99% Of Books Won’t Make Their Money Back - Anna David 

Anna David makes writing a book sound like getting a PhD insofar as cost and benefit, or possibly better. Maybe like a self-directed PhD.

Most of the population doesn't read. How sad.

Thanks for the information About the book industry However... This makes wonder with a crushing sadness why should I even try writing as a career? This depressing and disheartening

thats not the average its lower

published author

@@ingridalexander8368 you have to take matters into your own hands. sell books at a flea market, craft fair, etc. make the connection with people.

😎

On the off chance you read my comment: I will be doing the same thing as well for my novels. Was 20k sold books from sitting outside of that bookstore, or is that different? Any advice for sitting out on the corner? Can it be anywhere in the city? Are there limits to this? Thanks!

Amazing! Thank you for posting!

Wow!

Way to make your mark by standing out from the crowd through leveraging your other passions 👍

Your book helped me learn Java! Thanks Kathy and Bert :)

@@kdawghomie you just made my week 🙏🤸‍♂️

I don't think you actual watched the video...

So few authors write anything worth buying though. Sadly, writers aren't entitled to readers.

People need to read more.

@@43pages55 yeah but they'd probably read genre thrash like hunger games and the like.

IMAO, in this day and age, Nothing gets you your money back. The minute you do the maths, every creative enterprise isn't $ worth it. The only plans that work incorporate a massive grift or a lot of schoozing as the lady in the video said. You make money on the "how to do X" self help course/YT channel you run, not the doing of the X. Solution: 1. Get a job. 2. Create for the love of it. If you love what you're doing, it's

Cheers Austin! We think you will have more success than most! What is the new book?

@@filmcourage ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OuP-0r9rSIw.html

At least you did what you set out to do. That's the real challenge. I wish you luck with your book😊!

Oh look, it's Austin McConnell!

@@filmcourage given he has almost 1.5 million people in his audience, I would have to agree. He's probably going to do better than most.

When the Chinese EMP missile attack happens, as long as you have some candles and sunlight, you can keep reading.

99% of books are not worth reading.

The perception of people who are fairly intelligent is that they're really just average and everyone is similar. The fact is that (as George Carlin puts it) Half the people you will meet are below average intelligence. Most people don't read, don't care, don't follow politics, don't know issues, don't know history or geography. They live in whatever is personally important to them and don't consider 5 or even 1 move ahead in any measure of abstract. We like to be generous and say things like 'they're too busy raising a family or working" but that's just trying to explain from an intelligent viewpoint why someone intelligent wouldn't find time for such things. It's simply not important to them or takes them beyond their level of comfortable comprehension.

Addiction is addiction bro

What kind of books do you read? What are some of your favorite title? Its nice someone still reads.

What did you do to market it / get it promoted?

130k copies???? Try 50...

@@luis.m.yrissonhe has more than 500 reviews on goodreads

Love the hustle and positivity good luck and may you hit your goals

Self-Published books don't count. Not in any way.

Pretty ironic that someone would read _Eat Pray Love_ because they didn't want to look stupid.

@@joemerino3243 Or worse, Fifty Shades of Grey.

Speaking of books, in The Power of Habit, it talks about the most influential things that cause people to change, including revolutions/movements. According to it, The Civil Rights Movement only took off because, even though black people had been killed, not just imprisoned for refusing to get up for a white person, Rosa Parks was well known and liked in her community. And it got to be people participated because at that point they were more concerned about being seen riding the bus when others were striking, than to picket the bus. It also said the group most likely to follow through on plans like hitchhiking across Europe for the summer before college or something, are those belonging to religious groups. It's not that religion provides the support to stick to it, it's that more people will know they failed to follow through. So much is about what others think.

​@@joemerino3243I suppose it's not so much that they don't want to appear to be stupid but rather they don't want to be left out of the social circle, they don't want to appear to be _uncool._ In a way perhaps this only reinforces your point...

Maybe selling the truths that fiction teaches us? (Not trying to sound like an expert. Just throwing out a possible)

from my own experience, I have stopped buying books (for entertainment), and viewing TV and Movies has completely stopped. I consume a massive amount of audio books mostly LitRPGs, Fantasy and Sci-Fi.

