Stretch goal for Finish What Matters: audiobook for all
I have now reached my initial funding goal for the Finish What Matters Preview Edition! I’ve cooked up a very cool stretch goal: Free audiobook for all (Preview Edition customers). I’ve already been in talks with The Block House in Austin about producing the audiobook – to be read by me (they do audio for Ryan
I have now reached my initial funding goal for the Finish What Matters Preview Edition! <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11034" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-goal-reached-350x212.png" alt="" width="350" height="212" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-goal-reached-350x212.png 350w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-goal-reached-750x455.png 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-goal-reached-768x466.png 768w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-goal-reached.png 970w" sizes="(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" /> I’ve cooked up a very cool stretch goal: Free audiobook for all (Preview Edition customers). I’ve already been in talks with The Block House in Austin about producing the audiobook – to be read by me (they do audio for Ryan Holiday, Tim Ferriss, and Paul Millerd). If I can reach $5,500 total proceeds from the Preview Edition, I will give the audiobook to all Preview Edition customers, at all levels. <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11035" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-audiobook-bookfunnel-mockups-334x350.jpg" alt="" width="334" height="350" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-audiobook-bookfunnel-mockups-334x350.jpg 334w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-audiobook-bookfunnel-mockups-750x785.jpg 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-audiobook-bookfunnel-mockups-768x804.jpg 768w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-audiobook-bookfunnel-mockups-1467x1536.jpg 1467w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-audiobook-bookfunnel-mockups.jpg 1674w" sizes="(max-width: 334px) 100vw, 334px" /> The audiobook will be delivered in the BookFunnel app, available on your favorite device, and available for download on MP3 – estimated delivery: September 2026. If an additional $2,500 with only a week left seems like a lot after it took three weeks to get to $3,000, consider: The last day of campaigns are the biggest (sometimes 40–50% of my sales come in on the last day) There are still seats available for the small-group finishing cohort. At $500 each, they can get us close, quickly. Sign up to get a project done in Q1. More of the book is available than before (Chapter 2 was just released, ahead of schedule) Learn more and sign up for the Preview Edition » I hope to be in your ears in an audiobook, soon.
Chapter 2 of Finish What Matters Preview Edition now available
There’s one week left to sign up for the Preview Edition » If you beat yourself up for not finishing what you start, you might want to look at how you define what’s finished. After running my podcast for six years, I found myself afraid to quit. I couldn’t confront not “finishing.” When we start
There’s one week left to sign up for the Preview Edition » If you beat yourself up for not finishing what you start, you might want to look at how you define what’s finished. After running my podcast for six years, I found myself afraid to quit. I couldn’t confront not “finishing.” When we start ongoing projects, like podcasts, YouTube channels, or newsletters, we can easily find ourselves feeling trapped. This can especially happen early on: There are so many blogs out there with two articles, or social media pages with two posts. We get the first couple units shipped, but then aren’t excited as we used to be. So we end up feeling guilty. But what really happens is we learn in the process of creating those first few units. Add to that, we’ve already imagined that we’d keep doing this thing forever. Whether you’ve shipped 300 (as I had with my podcast), or 3 (as I also have with many other things), you need to define finish lines, where you can reflect on what you had been expecting, and consider whether to keep going. I talk about that more in Chapter 2 of the Finish What Matters Preview Edition. (Which I’m delivering a week earlier than scheduled.) Sign up for the Preview Edition and start reading now » Best, David P.S. As I write this, we are very close to hitting my initial funding goal (now I’m thinking about stretch goals 🤔) <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-11031" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-funding-goal-2026-01-26-350x174.png" alt="" width="350" height="174" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-funding-goal-2026-01-26-350x174.png 350w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-funding-goal-2026-01-26-750x373.png 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-funding-goal-2026-01-26-768x382.png 768w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-funding-goal-2026-01-26.png 984w" sizes="(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />
