Can You Make Money Self-Publishing?

Posted on April 9, 2012 by patricefitz

Why yes! It takes hard work and it doesn’t happen instantly, but you sure can make significant money by self-publishing. And often far more than you can make after getting a deal with a traditional publisher.

Here’s the list, with numbers, updated from the last time that I identified authors selling over 50,000 self-published titles. This comes from a blog titled “Self-Publishing Success Stories,” and all credit goes to that blogger… who mysteriously has no name… and who did the original work of compiling it via a thread over at the Kindleboards.

The asterisk indicates that the writer has also been published traditionally. There are no doubt even more names that should be on this list. If you know of one, please drop me a line and I’ll add it.

All hail these successful self-published authors!

1. Rachel Abbott
2. Susan Alison – “over 50k at the end of last month” (Feb 2012)
3. Dani Amore
4.*Bella Andre – more than 400,000 books sold (Feb 2012)
5. Melody Anne – over 150,000 (Feb 2012)
6. Daniel Arenson – The “Song of Dragons” series sold its 50,000th copy on March 2, 2012
7. Jake Barton- 83,712 books sold (March 2012)
8. Robert Bidinotto – 58,260 (Feb 2012)
9. *J Carson Black – more than 300,000 books sold (November 2011)
10.*Cheryl Bolen – 145,000 sold (March 2012)
11. Kathleen Brooks – 50,015 paid books with most coming from the last 2 months (March 2012)
12. Catherine Bybee – nearly 200,000 of the novel “Wife By Wednesday”
13. Sarra Cannon – 62,400 books as of March 17, 2012
14. Karen Cantwell – 86K as of March 2012
15. Ruth Cardello
16. Darcie Chan – more than 400,000 ebooks sold (Nov 2011)
17. Ann Charles
18. Mel Comley
19. Shelly Crane
20. Martin Crosbie – 66,716 books sold (March 2012)
21. *Blake Crouch – total unknown (“5,000 sales a month”)
22. Chris Culver – over 550,000 (Dec 2011)
23. David Dalglish – more than 175,000 (Feb 2012)
24. Susan Denning – “To date, I’ve sold over almost 60,000 Kindle copies”
25. Saffina Desforges – Sugar & Spice sold over 100,000 ebooks (Sept 2011)
26. Mainak Dhar – 85,600 (Jan 2012)
27. Sandra Edwards- about 90K (since July 2010) as of March 2012
28. *Ellen Fisher – over 100,000 as of Feb 2012
29. Penelope Fletcher – over 50,000 as of Feb 2012
30. Tina Folsom – over 300,000 books sold (October 2011)
31. *Marie Force – more than 200,000 sold in the last year (March 2012)
32. Melissa Foster – more than 150,000 in the last 9 months (Feb 2012)
33. *Barbara Freethy – 1.3 million self-published ebooks sold (Dec 2011)
34. Eliza Gayle – roughly 65,000 books in 2011
35. Jenny Gardiner – over 80,000 ebooks (Dec 2011)
36. Debora Geary – total unknown (1 of the top 10 Kindle Select authors for Jan 2012)
37. Abbi Glines
38. *Lee Goldberg
39. Joel Goldman
40. Allan Guthrie – over 63,000 as of March 2012
41. *Gemma Halliday – over 1 million self-published ebooks sold (March 2012)
42. Liliana Hart – over 80,000 as of Feb 2012
43. Michael Hicks – close to 100,000 as of March 2012
44. Amanda Hocking – 1,500,000 ebooks sold (December 2011)
45. Sibel Hodge – “in the last 6 months alone I’ve sold over 40,000 ebooks”
46. Debra Holland – over 50,000 books sold (March 2012)
47. Sheila Horgan – well over 80,000 as of Feb 2012
48. Hugh Howey- more than 100,000 sold (March 2012)
49. Delle Jacobs – total unknown
50. Nancy C. Johnson
51. Ty Johnston – over 60,000
52. Andrew E. Kaufman – 53,984 sold in 31 days (during the month of March 2012)
53. Selena Kitt – “With half a million ebooks sold in 2011 alone”
54. *J.A. Konrath – more than 500,000 ebooks sold (November 2011)
55. Eve Langlais – over 56,000
