I receive an email every 90 days or so, informing me of how many, if any, books I've sold. The little report arrives, accompanied by the invoice for what they owe me for the sale. Sometimes, and I'm not kidding, I owe them. It's pretty sad when you realize that, from time to time, you owe the publisher and/or printer a little bit for having printed either one or only two books. It's an index thing, I believe, I could be wrong. It seems that when paper products are scarce and they have to print on demand for one book to be sent to one customer, they charge me as much as they pay themselves. Make no mistake, the publisher and/or printer will make more than I ever will on my books. That's the way it is.
Well, today, again, minding my own business, I received an email stating that several of my books had been sold, and it wasn't the same as the other invoices. This one was either a special report or perhaps it was unusual because they were all purchased by one person, and the company felt that I needed to know. Here's how that went, because it made my day. I had a really interesting day at the dentist's office, having half my mouth deep scaled. Coming home to read that I had sold a dozen books to one person somewhere in the United States made me smile.
As an author, I don't write to sell my books. I love it when they do sell, of course, but I don't write to please anyone. I don't write because there is a deadline. I don't write because an agent or publisher expects me to. I write what I write, when I choose to write, about what I choose to write, and it literally makes me smile to think that anyone would be interested in buying one of my books. So, when someone out there bought 12 of my books - 12 different titles, that was something. I had to laugh.
Of course, the report doesn't reveal the person's identity. I'll never know who they are unless they write to me and let me know. I sat around this evening thinking about that person, and I even said a little prayer for them. I asked God to bless their reading time, to help them understand me, appreciate me, and be kind even if they don't like what they read. I almost called my mom to see if she had been the benefactor, but I knew she didn't need to. I always give her free copies. Why would she buy them? Whoever it was bought all 12 books in print, not in digital format. They paid $$$.
My newest book, "Amicus Curiae," was not among those that were purchased. That made me think that maybe the person has read that one and has decided to read the others. Whoever it is, they will read both the murder books and the romance novels. They even bought "Dion", which is both romantic and sort of creepy, too. I'm thrilled that they bought as many as they did, and I genuinely hope they like what they read. Perhaps they'll tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends, and so on. Wouldn't that be a hoot?
My next book, "Cumberland", won't be written until after the first of the year. We're moving, and with the holidays and all the family-related activities, writing had to take a backseat for now. It's okay, I don't mind taking a break from my brain for a few weeks. I'll kick back into gear soon enough - and then I'll beat the clock with not only writing five novels in 2026, but I may put out another blog book after swearing Number 4 was the last. No, it can't be; I'm still talking!!
Photo Credit: Me
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