It’s been almost five months since my book Pencils and Process came out. I’m proud to say that the book has slightly more than broken even, after accounting for costs like the ISBNs, ads, author copies, proofs, etc. (let’s just ignore that factoring in time/labor certainly puts me into the negative). I had just assumed the book would lose money, so that’s a nice bonus on top of it being a fun experience. The book is effectively an anecdote-driven exploration of my return to art after an extended break, so it’s definitely a niche genre that doesn’t lend itself to huge sales. Regardless though, it was enjoyable to learn the ins-and-outs of publishing.
To celebrate reaching that break-even point, I thought I’d host another giveaway. This time though, instead of doing my usual custom portrait, I decided to give away a copy of the book. It just so happens that Amazon discounted the hardcover to wild levels (almost $10 at one point), so I ended up buying a copy myself because it was even cheaper than the author copies I am able to get. I think what happened with the price was that Amazon purchased some copies to have on hand for Prime shipping, but their algorithms may have indicated they weren’t selling fast enough to make up for the cost of storage in a warehouse. Anyhow, I’ve got an extra copy on hand now, so it works out.
Along with the hardcover giveaway, I’m also going to discount the eBook version on Amazon. Since I am enrolled in their “KDP Select” program, I can do something called a “countdown deal.” I’ve actually never done one before, but basically the discount starts large and progressively gets smaller until the deal is over. I’ve started the eBook at 99 cents, and it will increase for a week until it gets back to the normal price. Here’s a link if you want to check that out (there should still be a link in the sidebar too, unless I messed something up):
And if you’re more interested in throwing your hat in the ring for a free copy of the hardcover, it’s through Gleam as I’ve done previously. You can enter by subscribing via Facebook, Twitter, or email, and there are other options like visiting the store page or a bonus entry. Here’s the entry form, and I’ve included details on the rules below:
August 2019 Hardcover Book GiveawayBasic Rules, Disclaimers, etc:
- I’ll let it run for about three weeks. At the end, I’ll click a button and Gleam randomly selects a winner (here’s how).
- To enter, you have to provide Gleam a name and email address. Whenever I’ve entered contests, I use a junk/throwaway email, Twitter, and Facebook just for that. I never receive spam from Gleam, but use your own discretion regarding real email/social media versus accounts used just for contests. Use an email address you will actually check though, because that’s how I’ll let you know if you won.
- Once you’re logged into Gleam, to actually enter, you just click the buttons to visit, subscribe, or “like” the page.
- I was able to get an easy “click to enter” button (the first entry), but there are some other bonuses if you want to increase your odds. Each one you do counts as an entry.
- If you win, we can communicate about your prize however you’re most comfortable. My initial message to you will be via email to whatever address you’ve used for Gleam. I will need an address to send the book to at some point.
- If you want me to sign the book, I’m happy to do so. But that’s optional – maybe you want an unmarked book, who am I to judge! My handwriting is borderline illegible anyway.
Good luck to everyone who decides to give this a shot!