56. B.V. Larson – over 250,000 books sold (Dec 2011)
57. *Stephen Leather – “selling close to half a million eBooks over the past 12 months” (Nov 2011)
58. Jason Letts – almost 50,000 as of Feb 2012
59. Victorine Lieske – more than 100,000 books sold (May 2011)
60. John Locke- more than 1,100,000 eBooks sold in five months
61. Terri Giuliano Long – more than 80,000 ebooks sold (Jan 2012)
62. *Carol Davis Luce – 100,000 sold (January 2012)
63. *CJ Lyons – almost 500,000 ebooks sold (Dec 2011)
64. H.P. Mallory – more than 200,000 ebooks sold (July 2011)
65. C.S. Marks
66. M. R. Mathias – over 50,000 sold (June 2011)
67. *KC May
68. *Bob Mayer – 347 sold in Jan, 2011 to over 400,000 total sold by year’s end (Dec 2011)
69. David McAfee – 54-56K range as of March 2012
70. Stephanie McAfee – “the e-book sold 145,325 copies from January to August 2011″
71. Carolyn McCray – over 50K and on track to sell over 13,000 ebooks for the month of March 2012
72. Karen McQuestion – more than 70,000 sold (***September 2010***)
73. Courtney Milan
74. Addison Moore
75. David Morrell
76. Rick Murcer – in only four and a half months, 135,000 ebooks sold (as of August 2011)
77. Scott Nicholson
78. Anne Marie Novark – more than 70,000 books sold (Feb 2012)
79. Shayne Parkinson – over 50,000 as of Feb 2012
80. Aaron Patterson – total unknown
81. Aaron Pogue
82. Brian S. Pratt
83. *Michael Prescott – more than 800,000 self-published ebooks sold (Dec 2011)
84. Rose Pressey – over 54,000 since April 2011
85. T.R. Ragan – 239,592 books sold (March 2012)
86. J.R. Rain – more than 400,000 books sold (Sept 2011)
87. Terri Reid – more than 60,000 ebooks sold (August 2011)
88. Lexi Revellian – over 54,000 (March 2012)
89. Shadonna Richards – 51,790 ebooks as of March 2012
90. Imogen Rose
91. *Kristine Kathryn Rusch
92. Nick Russell – over 104,000 of Big Lake (March 2012)
93. Jonas Saul – over 50,000 ebooks sold
94. L.J. Sellers – total unknown
95. Amber Scott – total unknown
96. *Michele Scott (AK Alexander) – more than 100,000 books sold in two months
97. Tori Scott – 84,772 as of midnight 3/15/2012
98. Kathleen Shoop – over 50,000 books sold since May 2011 (as of Jan 2012)
99. Christopher Smith
100. *Dean Wesley Smith
101. Katie Stephens
102. Andy Straka – over 50,000 in the past 10 months
103. Michael J Sullivan – more than 90,000 sold before books retired and republished
104. Denise Grover Swank- “almost 60,000 books with my four books since last July (March 2012)”
105. Vicki Tyley – 100,000 (January 2012)
106. Louise Voss & Mark Edwards – 50,000 ebooks sold in the month of June (2011)
107. Heather Killough-Walden – over 500,000 books sold (Dec 2011)
108. Michael Wallace – 80,000 (Feb 2012)
109. Kerry Wilkinson – more than 250,000 books sold (Feb 2012)
110. Nicole Williams – near the 100,000 mark for her trilogy (Dec 2011)
111. Zoe Winters – more than 50,000 ebooks sold independently
112. Rachel Yu – more than 60,000 ebooks sold (Feb 2012)

That’s pretty amazing. We can figure that many of those books earned about $2 per sale (at a conservative price of $2.99 per book), so this 50K number means the authors above are looking at $100,000, at least. There would also be expenses involved in editing, cover art, formatting, etc., depending upon how much of that was paid for versus done by the author or by volunteers. Still, the profits are impressive by any measure.

Some of these authors have gone on to accept traditional deals with established publishers so that they can concentrate on the writing part. Famously, Amanda Hocking has a multi-million dollar deal for some of her books, but has also retained the right to continue self-publishing those books she prefers to.

