Confessions of a $7.64 Author

Saturday, January 3, 2026 — Orlando, Florida

This morning, true to my routine (and perhaps with a sprinkle of wishful thinking), I logged into my Kindle Direct Publishing account. I crossed my fingers for a modest bump in sales—though, let’s be honest, I wasn’t exactly holding my breath. Living in a country where writers and creative souls are met with polite tolerance at best—think, “Oh, that’s nice, dear”—I’ve learned not to expect much in the way of support.

Despite having four books out in the wild—three of which, I dare say, are genuinely good—my sales and reader feedback remain, let’s call it, “minimalist.” So each time I click over to my Bookshelf and Reports pages, I do it with the kind of hopeful resignation you might bring to a scratch‑off lottery ticket: hopeful, but never surprised by the outcome.

At 4:45 AM, with the world still cloaked in pre‑dawn darkness, I found myself roused from sleep—not by inspiration, but by the all‑too‑familiar summons to the Porcelain Throne (a perk of being on the far side of sixty). And of course, curiosity got the better of me. Was that lone Kindle order for Reunion: Coda I’d glimpsed earlier a mirage, or had fate conspired to deliver another sale—maybe even for Coda or one of my other three humble offerings—somewhere across Amazon’s sprawling, mysterious ecosystem?

Realistically, I wasn’t holding out much hope. Years of indie authoring have taught me that readers can be as unpredictable as Florida weather—sometimes breezy and interested, more often indifferent, if not outright dismissive. Still, there’s always that stubborn ember of hope. Maybe, just maybe, I’d spot another sale nudging my Kindle earnings beyond yesterday’s grand total of $5.57 for Reunion: Coda.

And then—against all odds—there it was: my Reports page revealed a solitary paperback purchase of Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen: A Jim Garraty Story, finding its way to a reader somewhere in the United Kingdom. Not quite a windfall, but in the quiet morning hours, it felt like a minor miracle.

I squinted at the screen, half‑convinced I was hallucinating. Wishful thinking has a funny way of sneaking up on you in those predawn hours, and I’m as susceptible as anyone. For over two years, I poured my hopes into Reunion: Coda—convinced that readers who’d praised, liked, and even reviewed Reunion: A Story would be racing to snag my first novel, launching it into the sales stratosphere—maybe even gaining a little of that Fifty Shades of Grey momentum from back in the day.

But here I am, nine months after Coda’s release, and I’ve handed out more free copies than I’ve actually sold. So every time I check my KDP Reports page, I do it with the same cautious optimism you’d bring to a coin toss—braced for the usual result.

But this morning, after a few blinks and a reality check, that little bump in the bar graph was still there—a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it uptick, sure, but oddly satisfying. And if the universe doesn’t throw any curveballs my way, I’m looking at a projected royalty payment of $7.64 for the month—a small victory, unless a few more sales sneak in over the next four weeks.

And if you think about it, small victories are better—far better—than none.

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A Gentle Ask From an Indie Author Trying to Keep the Lights On

If you’ve enjoyed any of my work—or if you’re simply curious about Jim Garraty and the emotional universe he inhabits—I’d be grateful if you’d consider picking up one of my books. And if fiction isn’t your thing, you might know someone who does love a good story. Gifting a book is one of the simplest ways to support an indie writer.

And if you’ve already read one of my books, a short review on Amazon or Goodreads helps more than you can imagine. Reviews are the lifeblood of indie publishing, and every single one—truly—makes a difference.

Small victories add up. And with your help, maybe the next bar on that KDP graph won’t be quite so lonely.

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