Sales Data for March/April 2020

Welcome everyone!

Today I have some great news to share with you. I'm going to cover sales data from earlier this year then discuss how things went in my first year. So these are the raw numbers for both The Huntsman and the She-Wolf (THATSW) and The Huntsman and the Vampire (THATV):

Mar/Apr - THATSW eBook: 0
Mar/Apr - THATV eBook: 0

Mar/Apr - THATSW Audio: 1
Mar/Apr - THATV Audio: 0

Mar/Apr - THATSW Online Paperback: 1
Mar/Apr - THATV Online Paperback: 3

Mar/Apr - THATSW Online Hardback: 1
Mar/Apr - THATV Online Hardback: 1

Mar/Apr - THATSW In-Person Paperback: 33
Mar/Apr - THATV In-Person Paperback: 2

Mar/Apr - THATSW In-Person Hardback: 1
Mar/Apr - THATV In-Person Hardback: 5

Mar/Apr - THATSW Kindle Unlimited Pages: 697
Mar/Apr - THATV Kindle Unlimited Pages: 832

Total Books: 50
Total Pages: 1529

Clearly in-person sales have been better for me than online sales. And just as clearly, ALL those in-person sales came in March. With the lockdown in April due to Coronavirus, I haven't been able to pitch my book in person. Still, 50 copies in two months is fantastic. If you convert the KU pages read, that's another 7 copies sold.

BUT here's the really great news: When I started this project, I made a goal to sell 300 books total in my first year, and 500 books total by my second. When the launch anniversary for The Huntsman and the She-Wolf came around, I had sold 329 COPIES!!! If you include Kindle Unlimited pages, that would be another 40 copies on top of that. So I easily surpassed that goal.

Looking to the year ahead, I currently stand at 402 actual copies sold, plus an additional 45 if you convert Kindle Unlimited. So, I am not very far from achieving my goal at all.

I owe everyone a HUGE thank you for all the support you've given me. With out the fans, friends, and family helping me out, I never would have gotten close to reaching my aspirations. THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND I LOVE YOU ALL!

Be safe and healthy out there. Take care of each other.

Peace,

-Troy

One Difference Between Book 2 and Book 3

Welcome everyone!

I've finished editing chapters 1 and 2 in Book 3 now. Hooray! I'm on to chapter 3. The editing is going well, but it's difficult. For one thing, Book 3 three is the most personal in the series. This book is truly the story I want to tell. I'm not obsessing over proper structure, dialogue tags, adverbs, or any of that stuff. This is me just expressing my setting and characters. As a result, changing anything is tough because I love every word so much!

Second, editing is more difficult because Book 2 flowed so easily. The amount of time it took me to actually write Book 2 was less than half of Book 1. I never got stuck, never got discouraged. It just came out of me, and it fits the strictures of storytelling perfectly. Of all the books in the series, I think The Huntsman and the Vampire will be the best as far as nailing proper writing techniques go. Not only that, it required very little editing. Mainly just proofreading. So, as I go through Book 3, it is a bit discouraging to see so much work that needs to be done.

Mild Spoilers Ahead!
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Let me give you an example. In Chapter 2 of Book 3, there is a battle. I remember writing this scene. I was just starting out and I was rusty from taking off from writing to deal with publishing. The battle wasn't all that vivid or dynamic. In fact, I would say the action was quite confused.

Fixing that took me all of Friday and most of the weekend. And here's the thing, I'm going to have to give it another pass. It's still night right.

By contrast, every battle that you read in THATV is pretty much exactly how I wrote it originally. In fact, I can't think of a single major occurrence in any of those battles that wasn't in the first draft.

Book 3 will be different. It's going to take a while to get it into shape. That's fine. I like revising. I know what I have to do. Now, I just have to do it. And in the end, the book will be better as a result of the tough choices and sacrifices I make now.

Peace,

-Troy

A Fairly Productive Weekend

Welcome everyone!

The weather was nice outside, and I got a lot of work done inside. Trying to get back on a regular schedule, I pulled out my audio editing gear. I was able to make more progress on the the audio book for The Huntsman and the Vampire. I need to do more, but I'm happy with the quality I'm producing.

I also made more progress on Book 3. I can tell I'm going to have to work a lot on the dialogue. Some chapters are pretty heavy with it in this one. Right now, I'm just trying to get the story out of my head and on to digital files.

Anyway, I hope you have a productive week. Spring-forward is always a tough time for me. It's kinda funny how changing just one hour can have such a difference. May your Monday go smoothly for you!

Peace,

-Troy

February Sales Numbers - A Massive Blowout!

Welcome everyone!