Join the finishing cohort and get it done in Q1
Is there a creative project you want to finally finish in Q1 of 2026? A mostly-edited novel An app that’s been “almost ready” a bit too long A series of small things, such as 30 video reels, 6 podcast episodes, etc. During the Preview Edition of Finish What Matters I’m doing a very special Finishing Cohort. Here’s how
Is there a creative project you want to finally finish in Q1 of 2026? A mostly-edited novel An app that’s been “almost ready” a bit too long A series of small things, such as 30 video reels, 6 podcast episodes, etc. During the <a href="https://shop.kadavy.net/products/finish-what-matters-preview-edition?variant=51533676216622&utm_campaign=cc1088&utm_medium=content&utm_source=blog&utm_content=cohort" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" data-tooltip-position="top" aria-label="https://kadavy.acemlnb.com/lt.php?x=41xtmrUFUqPUT55qA3P3ghGf3XNTjdPzkew1kXnJUnOi5s3.yg5FVRFy2H6giNBfx2gwZ5bKMnOd55OKydyYUOFr1XMp-QNkj-g2XnHMkrcK5E" data-ac-default-color="1">Preview Edition of Finish What Matters I’m doing a very special Finishing Cohort. Here’s how it works: Meet with me and a small group of motivated creators three times throughout Q1. First we’ll talk about Commitment: What will you finish, and what will you not? Then we’ll talk about Friction: Where has momentum stalled, and what can you do about it? Finally, we’ll talk about Closure: How do we ship this, then reflect to do it even better the next time? <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-11017 size-medium" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-kadavy-zoom-1600-350x227.png" alt="" width="350" height="227" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-kadavy-zoom-1600-350x227.png 350w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-kadavy-zoom-1600-750x487.png 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-kadavy-zoom-1600-768x499.png 768w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-kadavy-zoom-1600-1536x997.png 1536w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-kadavy-zoom-1600.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />We’ll also keep in touch in a dedicated WhatsApp Group. 6 weeks is long enough to finish something substantial, but short enough to commit and carve out before 2026 makes other plans. See how the Finish What Matters content applies to a variety of real-world, real-time projects and personalities, and get the accountability that comes along with defining and stating your intentions to a group. I’ve taken a deep dive over the past decade into how creative projects get done, meeting fortnightly with my own mastermind partner – and have seen it all. Finally shipping that project will be icing on the cake after baking in these concepts for a lifetime of confident action. The cohort will meet at 11 a.m. U.S. Central Time on Wednesdays: February 11th, February 25th, and March 11th. (Recordings will be available, in case you miss one. Just select the “Small Group Sprint” when purchasing the Preview Edition. Seats are very limited, and filling up! (The Small Group Sprint also includes the lecture series.) Questions? Email me david@kadavy.net
December 2025 Income Report (2025 review, 2026 predictions!)
To listen to an audio version of this report, join the Patreon » December’s revenue was $2,677, down from November’s $3,823. Profits were $1,575, down from November’s $2,541. Record-low income and profit This is the fourth month in a row that 12-month trailing income was at an all-time low, and the fifth month in a
To listen to an audio version of this report, join the Patreon » December’s revenue was $2,677, down from November’s $3,823. Profits were $1,575, down from November’s $2,541. Record-low income and profit This is the fourth month in a row that 12-month trailing income was at an all-time low, and the fifth month in a row for profits. Income was $51,770 over the past year, and profits were $25,773. I started beating record-low income in September, with $61,970, and profits in August, with $29,918. Book sales income/profit still dipping Book revenues are still in a dip, with revenue over the past year at $33,330, which is the lowest since May of 2019, when they were $33,326. Book profits have been $15,731, and the last time they were that low was May 2021, when they were $14,224. Finish What Matters Preview Edition The Preview Edition of Finish What Matters will be helping book sales and overall income. As I write this, the campaign has been underway for ten days, and I’ve earned a bit more than $2,300. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-11009 size-large" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-2025-12-750x414.png" alt="" width="750" height="414" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-2025-12-750x414.png 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-2025-12-350x193.png 350w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-2025-12-768x424.png 768w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-2025-12-1536x849.png 1536w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-2025-12-2048x1131.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /> I recorded some predictions as I planned the campaign, but have just now put them into Fatebook: 50% confidence I’ll sell between 100–200 units 50% confidence the basic tier will comprise of 75–90% of units sold 50% confidence I’ll earn between $5,000 and $7,000 70% confidence I’ll earn between $3,000 and $9,300 My current confidence levels may be a bit different. Using the Mind Management Preview Edition as a baseline is a little tricky, because that campaign was three months long, and this is thirty days. But in the first third (month) of that campaign I had 87 of the 213 orders. If I extrapolate that to this campaign and say that 40% of my units (and revenue) have been booked by one third through, that would put me at 130 units and $5,750 revenue, so actually that would be within range for the units and revenue predictions. However, some factors that may distort this may be that a shorter campaign may raise or lower sales, the previous campaign the late purchasers were able to get a higher portion of the book, which could lower sales this time around, and the introduction of tiers may bias sales towards the end of the campaign, as people consider which tiers they want. Then again, the “Founding Reader” period in the first week of the campaign may have biased sales towards the beginning of the campaign. In any case, it appears performance is within expectations. You of course hope performance will exceed expectations, but it’s better than falling way short. I have some stretch goals up my sleeve, but I’m feeling timid now about introducing them, which maybe suggests the campaign is slightly underperforming my expectations. The Introduction and Chapter 1 are available immediately upon purchase, and Chapter 2 is easily on-pace to be delivered according to the schedule, so please join, and start reading right away! KU Term Over After much hand-wringing, I a few months ago pulled MMT from my Shopify store and other ebook retailers, to enroll it in a 90-day, exclusive Kindle Unlimited term. I made the following predictions: 10% confidence MMT would make triple or more Kindle revenue during KU term than previous 90 days 80% confident MMT would make more Kindle revenue during KU term than previous 90 days My KU term began several days into October, but I’m not going to bother calculating exactly my earnings during the 90-day and previous term, because it appears it wasn’t even close. The Kindle edition brought in $489 revenue from October through December, compared to $687 from July through September. So I certainly didn’t make triple the revenue, and didn’t come close to making more. It is worth mentioning, though, that overall profits were higher: $1,868 October through December, compared to $1,307 July through September. I attribute this to lower ad spend during the period – I spent $946 on MMT ads July through September, and only $329 October through December (none of these numbers count income from foreign rights deals, which would skew results). Still dismal numbers compared to 2024, when my average monthly profit on MMT was comparable to these quarterly profits. $50 Services revenue for self-publishing workshop When I made a recent trip to Austin, I serendipitously arranged a casual self-publishing workshop with the ATX Writing Club. Some members attended for free, but we split the proceeds from non-members attending. $50 isn’t much, but it has gotten my gears turning on how I could run a better-planned and more structured workshop at some future date – or perhaps virtually for my own readers. 2025 in review Wrapping up 2025, it should be no surprise that my EOY numbers are not looking good. Revenue was down 37% – from $83,007, to $51,769, and Profit was down 40% – from $45,704, to $25,773. Category 2022 2023 2024 2025 2024–2025 Change 2022–2025 Change Revenue $116,023 $88,202 $83,007 $51,769 -37% -55% Profit $69,256 $56,722 $45,704 $25,773 -40% -63% Those are down from their peak in 2022 by 55% and 63%, respectively. In 2022, I grossed $116,023, and netted $69,256. Category 2022 Revenue 2023 Revenue 2024 Revenue 2025 Revenue 2024-2025 Change 2022–2025 Change Book Sales $87,555 $65,907 $63,666 $32,305 -50% -63% Affiliates $19,649 $18,357 $15,574 $16,903 9% -14% Misc. Products $4,278 $1,593 $624 $281 -55% -93% Services $1,871 $207 $400 $565 41% -70% Reader Support $2,670 $2,138 $1,717 $1,715 0% -36% The big surprise was how steeply book sales declined. Book sales declined 50%. In 2024, I netted $5,237 from HTS, and that dropped to $1,765. MMT dropped from $16,834 to $9,455. I’m not surprised there was a revenue decline across books, in general, as I spent the year hard at work on Finish What Matters – all that work remained unrealized gains. I’ll only know the value of that work when the trailing indicator that is book sales starts to roll in – I can only tell so much from Preview Edition sales. Also not surprising is that Miscellaneous Products revenue has dropped 93% since 2022, as I have stopped marketing and even shut down the handful of courses in my archive. 