All right, writers, are you suitably inspired?

Now, back to your keyboards!

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Success By the Numbers

Posted on April 2, 2012 by patricefitz

You know, fellow readers and writers, since my big Christmas break-out with RUNNING, I have been concentrating on money earned. And in the excitement of the sudden flurry of cash (which happened right around Christmas, but only landed in my bank account at the end of February) I got happy but anxious about HOW TO KEEP IT COMING IN at that lovely rate.

And the truth is — I can’t. I can’t control what folks like and buy and read and respond to. I can only control what I write. Trying to psych out the coolest marketing phrase or the optimal tweet will only make you crazy… or at least, it will make me crazy.

So I have vowed to concentrate more on the writing. Last week I dictated a story that I have been thinking about for a couple of years. Just a little short one, but powerful. THE TERMINAL. (That is, if I don’t change the title…)

The story came out nearly all of a piece, because it had “percolated” in my head for some time. It needs only a few small tweaks to finalize and put to bed. Or to press.

I think I’ll make this one free. I plan to post it on Wattpad, which I hear great things about. Possibly also Figment, and Redroom, and Smashwords… though the last time I tried that I had trouble jumping through their formatting hoops. In any case, I hope it will be an important story that gets out to readers and will — possibly — lead some of them to me.

And even if it never does, I will be happy to put that story out into the world, because that’s what we storytellers do. We share our words. Having a reader is what makes a story complete.

So, having said that… Drumroll, please! When I added up the sales of all of my books, I discovered these excellent numbers:

2,400 ebooks sold for real money

860 ebooks borrowed, which brings in money too

And a fabulous grand total of 40,000 ADDITIONAL ebooks downloaded!! [For free, I should add. But still!]

As to money, I am up in the baby five figures, which isn’t bad for a fledgeling business less than a year old.

I only started on the 4th of July, 2011… I became an Indie Writer on Independence Day, get it? (Someday I’ll tell you the story of that looooong weekend and how my husband and I managed to get through our first big formatting and uploading task without our marriage falling apart.)

And I am pretty jazzed about how much I have actually sold. Particularly when you consider the alternative… I could have been submitting query letters to agents for another 20 years instead!

Happy writing to you, friends.

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Vlog #1 – So which advice should I listen to?

Posted on March 20, 2012 by patricefitz

Here’s my first homemade vlog (video blog) which I made in my backyard. It looks rather humble, but at least the weather was beautiful!

Vlog #1 – Advice from Writers

Thanks for watching… I’m learning as I go!

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Self-Publishing Success Stories!

Posted on March 17, 2012 by patricefitz

Over on the Kindle boards, there is a thread where folks are putting together a list of self-published authors who have gotten past the 50,000 mark in total ebook sales.

Successful author Lexi Revellian (see her name on the list below!) went further in updating the list on her own blog. I’ve posted it here to demonstrate that it is possible to make serious money as a self-publisher.

Many of the authors on this list have sold well over 50,000 books. Quite a few of them have done it within a year. Though it’s not possible to calculate how much money an author with that many sales has made without knowing the price of each ebook, every writer who has sold this number of books has made between a low of $17,500 (if every book is priced at only 99¢, for a 35% royalty rate) to a high of $350,000 (at the highest rate that KDP allows – $9.99, with a 70% royalty rate). It’s likely most of these authors sell their ebooks for something in between those two extremes. The “going rate” for successful self-published authors seems to be around $2.99 to $4.99 per ebook.

Some of these writers, but only a small percentage, were traditionally published first, or have continued to keep one foot in the traditional “camp.” Most of them simply wrote books intending to publish all by themselves, and then got them out there and let the world know. And the world responded by reading them!

