Alright... this post is going to be a weird one.
I was pointed toward this video by another nettizen (does anyone still use that word?) / Discord user / writer, and the video is quite interesting.
So let's split this post up in two parts: writing related, and a short review of the book itself.
Just Stab Me Now
... is a YouTube channel (right here) in which a Fantasy heroine interacts with her creator / writer. Unique and odd.
It's a bit like breaking the fourth wall similar to Deadpool talking to the audience, but then tailored to authors.
Or 'Meta fantasy with a twist.' Hmm...
Another way to describe the channel and this story is saying it's like a 21st century social media version of The Princess Bride.
Okay... let's try that again.
From YouTube channel to an actual book
The channel is funny and quirky, and it includes a copious amount of irony, but it has to be your thing. Jill Bearup wrote and played all characters (in the videos that I watched, at least) and she became quite popular doing so.
Then, obviously, her clips about on the interaction of an author and it's victim - I mean main character -obviously led to the actual writing of an actual book called (drumroll) Just Stab Me Now. A book she self-published, and which made her a 100k+. (There's no telling how much money she made on her YouTube channel, and that's not really relevant anyway.)
100k for your first novel? That's not bad... that's not bad at all.
Even better is that she openly talks about why she went for self publishing and how much she made on each platform (Amazon, Kobo, regular publishing, etcetera). If you're a wannabe author (like me, sigh) then it's sometimes very hard to find any real numbers, and here Jill Bearup spills the dough...
So go and watch A 6-figure self published book by Jill Bearup on YouTube.
Marketing (before the fact)
So Jill Bearup wrote a book and managed to sell it, and made a hundred grand, so it is a clear proof that you can make it as a writer, right?
Right... well, maybe. Things are never as simple as they seem, so let's start with the most negative approach possible: Jill Bearup did NOT write a book and successfully sold it.
What she did instead was successfully monetizing her (already) popular YouTube channel.
And there's nothing wrong with that - it's an incredible feat (and I'm jealous as hell) but it's important to understand the difference.
- Most writers: write a story -> promote the story -> sell it
- Jill Bearup: promote a story -> write a book -> sell it
They key element here is that Jill already had a story, one she enticed her future book buying customers with through her YouTube channel. People came to her channel to watch her videos. And once she decided to actually write the actual book she scored more than 12k pre-orders. Duh. That's damn impressive!
A Decade in the Making
So, what she effectively did is market her book before it was even written. That's a very different and interesting approach, but it is a bit of a one-off, a bit of a one-hit wonder I fear. Because - to simulate her approach - you'd first have to create your own YouTube channel, build a following over more than a decade, and only then can you start selling your book.
Jill started with YouTube in 2011 I think (not entirely sure) so she's been promoting herself for the last decade. If I understood correctly she's been working on the Just Stab Me Now series of clips since 2020, so if we ignore her earlier activities she has been 'preparing' her audience for four years. In other words, she made a 100k in a period of four years.
That's still 25k a year, and who knows what other spin-off revenue and additional add money she makes. The point is: it took her a lot of work and a lot of time besides the actual writing to sell the damned thing! If she spent 20 hours a week on Just Stab Me Now, she would have spent 20x52x4 = 4160 hours. 100k / 4160 = 24 bucks per hour. Not a bad salary, but she had to spent all that time before selling a single copy of that book. (Again, not taking into account any YouTube revenue.)
Let's say she spent one year on writing (1040 hours) and three years on promoting (20x52x3 = 3120 horus)... and apply that to the average wannabe writer: will you spent more than 3000 hours on promoting your work?
Takeaways
The classic approach (write, then market) isn't the only valid way to sell a title. Some authors have created a userbase using platforms such as Wattpad (or, in this case, YouTube) before they started selling their books.
There's money to be made, but...
1. You have to find your niche
2. You have to stand out
3. It will take a LOT of effort
4. How much money is in there is hard to tell
From talking to other authors the limit appears to be around 50k per year for very active authors handling multiple series and books per year. My hour estimates above are pure guesses, but if they'd hold true Jill Bearup would reach a similar number. And to top it off, only a few make it.
According to the an Authors Guild survey, the median income for full-time writers in 2020 was just 20k, and for part-time writers the median income was even lower at 6k. Per year. (See also Spine.) And the numbers were dropping.
Some numbers suggest Amazon hosts ONE THOUSAND new books every day. If that is true, then how do you stand out in the three hundred thousand books published every year?!?
Thank you, Jill!
Anyway, I want to thank Jill for spilling the beans, and her numbers and approach give me food for thought. So, now let's have a look at the book itself.
The Book
Hmmm. I bought a digital copy on Amazon, just to have a look at her writing style, and how she converted her channel ('show' ?) into a written version. To be frank, it's okay but it wasn't my thing.
It might appeal to hear more steadfast YouTube followers, but I found her channel better than her book. She pulled an incredible feat, and the work as a whole is impressive and entertaining, but the book - purely by itself, ignoring the history and her channel - doesn't reach such lofty heights, sorry.
So, it's a unique book, but part of its appeal is its novelty.
The Verdict (on the book!)
Meh... thus far not my thing.
I'm probably not in the target demographic. But - frankly - I am a bit distracted by RLI at the moment, so I'll give this another chance. Note that I haven't watched the YouTube channel except for a very short sample, so the book has to stand on its own (and if it doesn't I will be saying so).
(I'm still friggin' jealous though 😎)
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