In keeping with my blatantly open policy, here are the numbers for all three of my Kindle books for the past two months. Starstrikers and Null_Pointer are selling for $.99 and TFO is selling for $2.99.
June
- Starstrikers: 193
- Tales From Ocherva: 7
- Null_Pointer: 3
July
- Starstrikers: 197
- Tales From Ocherva: 1
- Null_Pointer: 5
For some perspective, here are the numbers for Starstrikers since January of 2010.
- January: 4
- February: 37
- March: 232
- April: 275
- May: 225
- June: 193
- July: 197
That’s over a thousand e-books in the last five months. Not exactly J.A. Konrath’s numbers but it also doesn’t suck. The question now becomes, do I raise the cover price and take advantage of the 70% royalties or keep it at $.99 cents and let it ride? I’m leaning towards raising the price in order to establish credibility more than to seek higher earnings. I think the new best price for e-books is anything under $5.00. Exactly where to set the new price is up in the air for me right now.
The other danger is of course, losing the impulse buyers who are more willing to try out an unknown author like myself if the price is low. But since this is really just mad money and not a living, there is no real danger in experimenting with the price.
The most interesting bit about the numbers above is the total lack of attention that buyers have for a second SF book set in the same universe as Starstrikers. What this tells me is that I’m failing to get fans and can only muster impulse buys. Perhaps raising the price of Starstrikers will help that effort. Also, a new cover for TFO will debut soon that brands it as being in the Starstrikers Universe.
Another SF book set in the Starstrikers Universe will debut on Kindle this fall. Tyrmia is less a traditional Space Opera and more of a Planetary Romance. So again, not exactly appealing to the core audience of Starstrikers, who like it when stuff blows up. Tyrmia will start at the $2.99 price point as will the prequel to Starstrikers, Starforgers when it comes out fall of 2011.
No problem, thanks for reading and replying :)
Hi Caine,
I wrote Tyrmia last year, it’s only now ready for final edits. If you’ll notice the sales numbers for Starstrikers, it only took off a few months ago, of this year. Not much I can do about it now. There is plenty of action in Tyrmia it’s just not spaceship on spaceship type of action. (Military SF) In fact it’s kind of like WW1 era technology or just past what would be considered steam punk.
I wrote Tyrmia to scratch an itch. Having no real audience frees you up to try new things without having to please anyone. Tyrmia is set on the planet where the Great War started. Imagine if a handful of Votainions and Humans were stranded on a jungle world and isolated from the galactic war. What kind of society would they evolve into? This is what I explore in Tyrmia, which takes place after the millennial conflict.
Now that Starstrikers is rising in popularity, I have decided to start writing the prequel. You’re always going to be a year behind as far as when your next book comes out, unless you can crank one out faster. In my case the day job still pays better. ;-) Starforgers is going to show how the war got started and how the Alliance was formed and how the Alliance military learned to fight in deep space. It’s likely to be far more exciting than Starstrikers. I can’t wait to start writing it!
Until that book comes out, you can get to know the hero of Starforgers by reading Tales From Ocherva, an anthology of short stories set in the same time period as Starforgers. TFO is my first response to the success of Starstrikers. Here are some cool short stories in the same universe, hope that tides you over until next year. ;-)
Thanks for the comment!
Out of curiosity I’m wondering why you aren’t sticking with a bit more of a “formula” for your sequels? Don’t get me wrong, if you’re simply re-hashing the same old same old you’ll end up with Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit or Under Siege 2: Dark Territory and I know you don’t want to do that.
You stated that your putting out Tyrmia: “Which is less a traditional Space Opera and more of a Planetary Romance. So again, not exactly appealing to the core audience of Starstrikers, who like it when stuff blows up.”
Why specifically put out a book that deviates so far from the “format” of the first one that’s been successful?
~Interested
Caine
@BlaqueSaber