Wow, I have some great news to share with you today. I'm going to release the sales figures for February, 2020 for both The Huntsman and the She-Wolf and The Huntsman and the Vampire. These figures are out of this world!

eBooks:

THATSW: 33

THATV:    06

AudioBooks:

THATSW: 01

Online Paperback Sales:

THATSW: 01

THATV:    10

Online Hardback Sales:

THATV: 08

In-Person Paperback Sales:

THATSW: 16

THATV:    18

In-Person Hardback Sales:

THATSW: 10

THATV:    17

Kindle Unlimited Pages Read:

THATSW: 447

THATV:    127

Totals:

Print Books: 80

Electronic Copies: 40

KNEP Pages Read: 574

When it comes to copies sold, this is the best month I've ever had. It's not even close. The launch of my second book (THATV) really helped the sales of the first book. I saw a massive uptick in sales in the weeks leading to launch. Also, I ran a brief sale in that time which undoubtedly helped as well.

447 Kindle Unlimited pages read in a month is my fifth best monthly total so far. Putting both books together gets me 574, which would be my third best total in a month. 

When I published my first book, I set a goal to sell 300 copies of it in the first year and 500 copies by the second year (including my second book). I still have most of the month of March to accomplish that goal, and I am short by only a small handful of copies. 

I feel confident I'll be able to hit both my goals by the deadlines I've set.

I've had some difficult times on a personal level here lately. I won't bother you with the details, but to be able to report to all my fans and followers just how successful my books have been and how amazing their support has been, fills my heart with gladness. THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE! You've really helped me through some hard times.

I'm still trying to get organized enough to get back to regular posting. I can't promise that I shall, but I want you to know I'm doing my best. Love you all very much.

Peace,

-Troy

My Favorite Pictures

Welcome everyone!

One of the most gratifying things that I get to experience as an author is getting pictures like the following:

I absolutely LOVE seeing books in people's hands. Any book. Now, when I see one of MY books in their hands, it's doubly exciting. When people send me pictures like that, it makes all the free time I sacrificed and all the emotional stress I endured worth it.

Writing The Huntsman and the Vampire took a lot of out me. 2019 was a tough year at times, and 2020 hasn't been any easier.

Thank you so much to everyone who's sent me pics like that one and like this one:

And this one:

You guys keep me going. You really do!

Peace,

-Troy

SOLD OUT!! - But Not Really

Welcome everyone!

I hope you had a good weekend. I got some work done on the audio book for The Huntsman and the Vampire on Saturday despite coming down with a pretty severe chest cold. I haven't recovered fully yet, but at least my fever broke Sunday night.

Anyway, if you go check out the Paperback or Hardcover for THATV on Amazon, you'll notice it says "Temporarily Out of Stock." If my memory serves correctly, the same thing happened with my previous book.

That out of stock issue should be resolved in a matter of days as Amazon orders some copies for its warehouse distribution centers. My understanding is that they prefer to distribute books themselves rather than rely on my printer (IngramSpark) to do it for them. Of course, it's still listed as "In-Stock" on other sites like B&N and BAM.

It is kinda fun to see "Sold Out" by your name. It gives the impression that your product is in high demand, and relatively speaking, THATV is! But it's not really out of stock and people can still order it and get it in a timely fashion. The shortage is due to Amazon's own idiosyncrasies. Haha!

Happy Presidents' Day. If you have the day off, I hope you feel rested and rejuvenated by the end of it. :)

Peace,

-Troy

The Book Launch Was a Huge Success!

Welcome everyone!

The launch party I mentioned last week for The Huntsman and the Vampire was a HUGE success! The turnout was fantastic- we packed out the library. I got to sign so many books, in fact, I'm pretty sure I did nothing by write messages and sign my name for an hour strait! It was awesome.

For those that came out for it, I really appreciate it. The weather was terrible. We had torrential downpours at times and even some lightning, I think. It was pretty nasty day outside, but inside it was a tremendous party.

By the time I made it home, I was physically drained but my mind was racing. I got to shake the hands of 40-50 attendees, interact with young people interested in writing, and spend time with friends, colleagues, and fans who all wanted to wish me well. Everyone was absolutely wonderful.

Nothing makes an author happier than getting to put the written word into somebody's hand to read:

Well, now that the party is over, where do we go from here? First, I'm still promoting the launch. The first month is the most critical in drawing readers, and I can't wait to report how February goes. I think it will be my best month ever.

Next, it's time to get the audio book finished. I'm already into the editing and mastering. So expect that in the coming weeks, depending on how long Audible takes to get it done.

Finally, it's time to get to work on Book 3. A writer's job is never finished. I'll telly you more about that down the road. A whole lot of outlining, writing, and revising are ahead of me. Wish me luck!

