I hope this helps give some insights into the self publishing space! Big thank you to today's sponsor, Campfire: www.campfirewriting.com/write/for-novelists?RU-vid&DG_Q1_23
Hey man, long time watcher here. Just wanted to express that it's great to see you achieving the success and validation that you have worked for over the years while still keeping your soul intact.
Thank you for including the disclaimer that your performance is absolutely not indicative of the self-publishing industry. I was thinking of making a comment about that to warn others but decided to see the whole video first (I initially skipped straight to the numbers), I should have know you would be transparent and very explicit about that :) You are one of the good ones!
I'm sorry if you've answered this before. But what was the lowest price your books ever sold for. You mention total sales, but didn't mention the price range that included. I'm trying to decide which is the best price to start my first book at. $1. (the lowest it will go) or $3 or $6? or more?
This is so helpful. All you hear are the Cinderella stories or the failures, so it's great to hear about success that is just normal and based off building an audience through hard work.
To put those numbers in perspective, I recall Brandon Sanderson saying his first book sold roughly 11,000 copies in the first year of its release. Well done, Daniel!
But of course Sanderson didn't have a RU-vid channel with almost half a million subscribers, so his 11,000 sold copies are actually way more impressive.
@@philippschmidt80 His channel does average 50~90k views these days, which i guess is a fair reach a big publisher like Tor Books could make Sanderson reach in 2005, the situations aren't that comparable since self-publishing wasn't really an option for Sanderson.
The level of transparency you give with everything you do is really commendable, from the money donated to charity to your published works. This is an incredibly useful thing for up and coming authors so thank you!
@@valaja1458 Okay random person on the internet who *definitely* knows that I randomly "get proud" about CEO earnings. Are you a moron? I don't give two F's about what a CEO makes. I never said I did either.
As a writer currently working on self publishing their debut novel, I can’t overstate how much I appreciate you doing this, Daniel. Self publishing is a scary prospect, and resources like this give those of us in the process some really important points to consider. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
@@MastaDRD bet! A retired soldier turned monster hunter gets pulled into a war he was never supposed to be a part of. Now he must decide between the command of his God, and what his conscience believes is right.
Daniel I just gotta say I respect you so much, especially with how transparent you are when so many creators/writers wouldn't bother sharing any of this. I think this is incredibly helpful information to share for those trying to navigate publishing their first works. I have some pretty bad anxiety too so can relate a lot. While you may feel privileged , you've totally earned it with all the hard work you've put into your channel. Seriously, you're an awesome human being. Super proud of you dude!
Dude, you're just such an amazing person to the core. I absolutely respect your transparency about everything, makes you seem like a real, normal person and not just a youtuber putting on a personality for the camera. Love you and keep doing you.
My client made less than 10,000 on his first book upon initial release. However, the second book (Benchley) did better and helped to increase sales of the first book (Sheldon's Song). It helps to write multiple titles as they can each create deeper and more loyal fan baes.
As one of your older fans, I commend you on your professionalism and grace, Daniel. Not only are you a kind person, but you’re damn smart and funny, too. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself here.
Dude, as a fellow self-pub fantasy author, this is unbelievably useful, and I massively appreciate the transparency. Breach of Peace was an awesome read - well deserved!
Hopeful indie author here! I’m sure I won’t get anywhere near your units, but your story is so informative and inspiring! Please make more about IngramSpark and other self publishing tools/avenues. You’re teaching me so much!! 😊
Jeez, Daniel's out here making me question staying with my day job. Seriously though, congrats dude. It's awesome that your books had such an incredible spread!
Congratulations on the success of the books! And thanks for sharing this info. There's such a lack of financial transparency between artists and creators, and it is really helpful and even comforting to know this and understand your particular situation and the circumstances around you as a youtuber and self-published author. Keep up the good work and take care of yourself! And congrats on the house!
First... congratulations on your success Daniel. As an unpublished first-time author, I have pushed any thoughts of money into a dark place, only to be thought about after I had finished my project (a four-book series). As for the money, the bottom-line numbers have always been a mystery to me. What kind of money can an author really hope to make? Frankly, the information I have come across until now has not been very encouraging. This video was very insightful. And if I am really being honest... inspiring and motivating. Thank you for sharing. Fill a man with hope, and he will walk an extra mile.
My guy. I found you a couple years back when I was doing my first WoT re-read since AMoL was published, and I just wanted second screen content to nerd out on while I played games. Its been a journey since, and you've become pretty much the only booktube content creator I follow. I cannot imagine how surreal it must feel to hear your favorite narrators reading your own work. So fuckin' stoked for you.
Your sharing results like this is greatly appreciated! Ten years and fifteen books after getting started in self-publishing, I've yet to gain much traction, so it's nice when people who have a leg up on things acknowledge it with grace and gratitude. You've worked no less diligently than anyone else, though, and your success is fully earned. Congrats!
