Taking Medusa and Breaking Fate are no longer in Kindle Unlimited, you can now grab them directly from my Author Store and read them on any device!
Or Grab from CURIOS! The new self-publishing platform for creatives!
I'm trying Curios out as a potential replacement of my author store with Payhip. Right now, I have both Taking Medusa and Breaking Fate available on Curios, as well as Her Alien Starbreaker, and TKManAteHer (Available in Audiobook too!) The audiobooks for Taking Medusa and Breaking Fate are still exclusive with Audible, but are also available in Audio! Check out my audiobooks on Audible here: https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Stevie+Marie
Check out CURIOS here: https://marketplace.curios.com/creators/skyrobertromances-9PPLJ6
The cost of bringing a book to readers varies from book to book, author to author. And all an indie author needs is 1 new reader a day to bring a book to life without going bankrupt.
I'll breakdown it down, the way my brain works and keeps motivated despite months like last month where all I made was less than 10 dollars on my Medusa Romantasy Retelling.
I spent around 2100 bringing Taking Medusa to life and around 1500 spent on Breaking Fate. From book covers, marketing, character art, and editing.
For a total of 3600 to bring the story to readers so far. This doesn't include the cost of my time to write the books. I can't even calculate my time invested at this point, considering Taking Medusa was launched 2023 in October, and Breaking Fate launched 2024 in October, with a plan for book three launching Oct 2025.
I believe that once book three Reaping Olympus is released that it will be easier to bring new readers to a new indie author with a completed series and help boost the story. I think there are lots of readers who would prefer to read a series straight through and prefer stories to be completed. I think that's why my spicy alien romances under Sky Robert have been doing so much better is because all of the books are standalone.
Reaping Olympus is 35k/80k written!
Lovely reader or fellow indie author, you understand that investing in bringing a book to life is harder and harder with each launch. As we indie authors rely on the support of readers to continue to launch the next book when our own investment funds are tapped out.
We indie authors invest in a dream that was born in our heads.
And those dreams are supported by those that share that world with us when they read them.
It might seem like a lot to get 3600 back in my investment, and eventually work towards paying for my time invested, but with an e-book at 4.99 on Amazon. It would take 1107 books sold to break even. There is an average readthrough rate of 60% of readers continuing past book one reading through to book two. So, if 1107 = X + Y , x being book one, and y being book two, and only 60% go on to book two. That would mean Y = .6X , and that would make X the amount of readers needed to sell 1107 book across book one and two. Which equals 692 readers.
This is how my brain works. Because I find breaking it down like this, makes things feel more achievable.
I've removed the series from Kindle Unlimited.
Why?
Because for every book read in Kindle Unlimited, I only make around $1 per reader, and there aren't enough readers reading my book in KU to warrant staying exclusive. And based on the mathing, I only need around 700 readers to help support my books outside of KU to break even, and if I was in KU it would take needing 460 readers outside of KU and 600 readers in KU to break even. It seems easier to try to find an extra 240 readers willing to buy my book, rather than 600 extra readers to read in KU.
I'm not trying to find a massive amount of readers. 700 readers seems like a pretty achievable sounding goal to start with.
Especially, if I break it down by the year, that's finding 84 new readers a month, or 21 new readers a week. Or 3 new readers a day.
1,000 fans doesn't seem as far off, if I think about finding 3 new fans a day. Perhaps it takes me more than a year, perhaps it takes me three years, and it's only 1 new fan a day. Or maybe, I'm a slow turtle, and it takes me 6 years and it's 1 new fan every other day.
Perhaps, you're my 1 new fan for the day because you weren't completely weirded out by my very wordy way of saying all I need is 1 reader a day to take a chance on me.
We create our own pace, and eventually I'll find my tribe.
I have 3,000+ readers on this newsletter, and I'll be honest, I've been slacking on finding new readers to join this newsletter because I've been more focused on bringing more readers to my sci-fi alien romance newsletter due to seeing better results with that platform, growing my list to over 8,000+ subscribers since 2023, while this list for my romantasy has trickled in more slowly.
I love writing both, but romantasy is such a large genre that it's difficult to break into the market as a newbie. I bring up the size of my newsletter because technically across both my newsletters I have over 10,000 readers who know about me! That's pretty remarkable!
And I only need 700 readers to breakeven on launching a book! So, really, it's just a matter of convincing a reader like you to take a chance on me, if you haven't already. And if you already have and loved my books, hoping that you share the books with fellow readers!
