A stepwise plan (another one!)

I'm looking at that pile on my table and counting up, and 25 copies are gone, gone gone!!

That is amazing. But here are the milestones anyway:

Someone told me the difference between vanity publishing and self publishing is this: In vanity publishing the author pays up to see his name in print. In self-publishing the idea is to make money selling books.

Milestone 1: Already achieved!! - to make back the money of the print run from sales.

• Selling off most of 25 copies has replenished the amount necessary for the next print run of 50. I could do it today; but for fixing up a few nit-picking errata, and the bar code being printed on the back cover pls.

Milestone 2: Selling more than 100.

• This is an important one because this puts us into the top 3rd of books published in 2008 (technically the Solar Wind was published then, on Lulu and Bookhabit.)

Milestone 3: 300 copies

• That would technically enable us to do a litho print run of a 1000 copies. The cost per copy comes down dramatically and there is enough material to offer the books to the book stores - but wait, I wouldn't do it quite yet.

Milestone 4: 400 copies

• This enables us to do a litho print run as well as having the book edited professionally (by offering an editor a deal) and also some spending money for promotions (radio, newspapers, magazines). This is the point at which I'd do a litho print run, unless we can't find an editor, in which case I'd wait and sell

Milestone 5: 500 copies

• definitely enough money to pay that editor. Also 500 copies are halfway to my original 1000 mark.

Milestone 6: 1000 copies

• Someone quoted me this as the magic number needed to attract the interest of publishers. Who knows, but it's worth a shot, but in any case by that time the book will be generating some money.

Milestone 7: 3000 copies

• A book is officially a bestseller in SA when it's sold 3000 copies. By then hopefully the international Big Boys will look up and take note. And possibly the local film companies too.

.....milestone of the future: 100 000 copies

• That would officially make the Solar Wind an international bestseller. I'd have to sell internationally of course to get that right. Clearly there are some milestones missing between!
  

Where is that list of target marketing groups we wanted to target with presentations? Let's see, there are yachting and sailing clubs, outdoors clubs, pirate fan clubs, teen organizations...