Back in the Reality Saddle

My fun and frolicking (yes, I do frolic, thank you very much) (stop judging) (I see those raised eyebrows) (shut up) has come to an end and now it's time to roll up the ol' shirtsleeves. Okay, so it's summer and I'm wearing a tank top. Whatever. You get my drift.

I parked my nether regions in front of my desk today and scanned publishing headlines for the past 3 weeks to see what I missed out on. I didn't get very far because I got snagged on the first one that read:
How Much Do Indie Authors Earn From Amazon? 

Come on. Admit it. You want to know the answer to that, too. According to a study at AuthorEarnings.com, here are a few monetary tidbits:

• Approximately 9,900 self-pubbed authors earn more than $10k per year.
• 4,600 earn more than $25k.
• 2,500 indie authors make more than $50k.
• 1,340 rake in more than $100,000.

Those are some sweet numbers, eh? Kind of makes you feel like whipping open your computer and pounding out a story so you can cash in on this gold rush. But listen here, Hoss, before you do that, there are a few more numbers you should know . . .

• There are 12 books added to Amazon's titles every hour.
• There are 3.4 million books listed on Amazon.

That means those indie authors are either superhero marketers or got dang lucky. Not that I want to rain on your writing parade, mind you. I'm just saying while it's great that some authors are making moolah, novel writing is not a cash cow. Takeaway value: don't quit your day job.

But it is okay to run away to England every now and then.