Facing Sales Challenges in Self-Publishing

Saturday, December 20, 2025 — Orlando, Florida

This morning, I received my monthly email from Amazon Accounts Payable with my Kindle Direct Publishing royalties for November. According to Amazon, I’ll be receiving $10.55 for books sold between November 1 and 30, 2025.

While $10.55 is certainly better than nothing, it’s still a steep drop from October’s $30.03. And because I often buy and give away copies of my own books to help promote them, I’m really only recouping a small fraction of what I put in.

I know that advertising—on Amazon and elsewhere—would help spark interest in the three Jim Garraty stories, but that’s not something I can afford right now. The same goes for ordering 50 or more author copies to sell at a table outside a local Barnes & Noble. Yes, author copies cost less than the retail editions, but they take weeks to arrive because Amazon prioritizes revenue-generating orders. And even if I could afford 50–100 copies of Reunion: Coda, there’s no guarantee I’d sell them all.

This is part of why I haven’t pushed myself to finish the omnibus edition of The Jim Garraty Chronicles, even though only a few tasks remain before I can publish it on Kindle Direct Publishing. I’m simply not seeing a groundswell of interest in Reunion: Coda or Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen, despite a handful of mostly positive reviews on Amazon and on WordPress blogs. Even readers who once told me how much they loved Reunion: A Story haven’t purchased or reviewed the newer works.

Still, I’m not giving up—neither on The Jim Garraty Chronicles nor on my writing career. I’m just choosing to move at a gentler pace while I reassess my options and consider where the next stories might lead.

On the bright side, I should receive a slightly healthier royalty payment next month for December’s sales. A fellow blogger recently purchased both Reunion: Coda and Comings and Goings, and he plans to re-read Reunion: A Story before diving into the newer books. Small encouragements matter, and I’m grateful for them.

If you’ve read any of the Jim Garraty stories—or if you’ve been meaning to—I would be deeply grateful if you’d consider picking up a copy, leaving a review, or sharing the books with someone who might enjoy them. Every bit of support helps more than you know, and it truly means the world to me.