[Case Study] $5,102.43 in 30 days with Kindle Publishing (+491 preorders)

I don’t always share income reports, and I wasn’t really going to talk about how much my books earn until I hit 10K a month in revenue, but I think it’s also important to point out that my methods are working.

5K a month from Kindle books is nothing to sneeze at, and the vast bulk of that income is from just two titles – and I’m doing very little advertising or promotion to sustain these earnings. I wrote the right kind of books, I built a big platform, I used keywords and SEO to help them stick, I made pretty covers that attract the right audience… and I did enough promotion to get some visibility on launch.

I don’t feel like I’m doing that well yet, and I’m looking forward to the day I actually have several finished trilogies and can start spending more on advertising and promotion. I’ve been waiting to hit 10K a month so I can say “see? I told you this would work.”

I’m really excited about becoming a full-time writer and just writing novels all the time (I’m not there yet – I still take on a few clients a month and continue to fix and improve my own sites and platforms). A lot of what I spend time on is making tutorials, resources, templates, case-studies and videos to help other indie authors. Most people are grateful, but many aren’t. Some people question my methods, or display skepticism.

I’m not trying to say that this stuff is easy. It isn’t easy.

It’s easy for me because I’ve been doing it for 15 years and have failed in every way imaginable. Now I’m trying to make it easier for you by sharing as much knowledge as I can. I’m posting this because I do think credibility is a major issue. Lots of people talk about book design, publishing and marketing. Why should anyone listen to me? How can you trust that I know what I’m talking about?

Well, for starters, because I’m making 5K a month after only a year of publishing fiction, and I’ll be at 10K a month by the end of 2017. This is possible. You can do this. 

It’ll take work, and you’ll need to learn a lot of things that will be uncomfortable or challenging at first. But most authors give up too soon. Readers are hungry for great books. It is possible to make a living with your writing, if you’re determined enough and also flexible enough to change some of your beliefs and embrace the ideology of putting readers first and doing whatever it takes to connect with them.

The 3 secrets to book marketing, and a haunted castle tour. Totally free. Get it here.

Derek Murphy

I’m a philosophy dropout with a PhD in Literature. I covet a cabin full of cats, where I can write fantasy novels to pay for my cake addiction. Sometimes I live in castles.