In software development, DRY is an acronym or aide-memoir which stands for “Don’t Repeat Yourself”. My “DRY Writer Advice” is stuff I’m seeing commonly discussed on social media, and I’m getting tired of repeating myself. So, I’m going to be posting it here, and passing out links as required. I hope someone finds value in my thoughts.
When I first started writing nearly ten years ago, I wrote about the economics of what was the “common wisdom” of the “five dollar book”. It was, at that point in time, economically unviable.
Before I go any further, for clarity, I’ll be working in American dollars, since that’s the de facto trade currency of the Western world. I’m Canadian, and about 30% of my sales are from Canada, but at the end of the day, most of my blog readers will be thinking in USD.
Next, by word of warning, this blog post will contain math, a requirement to think critically, a requirement to give a damn about fellow humans, and a fair dose of sarcasm. I strongly recommend finding a well-adjusted adult to hold your hand if any of these requirements offend you.
Here, in the Land of Green Gables (that is, Prince Edward Island, Canada) the minimum wage is $11.50CAD/hr. That works out to $8.35USD/hr.
My last novel clocked in at a bit more than 65,000 words. I write & compose at about 700 words per hour. Ergo, my first draft would have taken me more than 92 hours to write. Presuming that being a writer requires me to be nearly as clever as a Starbucks Barista, then we can say the time spent on my first draft is worth $8.35USD/hr X 92 hr = $775USD.
I have done five full “vocal edits” of the book; reading aloud is slower than reading quietly, plus mark-up time but let’s just use the usual rate for reading to constrain one pass to 8.5h for a novel this length. $8.35USD/hr x 8.5hr x 3 = $212US
My cover art, which I source from a local 3D artist in a collaborative / barter arrangement, plus my own composition time is worth $300CAD which converts to about $220USD.
So, at this point, my cost to market is around $1210USD.
Generally speaking, most self-published authors will likely sell around 250 books or less per year. So, to just break even I need to sell that eBook for $4.80USD.
Now, I want to point out the obvious, because I can all but hear people saying “so a $5 book is viable.” No. No, it’s not.
The poverty line in Canada is about $28,860CAD, which is about $21,000USD. So, to make a living as a full-time author, at 250 books sold, I need to sell my book at $84USD.
Okay, okay, that’s silly, we don’t need full-time authors that badly, and so part-time (half-income from being a Barista) would be $24USD/book.
Okay, okay, that’s still too silly, we don’t even need part-time authors, quarter time is fine. That’s $12USD/book.
But wait … it’s worse than that. I’m selling a product and its actually income to live on. That makes me a small business. That means I need an accountant, at a rough cost of $1000 per year. That adds another $4USD to the price of each of my dream-day wow-it-would-be-cool 250 books.
But wait … it’s worse than that. Let’s talk about professional editing. According to the Editorial Freelancers Association rate page (EFA), my 65k novel will cost me $1,625USD in copy editing, $2,145USD in developmental editing and $1,950USD in line editing and another $1,000USD in final proofreading. So that’s another $5,700USD in costs. That adds $23USD PER BOOK to my costs. So, let’s be real, that’s the reason most indie authors don’t hire professional editing services.
“But indie books are full of errrrrrrorrrrrrs.”
Yep. Because you won’t spend $12 on an eBook. Which we still can’t live on.
Let’s talk about that 250 books. Specifically, letting at least 250 potential customers know that you have a book they want to buy. That means a website, a domain name, a WordPress Theme, adds on Meta, free copies to “influencers” / book reviewers, and a raft more. Add another $400/year, or $1/book.
Now, let’s talk about movies. You get an average 90 minutes of entertainment. According to New Vision Theatres blog :
According to our research, average movie ticket prices in the USA range between $9 and $15, but the most common figure is $11.75.
Hmm. $11.75USD. That’s pretty much $12/hr. Okay. So 8h entertainment for $12 or 1.5h entertainment for $12. Support an indie author or support a mass-media conglomerate. Oh, and you can reread the eBook for free, because you get to keep it. Unlike the movie.
When you tell me that you refuse to spend $12 – $15 on an eBook what you really are saying is that you don’t think the sacrifices we, as authors, are making to put our souls, hopes, dreams and stories out there for your entertainment, are worth very much to you. As a minimum, if you don’t think we should be able to make a living, at least maybe consider making it worth giving up our free time to entertain you?
Oh, about the Barista. I’m not saying they don’t deserve what they get paid. In fact, I think they are underpaid, given they have to put up with people like me before I’ve had my coffee. I’m saying I’d like you to think I’m at least as useful as a Barista.
Also, according to WorldMetrics.org:
The average cost of a tall pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks is $4.55.
Interesting.