Adventures in Publishing (Part Two)
A blow by blow account of Donovan Street Press's progress so far....
Being the 58th edition of Assorted Nonsense, the official newsletter of Donovan Street Press Inc.
The Journey Continues
For those just tuning in, I’m taking a casual but comprehensive look back on Donovan Street Press’s (relatively short) journey so far. Mainly for posterity, and so that I don’t forget any lessons learned (there have been a few), and also in case a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a little indie publishing venture is of any value to anyone else out there. Hey, you just never know.
In part one of this little mini-series I wrote about the publication of Other Times and Places, the first book published under the Donovan Street banner. Although as of this writing OTAP hasn’t made its money back, it continues to sell. In fact, I hand-sold one of the (increasingly rare) miniature editions this past weekend at a local craft fair. And it’s gratifyingly well-reviewed on Amazon and Goodreads. Not a ton of reviews, but the ones it does have are pretty good.
A reminder to review the books you read, folks! It sure means a lot to us writers.
When I published that first edition of Other Times and Places under the Donovan Street banner, Donovan Street wasn’t an actual company yet. The publishing company name I actually used for the book was “Donovan Street Publishing.”
I had wanted a straightforward name with a personal connection. Although I hadn’t yet settled on the idea of pursuing the company seriously, I was pretty sure I’d be publishing more books under the name I chose, and I wanted the name to sound respectable. I’m a whimsical, reasonably-imaginative, slightly nutty kind of person, but instinct told me that this wasn’t the time to indulge that side of my nature. “Joe’s Purple Platypus Publishing Emporium” wasn’t going to cut it. (Maybe next time.)
At the time, I lived on Donovan Crescent in Whitby, Ontario, so that’s where “Donovan” came from. But “Street” sounded better in “Donovan Street Publishing,” so Donovan Street it became. Later I changed it from Publishing to Press because I think that sounds just a bit better, by about a whisker.
So now I had two books under my belt. A Time and a Place, published by Five Rivers Press, and Other Times and Places, self-published by Yours Truly under the Donovan Street Publishing banner. Sure, that second book was a tiny little book but it was an additional book I could place on my table at book fairs as a vendor. (The few times I’d booked a table to try to sell books I’d always found it embarrassing only having one book for sale.)
On September 14th, 2020 I received my final royalty statement from Five Rivers Press. Between the publisher’s and my own efforts (book fairs, social media and otherwise), A Time and a Place had earned me $52.91 for that quarter. It earned me $816.42 that year (2020), $568.45 the previous year, $1310.90 in 2018, and $4277.51 the year it came out, in 2017, for a grand total of $6973.28 up to that point. (The book launch alone had brought in $1827, which is why it’s important to have a proper book launch, kids.)
While those figures might sound not too bad for a single indie-published book by a completely unknown author, bear in mind that they were all accompanied by enormous effort and related expenses. Author’s copies each cost me $19.43 cents. Here’s a sample list of other book-related expenses from 2017:
18 advance copies of A Time and a Place for resale: $386.37
54 more copies of ATAAP for book launch: $1334.80
Bookapalooza Author’s Table: $65
Mailing signed copy of ATAAP to Bill Martin, Mayor of Summerside: $17.90 (Did he read it? No idea)
Honk Mobile Parking for Book Launch: $12.35
Free Times Cafe -- food for book launch: $336.06
Black Polyester Tablecloth: $14.69
Aluminum Telescoping Easel, Black: $42.93
Other expenses included memberships in various writing organizations, some half-hearted, ultimately futile attempts at book marketing (Facebook ads etc), audio and film gear for more marketing attempts and audiobook production etc., travel expenses to conventions, and so on. So you see, it all adds up. They say you have to spend money to make money, but it’s astonishingly easy to spend far more than you make. This is why I track every single cent I make and every single cent I spend related to the publishing of mine or anyone else’s books. And why I’m now partnered with a business manager friend and expert on these matters, whose opinion I respect and take seriously. So that I don’t lose my shirt in this business and hopefully one day actually make some money at it.
So anyhoo, all that to say that Five Rivers Press folded up shop for excellent reasons of their own after a successful decade of indie publishing, and in so doing, they relinquished the rights of all their books and I found myself with all the rights to A Time and a Place. But the only way it was going to stay on the market was if some other publisher picked it up or… if I published it myself.
Having published Other Times and Places myself, I now knew how, so why not?
I hired Éric Desmarais, who had done the original print and ebook layout for A Time and a Place, to do another version for me for $150. (I loved the “messy font” he’d chosen.) And I hired Nathan Caro Frechette ($100) to do up a new cover, one that included a quote from Publishers Weekly on the cover:
“…thoughtful, eloquent and messy.” ~Publishers Weekly
I opted for a matte cover as opposed to glossy (the first edition’s cover is glossy). My sister Susan Rodger’s books all had matte covers, and I just loved the look and feel of them.
And voila! For a measly $250 and the effort involved to get A Time and a Place back out there on Amazon, B&N, Apple, and so on, I had a second edition of the book on the market, this time published by Donovan Street Press (still not actually a real company). And proceeded to move a mere 30 copies of ATAAP in 2021, consisting of 5 giveaways, 6 trade paperbacks, 3 hardcover editions, 5 e-books, 1 e-library copy, and 10 audiobook versions, for total sales of $120.60. So I almost immediately lost $129.40 on the venture (it would be even worse in 2022). But, to be fair, I wasn’t putting anywhere near the same effort into selling A Time and a Place by this point. We were well into the pandemic, for one thing. And I was moving onto other projects.
The important thing was that I’d now self-published two of my own books. I knew how to do it.
The biggest take-aways at this point were retaining control and keeping expenses down. And they would remain my focus moving forward.
Stay tuned for the next step in the evolution of Donovan Street Press Inc. in a future edition of this newsletter.
Hope of the Wasteland
by Matt Watts
“This absorbing and electrifying dystopian tale will appeal to all ages.” ~ Kirkus Review
What's scarier than a post-apocalyptic wasteland? 12-year-old Huey is about to find out.
It’s been two weeks and Huey’s father still hasn’t returned from a supply run to the Square.
His dad’s Number One Rule is posted on the wall of the bunker where they live: “HUEY DO NOT GO INTO THE WASTELAND ALONE” – and Huey has no desire to break the rules because that might set off his anxiety. But he’s running out of food... and what if his father is in trouble? It’s time for him to take action.
Huey sets out into the wasteland on a dangerous adventure where he'll face new challenges like mutants, giant scorpions, and most intimidating of all: a feisty, pre-teen girl named Hope.
Hope of the Wasteland is an engaging choice for readers who enjoy science fiction, humorous narratives, and stories set in the future. Ideal for kids ages nine and up, it appeals to both boys and girls, as well as adults who appreciate a well-crafted science fiction adventure. This book offers something for anyone seeking a compelling and imaginative read.
Thanks for reading!
Follow Joe Mahoney and Donovan Street Press Inc. on: Goodreads, Bluesky, Threads, Mastadon, Facebook, and Instagram
This has been the 58th edition of Assorted Nonsense, the official newsletter of Donovan Street Press Inc.
I thought that was pretty interesting Joe.
Very good blow by blow. Did you get to keep the table cloth? xo cb