THESE SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHORS HAVE EACH SOLD MORE THAN 50,000 EBOOKS AS OF MARCH, 2012

Susan Alison
Dani Amore
Bella Andre
Melody Anne
Jake Barton
Robert Bidinotto
J Carson Black
Cheryl Bolen
Catherine Bybee
Ruth Cardello
Darcie Chan
Mel Comley
Blake Crouch
Chris Culver
David Dalglish
Carol Davis Luce
Saffina Desforges
Mainak Dhar
Mark Edwards & Louis Voss
Ellen Fischer
Penelope Fletcher
Tina Folsom
Marie Force
Barbara Freethy
Debora Geary
Lee Goldberg
Gemma Halliday
Ruth Harris
Liliana Hart
Michael Hicks
Amanda Hocking
Debra Holland
Hugh Howey
Nancy C. Johnson
Ty Johnston
Heather Killough-Walden
Selena Kitt
J.A. Konrath
Laura Landon
Eve Langlais
Stephen Leather
Victorine Lieske
John Locke
Terri Giuliano Long
CJ Lyons
H.P. Mallory
KC May
Bob Mayer
Stephanie McAfee
Courtney Milan
Rick Murcer
Scott Nicholson
Anne Marie Novark
Shayne Parkinson
Rose Pressey
Michael Prescott
T.R. Ragan
Terri Reid
Adam Rendon
Lexi Revellian
Imogen Rose
Nick Russell
Michele Scott
Tori Scott
L.J. Sellers
Michael J Sullivan
Laura Taylor
Michael Wallace
Kerry Wilkinson
Rachel Yu

I’d love it if you could let me know of anyone else who should be on this list. I’ll try to keep it up to date. And if I get really ambitious, I’ll link to each of the author’s pages so that you can go buy more of their wonderful books… but I probably should spend that time writing my next one.

Thanks to Lexi Revellian for putting this list on her blog and updating it. And here’s to the day when my name will be on the list…!

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The Subtle Secrets of KDP Select

Posted on March 5, 2012 by patricefitz

Dear Fellow Self-Publishers:

Did you know that your enrollment in KDP Select, that fantastic tool which allows you to pinpoint five “free” days for your book in exchange for a promise of 90 days of Kindle exclusivity, will automatically renew unless you unclick the magic box to keep it from doing so?

The fine print in the KDP Select rules indicates that they will remind you 15 days before your 90-day period is up, so that you can decide whether or not to “re-up.” But you don’t have to wait till then… you can simply unclick the box right now for any titles that you have enrolled. That way you can be sure that you won’t forget, and will be free and able to sell on any platforms you wish as soon as the 90-day period is over.

Of course, I’m a big proponent of KDP Select, which has worked wonderfully for me in getting downloads and reviews for both my own thriller RUNNING and eFitzgerald author Frisky Dimplebuns’ DREAMBOAT — the first of The Frisky Chronicles. But if you are not inclined to continue with the KDP Select program, don’t forget to switch it off before you are locked into another three months of exclusivity.

And I’d love to hear about your own experiences with KDP Select. Did it work for you?

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Favorite Words from Readers

Posted on March 2, 2012 by patricefitz

All authors should keep a list of 5-star reviews at hand to inspire them! Here are some of my favorites:

5 stars!

I picked up RUNNING on Saturday evening and put it down on Sunday at 8:15pm… what a ride! From the strong female lead to the charmer turned villain, the political intrigue and the romantic longing for what might have been, I was riveted to my Kindle. Trying to concentrate on some gardening I found my mind returning to the book and gave up on the roses to head back to the wonderfully rich world that Ms. Fitzgerald has created. (My boys had to make their own dinner but the dog and cat did get fed!)

… RUNNING had me up till the wee hours of the morning! And, when I was not reading it, I was thinking about the characters. This book is at times funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful.

… writing, pace, and storyline were so good that I found myself putting off other things so I could keep reading.

… it grabbed me and didn’t let go. With a fast-paced plot and an unerring feel for the cinematic, Fitzgerald creates a thriller that will resonate not just with political junkies like myself, but the suspense-thriller reader as well.

… Fitzgerald did a superb job with the different points of view. The voices were powerful and distinct. Catherine grew as a woman, a mother, a candidate and an individual, and the blackmailer (I don’t want to give too much away) rapidly spiraled, causing the reader to both hate and pity him while looking upon him with absolute disgust.

… Several times, all I could do was shake my head at the truth behind the scenes.