My exact thought. I don't see how her "sell yourself as an expert" makes sense for fiction writers...but then she constantly references them! It's frustrating. Sure, Stephen King can sell himself as an expert on writing and sell services on that for the rest of his life. Got it. But what does early King sell himself as an expert in?

Self-published my first book a year ago with KDP, never expecting to make money -- and I didn't! But I did get my book into the hands of hundreds of readers. And that was my goal. Of course I had dreams of it taking off, and maybe it will someday, but that was never the goal. KDP allows you to ignore the publishing industry (which seems to be consuming itself) and get published. A lifelong dream. Making a living from writing has always been a rare thing, like music or any other creative pursuit.

That’s just one business model. There are so many avenues to take as a fiction writer.

How many of these bands loan the money to the record label companies? They all just show up and expect an advancement? If they aren't bringing anything besides an idea to the table. They have no confidence, and likely do not know how to handle their finances.

To be honest I think this is pretty much the standard in any business where there is a main entity supporting smaller entities and basically underwriting them, whether it is publishing music and books all the way to private equity. One way or another most of your Ventures are going to fail or your opportunities are not going to turn big, so you essentially have to cultivate a stable of them except your losses in return for the one or two that hit it big. this is just good business sense and generally wise resource investment

I started my music career as a bassist for a rock band. I was in high school then about to turn 16 and my pals and I thought that we will become BIG ROCK STARS. We jammed at my friends garage and wrote our own songs. We wore leather jackets and torn jeans.. I couldn't stand long hair, but my friends grew their hair down to their shoulders and beyond. Since, I really sucked at playing the base guitar and didn't have the right vocals, the band members fired me. That day I sold my guitar and amp to a pawn shop and walked into the locally owned record store, where we had kept our Tapes for sale. We never sold more than 10 tapes and that too to our family members.. Lol. I sat down to listen to a KISS Tape ANIMALIZE, which had just hit the market. While sitting with headphones on and listening to KISS, I remembered a statement Gene Simmons of KISS said on a Television interview, "Never let someone spoil your dreams." This was echoing in my head, but what could I do, my buddies had let me down by firing me from the band and they were right, I had really NO talent in playing the base guitar even though I practiced everyday. I had sold my Fender Bass guitar and Marshall Amp for a whopping hundred bucks.. I think that I just gave the Bass paddle away. Jimmy and his wife Loren were the owners of the music store and were really cool hippy types. I bought the KISS tape and told Jimmy what happened to me. His wife, Loren was behind the counter and she asked me if I want to work at their music store... I almost said NO, but lucky for me, I said "Yeah, I guess so." and just like that my life changed. My dad was an executive at a multinational company and he didn't approve of my dreams of being a Rock Star.. Lol, but he always liked the idea of hard work and being focused on the job at hand. When I told him that I will be working at the music store he was pleased, but told me that keep my grades up so that I can go to college. Since I was a NERD, and loved to read books it was easy to do. I was a classic NERD, I wore thick rimmed glasses and had a vast book collection and owned a computer way back in 1983 an IBM model 5160 PC/TX. I even got locked in the closet by my elder brother when his girlfriends came visiting. It was such a regular occurrence that I had a flashlight in there with a few books and a peanut butter sandwich or gummy bears. All that slowly changed when I started working in the music store.. Life as a certified Nerd became cool. The movie NERDS came out around that time. I worked for Jimmy and Loren at the record store and met Radio Station DJ's who gave me tickets to Rock concerts and invited me to the radio station to stack up records and play tapes on the radio. I met big record label reps from EMI, SONY,(then it was called CBS Records), RCA, MCA, Warner Music Group, PolyGram The BIG 6 and also Capital Records and a few smaller labels. I started working for this guy Tony whom I had met at the Rock Radio Station, he was a concert promoter and booked Bands at the local night clubs and larger venues. He was everything a promoter should be... flashy, sharp and always happy. My old pals with the garage Rock Band went broke, they never sold a tape, they couldn't even get booked at a venue even as an opening act. And there I was shaking hands with David Coverdale of Whitesnake, Stephen Pearcy of RATT, Lou Gramm of Foreigner, Brian Johnson of AC/DC and many more... I worked backstage, helped out whoever needed help in setting up stuff, met a lot of road crews, technical people, stage managers etc.. Yeah, Tony really opened many doors for me and got me into showbiz. Tony knew so many people from L.A. to NYC and especially Las Vegas. Tony died in a car wreck in 1993 somewhere in Texas. I was in college when I learnt about his death. I worked my way into the record business and the entertainment business by doing grunt jobs at first then after college I worked for a TV network, and finally in transitioned into the Movie Business. I am thinking of writing a book about my experiences, but I don't think that it will sell. I did meet Gene Simmons at an event, but I didn't have time to thank him for his words of wisdom... "'Never let someone spoil your dreams.".

