Your chance to add a little salt.
My path toward self-sustainable writing
I’m going paid. So, let’s get the big question out of the way first…
I’m not putting any content behind a paywall… for now
With that out of the way, I want to share my writing business plan, how adding a paid subscription plays into this plan, and how you can join this crazy train.
The short story is I’m offering three levels of paid subscriptions ($5/month, $35/year, or an up to $100 founding membership) for the Salted Wetzel with a Side of Mustard.
The decision to move in this direction is not one I take lightly. To ask people to put down a credit card and support my writing monetarily feels self-indulgent and narcissistic. However, as I detail below, this is part of a plan to make my writing self-sustainable, making back the monetary investment I put into this venture. And a paid subscription is another way to join me on this journey.
The joy of storytelling
For most of my life, I’ve enjoyed the art and product of storytelling. I’m a child of the original Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Back to the Future. Growing up, I couldn’t get enough of Encyclopedia Brown. Harriet the Spy was my favorite book.
When I entered high school, I acted in the school plays. I memorized scenes from Biloxi Blues and Monty Python for speech competitions. But when I wrote my first story for the school newspaper, I wanted to write. I studied journalism in college, was a sportswriter for four years, and started two novels, before I focused on family and a paying career in politics.
Into my 40s, as life and career settled, I revisited writing and published Friends in Low Places in 2021. The process was fascinating. Writing a first draft is a grind, but nothing compared to the editing process. Each word must drive the story and if it doesn’t, it has to be cut. And when I’m done, I give it to others to tear it apart. And when they’re done, then I hire someone to rip it to shreds. But in the end, the product is better for it.
The finances
By itself, indie publishing doesn’t cost much. There is the cost of purchasing the bar code, filing a copyright with the Library of Congress, and marketing. Amazon is filled with books that are quick to print. Some are excellent. Many are not.
To publish a quality product, there are costs involved, mainly hiring professional editors and cover designers. There is the cost of marketing and other fees you never knew existed.
For my first novel, Friends in Low Places, the total budget was around $2200. My goal was to sell enough books to break even with the investment I made in the project. To date, I’ve sold 500 copies and have netted around $250. Along the way, there was a lot of hustling and one-to-one sales.
For Lose Yourself and subsequent books, I am budgeting $2500 of costs per novel, which I plan to release once every three years.
Goal: Be Self-Sustaining
Writing is a labor of love. You fall in love with the process. You spend hours toiling away at the keyboard and many more thinking through plot holes, character development and consistency, emotional resonance, and reader enjoyment.
Writing doesn’t make money. Any dreams of leveraging this side hustle to finance a writing retreat on the California Coast were dashed long ago. Rather, a more realistic dream is to have my writing finance itself. That means everything I put in - the cost of producing a book, along with professional development (webinars, seminars, classes, etc.), I want to make that money back in some way.
My writing is a business and every dollar I earn is going back into the business. That’s partly why I started my own imprint, OT Press. Every bit of income and every expense I spend come out of this account. Just like Offspring said, “You gotta keep ‘em separated.”
Join me
For the last eight months, I’ve produced a Salted Wetzel every Friday morning. I’ve found a rhythm, sustained a regular cadence, and delivered a good product that readers enjoy. This newsletter has also helped expand my reach. Salted Wetzel is read in 12 countries. Thank you all for your support.
This platform also allows readers to suppport me beyond book sales. With a nominal subscription, you can support my writing goals and receive benefits in return.
$5 monthly subscription.
$35 yearly subscription.
$100 founding subscription (I honestly don’t know what that means)
Each paid subscription will get an autographed copy of Lose Yourself at release April 2. (For monthly subscriptions, you will receive after six months paid).
If you are not interested in a paid subscription, that’s fine. I appreciate your support as a subscriber and you still will receive the weekly Salted Wetzel with short stories, fridge philosophies, updates, interviews and extra mustard.
The Future…
I have plans to expand Salted Wetzel to include collaborations with other authors. I’m working on extended content beyond Lose Yourself that will enhance the story even more.
I’m also working on a large 50-part serial Landslide that will also be turned into a novel. The serial will begin in April 2025 with the novel available in 2027. I’m planning ahead people!
In the future, I may have content behind a paywall. But for now, enjoy what you get for free.
Thank YOU!
I can’t say enough how much your support has meant to me these last eight months. I enjoy bringing you the Salted Wetzel every week and taking you along for this journey. I appreciate you being a subscriber at any level!
Breaking even on a hobby?!? Man, that IS a big goal!! Go git 'em, Vinny!