… Mark my words: Patrice Fitzgerald has a bestseller in the making! I read the whole novel in one sitting, it was that good.

… This story is crying out for a movie adaptation, you’ll mentally be casting it as you read! It breezily moves along the way to a thrilling conclusion, with never a dull moment.

… This is a great piece of writing that belongs on every bestseller list in the country.

… Can’t believe this is a first novel…

… Couldn’t Put It Down

… I loved this book from the very beginning!

… Just when you thought you knew where the story was going it surprised you.

… Terrific plot – I had to keep turning the pages (metaphorically speaking). The characters were intriguing and I had no idea how it would end – always a good thing when you’re reading for escape! Looking forward to the next one.

… A stunning suspense novel,

… You will not be sorry to purchase this — it’s a great read.

… This book was extremely quick moving and engaging.

… My interest was sparked in the first chapter and I just got more involved in the story and characters as I read.

… This was a great read. Catherine is an immensely likeable character – somewhat reminiscent of the Geena Davis president there was a few years ago on television – very intelligent, savvy and warm.

… I absolutely LOVED this book. I picked it up for the train ride home from work and ended up staying up late into the night because I couldn’t put it down. There was everything in the book you could ask for – politics, heart-felt emotion, a riveting story of an attempt to create a storm of controversy for a Presidential nominee (and current Vice President), and more.

… I would absolutely vote for Catherine, a Democrat, for President. And I am a registered Republican! Get this book ASAP – you will be very pleased that you did!

… I really enjoyed Running! Was very surprised this was a first time writer! Excellent job! I have to get pulled into a book very early or I lose interest. Thanks for a great read!

…This was an exciting, interesting, intriguing book with great characters. I highly recommend this book. I read it in two days. I love find a great new author!! Thank you Ms. Fitzgerald.

… Ms. Fitzgerald weaves an intricate plot of romance, suspense, murder! And it’s all told in an easy-to-read, difficult-to-put-down style. She creates characters who may seem familiar, but she’ll surprise you with some twists you couldn’t imagine. A great book!

… I have been up late every night reading it. The descriptions are awesome; I can visualize the people and settings. It is a fast moving book; a real page turner. Part of me wanted to finish it ASAP and find out what happens and another part wanted to savor it because a “good” read is hard to come by. I plan on suggesting it to all my friends. I hope that she writes more, hopefully with Catherine as the protagonist. I miss her already.

Now if that’s not enough to get you up in the morning, I don’t know what is! Thanks to my kind and enthusiastic readers.

Patrice

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Literary Agents Advocating Self-Publishing?

Posted on February 26, 2012 by patricefitz

Well, the world of books has somehow turned upside down! Even established literary agents now acknowledge that self-publishing is a viable, and possibly more lucrative, option for writers.

There is a surprisingly open-minded and encouraging post at Alan Rinzler’s “The Book Deal” blog. Here’s an excerpt:

What do you say to writers who are considering self-publishing?

Candice Fuhrman: In many cases I say GO FOR IT! It’s never been a better time for self- publishing; there are so many options for sell your own e-book. With most major publishers still only paying 25 percent of net for e-book sales, most writers can do better on their own. Of course they have to be marketing demons — but that’s the case no matter who publishes you. Although many agents are becoming “jacks of all trades” with self-publishing authors, we could be called something else — such as a publisher or a production person or a marketer.

Andrea Brown: Some authors we’ve worked with have also done indie self-published e-books but don’t seem to make any money with them. The market is overwhelmed with titles — many badly written or edited — and writers find it’s tough to market. We do tell writers that if their book will be difficult to sell the traditional way (or we do not think we can place it), to go ahead and self-publish — but they must do it well and plan to spend lots of time to market.

Andrea Hurst: For many authors, this is a very viable option today. Indie publishing, especially with e-books, offers a way to get your book directly in the reader’s hands. It is still important to have a high quality product and market your work. Many agents I know are diversifying what services they offer and how they will work with authors seeking nontraditional publishing options. Our agency consults with self-publishing authors through the whole process, offering professional editorial, design and evaluation services.