2025 prediction outcomes Here are some of the predictions I made at the beginning of 2025, and how they turned out. Prediction: 70% confidence Love Mondays subscriber base would be between 12,500 and 15,000 by EOY Result: No I explicitly stated that I would “reduce my focus on growth” and try to “sustain” my subscriber base for Love Mondays. I ended last year with 11,369 subscribers, and I ended this year with 11,015 – a loss of 3%. That’s the first loss of subscribers since 2020. Last year I spent $2,447 building leads from Meta Ads. This year I spent only $957, for 1,816 leads. So that was about 52¢ per lead, compared to last year’s 51¢. But, I lost leads faster than I gained them. I did experiment with syndicating Love Mondays to Substack throughout 2025, and achieved 70 subscribers there. Prediction: 20% confidence I’d have at least 1,000 Substack subscribers by EOY Result: No I had writing much on Substack as a “maybe” at the beginning of the year, didn’t have much confidence I would get much results, and indeed did not. I don’t feel I write the kind of stuff that does well on Substack, and haven’t had the bandwidth or interest to really try to crack it anyway. Prediction: 30% confidence I’d release a new video course in 2025 Result: No Reflecting on my improved video production skills, I considered that I might work on a video course, but didn’t want to distract from working on FWM. I did not produce a course. Prediction: 70% confidence I’d still have a Patreon by the end of 2025 Result: Yes Prediction: 40% confidence I’d make more from Patreon in 2025 than 2024 Result: No As I considered shutting down Patreon at the beginning of the year, I figured the revenue I made from it was not insignificant, and that I hadn’t really tried pushing it. In 2025, I ran a number of experiments trying to build up Patreon revenue, including making these income reports Patreon-exclusive, and producing Patreon-exclusive videos and screencasts. But, no growth. I made $1,715 from Patreon in 2025, which is essentially the same as the $1,717 I made in 2024. Prediction: 50% confidence direct sales would account for 30% or more of my book sales revenue in 2025 Result: No My direct sales were riding pretty high at the end of 2024, reaching a 6-month trailing average of 30%. Looking back on this one, I’m surprised I had so much confidence in sustaining that level, as that had only been 30% sure that I would grow sales to that level in the first place. My current trailing average is 8.7%, which doesn’t seem that bad. Though actually now that I view the peak of my direct sales at the end of 2024, it makes me wonder to what extent cannibalizing my own Amazon sales dropped me out of favor with the algorithm. Prediction: 60% confidence I’d increase Affiliate revenue in 2025, over 2024 Result: Yes I was optimistic I would increase Affiliate income in 2025 for three reasons: One, I was earning as an affiliate of BYOK (Bring Your Own Keyboard), sending plenty of traffic from my distraction-free writing devices page. Two, I was getting close to creating a new ActiveCampaign Review blog post and ActiveCampaign Review video. Three, Amazon was testing an influencer rewards program that was essentially doubling my modest earnings there. Most of that didn’t work out. Amazon’s influencer rewards program I don’t think they’ve kept up, or I’m not qualifying for the bonuses. My ActiveCampaign Review hasn’t driven a lot of referrals, and the biggest whammy of all has been that they’ll soon cut off the lifetime referral bonus for my past referrals. Finally, BYOK’s Kickstarter ended, and so did their referral program. Like many Kickstarters, I was hoping to get the item in like May, and now it should finally be arriving to me in a few weeks. But, that didn’t stop me from barely making more in Affiliate revenue. I made $16,903, compared to last year’s $15,574. Not a huge jump. But the biggest gain was in referrals to The Alliance of Independent Authors. I made $1,535 in referrals to ALLi, compared to 2024’s $731. Most of that increase is probably “thanks” to Amazon blocking my book, which I wrote about and also made a video, after ALLi was my one salvation. Prediction: 60% confidence I’d publish at least one hour of YouTube content Result: Yes I didn’t become a regular YouTuber in 2025, but I sensed that I might dabble a little more, with my growing video-production skills. I easily published more than an hour, though I did wonder whether to count my post of the How to Write a Book audiobook. I also recently published a couple pretty long, barely-edited talking-head