Sally Jenkins

Bedsit Three Sells 1000 Copies

Last month total sales of the psychological thriller, Bedsit Three, passed the 1,000 mark.

Bedsit Three by Sally Jenkins

At this point it’s worth reflecting on the breakdown of sales across retailers. It’s not what I was expecting 18 months ago when the novel was first published.

Kobo                                                                                       764
Paperbacks direct from me                                                119
Kindle                                                                                       91
Createspace (i.e. paperbacks from Amazon)                   34
Overdrive (via Smashwords)                                                 2
Apple (via Smashwords)                                                         1

I expected Kindle to generate the largest number of sales because it is still, by far, the largest ebook sales platform. However, Bedsit Three was shortlisted for a competition organised by Kobo and Silverwood Books. On the back of this, I contacted Kobo and was able to get the book included in some promotions, which obviously paid off.

The lesson going forward? Don’t get obsessed by the benefits of KDP Select (which requires authors to keep their books exclusive to Amazon). Dip your toe in the water and try other ebook retailers as well.

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17 responses to “Bedsit Three Sells 1000 Copies”

  1. Alison Williams avatar
    Alison Williams

    Fabulous news

    Reply
  2. Anne Harvey avatar
    Anne Harvey

    Many congratulations, Sally! I’m not quite there yet with A Suitable Young Man – still need to sell another 35. I must admit I’ve been tempted to withdraw from Kindle select to try with other ebook provivders but on the other hand, I do get some income from their KENP (pages read). Swings and Roundabouts eh?

    Reply
    1. Sally Jenkins avatar
      Sally Jenkins

      It’s a difficult decision, Anne. My KDP sales for Bedsit are pathetic, maybe they’d have been better in Select? Who knows. Well done on A Suitable Young Man – that’s (deservedly) done very well.

      Reply
  3. Linda Daunter avatar
    Linda Daunter

    Hi Sally,
    Just bought the ebook through iTunes. I have some Kindle ebooks, but now I only buy from Amazon if there’s no alternative.

    Reply
    1. Sally Jenkins avatar
      Sally Jenkins

      Thanks for the support, Linda. I understand that some people are not Amazon fans – I don’t mind where you buy it! Hope you enjoy.

      Reply
  4. Judy Brulo avatar
    Judy Brulo

    Hi, Sally. Thanks for your post. My ‘Year In The Life Of Brack’ will be coming out soon (Matador), so I’ll have your advice in mind. Judy

    Reply
    1. Sally Jenkins avatar
      Sally Jenkins

      Congratulations on the upcoming book, Judy! I guess Matador will know more about marketing than me. Is it a children’s book?

      Reply
      1. Judy Brulo avatar
        Judy Brulo

        Hi, Sally,
        Yes, it is a children’s book for the 7-9 yr olds. I hope it will do well. I loved writing it and the illustrations are fab.
        Good luck with everything you do.
        J

        Reply
  5. dianneanoble1147 avatar
    dianneanoble1147

    Wow! Well done you – need a few lessons on marketing please…

    Reply
    1. Sally Jenkins avatar
      Sally Jenkins

      If only there were a secret formula, Dianne. My Kindle sales are not good …

      Reply
  6. Alyson Faye avatar
    Alyson Faye

    Congratulations Sally on hitting the 1000 selling mark- your blog post was timely for me; I’ve just finished a children’s book which I would like to put out there as an e book- I will definitely try Kobo-
    thank you Alyson

    Reply
    1. Sally Jenkins avatar
      Sally Jenkins

      Good Luck with the book, Alyson. It’s worth getting in touch with Kobo & seeing if you can write a guest post for their Writing Life blog. It’s all extra exposure.

      Reply
  7. Alyson Faye avatar
    Alyson Faye

    thanks for the suggestion Sally will do Alyson

    Reply
  8. Wendy Clarke avatar
    Wendy Clarke

    That’s really interesting, Sally and worth knowing. I put my story collections on Amazon Select as I believed this was the best option.

    Reply
    1. Sally Jenkins avatar
      Sally Jenkins

      There’s pros & cons for both, Wendy. I think my Amazon sales are low for Bedsit Three because it’s never been in KDP Select and they are only good on Kobo because I managed to get in on the promotions.

      Reply
  9. Carl D'Agostino avatar
    Carl D’Agostino

    Best wishes for continued success. I’ve sod about 15 of my cartoon books. $15.25 is a high price but it costs $10 to manufacture a full color book, createspace takes a small cut and Amazon $4. I get 87 cents royalty a copy sold.

    Reply
    1. Sally Jenkins avatar
      Sally Jenkins

      Thanks, Carl. None of us are going to get rich as writers (unfortunately).

      Reply

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