Peace,

-Troy

The Hunter's Rose Book 2 is OUT!

Welcome everyone!

The Huntsman and the Vampire is now launched on all major online retailers! This moment is the result of two years of hard work and support from all of you. Thank you so much for helping me make this day happen. You guys are the best.

Here is a list of the places you can now find THATV:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• Books-A-Million
• Wal-Mart

Once again, thank you so much for all your well-wishes and encouragement. I couldn't have gotten this done without you. Love you guys!

Peace,

-Troy

Book Trailer for The Huntsman and the Vampire!

Welcome everyone!

Here it is, the beautiful new trailer for my latest fantasy novella - The Huntsman and the Vampire:

Don't forget, The Huntsman and the Vampire launches tomorrow!

Peace,

-Troy

New Book Trailer Coming Tomorrow!

Welcome everyone!

Tomorrow I have a bonus reveal for The Huntsman and the Vampire. It's a brand new book trailer!

I love book trailers. There's just something invigorating about a visual presentation that a cover and summary (while beautiful and informative) can't add. They bring me into the world a bit more and spark my imagination in a whole different way.

Anyway, I am extremely happy with the book trailer for THATV. The same people who created the first one last year made this one as well. I can't wait to share it with you tomorrow. Until then, here's a reminder of what the trailer for The Huntsman and the She-Wolf looked like:

And don't forget, the launch is this WEDNESDAY, and I'll have having a launch party at the MCHS Library from 3:30 to 5:30pm. If you can make it, I would love to see you there!

Peace,

-Troy

*Thursday Reveal* An Audio Sample of Book 2!

Welcome everyone!

For the last Thursday Reveal for The Huntsman and the Vampire, I present to you the first chapter of the audio book via Sound Cloud:

Click Here to Listen

How's that for an opening? An uncle's mystery, a new location, the leader of the Lodge in a strange mood... Intriguing! Hope you enjoy it! Don't forget to pre-order tour books HERE!

Peace,

-Troy

One Week From Today - THATV Comes Out!!!

Welcome everyone!

The days are counting down. Seven more to go until The Huntsman and the Vampire will be released into the wild for the world to enjoy!

When I launched my first book, The Huntsman and the She-Wolf, I felt more frustration than anything. Learning how to coordinate my printer, distributor, and vendors was difficult at times. Setting up my eBook was intimidating, even though Amazon does try to make it easy.

This time, though, I feel nothing but excitement. I am very confident going into this that everything will go smoothly.

And to top it off, interest in my first book has spiked just before the second one launches. Check out the graph below:

To be in the top 25,000 books on ALL OF AMAZON is a tremendous accomplishment. It's the highest ranking I've ever achieved, and I am humbled by it. I want to give a shout out to all those who've purchased my book in one form or another. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

So what's going to happen between now and launch? Well, we have one more Thursday reveal to go. I have to work really hard to get it ready tonight. I'll be doing updates as we get closer and closer to launch day, and don't forget about the Launch Party that I posted about earlier this week.

Once again, thank you to everyone for your fantastic support. This has been a tremendously exciting time for all of us. You guys are awesome.

And if you haven't ordered your book yet, you can still get it by launch day if you order on Amazon. I'll be back with more tomorrow! :)

Peace,

-Troy

*Thursday Reveal* - Sample CHAPTER from The Huntsman and the Vampire

Welcome everyone!

We are only THIRTEEN days away from the launch of The Huntsman and the Vampire! This week, I'm going to share an entire chapter with you.

When I originally planned this reveal, I thought I would share the first chapter. It makes sense since that chapter provides the hook for the story, but the more I considered it, the more I decided I didn't want to reveal that just yet.

You see, there are several surprises in chapters 1 and 2 that I appear on the first page I revealed a few weeks back. I still want to keep those a secret for now.

So instead, I have prepared for you Chapter 3: Attack on the Lodge.

You don't need to have read the first two chapters to understand what is happening in the third. The chapter is strong enough to stand on its own.

However, there are a lot of subtleties in this passage. Look for the smallest details. Note who appears and who does not appear. Make a mental note of where the characters stand and where they go, and also, note what objects are desecrated or destroyed. These will all be important later in the book.

This is one of my favorite chapters in Book 2. There's a lot of action, intrigue, and even a little romance. It's also the first time the vampires (also called bloodborn) appear on-page. I hope you like them. Let me know what you think!

Here is the link to the passage: The Huntsman and the Vampire: Chapter 3

As a reminder, Amazon has the eBook, Paperback, and Hardback available for preorder right now! If you want to receive your book on the day of the launch, order soon!

Peace,

-Troy