So I am right in the middle of my second month right now. How does it look? Well, it could be better, it could be worse. I have made a few sales, have a few subscribers, and for the time being look to be staying in business. I have started on my quest to actually carry different genres and styles of books and comics, and it has been met with a lukewarm reception (though still much better than cold). After I am done with the mechanics of the site (I am SO close) I will begin working on marketing. Specifically I will walk the walk and begin advertising on Google and elsewhere to people who read other types of fiction.
One of the things that I am coming across is a “damned if you do damned if you don’t” dillema. If I shun the standard superhero/sci-fi/fantasy genres, I will lose the bread and butter of the industry, and it’s called the bread and butter for a reason. On the other hand, if I carry the same superhero/sci-fi/fantasy items that every other shop routinely stocks, I really have nothing to set myself apart from the crowd. If this were a perfect world, I would be independently wealthy and would simply stock all books regardless of type or genre. However I have to figure what I can get away with (aka what Heidi will let me get away with) and what has to be cut back.
I am starting to see the site programming slow down a bit. This is an extremely good thing. After essentially coding for 12+ hours a day, 7 days a week, I am done with it. Well ok, not done with it, but in desperate need of a real break. Luckily I finished out subscription invoicing which was one of the last major areas on the site that needed to be covered. I am also getting a hold on shipping. Talk about something I should have finished beforehand. Unfortunately my time was already stretched thin enough that a few hours extra to spend on shipping just wasn’t happening. My packaging time is down, and once I get a shaarp scissors will be down even further. I discovered the necessary evil of shipping peanuts. Yes, I hate them as much as everyone else, but they are commonly used for a single reason. they are cheap and convenient.
The post office has been nothing but aces. Since buying my own postal scale and printing up my own shipping at home, my trips to the post office (provided I make it a bit before last collection) involve simply walking in, dropping my packages into the package chute, and leaving. no more standing in line, waiting for the clerk to weigh and stamp the package, or standing in line (mentioned twice purposely).
Now I just have to figure out monthly sales tax and I should be set.