My ebook sales figures for August 2011

From what I’ve heard, read and picked up from other authors, summer months can sink an ebooks sales figures like a Lego tied to a five pound brick. The kids are out of school, people are on vacation and maybe the Internet isn’t calling like it was prior to summers warm embrace.

Besides my recent move to Hawaii, my grandmother passed away unexpectedly, and it definitely took some of the wind from underneath my wings. I wasn’t on my A-game in August. But that’s life, you know.

I had some pretty grandiose plans in August and I wasn’t able to get a lot done because I took my grandmothers death a lot harder than I thought I would (quite honestly).

I believe it’s important that you know these things because even though we’re discussing business and making money here, it doesn’t exist separately from our real lives. Life is always coming up with these jack-in-the-box surprises that come out of left field.

And in saying that, I’m REALLY thankful that I had those ebook sales to support me when I was in mourning. They allowed me to step away from the Internet and fly to NYC to be with my family. They gave me time to think and pray and eat and love when I needed it most.

When I started this blog earlier this year it was my goal to make passive income galore. I won’t say I’m in the “galore” stage yet, but I will say that in August 2011 my ebooks came to the rescue and did a pretty good rendition of the passive income samba, if there is such a thing.

The stats speak for themselves

July was pretty okay for me as I outlined in this post. August was a wee bit less awesome, with $4,210 in revenue.

So yes, my ebook sales did go down by over $1K from the previous month.

But I’m not ashamed of $4K in profits. I’m not upset by the fact that I didn’t have to do any additional work to make that money. Even though I lost a grand, I was able to live my life away from the Internet and still put a few dollars in my pocket.

Allow my mourning to be your wake up call

Everybody’s got a song-and-dance they’re using to get to the top of the financial food chain. But the big question you should be asking yourself today is that if life were to toss you a bag a moldy lemons and you can’t make lemonade, could your online business still support you?

If you were (God forbid) to become terribly ill and could only spend a maximum of 90 minutes a day online, could you still put a roasted chicken (or some veggie tofu) on the dinner table without straining?

A lot of online businesses are dependent on steady and active participation. I’m thinking in particular about my freelance writing friends. They stop grinding and the revenue stops flowing. That’s a little scary for me, even with a savings to pad the fall.

That’s part of the reason why I really began to pursue ebooks as my primary revenue source. I needed to know that I had something to support me should I suddenly need surgery, or if there’s a death in the family, or even if I fall in love with some awesome muchacho. (Love? Yes… I make breathing room for everything!)

Life is funny. As soon as you think you have it all figured out, shit happens. It doesn’t make any sense to live in fear, but it does make sense to prepare with a passive income plan. As cliché as it sounds, offense is often the best defense.

I can’t force everybody to jump on the ebook party bus, but I will say that if you’re looking for a business that can insulate you during life’s hard times, you might find it’s a very nice place to be.

Have a great Monday… and if you have a grandma who’s still alive and well, tell her that you love her today.