Thanks for sharing something that very few if any creators would even consider doing. You are one of a kind. Also you went from a booktuber I intentionally avoided to one of my favorite RU-vidrs period. Love your content
I really like how humble you are and how you strive to be better. It's really refreshing to see someone who cares about people more than money and fame.
I think it is really cool to see the success you've had. As a new RU-vidr in the writing/book sphere, it's always helpful to see what the actual numbers are for people trying to make a living via content creation, writing, freelancing, and otherwise self-employed. Been watching you for a long time and am always happy to see you reach these sorts of milestones!
Thank you sooo much for sharing this it's actually really helpful. Selling almost 30k copies in two years is very impressive, even with a big platform! Incredible work!
thank you for doing this video, it's very kind of you. i love yt celebrities because you guys are so grateful for everything you have and put your fans first, it's truly heartwarming.
You deserve everything, you've earned it, and your growth on RU-vid over the past years has been nothing short of inspiring. Wish you even more success in the future!
Huge appreciation for the mention of the advantages your existing platform provided. I’ve been publishing since 2017, also 2 books, and have made a grand total of a couple grand. But I don’t have nearly the same kind of platform, and I hope other writers out there keep that in mind, as you said. Cheers, man
I'm so happy for you! As a teenager that was my dream but it has become apparent that I'm really more of an ideas person than a get it written until completion person. I just can't stick with one idea long enough. I could never really picture my name on a cover anyways so it's cool. I'll perfect my fantasy world one day and maybe I figure something out to do with it. But you are truly an wonderful inspiration, Goblin King!
Massively respect your transparency and well done on the success of your books, really glad the response to them went above and beyond even your most optimistic expectations!
Really happy to know that with right tools, you can be successful as author. I'm nearing a year after publishing on amazon and it's mostly kindle income with 0 physicals sold. good luck to any incoming authors to not give up and keep writing!
Echoing the respect for the transparency you are demonstrating. So rare. And just cool to see this and understand how numbers sold translates into profit.
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Firstly, it's not an 'unfair advantage' when you built an entire (successful) youtube channel and subsequent community with your sweat and effort. That's part of the sauce and it's good, honest work. Outside of that, these insights are super important for upcoming authors. Really informative and gives a lot of great perspective for aspiring writers such as myself. Cheers buddy, let yourself have the moment. Thank you.
holy crap, im glad you were so successful. i wasn't ready for those numbers. glad you shared this with us as reveal financials is really personal and can attract unwanted ire.
This is really exciting! I'm about midway through the copy editing process of my first book, and I'm figuring out artwork while I wait. It's pretty nerve racking, but the support for new writers in seeing on here cools me off. Thanks for the space!
That is so exciting for you! I have both of your books in the physical copies, and I am so excited for your next one! You should be so proud of yourself!
Thank you sir for everything you have done with your books. I went to my local bookstore and saw two copies of Breach of Peace, a pretty underrated book for all the schlock coming out nowadays.
Aa much as it was obviously your first attempt at publishing, and it did have issues, I enjoyed the hell out of both of them, and the least I could do for all the years of hard work and books you've turned me onto over the last 4 years was to read yours! Really excited for the new book, but can't wait to get past the two book prologue (taking notes from Iordan, eh?) And to the main story! Either way. Thanks for the transparency and all you do!
As someone working towards getting my first book written and thinking about self-publishing, I appreciate your transparency and desire to do what you can to help create space for independent creators and publishers. Thank you for this video!
Big congrats Daniel! Any privilege you feel that you have is completely earned by the work you've put in building your channel. As an aside, despite watching many self publishing videos, I didn't know until you mentioned it that Google sold books!
I love that you did this. I wish every author was honest about their sales and how well their books do. I'm always impressed with how you handle things in the industry. Thank you!
Thank you for doing this. It's commendable and inspiring to be honest. I've always wanted to write and independently publish. It's good to know what could be, even if it's the exception to the norm for those without an established marketing platform. Well done, Sir!
Congrats! Well done. Transparency, honesty, integrity, authenticity...all go a long way in having success these days. People are looking for these traits, since so much of social media is just the opposite.
This is awesome, Daniel. Your humility, honesty, and vulnerability is, to be honest, genuinely inspiring. Not only on the channel as a reader, but also as an author in how you conduct yourself here. Plus, as an indie-published author myself, I simply appreciate this video for its practical wisdom and helpfulness. And dude, I’m so happy for you in this blossoming career. Almost 30,000 copies? Amazing. I can’t even fathom. I published my horror novel through IngramSpark at the end of September last year (and oh, man, I agree, their design tools and all were brutally frustrating). I had low expectations but, like you-despite my paralyzing uncertainty in the face of self promotion and marketing-I feel incredibly lucky with the mild success my book has seen. It received a positive Kirkus Review, and one from SF Book Review. Barnes & Noble approved it for distribution to their top horror stores. And, in 6 months, it’s sold now over 1,000 copies, which isn’t substantial in comparison to many things, I know. But for me that is still a mind blowing number, just as surreal as the positive reviews the book is getting from readers. It feels like such a surreal dream come true. This video is such a valuable resource, plus an inspiration. Thank you 🙏
Man I subscribed to your channel in early 2019 and it's been really incredible seeing the growth of both the channel itself and your career. From telling me why I should read Wheel of Time (I did and it was awesome) to being self-published to a trad publishing deal. It's been super inspiring and this channel was a big part of me switching to a librarian career path. I'm looking forward to the day when you've got a big Tor-published best seller I can stick on my Staff Picks shelf!
