I have no idea if COVID-19 is the driving reason, but my book sales (and Kindle Unlimited reads) in March, April, and May went way beyond my wildest dreams. Even with the money I’ve spent on marketing, editing, book covers, and everything else, after these three months I am solidly in the black as a writer. I’m still a long way from being able to support myself on my writing alone, but it has really turned into a somewhat profitable side-hustle.
So, first and foremost: THANK YOU! to all my readers. Thanks for the kind words and for giving me the feedback that what I’m doing is worth the effort. My readership is overwhelmingly folks from the United States, but due to the wonders of the Amazon platform, I do have a small steadily growing international readership.
Which brings me to my main point, of all the international markets, Australia is the biggest by far. I also have significant numbers from the U.K. and Canada, and small numbers from several other countries, but Australia has been my biggest foreign market from the very beginning and in the last three months has continued to grow.
Why might Aussies like my stuff? I have no idea except that all the Aussies I’ve personally known are some of the nicest people I’ve ever encountered. While I’m sure there are jerks somewhere in Australia, I’ve never personally met one, and that’s saying something as I have known several folks from foreign countries who were less than personable.
What makes my Aussie sales all the more strange is that I’ve never been able to advertise there at all. The Amazon platform lets me advertise in several foreign countries, but Australia isn’t one of them. Also, for reasons I don’t understand, my printed books aren’t available in Australia, though they are in most other countries. So, all of my sales have come from people stumbling on my book and deciding to take a risk on an unknown author, and that’s pretty cool.
In other news, I will have an announcement in the next couple of weeks for audiobook fans. My work on the final book in the Zdrell trilogy continues. I’m still trying very hard to get the first draft completed before the end of 2020. All the encouraging words from fans wanting the conclusion is helping to keep me excited to finish it too.
Thanks to all, may your lives be magical,
Dave
Hello!
I wanted to thank you very much for the fantastic Zdrell series you have written. It isn’t very often, unfortunately, that I am so immersed in a book or series that I pay for the book even though I read it for “free” using Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
I’m almost finished with the “The Journeyman for Zdrell” and eagerly await your third book in the trilogy.
Thanks for your kind words. I’m glad you like the series and it’s comments like these that help me keep writing through the hard parts.
Thanks,
Dave
1) I hope you and your family are well, including the cats.
2) Write faster on the next Zdrell book. Please.