Comprehensive Self-Publishing Survey – Please Participate!

[dgaughran]

The average self-publisher sells 100 books. Or is it 200? And is that in a year? Or is it over the lifetime of the book? The problem is, we have no idea at all, no way of measuring how we are doing.

Steven Lewis (the brains behind the Taleist blog) has put together a comprehensive survey of self-publishers and I have a guest post from him explaining the thinking behind it. Please take the time to take the survey - it only takes a few minutes - and it will give us an accurate picture of how self-publishers are doing, and what helps them sell books.

http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/comprehensive-self-publishing-survey-please-participate/

I've nothing to do with the survey (other than advising on the questions and helping to promote it), but if you have any questions, I'll try and answer them.

[Guardian]

Done. Around 60 questions. I'm curious for the results.

[dgaughran]

You may have to wait a little. I think it's going to be a month or two before all the results are collated (depending on the number of responses, of course). But it will all be shared when ready.

[Bards and Sages (Julie)]

Question #26
I would rather sell my books cheaply or give them away to get more readers
I would rather charge a higher price and make more money from fewer readers

That rather assumes it is impossible to both sell at market price AND have volume, doesn't it?

[EveLanglais]

I answered your survey but your traditional publishing statement is a tad confusing. I am published by several small epresses, not the big traditional ones. But because of that I did answer traditional. Also, numbers are hard to figure out given the epublishers still haven't given all the nubmers for 2011 yet. Not to mention Smashwords is still reporting my indie stuff for Dec. But, I guestimated lol in those instances

[SentientSurfer]

Finished the survey - note - Amazon no longer has a $100 payment threshold. You might want to change that.

Question #26
I would rather sell my books cheaply or give them away to get more readers
I would rather charge a higher price and make more money from fewer readers

That rather assumes it is impossible to both sell at market price AND have volume, doesn't it?

He's asking which of those two choices you'd prefer. Not what would be optimal.

[George Everyman]

I hate doing surveys BUT I did this one because you've from Sweden and Sweden took in American draft resisters during the Vietnam War.

[dgaughran]

Thanks to everyone who participated.

@Julie

That one gave me pause. I didn't come up with the questions - just advised on an early draft along with a bunch of other self-publishers.

With some of the questions, I think you have to choose the answer which is closest. That one was tricky, but I plumped for the second (but still having doubts about it).

@Eve

That sounds fine to me.

P.S. All your December Smashwords numbers should be in now.

@SentientSurfer

There is still a $100 payment threshold for those being paid by check (which includes all international writers).

@George

I'm only living in Sweden! I'm from one of those ghastly neutral countries: Ireland.

[SentientSurfer]

@SentientSurfer
There is still a $100 payment threshold for those being paid by check (which includes all international writers).

I live in the US and have been paid by check several times in amounts under $100 - just so you are aware. Maybe they really like me. That's a neat thought.

[dgaughran]

I live in the US and have been paid by check several times in amounts under $100 - just so you are aware. Maybe they really like me. That's a neat thought.

It's definitely in place for international authors. The survey is a global one, so I guess they are picking one benchmark that works for everyone.

[amiblackwelder]

The average self-publisher sells 100 books. Or is it 200? And is that in a year? Or is it over the lifetime of the book? The problem is, we have no idea at all, no way of measuring how we are doing.

Steven Lewis (the brains behind the Taleist blog) has put together a comprehensive survey of self-publishers and I have a guest post from him explaining the thinking behind it. Please take the time to take the survey - it only takes a few minutes - and it will give us an accurate picture of how self-publishers are doing, and what helps them sell books.

http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/comprehensive-self-publishing-survey-please-participate/

I've nothing to do with the survey (other than advising on the questions and helping to promote it), but if you have any questions, I'll try and answer them.

I sold 250 my first year, 1250 my second year, and this year is doing very well with what looks like finally a big change:)

[Chrystalla]

I participated. 

[Kathleen Valentine]

I hate doing surveys BUT I did this one because you've from Sweden and Sweden took in American draft resisters during the Vietnam War.

How noble.

Took it -- some answer choices were a bit odd though.

[otterific]

It'll be interesting to see the results

[EC Sheedy]

The average self-publisher sells 100 books. Or is it 200? And is that in a year? Or is it over the lifetime of the book? The problem is, we have no idea at all, no way of measuring how we are doing.

Steven Lewis (the brains behind the Taleist blog) has put together a comprehensive survey of self-publishers and I have a guest post from him explaining the thinking behind it. Please take the time to take the survey - it only takes a few minutes - and it will give us an accurate picture of how self-publishers are doing, and what helps them sell books.

http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/comprehensive-self-publishing-survey-please-participate/

I've nothing to do with the survey (other than advising on the questions and helping to promote it), but if you have any questions, I'll try and answer them.