The reason why musicians spend money on t-shirts to sell on tour. They're probably making a large chunk of money on that alone. And keeping your fan web site up to date and exciting.

“Look beyond your product”. Yes! (Which could also be a slogan on some merch 😂)

Exactly. Most writers even NYT Bestsellers have full time jobs or side gigs. This should be obvious to anyone who reads the author bio on the back cover. It would typically read: they live in X, married with two dogs, and works in X industry, teachers at X school, or a journalist for X news magazines/blogs. Most people don't become Stephen King's where they can live off their writing alone.

The book war of art by stephen pressfield says the same thing. But always the challenge is: do I write for myself or an audience in mind. I think knowing where the two intersect is helpful. If you can strike a cord in your own soul that also exists in the masses, you’ve hit gold.

Well you need food and a place to live, and for that you need readers or you have to give it up

@@deason2365 Most writers don't live off their writing though. It's a side gig. That's even true for "bestsellers".

​@@philipclinder1I think there's no problem writing for both yourself at the audience, so long as you would be satisfied if in the worst case it was only you reading it. that is, there is nothing wrong with wanting and audience, so long as it is an added benefit. Of course even then fighting for the audience means you would appreciate them writing it even if they never paid you a dollar. if you are not only not writing for or even for the audience, but purely for the profit, then you are not going to do well

I laugh at your comment. When I as 21 I published my first book. I'm 46 and now on #75 as a reliable second income. My first book was a history book and folks were SOOOO excited. I got invited to local events as the soon to be published author. Etc. etc. It came out. I self-published 200 copies that sold out in 6 months. I'm 100% sure nobody ever read it. If they did they were polite, cause looking back it was pretty poorly written. But, I never heard a thing, even in passing. Like yourself I got opportunities, including writing for two newspapers and being part of a lecture series. But, yeah, nobody ever read it.

For what it is worth, I have read some really impressive " Dummies" books, but always felt the Author basically surrendered to anonymity for the sake of the information. Was amazed the quality of information as well as how comprehensive and functional they can be, as they look a little 'tacky' from the cover. They are excellent reference books in Libraries in particular. I am sure yours has been really appreciated by many.

All industries are cruel. Be tough.

Thanks for watching and posting!

My advice: Forget books publishing etc. and find better job, which can,t be done by AI. During the last year I ve got 3 diplomas, because my publishing business was going to be over. And it was a true decision to get new skills, to change the topic let's say😵sad story, but reality is this. 😢thanks for the honest talk❤I spent 18 years of my life for books and now it.s almost over, I can't believe in it still

​@@priori7706 if you played a bit with AI you would know that AI is shit at writing novels

@@Thenoobestgirl yes,now it is. But what about 5 yrs later? And there re proofreading or editing, design. It can be replace by ai now, as we know publishers already use ai to product illustrations.

​@@priori7706human effort will still have value. We shouldn't settle for stories that don't come from lived experiences.

Thank you for posting!

@@filmcourage you're welcome. If someone like myself with no prior background in book publishing can do it anyone can. However it still requires hard work, time, and money. But if you love what you do then it is no longer considered work but a labor of love. Go for it people!

how much does it cost to self-published? Do you have to go on social media to promote your books? Thanks in advance for your time

It's because you read the blurb and the first page and they are terrible and then the entire shelf is filled with identically written books.

Awards, grants, writer in residence positions, reading event fees, etc. It still won't be a huge amount, but you can make a living off of it

It's like those TV ads that claim, "How To Make Money In _____" (whatever). If it's such a great system then why do you need to sell a book about it?

Totally scammy! This interview was the first filmcourage video that made me *cringe*

Pat Flynn is a genius online marketer...but I agree, the "a book is the best business card" philosophy is a primary symptom of the sick publishing industry. NO book of that ilk will be deemed a classic. None of them will be remembered, much less valued, in a single generation. Culture is eating itself and we all know what gets left over.