Haven't checked out Taking Medusa? It's available in Audible and Kindle, check it out! https://books.steviemarie.com/takingmedusa
Also, available direct from my author store!
Grab Taking Medusa or Breaking Fate Direct from my Author Store here:
https://payhip.com/BrokenBooksPublishing/collection/e-books
ALSO available direct from CURIOS here: https://marketplace.curios.com/creators/skyrobertromances-9PPLJ6
Have you already read Taking Medusa, or Breaking Fate, what did you think of the story?
✨"Breathtaking romantasy" - N.N. Light
✨"Flipping pages late into the night" - Rebel
✨"It's like watching a movie, only better" - N.N. Light
✨"I couldn't put it down" - Amy's Bookshelf Reviews
✨"Powerful and ever-changing FMC" - Mary
✨"Twistedly Brilliant" - Rose
✨"Mystery of fates and desires... Deliciously Torturous" - Jess
✨"A Fascinating Colossal World" - Sandra
✨"I absolutely love this book!" - LaWanda
✨"Hungry for more" - Jess
✨"This.author.is.EVERYTHING!!!!" - Megan
Have you shared your thoughts by leaving a review?
Us Indie authors survive off of shares, likes, and reviews to reach new readers! Check out my books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/S.M.-McCoy/author/B07F5T71VW
Taking Medusa currently has 68 ratings on Amazon! and Breaking Fate has 25 ratings. I'd love to know what you think of the book and help Taking Medusa reach 70, 80, 100+ ratings! Taking Medusa has 113 ratings on Goodreads with a 4.24 average, and Breaking Fate has 50 ratings with a 4.66 average!
Medusa is dragged back into the fates of Gods and Monster not knowing who she is, or her past when she accidentally kills the last daughter of the sea, Coraline. Taken to Atlantis, she's trapped and forced to figure out how to navigate this deadly game of gods while falling for King Triton's sentinel warrior, Dion. Taking Medusa: https://books.steviemarie.com/takingmedusa
Gaining the attention of Hades for using her blood to save and take life, Medusa is tricked into an oath with the Underworld to protect Poseidon and Atlantis. She discovers that the key to her fate and future is hidden in her past. Uncovering how her fate was broken to begin with could save her future at the cost of losing the love she desperately craves. When the balance of power is at stake, and the dark gods are under attack, she must sacrifice to save them or break fate to find another way. Breaking Fate: https://books.steviemarie.com/breakingfate
Coming 2025 is book three Reaping Olympus! Typically, many indie authors would have a pre-order link available for people to prep for Book Three, but I've found it gives me too much stress to have a preorder link until I have the first draft completed. Once I do, I'll let you know!
My new WEBSITE is now live! https://steviemarie.com/
Hi, I'm Stevie. I'm a mom of two kiddos, and I write fantasy romance, and alien romances. I started with writing a YA vampire romance, and I retired the 3-book series because it wasn't the same kind of style as the rest of my books, and I didn't want those books to be the first impression readers got of my writing. I also wrote a sci-fi fantasy mash up Kingdom of Acatalec, got a traditional contract book deal, but it flopped because I wasn't and still am not that great at marketing things without more control over what I can do with my books. I received my book rights back and will relaunch that book with my indie control after I finish my Medusa Retelling Series.
The Dark Gods Rising is mythology reimagined if you are like me and believe that the "monsters" of myth and legend were hunted by Greek gods because they were different, because they were a threat to their power and rule. Perhaps, the monsters weren't the bad guys after all, and Medusa wasn't the villain myth made her out to be. There is always more than one side to every story.
Dive into a slow-burn romance, fast-paced fantasy adventure with all the political mechanisms of Greek Myth, and the what-ifs from a different point of view.
Read in KU or Listen with Audible!
https://books.steviemarie.com/takingmedusa
https://books.steviemarie.com/breakingfate
Check out books narrated by me on Audible(US) here: https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Stevie+Marie
Happy reading, and perhaps you'll find your next favorite read among the featured indie authors below! And for those of you wanting to know the status of where I am in writing the next book, scroll to the bottom!
xoxo
Stevie
Check out my NEWEST BOOK Her Alien Delegate! A Sexy Reverse Harem Alien Romance in the Trillume Universe. Coming to Kindle Unlimited August 26th 2025. Or Grab direct from Sky Robert's Author store to read it before anywhere else! https://payhip.com/b/Rp28b
Grab Her Alien Delegate from Kindle: https://books.steviemarie.com/aliendelegate
Add Her Alien Delegate to Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236744164-her-alien-delegate
Hope you find some great indie reads! Chat soon!
xoxo
Stevie
What I'm WRITING now!
