SquarePeg Books

This month’s question: What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

I’ve gone off on the Author not being able to maintain their rights and getting hoodwinked on their rights and all that a few three times, so I won’t again.

I shall now expound upon a different topic:

but I’ve stared at this post for 2 weeks now, and I’ve got nothing, so rambling aimlessly about my feelings as a newly published author, will have to do.

I’m trying to figure out how tracking sales will work best for me for my first book (shameless plug: A Special Blend of Crazy is out now). I’ve downloaded various spreadsheet samples, and read articles and all that over the past few years, but it is still . . . Icky.

I was expecting to have to “personalize” the sample spreadsheets. I’m just not sure how I should personalize. It usually takes a bit of time to figure out what method works for me, but I also kinda feel like if I do it in any way “not the best” I will fail utterly, and lose everything.

Understand, the sales numbers aren’t stellar; not even enough for the IRS to come close to consider me as anything other than a hobbyist, but still. There were sales. A few.

Therefore, I am now totally freaking out about being audited, Al Capone style.

Side note: seeing that 2 books were sold in July to Germany is really cool, and also intimidating.

And yes, my Mom bought and read it, as well. I’m not sure how I feel about her reading it, but she said she “liked” it, and had me sign her copy. So, I guess that’s good? (Moms don’t lie to their children to make them feel better, right?)

Check out the Insecure Writer’s Support Group to see what other writers are thinking about! (Do Moms really lie? I try not to, as a mom, but generally speaking, Moms don’t lie. Right?)