I have had hobbies with the potential to turn a profit for at least fifteen years. In those fifteen years I have never seen a profit. This is a good thing actually. I have always been focused on my hobbies for fun, and not profit. I have never put a great deal of effort into making money off of the things I create. I do not see that effort as changing very much in the future.

This, of course, doesn't mean that I don't think of it now and again.

The more debt I have acquired, the more I have thought of this. Currently, the numbers break down like this:

• Debt: $60,000.00
• Marketing: $10,000.00
• Moving: $10,000.00
• Need $80,000.00
   
• Sell Books QTY: 60,000 at $1.40 Profit/book
• Sell CDs QTY: 20,000 at $4.00 Profit/CD
• Sell Prints QTY: 40,000 at $2.00 Profit/Print

Profits are all based on self-publishing routes. No record label or publisher here. As a result, I have to consider the ten grand investment in promotion. The debt is mostly student loans, so I have a long time to pay them off, but they are rather overwhelming. Regardless of how long I have to pay them off, they still prevent me from saving money for a home or investing in my future at all. This is depressing, which is counter productive to creativity and life in general.

I would like to take a moment and point out that I'm not here to complain about my debt, or to claim that I have more debt than others. I am actually rather fortunate in many ways. My debt does not threaten to take away my home or make any children starve. My debt is simply my own burden. In the event that debt collectors began garnishing my wages, I have a certain stubbornness and lifestyle which would simply allow me to quit my job and begin making as little money as possible. My credit report is an unbelievable nightmare, so when someone threatens to send a new debt to a collection agency, it is hardly a threat. These things allow me to approach my debt from a different angle. When I hear others speak about their debt, others that have cars, homes, and families, I simply do not know how to offer them advice. Not that my experience with debt would be of much help anyway.

Back to the numbers.

All of the quantities which I have listed are for the entire payoff amount. If I sell twenty thousand CDs, I would make eighty thousand dollars. That is what makes these numbers so exciting to me. I see thirty thousand books and ten thousand CDs as an obtainable goal. I would not expect this to happen in one years time, but I see no reason why this does not make an excellent five year goal. Granted, five years from when I publish the novel and release the CD. Which, at my current pace might take another five years.

later,
-junc