Currently writing Projects: (Yes, I'm always writing in a rotation of projects all at once, and rotate until one is finished. It's how my brain functions. Before this process, I was unable to complete any project at all.) I release around 3 to 4 books a year. This year, Her Alien Starbreaker, and Her Alien Delegate are now LAUNCHED, goal to have Reaping Olympus completed during the summer, and launched in October 2025. That's my 3 books in a year goal!
REAPING OLYMPUS: Book three of the Taking Medusa Dark Gods Series (In Progress) Around 35K words in (I've rewritten the beginning too many times to admit to. I really want to make book three better than the previous two books and that has put a lot of pressure on this book.) Check out book's one and two! Taking Medusa and Breaking Fate
RIVEN'S FLAME: a dragon fantasy romance with a Rumpelstiltskin influence and a female dragon hiding within the clan as a male due to an extinction crisis of dragons having less and less female dragons: 28K written
GOBLIN'S TREASURE: a labyrinth darker spicy romance retelling where you don't turn down the goblin king's proposition: 21K written
UNITY UNIVERSITY: a unicorn shifter academy spicy slice of life romance where it's more about relationship building, and not an instant love. It's also an older FMC who turns forty and is both a student and a professor because working for the university also gives her the benefit of taking classes for free to start her life over from scratch.
SKY ROBERT: (Alien Romance books in progress under my pen name)
HER ALIEN CAPTOR
HER ALIEN NECTAR
MONSTER'S BRIDE
MATED TO THE ENEMY
Start Reading Taking Medusa today: https://books.steviemarie.com/takingmedusa
Taking Medusa is available on Kindle, and Audible!
Grab from Curios: https://marketplace.curios.com/creators/skyrobertromances-9PPLJ6
Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/150498806-taking-medusa
Book two is LIVE! https://books.steviemarie.com/breakingfate
Add to your Goodreads shelf: Breaking Fate (Dark Gods Rising, #2) by S.M. McCoy | Goodreads Breaking Fate on Amazon: https://books.steviemarie.com/breakingfate
Check out the Author store and grab the signed hardcover or signed paperbacks! https://payhip.com/BrokenBooksPublishing
Also by me: Do you like Alien Romances?
Check out my Pen Name Sky Robert!
If you would like to help support future books, and this series, you can grab my newest release Breaking Fate on Amazon here or read in Kindle Unlimited! https://books.steviemarie.com/breakingfate
Chat soon!
xoxo
Stevie
Getting too much email? Reply back to this email with "Monthly" in the message and I'll move you over to my once a month letter usually sent out around the 15th of the month.
Please do not click that SPAM button. I'm a small indie author, even 1 single spam complaint out of my small 3,000 sized list of subscribers sends my newsletter OVER the "green" zone of below .01%. Anything over this percentage causes other readers who want to hear from me to potentially not see my emails as it hurts deliverability to their inboxes.
You are on my email list because you opted in either by grabbing my free book, finding me on the interwebs, or by joining a book giveaway geared towards meeting new authors such as myself. If you found yourself here by any other means, you're welcome to unsubscribe at anytime. I do not go around adding emails all willy nilly. I'm a one-person show here, and can't afford to have people on my list that don't want to be here. I follow all guidelines and laws regarding newsletters.
Disclaimer: sometimes my links have affiliate tags associated with them, this in no way influences who I decide to share with you on my newsletter, nor does it impact your experience with discovering new books. If anything, any affiliate links used help authors, including myself, subsidize the costs associated with staying in business. For instance, using a tagged link helps us see whether someone found our books from our own marketing efforts or through some other means, also with Amazon specifically, that puts a couple extra pennies from grabbing one of our books back to the author from the big company. More of your money goes to the author, and your costs remain the same. My affiliate links have regularly covered the cost of maintaining this newsletter. So, if anything, click on a link for my books, and even if you are not buying my book, feel free to go about your usual Amazon shopping to help support my books through stuff you would normally buy anyways. Stick it to "the man" and support indie authors while you do it. This has been a PSA announcement from yours truly. Sky
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