If you’re a published author, maybe you check Amazon.com sales rank (gosh, of course *I* never do).
You can read this, this, or this.
My book topped out at 500 (that’s pretty good) and is currently hovering around 15,000 [update: 50,000]. That means there are 14,999 books selling better than Cop in the Hoodat Amazon.com.
What does that mean? Hard to say for sure. But the best guess is that a ranking of 15,000 through the world’s biggest book retailer means I’m probably selling about a book a day. And Amazon is perhaps about 1/3 – 1/2 of all sales. In terms of royalties, that’s about $2 day.
One way to tell for sure is when Amazon gets low on stock. For instance, Amazon.UK (England) currently has one book for sale. They have had one for a while (or so I’ve noticed). When it sells, they’ll have no books for a day or two. So I can be sure I know the next time I sell a book in Europe. …It may be a few days.
Doesn’t anybody read anymore?
Have youboughtmy book? If not, please do. It’s cheap. And good.
I did (from Amazon) and liked it a lot. I’m going to be giving it as a Christmas gift to a lot of people, just fyi.
I’d say your biggest enemy is that your book is very “loanable”. It is gradually making the rounds in my neighborhood on the edge of B’More’s Eastern.
Maybe a “if you loaned out or borrowed my book send me a buck” button.
In all seriousness folks. Buy the man’s book.
I don’t mind people borrowing my book. I’m never going to get rich off it. And I do get a regular paycheck from teaching. Actually I am very happy that people are reading it at all.
But it would be nice if you read a loaned copy and enjoyed, give it back, and then buy a copy to give to another friend to read!
How can we get an autographed copy? And….can you draw a gun?
But seriously…