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Saturday, 2 May 2026
Friday, 1 May 2026
Book Sales Table 2021 - today
Back in the summer of 2021, when we all emerged from lockdown, I'd published my first three graphic novels, which up to then I'd only sold online. Amazon sales were doing quite well and building, and my first live event, Clevedon Lit Fest in June 2021, was very successful too, I thought. I took £130, which equates to 18 books (I'm working from the notes I made in my blog, which sometimes only records takings, not a breakdown of books). Clevedon was the debut of my first pop up banner, which I am still using. I then did what must have been a Creed comicon in July, (which I sneeringly put inverted commas around in my blog, considering it not a "proper" comicon) where I took £101.
Meanwhile (that was the name of the show) in Coventry in September '21 was my first proper comicon as a self publisher and saw the debut of my point of sale displays (above). It was the event where Tony Lee told me how I should be making my fortune writing crime novels (he now earns millions every year from them, while I, once I got round to writing and publishing two cozy crimes, failed to sell any). I took £238 in book sales at Meanwhile, which again I thought wasn't bad.
I then went on to appear at 2021's The Lakes and Thought Bubble, taking £347 and £311 respectively. Truly I'd arrived in the world of comicons and I wasn't going to look back.
Then in 2022 it looks like I took my foot off the gas and did next to no live events, concentrating instead on developing the Socks Eurovision show which I took to that year's Edinburgh.
It was in the middle of 2023 that I seem to have had a breakthrough, at Clevedon Lit Fest again, where so many things begin. I realised that if I was doing a Comic Art Masterclass and the parents were watching, I could flog books to them afterwards. This appears to be the first event where I did this blindingly obvious thing. Since when I have attempted to do it at all my classes that are open to the public, and it accounts for a lot of my book sales.
It's then in the spring of 2024 that, with Richard The Third aimed at younger readers, I started being able to offer my books to schools to pre-order, which has been successful. Results vary, with some schools (usually secondary) buying no books, and some buying lots. The biggest haul was one private school (in March 2025) that bought 80 Richard The Thirds, and there have been similar big uptakes. This year the turnover looks higher, by dint of Romeo being in colour and costing £14, as opposed to the black and white Richard which I was initially offering to schools at a bulk price of £6 each. So the total number of books becomes a much better measure of success (my profit per book being about £4 whether they've bought an expensive colour book or a cheaper black and white one).
I must find ways of selling my books in bigger numbers online, they not having done any business to speak of since I lost my Amazon KDP account back in November 2022. And the dream of getting into bookshops with a "proper" publishers doesn't seem to be getting ny closer, despite the endeavours of my agent (acquired Nov 2023) and such things as the Rights Market at The Lakes (I had some interested parties at my meetings but no action) and the Illustrators Showcase that takes place in London in February, which again saw a few people eyes light up but no meetings follow. Onwards and upwards, hope springs eternal.
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Book Sales May - live and online
My table at Geek Bazaar at The Liner Hotel in Liverpool, May 17th. Only comicon event of the month and, it has to be admitted, not a big moneyspinner.
Live events / classes et al = 72 books (£862.90) (April 185, £2111.54, March 181, £2153.41)
D2D - 7 books ($8.09) (April 12, $13.54, March 54, $74.79)
Etsy - 6 books (£50.95) (April 2, £8.98, March 4, £32.96)
Lulu - 6 books (£12) (April 6, £6.91, March 7, £6.11)
Blurb - 0 books, £0 (April 0, March 1, 61p)
Podcast downloads - 278 (April 164, March 96)
Blog views - 365,397 (April 340,000, March 300,000)
Live Sales May 2026 = 72 books (£862.90)
May 17 - Geek Bazaar Liverpool - 15 books (£204)
1 x Romeo col
4 x Richard col
1 x Richard bw
1 x PODS
2 x MNDT
1 x Omnibus
1 x Joseph bw
1 x Kids comic
3 x Colouring (1 Doctors, 2 2020s)
May 18, 19 - Colmore Jrs Kings Heath - 14 books (£186)
12 x Romeo col
2 x Richard col
May 21 - Dassett School, Fenny Compton - 18 books (£216)
8 x Romeo col
1 x Romeo bw
3 x Richard col
1 x FM
1 x PODS
3 x MNDT
1 x Omnibus
May 29 - Ropetackle Shoreham - 12 books (£117)
1 x Romeo col
1 x Richard bw
1 x FM
2 x PODS
1 x MNDT
1 x Space Elain
2 x Esther col
3 x Kids comics
May 30 - Chelmsford Museum - 13 books (£139.90)
3 x Romeo col
1 x FM
2 x PODS
1 x MNDT
3 x Space Elain
3 x Kids comics
Live Sales May 2026 = 72 books (£862.90)
25 x Romeo col
1 x Romeo bw
9 x Richard col
2 x Richard bw
3 x FM
6 x PODS
7 x MNDT
2 x Omnibus
4 x Space Elain
2 x Esther col
1 x Joseph bw
7 x Kids comics
3 x Colouring books
D2D Sales May 2026 - 7 books ($8.09)
4 x Romeo
1 x Richard
1 x PODS
1 x Tales From Bible
Etsy Sales May 2026 - 6 books (£50.95)
2 x FM
2 x PODS
1 x Euro vol 1
1 x Punk
Lulu Sales May 2026 - 6 books (£12)
1 x Who Notes (direct from Lulu)
1 x Attack Of Sausages
2 x Esther
2 x MNDT
Buzzsprout podcast downloads May 2026 - 278
I joined in a thread on Facebook about British comics and included links to a number of episodes of Comic Cuts, which could explain why it leapt up from 9 downloads the previous week to 68 downloads the next. This was followed by the Alan Moore archive episode, which stands at an impressive 142 downloads after a little more than a week, and the first brand new episode in a few months (Liz Million and Rich Johnston). Onwards and upwards.
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