videos right at the end of the year, such as one sharing my experience meditating 365 hours. These brought me across the one-hour threshold besides the audiobook, though I didn’t consciously produce them to meet this prediction. Prediction: 70% confidence I or my pen name would publish a novel Result: No This time last year I had started my third hand-written, 68-page notebook on a novel by my pen name. I got to the end of that third notebook, but then stalled, as I focused my energy on FWM. I had anticipated receiving the BYOK, which seemed like a good way to transcribe my handwriting without having to spend more time on a computer, but it hasn’t arrived. I’ve been transcribing and publishing it online, one chapter at a time. I still don’t know how long it will be or how it will end, but I am making a small amount of progress. This is an even lower priority than it was last year at this time, given I’m working on FWM, but also given my drop in revenue, I have less resources available to play wildcards. But damn, I want to do this. Prediction: 70% confidence I’d finish the manuscript of Finish What Matters Result: No This is the most embarrassing prediction, because I was 60% sure in 2023, and 70% sure in 2024. Interestingly, right now I’m about 70% done with a rough draft, so while I’m technically just as wrong as I was last year, it feels like I’m less wrong. Overall prediction performance Visually, it looks like my calibration is improving, versus last year. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-10322" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/fatebook-performance-2024-12-333x350.png" alt="" width="333" height="350" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/fatebook-performance-2024-12-333x350.png 333w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/fatebook-performance-2024-12-750x789.png 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/fatebook-performance-2024-12-768x807.png 768w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/fatebook-performance-2024-12.png 778w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-11007 size-medium" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fatebook-calibration-2025-12-321x350.png" alt="" width="321" height="350" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fatebook-calibration-2025-12-321x350.png 321w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fatebook-calibration-2025-12-750x817.png 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fatebook-calibration-2025-12.png 760w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 321px) 100vw, 321px" /> My Fatebook calibration as of EOY 2025 2026 predictions Going into 2026, it feels like I should make a prediction about the biggest surprise area of 2025. It seems I somehow just assumed I’d make about the same amount selling books, but as you’ve seen, sales dropped 50%! Book profits projections Given that HTS and MMT are getting older, it seems unreasonable to expect to make more from them this year than last year. Then again, if I manage to release FWM, I’m hopeful the new release will have positive effects throughout the series. 2020 was my most-profitable year for HTS, two years after its release, but MMT didn’t come out until towards the end of that year. MMT’s most-profitable year was 2022, starting roughly one year after its release. Then again, the drop in 2025 was so dramatic, it seems like there’s some small chance it was a weird anomaly that will correct itself. So, I’m: 40% sure MMT will profit more in 2026 than 2025 40% sure HTS will profit more in 2026 than 2025 60% sure I’ll profit more in book sales in 2026 than 2025 So, not very optimistic – I feel like I should be more optimistic with a book on the way – but overall uncertain. Publish Finish What Matters Now that I have most of a manuscript finished, and have the motivation provided by Preview Edition customers (thank you!), I am going to do everything in my power to publish the book by the end of the year – hopefully much sooner than that. As a matter of policy, I avoid predicting at 100% certainty, and I only predict in 10% increments. So, I’m: 90% sure I’ll publish FWM in 2026 My actual confidence is higher than that, but this accounts for those policies, and that outrageous catastrophes can happen. Increase Misc. Products revenue The most obvious lever for me to pull to increase revenue would be to develop and sell digital courses again – currently the Misc. Products category. I’m not sure how I’ll categorize the small cohort and lecture versions of the FWM Preview Edition – I guess I should categorize those as services, since they’ll call for my ongoing interaction. A Zettelkasten course of some kind would likely bring the most revenue for my efforts, but I don’t want to paint myself into a corner with a prediction that I’ll necessarily develop a completed course on the topic. I would likely try to design some kind of lower-commitment thing, such as a cohort or lecture series, to validate