This is Giga Chad transparency, Daniel! Thanks so much for being so awesome and self-aware. ✨ I actually think this is a wonderful dose of motivation for some of us who write with a guilty conscience, worrying that writing is a waste of time and never financially beneficial.
I predicted a cool 100k, but to see that you made more warmed my heart, damn, that's the good stuff. Seeing your success encourages my own ambitions forwards. Congrats Daniel, you've earnt your success, and I look forward to reading and listening to more of your work!
Thank you for this video! :) I'm so appreciative of your transparency, not only in your sales but in your mental health too. With my first book published I've been struggling to make any content or progress on book 2. Because of my ADHD and anxiety, I even went through the same video-plans-fading-into-the-constant-tension-I-feel. XD It's so encouraging to see you find your way through that, cause it gives me hope I will too.
Daniel please do a self publishing masterclass, even if you have to charge for it, like a Patreon exclusive or something. Your previous video on it with Evan Winter was very useful, but some of us could use a more detailed breakdown
I'm just glad this means you'll keep making books! I couldn't read them when they came out but I'm working my way through the second audiobook now and enjoying it.
Daniel your honesty, your transparency is refreshing it's part of why I follow this channel, Sanderson was the first author I've invested in with little to no personal exposure to his writing , this video put you as the second.
I know it's considered cool to just shit on youtubers and social media personalities for being successful at their jobs, but I really can't say enough how happy I am for you man. You made something you love and its loving you back. I hope I likewise can publish a story in the future. Till then, Im cheering for you. Cant imagine a more deserving indy author, cheers!
Daniel, your success is more than well earned! Sure you have the advantage of your audience backing, but don't underplay the fact that you've worked super hard to get that in the first place! We are all so proud of how far you've come, both as a content creator and an author; I'm sure I can speak for all of us when I say I can't wait to see what's in store for you next 😊 I personally appreciate your transparency throughout your career. It makes you come across as a genuine guy, rather than a fake personality. I also find this sort of information interesting, and highly beneficial to those looking into self publishing. It gives them a starting point, as not many people are willing to talk personal finances. Thanks Daniel, keep up with the great content, have a great day, peace ✌😊
You do not have unfair advantage over other authors. You build your channel from scratch yourself, then used your work to promote your other work. It all came from you. You did not have to start from nothing, but only because it was already done. Part of making money from writing is finding a way to sell, and promote.
Yes, you're right in saying that he did the build the channel from scratch and then used it to promote his other work, but he also does have an advantage because of the channel he built. You even say yourself later in the comment that he didn't have to start from nothing but that's because it was already done, what you just described is an advantage.
He absolutely does have an advantage. It is an advantage he worked very hard for, but an advantage nonetheless. Not something he should feel bad for though, of course -- take every advantage you can get!
@@willenhall12345 Mate. Use your reading skills, please :p and, I guess listening skills too? :p they guy in the video claimed to have an unfair advantage. The OP commented that it wasn't unfair, because the guy worked to get where he is.
I really, really appreciate your transparency. Your channel is such an invaluable resource on this stuff, and it’s been really cool and helpful seeing how you got it done!
Really happy to see your success on these books, personally I believe you deserve all success you receive! Appreciate the transparency as well and cool to see the insights of this type of world. The battle of anxiety is a ongoing struggle but super proud (idk if that’s the right word but ima roll with it) to see you take another step in that journey ❤
Fellow fan here and I have to say: I TRULY APPRECIATE THE LEVEL TRANSPARENCY YOU ARE SHOWING! I already purchased your first 2 books purely to support you (they are on my TBR and hope to read them soon) but with how amazing you are being with the whole thing, just know you have a loyal supporter that will continue to support you on your publishing journey! Also: hoping for a beautiful Wraithmark edition of one or more of your books so i can support that as well. I would always love to have something by your that is autographed. :) Best of luck on your publishing journey, glad i can go on it with you.
You've done a great job on RU-vid as well as in your self-publishing. The thing I love the most is how you continue to focus on getting better. The thing A lot of people do not realize and I think you do now. Is the impact of momentum. If you have 1,000 people who are willing to go out and buy your book on day one you will jump to the top of the charts. Which will then grab the attention mainstream readers and chart Watchers.
I can't believe quirky-yet-relatable RU-vidr Daniel Greene would dunk on us with all of the money he made from his books! Seriously, this was fascinating. We get a peek at the guts of self publishing that is usually relegated to the shadows thanks to you. It's important to know what realistic expectations should look like so aspiring authors can appropriately temper expectations.