Bonnie Solow: Self-publishing is a viable option for many writers. There is no barrier to entry and authors can enjoy the satisfaction of maintaining full creative control with an accelerated release schedule. For authors who are entrepreneurial and who can access their readers through online marketing, speaking engagements, and so on, self-publishing can be the right route to take. In the long-term I do think agents will be more and more involved in helping clients self-publish… At this stage, however, authors who come to me are not interested in self-publishing. Instead, they want to enjoy the myriad benefits that come with being published by a major house.

Thanks to Alan for all the great information he shares with writers, and to these bold agents for giving us their perspective. Of course I had to add a comment advocating the vast superiority (and fun!) of self-publishing….

Go read the entire post on “The Book Deal” blog.

And thanks to The Passive Voice for leading me to Alan’s latest post.

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The Wisdom of the Self-Published Author

Posted on February 19, 2012 by patricefitz

M. Louisa Locke wrote a post last August that describes, in great and careful detail, the advantages that those of us who are self-published have attained in this rapidly changing industry. Here’s one of my favorite quotes from her piece, which is well worth your time:

“Once an author has been exposed to the liberating belief that all of their work can get in print, and all the work that is good, will get to be read, they will not go back to telling themselves that the gatekeepers were saving them from the awful mistake of publishing a bad book, and that the favorite quirky cross genre manuscript they wrote really is better off never being read by anyone.”

And one of the things that I would add to Ms. Locke’s admirable list is the inspiration that comes with knowing that your writing is finding an outlet — giving impetus to the very stream of creativity that begets more stories — unfettered productivity being great for writers and readers alike!

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My take on Haruki Murakami’s novel, “1Q84″

Posted on February 8, 2012 by patricefitz

1Q841Q84 by Haruki Murakami

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a provocative book with a certain compelling quality. It took me a while to get into it… and then I was captured. The length was both off-putting and effective — I lived with the story for so long that it attained an unusual power over me. I just finished it this morning, so it’s hard to judge at this point, but I think it will stay with me for a while.



I was surprised by the odd simplicity of the language. I couldn’t tell if this was a result of the translation or the way the author originally used words. In fact, I think that the second translator was better; suddenly the text became more lyrical and evocative during Book III.



Many mysteries were left unexplained, and I was disappointed about that. I realize that this is a kind of dream-narrative, but I think that if you’re going to dangle certain unresolved plot lines, you need to wrap them up — or at least refer to them — when you finish.







View all my reviews

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Calling All Self-Published Authors!

Posted on February 8, 2012 by patricefitz

A very interesting survey designed to get some data on self-publishing straight from the source is described in today’s post on David Gaughran’s “Let’s Get Digital” blog. Answering the questions takes somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes, and it is, of course, anonymous.

The folks that put it together are trying to get 1,000 responses in order to make it statistically significant. So even if you’re new to this fascinating self-publishing journey, please consider participating. One of the best parts of this community of like-minded (brave, honest, thrifty, etc. — sort of like the Boy Scouts) writers is that so many are willing to reach out a helping hand.

So help us learn more about each other and how to sell books by sharing your own experiences.

Thanks!

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Christmas Mitzvahs and New Years Blessings

Posted on December 31, 2011 by patricefitz

It was the day before Christmas, 2010. I hadn’t bought everything I needed for the holiday yet, so I was a bit frantic. As usual, I was performing with a choir on Christmas Eve, so I had places to go and notes to sing.

I had just loaded all my groceries into the car, and was trying get out of the crowded parking lot, when I saw a frazzled-looking woman wandering around from lane to lane pushing her cart. Clearly she had forgotten where she had parked. After some minutes of searching aimlessly, she actually came out with it, wailing to the universe, “I can’t find my car!”

I hesitated for a moment, thinking about the frozen products I had sitting in my trunk, and then figured that it was the perfect day to do a mitzvah — a good deed. I drove my car into the lane where she had just landed (no small feat, considering the frantic drivers maneuvering through the full parking lot to do their critical holiday food shopping), and rolled down my window. I asked her if I could help her find her car.

“Thank you so much,” she says. She is almost crying. She can’t leave her full grocery cart, so I ask her for the license plate number. “I don’t know,” she says.