demand. So I’m: 50% sure I’ll earn $5,000 or more from live and digital courses This will include the portion of small group and lecture Preview Edition, beyond the price of the basic tier, so since those are not terribly likely to amount to over $5,000, this states some confidence I’ll develop something new. Defend Affiliates/Advertising revenue A big revenue source in big jeopardy this year is Affiliates and Advertising revenue. I’m scheduled to stop earning for my past referrals to ActiveCampaign after Q3. After that, my earnings for recent referrals will likely be pretty negligible. There are other sources, such as ALLi referrals, and I’m hopeful BYOK will introduce a program once they have production smoothed out, but it’s pretty uncertain given how their Kickstarter has gone the interest and margins will be there for significant revenue. TikTok revenue is also in this bucket. While I’m not making a lot of reels, I am champing at the bit to make more once I have some bandwidth cleared after finishing the book. I will have to keep my eyes and brain open for other potential ways to prop this category back up, but there aren’t many ideas forthcoming. Given that, I’m: 20% sure I’ll earn more from Affiliates/Advertising in 2026 than 2025 Miscellaneous predictions Other predictions I don’t want to go into a lot of detail on: 20% sure I’ll conduct an interview on a podcast: I feel the urge, but not sure how to make it worthwhile from a revenue standpoint. 20% sure I’ll publish a golf book: My project hasn’t gone well, and the media environment has changed since starting. 30% sure I’ll publish a novel (30k words or more): So want to do it, but not much room for wildcards. 60% sure I’ll publish 12 or more original reels in Q3 2026: Want to do more reels. Choosing Q3 because less unpredictable than Q4. 60% sure I’ll transition 50% or more of email contacts to an Amazon SES or similar self-directed provider: Early experiments are very promising, but it would be a lot of work and prone to complications – but save a lot of money and provide a lot of peace-of-mind. Income Book Sales Mind Management, Not Time Management $822 100-Word Writing Habit $343 100 Journal Prompts Workbook $25 How to Sell a Book $21 Digital Zettelkasten $399 The Heart to Start $182 How to Write a Book $18 Total Book Sales $1,810 Misc. Products 100-Word Habit Wristband $70 Total Misc. Products $70 Affiliates / Advertising Active Campaign $515 Alliance of Independent Authors $0 Amazon $80 Google AdSense $0 TikTok $10 Total Affiliates $605 Reader Support Patreon $141 Total Reader Support $141 Services Clarity $0 Live Workshop $50 Total Services $50 GROSS INCOME $2,677 Expenses General Accounting $0 Book Printing $0 Outside Contractors $0 Quickbooks $34 Shipping and Handling $98 Total General $132 Advertising Amazon $566 BookBub $0 Meta $0 Google $5 Influencer Marketing $0 Product Samples $0 Total Advertising $571 Hosting ActiveCampaign $161 Bookfunnel $30 Drafts $2 Dropbox $10 Fathom Analtyics $15 Libsyn $5 Namecheap $19 Shopify $39 Ulysses $3 WP Engine $96 X $5 Zapier $14 Total Hosting $399 TOTAL EXPENSES $1,102 NET PROFIT $1,575
November’s revenue was $3,823, down from October’s $5,370. Profits were $2,541, down from October’s $3,595. Record-low income and profit 12-month income and profits were both record lows again this month. Income over the past year was $55,394, and profits were $26,224. This is the third month in a row income was an all-time low, and
November’s revenue was $3,823, down from October’s $5,370. Profits were $2,541, down from October’s $3,595. Record-low income and profit 12-month income and profits were both record lows again this month. Income over the past year was $55,394, and profits were $26,224. This is the third month in a row income was an all-time low, and fourth month in a row for profits. Reminds me of the days when I had record highs on these every month for like a year. I guess that’s the way this business goes. Help is on the way. Dip in book sales income/profit continues Book sales income and profits are also in lulls. Book sales over the past year were $36,724, which is the lowest since June 2021, when they were $37,540. Book profits have been $17,099, which is the lowest since May 2021, when they were $14,224. Preview Edition campaign for Finish What Matters underway The big news right now is that I’m finally running a Preview Edition campaign for Finish What Matters, giving readers a chance to read chapters as they are available, and giving me – after five years – some much-needed motivation to focus on delivering those chapters. While I still have three of nine chapters to really get to at least completed-draft stage, that I think in reality is more than “67%” done. I have a much better feel for the shape of the book and there are even parts that after alpha-reader feedback may belong in some of those unwritten chapters. I only ever launch a Preview Edition when, based upon my level of comfort with the subject, and