A few things before we got to the numbers:
- I don't claim my results are typical. Many self-publishers sell more than this, and many sell less. That said, I think my results give a pretty good sense of what you can expect if you're publishing fiction and putting in modest efforts at marketing.
- Free is still a great way to get your books to more readers. By giving books away for free, I get them beyond my circle of family and friends and build a broader readership.
- It's gotten harder to get your book to rocket to the top of the free lists on Kindle. There's a lot of competition. You have to list paid advertisements if you want to top the free charts.
- I did almost no marketing in 2015, beyond mentioning my work on social media. I decided mid-year to make Watch Me Disappear perma-free as a marketing tool, but that's about it.
- My two biggest sales channels, by far, were Kindle Direct and Audible, with direct sales, meaning selling books in person at events, close behind.
