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Tuesday 18 January 2011

10,000 e sales of Remix

Forgive my boasting - it's just such a landmark.

When I published Remix on Amazon in August 2010, I had no idea that my sales for the Kindle would take off the way they did. In the first six weeks, I didn't sell many; eleven on Amazon, and seven on Smashwords (never have equalled those first Smashwords sales!)

Then I lowered the price to 86p hoping to persuade readers to try an author they'd never heard of, and the book started selling - 81 in the last ten days of September. In October I sold 669 copies, in November 1,559, and in December 4,281. So far this month, I've sold 3,398. Remix has spent 97 days in the UK Kindle top 100.

One of the best things has been connecting with readers, and knowing that people were willingly spending hours reading a novel I wrote - and enjoying it. Some have emailed me, asking about my next book, which gives me a real kick. Without the Kindle, I wouldn't have been able to prove there was a market for Remix. (The paperback has had modest sales, because it's not possible to compete on price with POD, or get into the bookshops.)

After a year of fruitlessly submitting Remix to literary agents, it's great to feel vindicated; to suspect that had an agent and a publisher taken the book on, they'd have made a tidy profit.

N.B. 1) Alan, you were right.
N.B. 2) Victoria Strauss, if you don't believe these figures, email me for proof :o)

31 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Lexi that's fantastic. I suspect that puts you well up to, and probably well beyond, the hardback sales of most first time authors, even with a big publisher behind them.
    I was reading some of your reviews the other day and the number and the proportion of entirely positive ones you have are astonishing.

    With that kind of feedback I'd be very surprised if bookshops weren't very happy to stock Remix. Remember to put away the agent's 12.5 per cent and treat yourself!

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  2. Thanks, Doug - though of course the selling price is very different from that of a hardback! On the other hand, I have done everything myself from formatting to marketing, with none of the clout of a big publisher.

    I perhaps should try independent bookshops, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort. The Waterstones that took six is charging the full £9.99 and has put Remix in the Crime section, so I fear they will all come back...

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  3. Hi Lexi just to let you know I've just bought a copy of Remix as a paperback. Okay, so it's a little old fashion of me but I like to read in bed and find books are still best :-)

    Can't wait to how the real thing in my hand.

    Good luck you are on to a winner there.

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  4. Jarmara, thanks; I confess I get an old-fashioned thrill when someone buys a paperback, rather than the book in electric form.

    I hope you enjoy it :o)

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  5. And that's not even counting those of us who bought through Smashwords!

    Congratulations! You deserve your success!

    (And I'm waiting for your next one too.)

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  6. Brilliant!!! Brilliant!! Even as I fly the lone flag for having bought a print copy (SO A COLLECTOR'S ITEM COS YOU SIGNED IT! LOL!!!! First Edition, rare!!!! with original cover, thank you!!!!! hah!) I am so so so so so happy that your Kindle book is just selling like hot cakes!!!! You go girl!!!!!

    Take care
    x

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  7. That's brilliant, congrats Lexi! I am about a third of the way through and loving the book so far. Once I've finished my online rounds might sneak a bit more in before bed. Good luck with getting it into more stores.

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  8. Thanks, FH, Kitty and TC.

    A book is nothing without its readers :o)

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  9. Well done Lexi, an impressive feat and one to be applauded by us future epublishers

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  10. Woot! Good for you Lexi. And I'm sure that number is going nowhere but up!

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  11. Ha! Told you!

    Don't look back, I'm hot on your trail with, well, just over 1,000 since November.

    Still, the difference could be made up in just a day or two.

    Right?

    Congrats many times over. The really great thing is you're just beginning.

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  12. Thanks, Jamie - though you've introduced the disconcerting idea of the number going down...

    Alan, I just knew you'd come on here saying I told you so. Without even mentioning the name of your book. Which is Boomerang.

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  13. What stupendous news, Lexi! I am deeply impressed. And what taste those 10 000 readers have.

    Here's to the next 10 000 and the 10 000 after that. It won't be long till Alan is on here talking about the 100 000 mark.

    Well done, you.

    Guy

    PS - why 86p? Is there a particular reason?

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  14. Guy, me too, I'm impressed.

    86p - I opted for the lowest price Amazon lets me set, 75p, which, with 15% Luxembourg VAT, is 86p. But Amazon has discounted my price to 49p for the moment (I still get my full 35%).

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  15. Congratulations! Very exciting stuff. :)

    Boy, you've got me wanting to try 99 cents for one of my novels. :) I think I'll do it for Book 1 of my fantasy series once I've got Book 2 up.

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  16. Lindsay, I haven't studied the US Kindle chart, and am not sure if it's as price-sensitive as the UK one is right now. Having two books gives you more options to experiment with.

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  17. Congratulations Lexi! That's fantastic, and richly deserved. If I can sidle through my local library with a camera without getting told off, I'll try and take a photo of Remix on the shelf (front-facing display, naturally). :-)

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  18. Wow, Lexi! That's marvellous. Do you think the success is down to word of mouth, or have you been doing anything to market it? Long may your great sales continue!

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  19. Thanks, K :o)

    Spin, that would be great - and it's there solely because of you.

    Sandra, I was lucky Remix was KUF's October book of the month, and I went on the UK Kindle forum a bit; but after a while I think it is word of mouth, plus the much higher visibility on Amazon.

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  20. There has got to be a legion of readers who are passing the word about Remix and their numbers are growing every day. No other way you would have reached the 10,000 mark so quickly. This, as you know, is how successful careers in writing are made.

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  21. Congrats Lexi - I hope it helps you get the book out to more audiences in 2011!

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  22. Alan and Hants - there are a lot of readers out there I hope to get my hands on this year...

    11,000+ now :o)

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  23. Hi Lexi

    I have just finished the kindle version of 'REMIX' and thought it was a brilliant debut novel.

    Romantic suspense and Rock stars are not my usual fare but this novel has converted me.

    I now have you on my auto-buy author list.
    I will be more than happy to buy the next at full price as soon as it is available!

    I loved the way that you used your knowledge of rocking horses, diamonds and London.
    And any romance author who can mention 'quantum mechanics' (my own specialty) gets an enthusiastic cheer from me. *grin*

    I noticed that you avoided the HEA, normally compulsory for romance novels, leaving the way clear for a sequel. I would love to hear more of Rick Kealy and Caz!

    Thanks again for a stunning read.

    I'm now going to read the Dragon Fantasy. *smile*

    Dave

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  24. Hey, Remix has an admirer who knows about quantum mechanics - how cool is that?

    The next novel, currently called Unofficial Girl, will be available I hope late springish...

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  25. I told you Lexi, you're an inspiration!

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  26. Eleven thousand!

    Okay, now I am officially jealous.

    Congratulations!

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  27. Lol. Have you seen this bunny?

    (\ /)
    ( . .)
    C(")(")

    (I know he has nothing to do with anything...)

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  28. Okay, so now I have to try to duplicate this punctuation creation.

    (\/)
    (..)
    C(")(")


    Mine looks not quite so neat and compact. A bunny in need of a diet and some exercise perhaps.

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  29. Wait a sec. He seems to have shrunk somehow.

    Putting words together properly is tough enough. I should stay away from trying this sort of thing.

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  30. Always a pleasure to waste a fellow writer's time.

    I think your rabbit has a shrunken head, poor thing.

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