What kind of car?

“I don’t know; I’m so bad with that. Maybe a Buick. It has four doors.”

What color is it?

“Sort of… champagne.”

Hmm.

“It has an antenna on the rear windshield.”

Okay.

She has half-blonde hair with deep roots, a lot of lipstick, black sequins on her scarf, and turquoise chandelier earrings. I wonder what her story is. She doesn’t know what kind of car she has?

I take off and cruise the parking lot for about 10 minutes without seeing anything that I think could be her car. I finally give up, because I too need to get back home and finish my holiday preparations. And I have so little to go on. I drive back to where she is standing by her cart.

She seems calmer now.

I’m so sorry, I say, I can’t find it at all. Maybe you should go back inside and get someone at the store to watch your cart, and I’m sure they can drive you around until you recognize it….

“Thank you,” she says. “I’ll figure it out. My mother died today.”

I step back, stunned. It takes my breath away.

No wonder she is a little frazzled looking. I hug her, and tell her I am sorry.

I couldn’t find her car for her, but I was glad that I had tried. A small thing to do for another human being. On a day when she needed it.

I lost my mom on December 31st, 1994. Seventeen years ago, but I still miss her. These holidays are rich with layers, remembrances of Christmases past. Joys and sorrows. Beginnings and endings. Coming back around every year and bringing those memories with them.

A few years ago, when my Dad was 85 or so, he couldn’t find his car in the grocery store parking lot. A kind man drove him around in the dark, and when they had to give up, the man drove him home. The next day, in the sunshine, Dad found it parked around the corner from the store. He felt very sheepish. But I was so glad to hear that someone had helped him get home. A kind stranger doing a mitzvah. So last year I paid it forward.

One of my friends is going through domestic turmoil. She is planning to move out of her house, and trying to get herself safely situated before she tackles the bigger questions… like, what is she going to do for the rest of her life? She was driving home from Christmas Eve dinner at her sister’s in the next state, and as she pulled up to a tollbooth, the moneyman waved her through. “The lady up ahead paid for you. She said to tell you Merry Christmas, and God loves you.” Passing it on…

And last year on December 24th, which was the fifth anniversary of the day I pinpoint as the date on which I fell in love with my husband, I was singing with him at a glorious, candle-lit, Christmas Eve service. Right in the middle of “O Come All You Faithful,” when he had quietly stepped out of the bass section of the choir, I heard the ringing sound of his trumpet playing a high descant in harmony with the voices and the organ. As the peels of that bright sound came down all around the church, bringing memories of my Dad, also a trumpet player, and all the Christmases of years past, I felt the amazing miracle of our love. That I found him; that he found me; that we get the chance to make a life together which continues to get sweeter every year.

And last night, just before we fell asleep, I listened again to the voicemail message he left me six years ago on my cell. That Christmas Eve, in 2005, we had seen each other for dinner, then stood and watched the sun go down over Long Island Sound. That’s the moment I think I catapulted into love. But we had to leave each other after dinner to sing at our respective Christmas Eve services.

In the voicemail message, left late that night six years ago, he said that he had thought of me “just as they were lighting the candles at the very end of the service. I was thinking that tonight was so perfect, and I couldn’t think of anything that could have made it more perfect. And then finally I did think of something that would make it even more perfect… and that would be, if I could be singing with you.”

And now I sing with him every day. We have joined our lives.

Miracles do happen.

It’s the holidays again. Seventeen years ago, I lost a mom. Six years ago, I gained a loving partner. Three years ago, I lost a dad. Life goes on, full of joy and grief, and we survive.

Blessings to you as we begin again this year.

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Working on it!

Posted on December 29, 2011 by patricefitz

Welcome to any who wander in here. Kinda empty, isn’t it?

Just getting set up… come back by January 15 and you’ll see a real website.

Soon!

Patrice

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Check out my guest post on David Gaughran’s blog

Posted on January 17, 2012 by patricefitz

I’m thrilled that I got the opportunity to tell my story about the explosion into bestsellerdom (I’m sure that’s not a word!) of my first novel in excruciating detail on the blog of entrepreneurial indie writer and self-publishing guru extraordinaire David Gaughran.