Picked up on this survey this morning on Twitter. Just about the last thing I wanted to do was fill out a survey, but I did.  Because I think pulling together information--as objectively as possible--at this stage in the epubbing game is important. So I'm with you, David, in suggesting anyone with an interest in ebooks and their growth contribute to this survey.

As you said, it only takes a few minutes.

[Bards and Sages (Julie)]

How noble.

Took it -- some answer choices were a bit odd though.

I definitely felt like I was being shoe-horned into specific types of answers.  And some I'm not even sure what he means.  Qhat does #13 mean?  What does "regularly workshop" my writing mean?  How are they defining a workshop?  I'm pretty sure he is not thinking of the same thing I am thinking.

Most surveys have an "agenda" of sorts.  It is hard to avoid. But this is really geared to get specific answers.

For example, all of the questions about "traditional publishing" only apply to print full length books.  I was "traditionally published" by paying publishers long before I self-published, but it was all short fiction and poetry (yes, I am one of those rare people who has actually been PAID for her poems lol).  But there is no option for that in most of the survey questions.  

#30 doesn't even have an option to chose "advertising" or "press releases" or any normal promotional activities in regards to activities that generate sales.  No matter how many people participate, the results are going to be artificially scewed toward "non-paid ad" options as online.  Yet oddly, #32 specifically asks about paid ads.  So the end result will be something like:

"Look, 40% of the respondents paid for ads at some point, but the survey proves paid ads don't work."  

I GUARANTEE YOU that is how the results are going to be interpreted, even though the paid ad options were not offered in question #30.

[Bards and Sages (Julie)]

#40 doesn't even make sense.  It HAS to add up to 100%?  But half of what I do to market isn't even on the list!

#46 really should have differentiated between free downloads and paid sales.  This is going to mess up the results significantly. 

[foreverjuly]

Done, but it took longer than I thought it would.

[Beatriz]

The average self-publisher sells 100 books. Or is it 200? And is that in a year? Or is it over the lifetime of the book? The problem is, we have no idea at all, no way of measuring how we are doing.

Steven Lewis (the brains behind the Taleist blog) has put together a comprehensive survey of self-publishers and I have a guest post from him explaining the thinking behind it. Please take the time to take the survey - it only takes a few minutes - and it will give us an accurate picture of how self-publishers are doing, and what helps them sell books.

http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/comprehensive-self-publishing-survey-please-participate/

I've nothing to do with the survey (other than advising on the questions and helping to promote it), but if you have any questions, I'll try and answer them.

I don't know.  I'm not the world biggest seller yet so I don't see the point.

[dgaughran]

I don't know.  I'm not the world biggest seller yet so I don't see the point.

The point is if only people who are selling by the bucketload respond, then the survey will be very skewed.

[Bards and Sages (Julie)]

The point is if only people who are selling by the bucketload respond, then the survey will be very skewed.

It is already going to be skewed because of question #46.  That one pretty much breaks the survey, in my opinion.

[dgaughran]

It is already going to be skewed because of question #46.  That one pretty much breaks the survey, in my opinion.

Which one was that?

[Bards and Sages (Julie)]

Which one was that?

The one that asks how many sales of each title you have.  It doesn't differentiate between free downloads and sales.  Most indies lump them all together (we've had that conversation here on KB before).  5,000 free downloads is not the same thing as 5,000 paid sales.  It is going to make the average sales volume appear much higher that it otherwise would.

[dgaughran]

The one that asks how many sales of each title you have.  It doesn't differentiate between free downloads and sales.  Most indies lump them all together (we've had that conversation here on KB before).  5,000 free downloads is not the same thing as 5,000 paid sales.  It is going to make the average sales volume appear much higher that it otherwise would.

I assumed they meant paid sales. Do you really think people will include freebies? I suppose it's possible. Perhaps there should have been a note there.

For me at least, revenue is more interesting as people could be selling at any price - and people including freebies won't taint that number.

[Bards and Sages (Julie)]

I assumed they meant paid sales. Do you really think people will include freebies? I suppose it's possible. Perhaps there should have been a note there.

Of course I do.  How many times have we seen threads here on KB where people squee about getting hundreds of sales, and then you open the thread and discover they are talking about free downloads?  Now because I have a publishing background, I don't include free downloads as sales in any of my reports.  But I know plenty of people who do and have had plenty of arguments with them over it.