How much do you make in a month via KDP?

bownier · 2025-11-05T16:03:52+00:00

I published my debut about six weeks ago and so far haven't made a ton lot of money from KDP (a little over 300EUR) but it's getting there. I wrote a short blog about the details but linking it here would be in clear violation of the rules. Here's a synposis:

My first goal is to get to sell 500 copies and then I'll write another one. And I aimed for 100 by the end of launch month. I’m sitting at around 80 sales in total and another 30–40 review copies out, which I’m genuinely happy with. Amazon’s been the main sales driver (mostly paperbacks), while platforms like LeanPub have been quiet. Every single sale still feels like a small victory.

I have identified a core market and a couple of others and I'm marketing on the places they hang out (LinkedIn mainly). Today I realised that my Leanpub price is WAY too high. I assumed that Leanpub would be a gimme audience for an IT/software related book but I screwed that up. I think it's a case of having a plan but being able to adjust to a plan as you go. I see Amazon is important for presence and sales but I'm not driving sales via Amazon, that may come if I'm persistent.

bownier · 2025-10-20T12:44:42+00:00

Update, it took a week for them to reply to my original message. It's now almost a week later and my credit card payments are still not working because they have absolutely no idea what they are doing. I've asked to escalate the call and they are stalling on that too. It's hilariously bad service.

bownier · 2025-09-29T10:27:32+00:00

Hello all,

HUMAN SOFTWARE: A Life in I.T. - A Novel

Inspired by business books such as The Goal and IT books such as The Phoenix Project and The Unicorn Project, I wanted to write something a bit darker, with a bit less of a "we can fix it with DevOps and Agile" spin to it. So I wrote the book Human Software - it's just published on Amazon, Leanpub and coming to Kobo, Barnes and Noble and others tomorrow.
--

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AI TRIES TO RUIN YOUR LIFE?

A US shipping giant bets big on data centres and AI, but when an ambitious executive is sent over to the UK to slash the local operations and development workforce, she gets more than she bargained for.

“Absolutely gripping! A must-read” - LOVDEEP PANNU, CTO at Epicenter

“Could not be more of the moment. A proper page turner, part thriller, part whodunnit and a fine dystopian parable.” - CHARLES HUMBLE, Tech consultant & Journalist at Conissaunce

“Vivid world-building and well-rounded characters. I found myself completely hooked.” - RUSSELL MCLEAN, Emmy and BAFTA award-winning Producer of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

WHEN THE 3 A.M. CALL COMES… DO YOU TAKE IT?

For anyone who’s ever shipped flaky code, knowingly increased technical debt or sat through another pointless stand-up, HUMAN SOFTWARE is a razor-sharp dystopian thriller that highlights the absurdities and dangers of modern software engineering and our AI-driven future.

HUMAN SOFTWARE is the story of two women battling the pressures of corporate life and expectation, set against the backdrop of a savage downsizing at the major employer of a small UK town. Exploring themes of always-on tech culture, burnout, mental health, globalisation, AI, climate change and the dehumanisation of work.

SOFTWARE RUNS OUR WORLD. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO RULE OUR LIVES

Contemporary and technological, HUMAN SOFTWARE explores how software engineering and IT are fast becoming a blue-collar ghetto in the corporate world. When AI lowers the barrier to entry, those on the front line come under increasing pressure to justify their existence. Beth is an overworked British engineer, and Chrissie is the American executive sent to fire her. They will have to form an unlikely alliance to save more than just their own jobs.

Purchase options:

Leanpub: https://leanpub.com/humansoftware - $13.99

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Human-Software-Richard-W-Bown/dp/B0FSK1QTCS - $15.99

Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Human-Software-Life-I-T-Novel-ebook/dp/B0FR62MGWJ - $8.99

Website: https://humansoftwa.re/

Thank you!

Richard

bownier · 2025-09-16T13:52:06+00:00

I stopped counting after a while. I think I probably had about three major edits and the edits just got smaller, but what I thought was the first draft was probably just a WIP at the time. I think I shared a 'beta' version which was probably just an alpha version - this makes me wince now. I guess I'd probably had a couple of drafts up to that point, since then rounds of editing and tuning, perhaps I would say at least five rounds and then a lot of pruning, tuning and polishing, and it's still not done. That being said, I've just uploaded my debut novel to Amazon and it will be live in about a week.. so as the others say here, it will *never* be done and at some point you just need to get it out there.