If you want to read about every little moment of my holidaze adventure, after I entered RUNNING into the KDP Select program – of which I am now a devout fan – please click here for the always informative and entertaining “Let’s Get Digital” blog penned by Irishman-turned-Swedish-ex-pat Mr. Gaughran.

And thank you, Dave. It was a treat!

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Don’t be discouraged, writers!

Posted on January 20, 2012 by patricefitz

You know how you get that occasional rough review? Most of my reviews on RUNNING are 5-star, but one or two have been quite scathing. It’s hard not to take them to heart, particularly at first.

But if you want some encouragement, check out this great blog post by M. Edward McNally at “Indies Unlimited” where you will read hilarious and damning reviews, apparently from Amazon readers, of books that are widely touted as some of the best literature ever written.

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National Public Radio shares my story about self-publishing success with RUNNING

Posted on January 20, 2012 by patricefitz


Please have a listen to the Colin McEnroe show, where I was interviewed in connection with the Do-It-Yourself movement. I spoke about publishing, of course, but others covered music and useful open-source inventions.

We discussed the joys and challenges of producing a good ebook and getting the sales moving.

Great show, and lots of fun. Thanks, Colin!

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KDP Select – Adventures in “Free” dom

Posted on January 31, 2012 by patricefitz

Though I read over and over that we self publishers should be PATIENT… I am not by nature a very patient person! So when I had a fantastic result in late December with my best-selling political thriller RUNNING after using a single free day on Amazon’s KDP Select program (8,000 free downloads followed by 1,500+ sales in the next 10 days) I was elated. It lasted for quite a while, but by the end of January sales had settled down to about 5-10 copies a day. So I decided to do it again.

The exciting news is that I saw a torrent of downloads – 9,000 over the two days. The day after, I sold only 5 copies. Big letdown! Yesterday I sold 7, with 2 borrows. Oh well, that’s a little better. But this morning I wake up and RUNNING had sold 30 by 11:00 a.m. A significant improvement. I’ll take those numbers, I figured, particularly if they continue throughout the day. And a Tuesday morning doesn’t typically mean a huge rush to buy ebooks.

As several people have pointed out, the endgame in all this is visibility. Building your brand, and your fan base. Getting yourself higher up on the charts. Getting more reviews. All of this works toward a long-term career as a writer. A writer who writes books worth buying.

I should mention that my price point is higher than most self-publishers. My career plan includes being able to live on my income as a writer, so it’s important to me to price my novels up there with Patricia Cornwell, James Patterson, and others who are published traditionally.

So what do I need to do now? GET MORE GOOD NOVELS WRITTEN. I met with my critique partner today to fine-tune the synopsis (before starting to write) of my next thriller, which starts with the abduction of the Secretary of State in some war-torn former Soviet satellite. Action, suspense, romance, sex, bombs, helicopters, international diplomacy, and a strong woman protagonist. I can’t wait!

Oh, and P.S. I sold 66 copies of RUNNING today. A fabulous result.

Do you have yours yet?

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The Sky Is Falling!

Posted on February 2, 2012 by patricefitz

Jonathan Franzen thinks that the dawn of ebooks means the end of civilization as we know it. He spoke at the Hay Festival in Cartagena, Colombia about his fears concerning the current revolution in publishing:

“I think, for serious readers, a sense of permanence has always been part of the experience. Everything else in your life is fluid, but here is this text that doesn’t change.

“Will there still be readers 50 years from now who feel that way? Who have that hunger for something permanent and unalterable? I don’t have a crystal ball.

“But I do fear that it’s going to be very hard to make the world work if there’s no permanence like that. That kind of radical contingency is not compatible with a system of justice or responsible self-government.”

We’ve been hearing this kind of talk for some time…

“Now that anyone is free to print whatever they wish, they often disregard that which is best and instead write, merely for the sake of entertainment, what would best be forgotten, or, better still be erased from all books.”

The above statement flowed from the quill pen of Niccolò Perotti, a learned Italian classicist, while writing to his friend Francesco Guarnerio in 1471, less than twenty years after the invention of the printing press.

Viva la revolucion!

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