You mean this lady paid to be on here?

Of course it is scummy, it is a scumbag move. But that guy is doing, and what this woman is suggesting is just the print version of what every influencer and RU-vidr is trying to do: convince you of their false expertise, or more generally create in you the need to consume something that ultimately returns no real value, so that they can suck up your money. In short, in the world of completely a moral Relentless unmitigated prophecy can you always have to make yourself into the product, you always have to engage in a kind of prostitution, in order to give the audience anything desirable. This is both a result of our current economic system, and more specifically the fact that most of the people trying to sell you these things are actually completely worthless individuals themselves comprehens why their books don't really have any value.

Congrats on self publishing your second book! Was your first book also self-published?

What's the total cost? And do they go easy on you editing-wise since it's you who's paying? ;)

Thanks for posting!

Great to see you enjoy this one! We are currently finishing up our full interview with Anna. Here is everything we have published so far - bit.ly/3Y2vwzy

@@filmcourage Thanks so much!

Self pub isn't possible for everyone. Plenty of people can't afford the up front cost and/or don't have the time+energy+ability to essentially start a business (or the desire, tbh). And the odds of your book(s) becoming sustainable income aren't much better than trad either. It's awful for writers all around, these days.

Best of luck!

I don't see why people are taking this as a negative. If you actually watched the video you would see that it's even easier to make money now then in the past.

Don't be downhearted. Fiction authors are still selling books. Get the genre right, write a good book, get a shit hot cover and you have a good start. Don't let her experience put you off. A lot of writers are making a good living - you just need to write good stuff and put out a good product. I reckon her genre is not very popular which is why she's struggling to make sales

mine too. i just got over my learning curves feeling like "yes! i finally get this!" only to arrive at this crossroad while researching costs of printing etc. before finding this video. yikes! im still watching the vid though. i guess we just have to think smart and non linear about how to get the dough according to the video. that's what i am getting out of it.

@ Lukie666 Wow! It seems to me …… you are a “ WALKING NICHE? “ Your sheer lifelong ability to “choose” great books to read….. and hone the ability to “ bypass “ the desire to fall into the rabbit hole of TV watching! That is a marketable skill in itself! I could see you branding that area with a weekly podcast; ( showcasing a cool little opening jingle,… an even cooler name of that podcast, and you breaking the broadcast into 3 segments: 1) talk about what you’re reading- describe how each book makes “you” feel……. 2) teach the ART OF BOOK LAYERING! showing how to refine the skill of choosing the genre of reading material; stacking the writing in ( perhaps 20 minute layers ) to acquire the ( mood ) an individual may be seeking thus inventing “ mood customization “.idk? 3) maybe have a guest appear on the podcast that has written or is in the process of writing a story….. and the techniques used for inspiration. These are just a rough idea of offerings that maybe those who have, need to, or want to catch the literary fire that has “YOU”; caught utilizing the TV- less world of intrigue, desire, humor, and quest for thrills that ONLY….. reading can offer! I enjoy reading, but writing short stories, and composing alternative jazz ballads to accommodate those stories; along with drawing, painting, titles and visuals to support such stories is what I’ve set out to do since my semi- retirement 5 years ago. I too haven’t had a TV in my home for 20 years now…. I’m at peace in my home music studio when not running my small side business. I think it’s important not to indulge in any “mood altering help” besides coffee…… lol……. as I find working off plenty of rest….. and a over active imagination….. is all I require, as well as writing the story in long hand. ( note: I find writing in long hand allows me the luxury of looking back at my former ideas and passages; many times I find that my “original scribblings “….. had the seeds of truth that my revised editing had inadvertently weeded out…….. I also use pencil because the sound of graphite on paper has a soothing sound …. at least to me… lol) I’m taking my time writing my book about a world where music is the language that mostly defines each character……. It’s a little challenging to put into words because there are soooo many moving parts involved. I’m going to flesh out each character while building a world for each…. It will be a either animated short series of 30 minute movies eventually; ( approximately 3 to 5 years to produce)…. hopefully….. the merchandise sold from this franchise will keep me sustained….. I’m not trying to become rich or famous….. I enjoy simplicity and privacy….. lol ….. that’s only if the characters and music I associate with this “unique world “ will strike a nerve…. …… and ….. resonate with future fans. Anyway, I think Anne is right…….. the world wants more….. a book seems one dimensional, while video games and visuals are 3 dimensional…… Soooo, competing for eyeballs and attention is ruthless today. I’m using the skills of a writer’s imagination to create a alter- universe; so to speak, to tie in possibilities for fans…… but…. I actually don’t won’t to blow up and be the next big thing either! Just…….. something to produce at my own pace….. with no pressure from anyone…… Well, …….. I’m still at the beginning stages of this undertaking….wish me luck….. lol Hopefully, you will find your super power too?………. It looks like you have a good start! All the best, 🎼RAIN 🎼 🕯

