t sell through them.

Of course, I looked myself up on MA, and sure enough both my books were listed, along with ‘Remains to be Told: Dark Tales of Aotearoa’, published by Clan Destine Press. Shockingly, ‘Letters From Elsewhere’ and ‘Rose Moon’ were listed at three times the price they sell for on all the usual platforms I list on.

So, just for fun, let’s imagine someone is stupid enough to buy ‘Letters From Elsewhere’ on MA. They pay $39, MA pays $10.99 probably to Amazon, and in turn Amazon pays $1.84 to me.

Even if I do manage to sell thousands of copies, I’m not the one making the money out of my writing.

Despite the odds, I live in hope. I also buy tickets in the lottery and look for ways to become famous – or, more likely in my case, infamous! So, if my name ever pops up in the headlines for the wrong reason...just know it's a publishing ploy.
 
 
* read the article on the state of the publishing industry HERE

​The first book I ever bought by myself was The Enchanted Forest, a story of fairies, elves, goblins and witches, written by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite and her husband Grenbry Outhwaite. I bought it at a jumble sale and it was already old. The pages fragile and the cover barely attached. Even at that age I recognised it as something very precious. It still resides on my bookshelf, and despite many readings remains in much the same state as when I first picked it up.
Not only was the story appealing to a young girl, but it was filled with the most beautiful pictures, one of which caught my imagination and held it for many years.
It was a coloured plate entitled ‘The Witch’s Sister on her Black Bat’.
When I began to write the novella Rose Moon, this was the image that set the opening scene. This was the witch who I imagined as my Midnight.
                                ***
Bakke carried his mistress through the summer night’s sky with fluid ease. Midnight threw back her head and laughed, face luminous with the pure joy of anticipation. They had waited so very long for this time to arrive and had just one more day to mark.
Her nipples puckered at the mere thought of it. She allowed her fingers to graze against them through the sheerest layer of white chiffon. It would be so easy to slide her fingers between her thighs and stroke herself into delight, but an orgasm now would weaken her magic, and her sisters would be furious with her.
With a soft sigh of frustration, she flung her arms wide and allowed the movement of the warm air to caress her form. The silver-shot fabric of her diaphanous slip fluttered across her body, dipping and swirling with the slow even beat of the bat’s wings. Raven curls tumbled in a flurry around her pale face.
Half a dozen smaller bats flitted overhead, accompanying their witch on her quest.
“Look, my darlings. See how my moon casts its silver trail on the water below us to guide our way? It won’t be long now, we’re almost there.”
Bakke swooped low over the clumps of bulrushes bordering the edge of the waterway and headed into the depths of the forest. His sinuous flight path through the maze of broad tree trunks tilted upwards to match the rise of the ground beneath them. They flew in darkness until the trees thinned to allow a glimmer of silvery moonlight, then they burst once more into open space. Midnight, Bakke and the bat familiars circled higher until they hovered above the tor that protruded with phallic insolence from the clearing in the surrounding forest.
                                                       ***
A sweet and gentle start, but trust me…the tale gets much darker and mayhem, death and destruction soon follow!
Once again, I’ve teamed up with three other authors, under the expert guidance of Devi Ansevi, to put together a steaming hot addition to the PNRLust Anthologies.
Lust in Summer: Paranormal Erotic Anthology Vol. 7 is available on Amazon for your reading pleasure. Please indulge!