How’s the book doing?
I get this question all the time. Since I just got my latest statement, I figured I’d tell you.
First off, it now actually earns me money. The royalty check is actually something with multiple digits in it now. (I did a get a check last time, when it earned out its advance, but it was just around enough to take my family out to dinner).
It has sold around 7500 copies up through June of 2006. In fact, it actually picked up and sold better in the first half of this year than in the previous two six-month periods. Kristen attributes this to the blog being active and more visibility in general, which is probably reasonable. Mentions on BoingBoing don’t hurt.
Does it make sense to write a book? This question comes up often among game developers. Financially, it probably makes no sense whatsoever; total earnings including the advance are still under $10,000, and given the time I spent on it versus the time I could have theoretically spent doing something else, it’s probably a relatively low-paying thing to be doing. But in other ways, of course, it’s totally worth it.
Of course, it makes a wonderful holiday gift for friends and family. Hint hint. 😉
12 Responses to “How’s the book doing?”
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*dryly* I never asked, but if I were to, that wouldn’t be the book I’d ask about. 😛
Bought the book a few months ago and happened to bring it up in a chat about games with my friends last week. Apparently, they liked the information I had to offer from the book so much (now nicknamed “The Bible of Proper Game Design” in my circle), they all went out to the local Borders and B&N to pick up a few copies for themselves, other friends, and loved ones.
Your book sells itself, pretty much. Just need to spread the word.
What, you wanna hear about the new one? It’s barely moving, but coming together better in my head. Honestly, the new company is taking up most all my time.
And how much are the Amazon commissions that they’re paying you to sell your own book? 😛
And that’s what I’d ask about. 😛
Patience.
Wow, I did a little less on mine (about 5000 I believe) and never made back my advance. Clearly you pwn me in book deals!
Very, very small. Amazon pays up to 15% for affiliate sales, which for Raph’s book would be about $2.25. Probably about doubles his royalty, but still, you’re not doing much more than buying him lunch (which you should do!)
I got mine from Amazon UK, not sure if the affiliate codes work internationally or not, I did click through the Amazon link at one point 🙂
I think I bought it around….June? It’s a great leisurely read, but I’d like to have a “grammer” book next to the ATOF.
“Honestly, the new company is taking up most all my time.”
I can relate. 🙂
Some info for those of us without the rockstar-like reputation that makes publishers seek out specific people. 😉
My first bit of published writing was a chapter in the book Massively Multiplayer Game Development 2 edited by Thor Alexander. I spent a good amount of time writing that, and have seen about a hundred dollars out of that, IIRC. Much lower than my usual consulting rates. 🙂 On the other hand, that work helped me land the deal for my new book, I think, since it was with the same publisher.
For Business and Legal Primer for Game Development, I have a co-editor so we’ve split the advance between us. We share royalties with the chapter authors as well, so we’re getting a smaller cut overall than Raph will get with his book. On the other hand, most of the authors of the chapters in the book will probably be able to land their own book deals if they play it right.
As an editor, the work was immense. Thankfully the work was shared with my co-editor. But, I spent a hundreds of hours working on this project; in the long run, I suspect my earnings per hour will be lower for this book that the first. However, as Raph mentions above, “…in other ways, of course, it’s totally worth it.” Business-type people perk up when I mention I have a published book, and it opens a few more doors. In the long run, I am sure that I will come out ahead economically because of the book.
Some more info for those curious about publishing a book.
Scott wrote:
Very, very small. Amazon pays up to 15% for affiliate sales….
How do you get the 15%? My referrals only get me 4%. 😛 But, I’ve made enough from sales of my own book this month to get some Taco Bell! 😉
My affiliate sales seem to be getting me 6%. How mysterious. What makes this number change?
That works out at between 75 and 94 cents depending on whether you buy new or from a third party seller.
Hey everyone! I’m more of a lurker, but I think I can shed some light on the 15% figure. Basically it’s an outdated number.
It’s been awhile since I’ve used the Amazon affiliate program (6-8 years I think), but when I did use it, I received a flat 15% cut on all purchases that were made 24 hours after clicking a referral link. I checked the info now and it says “earn up to 8.5%,” so the cut has definitely gone down (from what I understand anyway).