*Disney has entered the chat*

These days people buy cookbooks? Are those mostly old people or genz?

​@@Kathakathan11 hunting for recipes can be quite fun. its like culinary archeology

@@Kathakathan11 You'd be surprised how cookbooks remain popular even with the younger generations. Of course, the main readers are boomers and genz, but many millenials are still interested in them. And then you have the yearly release of tv chefs that are always popular.

reeks?

@@dannyarcher6370 Figure it out. I'm sure you're at least slightly intelligent.

Weird to insult someone with two positive qualities lol.

@@Laocoon283 I didn't insult anyone. What are you talking about anyway?

Some fiction authors are killing it. I think she's not writing in a genre that people want

All is not lost. Cuz Isn’t that how movies make money. Take a trending topic/problem and shed light on it with your fiction.

I've included a link in my Kindle book version to my book's website and to Amazon to leave a review. Of course this doesn't work in the "dead tree" version, but no one buys that.

@@pageandink Chasing trends is almost never a good idea.

It's not necessarily using it to become a teacher, it's using it to provide a service. You're a creative so be creative. What services could you offer?

In a way, you would probably need to be a teacher to apply this principle as you could offer writing advice, publishing tips etc., e.g. on story and structure, characters, worldbuilding, techniques and routines, mindset, the technical side of it, all building on your own experience (probably better you have several books for that, though). But you could also involve your fan base and offer them immersive experiences in your world, e.g. letting starting a writing project in a membership group where they contribute their ideas and you're building the story together, maybe involving someone who can draw characters and scenes too. Just some ideas that came up.

@@SuBeKuTah that is very interesting thank you

@@SuBeKuTah Yep. Create a youtube channel. Seeing a lot of authors blowing up on youtube. Having finished novel gives you some authority, helps grow your channel.

"No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money." -- Samuel Johnson

Now I really want to read it -_-

Cheers! A new one goes up tonight at 5pm PST!

Thank you for watching!

I'm sitting here in a Starbucks working on my Masterpiece fiction novel, on my MacBook PRO, wearing a Trilby and I take that personally! ☕💻💦

Cheers!

We plan to interview more authors. (One new clip with a fiction writer and teacher went up tonight). Here is a previous video we published on the topic being a full-time author. This is just one person's perspective - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-t0O1IoeMXSw.html

I hear you. I read therefore I am, but this video was not about readers, reading or books. Just about $$

@@filmcourage oh snap! I'll watch them later tonight! You guys rock!

I think you missed the point. She's saying it can bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars as a funnel.

She’s selling her “consulting services” to people who aren’t writers….

I rather Self-Publish any time. But I also wanna spend more time gaining an online audience, so that they'd be familiar with my work. I don't want to really on traditional publishing because it could be creatively limiting.

Do you really have to ask this question? Do you even need to pin this comment?

​@@christopherthibeault7502You act like the answer is self-evident and yet you don't weigh in on which side is 'evidently' correct. So, yeah. A valid question for FilmCourage to ask. For me, the answer is indie if you already have a niche target market that the big five aren't going to offer much more access to, presuming you have the money to self publish. If you don't already have an audience or the funds to hire out editing, art, and marketing, traditional publishing remains the better option to shoot for.

​@@onenof10 Excellent point. If you don't have an audience or a social media presence than getting a publisher, if one will have you, is the better way to go. But if you're at all a serious writer in this day-and-age then there really is no excuse for not having a large social media presence from Facebook to Instagram.

@@noteem5726 I'd rather be writing a book than waste my time on social media. And before you ask, no, I don't sell many books. But I get to be happy.

I don't think so. Not true for fiction writers