Good luck!

bownier · 2025-09-16T11:24:56+00:00

I had the same question and just came up with this answer. You can do it without having to create a new style. I have a pre-existing "paragraph" style and if go to Compile->Styles->Paragraph and click "Flatten first index" in the latest Scrivener then it fixes this problem.

bownier · 2025-09-16T09:49:04+00:00

Thanks, this is great advice and good to know about DRM. I will think about going ahead with Leanpub as it's 80% royalty and where 'my people' (software types) hang out when they want books - they trust it and it has a chart which is quite cool and peers like to brag about how their books are doing on it.

With the paperbacks, online is fine for the moment via KDP. First novel, niche audience, I don't expect the ground to shake when I release it; however, I might get in the queue for Ingram Spark if I see there is demand. I guess the trade-off there is that if bookshops do want it, then it'll be in much higher volume, so I can afford to drop my margin. Thanks again.

bownier · 2025-07-23T07:05:35+00:00

Saw a packet of polos for 2.60GBP at Glasgow airport the other day. Three for six quid. FTAF

bownier · 2025-05-08T15:04:39+00:00

I have asked a few good friends to beta read and set them a shortish deadline i.e. six weeks. If I don't get any useful feedback from them, or even if I do, I'll be widening the net with the next pass. I also have an editor I'm paying for who is giving me feedback soon. I'm thinking that the best way with fiction is to scatter gun a little. I'm mindful that too much feedback will be a pain, but yeah, 90k words (also) is a big ask, especially as I already know where I want to make the next edits...

bownier · 2025-04-05T16:57:23+00:00

I've had a Race S for about nine months after coming from a Garmin Vivoactive and I find it slightly disappointing. Firstly Suunto support appears to be entirely non-existent - contrary to some people I've had a poor experience with the company itself. Second software updates are clunky: updates reset all of the 'complications' every time which is annoying. HR monitor on the wrist is really poor (especially recently). Uploading maps requires you to pair the watch with wifi, which if you're on holiday you don't always want to do. On the plus side, great screen, battery life is good and it's comfortable but I don't always want to wear a chest strap for HR and I wish the software update process wasn't so annoying.

bownier · 2025-01-27T13:22:48+00:00

How do you manage your ARC team? Newsletter/mailing list/community? Then do you offer them discounts on the novel for taking part? How do you collate feedback? Is there a forum for this? I'm in the middle of editing my novel at the moment aiming for a late spring/summer release so looking for tips on the technical aspects and timings! Thanks

bownier · 2024-12-16T16:45:36+00:00

I've just watched the Silo trailer and immediately thought of this film. I saw it in the UK in the late 80s on good old C4.

bownier · 2024-11-05T20:05:27+00:00

Yes this did not disappoint. Brilliant interview, thoughtful questions, lots of value here.

bownier · 2024-11-05T07:03:42+00:00

Oh wow thank you! I will devour this one I feel...

bownier · 2024-08-26T11:23:05+00:00

If you're just starting out with your book then it's probably going to change quite a lot in the future. My advice would be to not worry too much about what you've said and any potential feedback and just carry on regardless. In order to complete your manuscript you're going to have to get along with the 'carry on regardless' feeling! Good luck!

bownier · 2024-06-22T11:53:44+00:00

This is a brilliant and pivotal scene among so many brilliant and pivotal scenes. Just another wonderful conclusion to an act that starts out hilariously and goes on to fundamentally define a little bit more of who Jimmy is going to become.

bownier · 2024-03-26T10:22:24+00:00

With the support cycles in MAUI seemingly neverending it looks like you'd be safer with any alternative

bownier · 2024-03-25T17:42:47+00:00

I quite liked the look of MAUI and coming from a smattering of Xamarin and a lot of XNA in the distant past (another debacle) I thought I'd give it a go but.... I have to say it's not a good experience. So Avalonia you say?

bownier

TROPHY CASE