Many of you probably know, I self-published a children’s book back in March of this year. Writing, designing, and publishing the book has been one of the most fun (and longest) projects I’ve ever worked on. My goal for the book was never money — it was a special gift for my first born and now one I can pass to my second born too.
With that said, I’ve now been focusing more on ways I can use it for passive income, especially as I get closer to my maternity leave and just slowing down my studio in general with baby number two on the way. I’d love to create a passive revenue stream through partnerships with children’s and baby boutiques. Ultimately, through wholesale accounts with boutiques that align with my book. I thought it’d be fun to bring you all along for the ride, and document my sales report each month. It’s nothing ground breaking, but I hope it’s interesting to you (especially if you’ve ever considered self-publishing!)
And in case you’re new around here: I started my self-publishing journey in 2022. This project has taken nearly two years to complete. I self-funded the project from the start, but made most (aka the printing costs) of my money back through my pre-order campaign on Kickstarter, garnering $5,000+ in pre-orders in under 30 days (which was my plan and goal from the start). The cost to illustrate the book was covered by my studio, and that was really the only other larger expense I had since I did the formatting and file setup myself. Things like professional manuscript editing were tiny costs in comparison.
Currently, I only sell my hardcover through my book’s website directly. One day, I’d like to have the hardcover on Amazon. Right now, my paperback and Kindle versions of the book are the only two formats available on Amazon. The paperback is also available for purchase wholesale to retailers through Ingram and the hardcover is available for wholesale through Faire. My paperback is POD (print on demand), meaning I do nothing when someone buys a copy or multiple copies. IngramSpark simply prints and ships as books are purchased. My hardcover is a much higher quality version of the book, which I had printed overseas at a professional-level print quality. When someone purchases a hardcover, I fulfill those orders myself. The cost of each hardcover book is roughly $5, and the retail price of my book is $17.99, making my profit for each copy sold roughly $13.
Below, you’ll find a chart of the cost and profit of each format of the book when sold retail:
Below, you’ll find a chart of the cost and profit of each format of the book when sold wholesale:
The numbers below reflect revenue and not profit.
Children’s Book Sales Report for the Month of MONTH
Hardcover Sales
- Retail: $70.47
- Wholesale: $116.95
Paperback Sales
- Retail: $18.70
- Wholesale: $0
Kindle Sales
- Retail: $0
Total revenue for the month of July: $206.12
Wins this Month
- I contacted 4 boutiques regarding my book last month. I need to get into a better habit of doing this! I also need to find a better solution for sending samples. I’ve considered sending a paperback as the sample, but feel that doesn’t showcase the quality. Sending a hardcover isn’t a huge deal, but at a large scale it is. As of July, Your Nursery Walls is in one retail store.
- My book got into the hands of Green Day band member, Tre Cool, through a connection my parents have. He’s said his son loves the book, and even sent a photo!
I’m excited to document the growth of this new area of my business, and I’d love to connect with you if you’re interested in self-publishing your own book! Drop a comment or question below if that’s you.
Until next time!
