Tuesday, November 5, 2013

September 2013 Bestselling Indies

Hey, folks! Today, we're doing something different with this post. Mainly because I didn't have the time to follow Amazon's weekly sales for all the top indie authors. So, for this blog, I'm going to show you a cross-section of indies who submitted their numbers, and how they're doing.

Keep in mind, this is a wide cross-section, from the beginning indies to the ones who are making a solid living. The questions we were looking to answer with this survey were:

1) Are audiobooks worth doing?

2) Are print books worth doing?

3) Which distributor gives you the most sales?

4) Can you make a living as an indie?

My takeaway was yes to all and -- no surprise here -- Amazon.

As far as making a living, once your sales get in the 4-figure monthly range, it does seem possible to live on your income.

Although your mileage may vary. :-D

Rank Author Name Total e-book sales (worldwide) for the month Total e-book borrows for the month Total audiobook sales for the month Total Print Sales for the month Which distributor do you make the most money with? Are you making enough to live off your income as an Indie Author or do you need a day job?
1 D.A. & M.P. Wearmouth 28,843 0 0 145 Amazon Yes, but I'm opting to keep my day job
2 Jennifer Blake 26,900 0 0 0 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
3 Tamelia Tumlin 23,100 0 0 0 Amazon No, I still need a day job
4 Jay Allan 19,680 0 621 345 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
5 SM Reine 18,000 0 24 18 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
6 Christina Skye 17,800 55 0 0 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
7 Russell Blake 14,900 15 162 90 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
8 Lindy Corbin 9,750 0 0 0 Amazon No, I still need a day job
9 Emily Kimelman 4,480 0 0 0 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
10 Loretta Giacoletto 4,020 3 0 43 Amazon No, but I have other income so I don't need a day job
11 Denise Domning 4,000 72 0 0 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
12 Marti Talbott 3,712 0 0 34 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
13 Lynette Vinet 3,350 38 0 0 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
14 Liz Schulte 2,526 0 0 12 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
15 Phoenix Sullivan 1,800 0 0 0 Amazon No, but I have other income so I don't need a day job
16 Kevin hardman 1,800 0 0 30 Amazon No, I still need a day job
17 V. J. Chambers 1,500 0 0 4 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
18 Heather Wardell 1,296 0 0 2 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
19 E.B. Brown 1,215 0 58 81 Amazon Yes, but I'm opting to keep my day job
20 Christiana Miller 1,122 0 0 2 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
21 Vivi Anna 1,025 0 0 0 Amazon Yes, and I'm loving the freedom
22 Elle Dawson 875 11 0 8 Amazon No, I still need a day job
23 Barbara Bartholomew 668 51 0 0 Amazon No, but I have other income so I don't need a day job
24 Calandra Hunter 502 0 0 0 Amazon No, I still need a day job
25 Sabena Stone 307 8 0 0 Amazon No, but I have other income so I don't need a day job
26 Trent Evans 241 0 0 0 Amazon No, I still need a day job
27 Bella Roccaforte 94 0 0 34 Amazon No, but I have other income so I don't need a day job
28 Ellie Wolf 85 0 0 0 Amazon No, but I have other income so I don't need a day job
29 Catherine Lea 46 105 0 0 Amazon No, I still need a day job
30 Cora Buhlert 37 0 0 0 Amazon No, I still need a day job
31 Gayle Ramage 29 0 0 0 Amazon No, I still need a day job
32 Robert Elisberg 29 3 0 3 Amazon No, I still need a day job
33 Karen Kincy 22 0 0 0 Amazon No, I still need a day job
34 Rocky Grede 16 1 0 0 Amazon No, but I have other income so I don't need a day job
35 William Van Winkle 15 0 0 0 Amazon No, I still need a day job
36 Stephen Drivick 11 0 0 4 Amazon No, I still need a day job
37 Monique Sorgen 9 2 0 6 Amazon
38 Tim Arnot 6 0 0 0 Amazon No, I still need a day job
39 Ryan Sullivan 2 0 0 2 Amazon No, but I have other income so I don't need a day job


And now, for the very top selling indies in September 2013, here's how the ranking broke down. To get to this level, most of these indies will be selling book quantities in the six-figure range for the month. Unfortunately, since it's taken from the DBW lists of bestselling authors who have books for sale on multiple distribution sites, all of the Amazon Select authors are excluded.


Top-Selling Indie Authors for September 2013
Date: Week ending Sept. 29, 2013
Rank Name Book Title Price
1 Jen McLaughlin Out of Line 0.99
2 Kirsten Proby Safe With Me 3.99
Date: Week ending Sept. 22, 2013
Rank Name Book Title Price
1 Jen McLaughlin Out of Line 0.99
2 Skye Jordan Reckless (Renegades, Book 1) 2.99
Date: Week ending Sept. 15, 2013
Rank Name Book Title Price
1 Elisabeth Naughton; Alexandra Ivy; Cynthia Eden; Laura Wright; Katie Reus; Joan Swan Wicked Firsts $0.99
2 Darcie Chan Mill River Recluse $0.99
3 Barbara Freethy All She Ever Wanted $0.99
4 Jen McLaughlin Out of Line $0.99
Date: Week ending Sept. 8, 2013
Rank Name Book Title Price
1 Rachel Van Dyken Ruin $0.99
2 Elisabeth Naughton; Alexandra Ivy; Cynthia Eden; Laura Wright; Katie Reus; Joan Swan Wicked Firsts $0.99
Date: Week ending Sept. 1, 2013
Rank Name Book Title Price
1 Rachel Van Dyken Ruin $0.99
2 Elisabeth Naughton; Alexandra Ivy; Cynthia Eden; Laura Wright; Katie Reus; Joan Swan Wicked Firsts $0.99