Typos, Royalties, and the Indie Hustle

Midmonth Musings from the Garratyverse

Late Afternoon, Saturday, August 16, 2025 – Miami, Florida

Hi, everyone.

Here’s a little update on my writing life and book sales for August—such as they are. I’m not exactly launching a new project at the moment, and honestly, my royalties this month will barely cover the spare change Stephen King finds between his couch cushions.

Yesterday morning, for example, I spotted a typo lurking in the back matter of Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen. It was a tiny thing, almost laughable, and—thankfully—safely tucked away at the end of the book instead of (heaven forbid) smack in the middle of my story. (If you must know, I managed to type “Amazon” as “Amazom” in one of the reviews I’d added to the “Praise for the Author” section back in June and, true to form, only caught it yesterday.)

Now, I could have just shrugged and let that little slip ride. I mean, who reads the back matter? Who’d care about one minuscule mistake in a sea of otherwise perfectly fine pages?

But in my college days, I was a halfway-decent copy editor for the student newspaper, and those quality-control instincts die hard. My name’s on that byline, after all; independent authors already get enough flak for supposedly not caring about the details. Apparently, some believe editing is strictly for the faint of heart. Well, not on my watch—so I hunted down that sneaky typo and set things right.

Last night, Kindle Direct Publishing emailed to let me know the updated Kindle version of Comings and Goings was live, and that readers would see the fix within three days. No sooner had I digested that news than a second email arrived, announcing that the paperback update had gone live, too.

Since it’s already mid-August and curiosity is, well, my constant companion, I wandered over to my Amazon KDP dashboard and clicked on the Reports tab. I wasn’t bracing myself for any great leap in sales or a sudden windfall—let’s just say I had realistic expectations. Earlier in the month, two copies of Comings and Goings had sold (including a surprise buy on Amazon.es—thank you, Spain!). And with both the short story and Reunion: Coda performing below what the optimist in me had hoped for—despite readers of Reunion: A Story clamoring for more—I was already prepared for a sales chart as flat as a Florida highway.

Happily, someone across the Pond in the UK purchased the Kindle edition of Reunion: A Story, a sale that will eventually add $2.93 to my coffers. Again, Stephen King makes that much just by blinking his eyes, and I won’t get it till the next KDP payout. Still, a sale is a sale, right?

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Conclusion

So, to those of you who’ve bought any of my books recently—thank you. Your support means more than you know, especially as I continue to keep my GoFundMe campaign active to help cover ongoing expenses. Every purchase, every kind word, every moment spent with these stories helps me keep going.

If you haven’t yet explored my work, I’d be honored if you did. Whether it’s Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen, or even my earlier pieces, each book is a labor of love and emotional truth. But if you’re only going to pick one—or two—I especially recommend the Reunion Duology and Comings and Goings. They’re the heart of what I’ve tried to say about memory, connection, and the art of being seen.

Thanks again for walking this road with me.