Book Series: Why I’ll Take 333 Raving Fans Over 1,430 Readers Any Day
(this is from my upcoming book Mini Book Money: How to Turn 10,000 Words into $10,000)
Most authors never finish a book, not because they don't have ideas, but because they get stuck in what I call the Big Book Bottleneck.
The Big Book Bottleneck is the cycle of spending months or even years trying to write one massive book. You overthink every detail, try to include everything, and end up delaying progress. Even when the book is finished, you still have to figure out how to sell it.
It takes too long. It keeps you from earning. It kills momentum.
Now let’s do the math. If you price your book at $9.99, Amazon pays you about $6.99 per sale. To reach $10,000, you would need to sell 1,430 copies. That’s a lot of readers, and even then, the revenue stops there. One book, one opportunity to get paid.
Compare that to the Mini Book Momentum Method which is a different way to write the same book.
Instead of writing one 50,000-word book, you break it into five 10,000-word Mini Books. Each one is easier to write, easier to finish, and easier to sell. You release the first book, then build out the rest based on reader feedback, actual demand, and what people need help with next.
Your first book is your roadmap. It’s priced at $2.99, earning you about $2.09 per sale. Your follow-up books, priced at $9.99, bring in about $7.00 each. If a reader buys just two books, your revenue per person is $9.08, already higher than the single-book model. Now, you only need about 1,100 readers to reach $10,000.
If a reader buys all five books in the series, your total revenue per person jumps to $30.06. That means you only need 333 readers to reach the same $10,000 milestone.
The concept is simple: you’re writing the same book, just smarter. Instead of building everything at once and hoping it lands, you break it into pieces, validate each part, and make money while you're building the full system.
I followed this exact path with my own series. I could have written a big book about Mini Books, but I didn’t. I split it into five shorter, focused books:
Mini Book Model — the concept, the why
Mini Book Writing — how to write your book in seven days
Mini Book Publishing — how to publish your manuscript to Amazon
Mini Book Marketing — how to get your book into readers’ hands
Mini Book Money — how to turn your book into an income engine
Each book solves one specific problem and sets up the next. Readers who get value from one are likely to buy another, which is called read-through rate. This is what makes many fiction authors so successful. You finish one book, and you want the next one. That same idea works with nonfiction. Instead of telling a story, you help someone build their own, one piece at a time.
And with each new book, new product opportunities open up. A book can become a course, a service, a digital download, a coaching offer. Each book helps solve another problem and introduces the next step. This creates a flywheel that keeps spinning, bringing in new customers, helping existing ones go deeper, and expanding your business.
You don’t need a bestseller to build a business. You need a series that helps people make progress, one step at a time.
Instead of one book that tries to do everything, the Mini Book Momentum Method is a modular system that makes it easier for readers to learn, and easier for you to sell.
How My Slow Selling Titles Earned Me Over $10,000
Most authors try to make $10,000 from one book.
I started with The Independent Adjuster’s Playbook, a roadmap book that laid out the full journey for new adjusters. Then I wrote follow-up books for each major step or struggle my readers encountered, like how to write a resume or use the software. Two of those books became breakout sellers and brought in more than $30,000 in royalties.
The mid-list titles may not have been bestsellers, but they still worked for me.
Together, the remaining five books earned $14,000 in royalties.
Each one deepened trust, kept readers moving forward, and increased the lifetime value of my audience. They filled in the gaps, solved specific problems, and reinforced the roadmap laid out in the first book. The full series gave me more chances to serve, more products to promote, and more reasons to stay relevant.
That is the difference between one book and a book business.
Building Your Own Mini Book Momentum Series
Step 1: Write the Foundational Book
Most authors write without thinking about how their book fits into a bigger journey. That’s why most books feel like a dead end.
Your first book should be the foundation. It introduces the full roadmap, the journey your reader is about to take. It’s not meant to solve every problem in detail. It’s meant to provide the structure that shows where they’re headed and why that matters.
The best first book gives clarity. It opens a loop in the reader’s mind and makes them want the next piece. It’s the invitation into your world.
If you try to put everything into that one book, you overwhelm the reader. Worse, you remove the reason to come back for more. Instead, let that first book serve as the introduction and let the follow-up books carry the deeper work.
Step 2: Keep Readers Moving with Follow-Up Books
Once you’ve introduced the journey, your job is to guide readers through it step by step.
Each follow-up book should focus on a specific part of the journey or a common roadblock. These books help readers implement what they learned in the first book. Some books will take off and sell more than others, but they all serve a purpose: to keep readers engaged, moving forward, and getting results.
Each time someone finishes a book and takes action, they naturally ask, "What’s next?" Your next book is the answer. This creates momentum. Each book is a tool that keeps the reader going, one win at a time.
The more books you have, the more opportunities you have to enter the reader’s world, solve problems, and build trust.
Step 3: Multiply Profits by Expanding Your Offering
A book series doesn’t just create more book sales. It builds a business.
Once you’ve written a few Mini Books, you can expand them into different formats. You can bundle them into a box set. You can turn them into workbooks, audiobooks, video trainings. You can spin off products, coaching, and services.
Each new book gives you a reason to sell. Each new offer gives your reader a way to go further.
Many authors stop at publishing. But the authors who win long-term know that a book is just the beginning. Your books attract attention. Your products and services deliver the deeper transformation.
Books are not just content. They are entry points. Every book is a new way for someone to meet you, trust you, and work with you.
A Mini Book Series is not about writing more. It’s about writing smarter. It's about giving readers what they need, when they need it, and building something that keeps growing long after each book is released.
Pricing Your Mini Book Series to Reach $10K
Getting to $10,000 in book sales doesn’t require a huge audience, it requires the right pricing strategy. Your first book should be the easiest one to buy. This is your roadmap book, and it’s priced low to attract readers, build trust, and create momentum. You’re not trying to maximize profit here, you’re building a foundation.
Recommended pricing for your roadmap book:
$0.99: Great for promotions and wide reach
$2.99: Unlocks 70% royalty on Amazon while still being affordable
Goal: Get as many readers in the door as possible
The first book sets everything else in motion.
The money is made in the follow-up books. Once readers trust you and want the next step, they’re willing to pay more for specific solutions. Each supporting book solves a single problem and should be priced to reflect the value it delivers. This is where your revenue stacks up.
Recommended pricing for follow-up books:
$4.99: Low-friction, fast-moving titles
$9.99: Premium, problem-solving Mini Books
Goal: Provide focused help and maximize earnings per reader
This structure allows you to earn more with fewer readers.
Final Thought
A single big book forces you to constantly chase new readers. A Mini Book Series creates a system where every book multiplies your impact and increases your earnings.
You can keep trying to finish one book and hope it works.
Or you can break free from the bottleneck, build your series, and start making money while you write.
Let’s move forward. Next up, digital products.