My Profit and Loss (Mostly Loss) Statement

It’s a new month, and I've decided it’s time for that very official, very business-like thing all successful authors do… creating my profit and loss statement.

Now, before you picture spreadsheets, accountants, and me rolling in royalties, let’s be clear: this is really just me tracking how much money I’ve joyfully poured into my “expensive hobby” called self-publishing.

Between illustrations, formatting, website hosting, advertising, and the celebratory cupcakes I keep buying whenever someone new reads my book, let’s just say the “loss” column is… thriving.

But here’s the surprise: when I actually added everything up, it didn’t look that bad. Sure, I’m not quitting my day job anytime soon, but the satisfaction of having a book in the world, a handful of sales, and readers enjoying it makes the whole thing feel like an investment in joy rather than a loss.

So yes, my profit and loss statement is technically red, but my heart is in the green. And for now, that feels like enough to keep me writing.

Author’s Balance Sheet (Unofficial, but 100% accurate):

Profits:
- 7 glowing reviews that made me grin like a maniac
- 9 real sales to someone who isn’t related to me
- 1 KU reader (I love you, whoever you are)
- Endless pride in holding my book in my hands

Losses:
- Illustrator fees (worth every cent)
- Formatting costs (goodbye margins, hello sanity)
- Advertising costs (basically splitting my royalties between Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, who I’m sure are very grateful)
- Cupcakes purchased under the label of “marketing celebrations”

Net Result:
Emotionally rich, financially… let’s call it “developing.”