progress in writing, I’m very confident I can deliver the chapters on the timeline outlined. The Preview Edition for me always represents a change in mental focus from somewhat-leisurely trying to figure out the shape of a book to using a bit of good, old-fashioned grit-your-teeth discipline and elbow grease to hold that small part of the ever-changing universe in place long enough to call it done. As we enter 2026, I’m aware my forecasts in the past for finishing this book have been mostly-wrong. I was 60% sure I’d finish the manuscript in 2023, that jumped to 70% sure in 2024, when I was wrong again, then I held steady in 2025 at 70%. Now I’m upgrading that to 90% (generally my highest, recognizing catastrophes can occur). <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10978 size-medium" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-fatebook-history-350x271.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="271" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-fatebook-history-350x271.jpg 350w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-fatebook-history-750x580.jpg 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-fatebook-history-768x594.jpg 768w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-fatebook-history-1536x1189.jpg 1536w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-fatebook-history.jpg 1690w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" /> While I did not finish the manuscript, as I was confident I would, I made substantial progress. When I made the prediction at the beginning of the year, I merely had an outline and was starting over with a fresh draft. Now I have most of a draft that I could feel pretty good about shipping as-is. Starting about March, I basically just locked myself in a room most of each day and thought about the nature of finishing, and all that comes along with it – the creative process, cognitive styles, managing resources and risk, self-motivation, facing criticism, and more. It helps that I also meditated an hour a day all year. Combine that with the power of my Zettelkasten and many long conversations with ChatGPT, and I think I’m mostly-done with the richest, most-sophisticated book I’ve ever written – which admittedly will not be for everyone. Kickstarter-style Shopify widget This is the first Preview Edition on which I have a Kickstarter-style “goal” widget on the page. As I write this, I’ve made $1,678 in sales, towards my goal of $3,000. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10977 size-medium" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-widget-2025-11-350x193.png" alt="" width="350" height="193" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-widget-2025-11-350x193.png 350w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-widget-2025-11-750x414.png 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-widget-2025-11-768x424.png 768w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/fwm-preview-widget-2025-11.png 972w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" /> 25 days to go, so my fingers are crossed I can get there. I have some potential stretch goals planned for if and when we cross that threshold. I have 29 backers at this moment, which is neither outstanding nor worrying. I sold 23 copies on the first day of the MMT Preview Edition, and at that time, I was offering a few chapters upon sign-up, and there was only one tier. This time around I’m offering just the introduction, and a few tiers, which could cause people to need to time to think. To do Kickstarter style on Shopify, I first looked at a bunch of plugins, but they either weren’t impressive, or weren’t impressive and wanted to take a substantial cut of my proceeds. Instead, I used this widget generator from the PreProduct plugin, and modified it with the help of ChatGPT. “Get it done in Q1,” finishing cohort A new addition to this Preview Edition is a small-group cohort. I’m going to lead a small group through finishing a project of theirs in Q1. The cohort will consist of three group calls, spaced two weeks apart, and a WhatsApp group. This will give a few dedicated readers a chance to get personalized help applying the concepts in the book, and it will give me some practice talking about these ideas, and seeing how they work with different personalities and projects. I’m limiting the group to 8, and the seats are filling up at a pace that makes me about 60% sure I can fill them all. Lecture series The finishing cohort will also include attendance to my three-lecture series, each on a section of the book. Again, this will give everyone a chance to absorb the concepts in a different context, and even ask questions on the live broadcast. Interestingly, even at a much lower price than the cohort, this is selling at about the same pace. I wonder how much hesitation is happening, as people consider which tier they should choose. So far, the Preview Edition is having the desired effect of lighting a fire under my butt to finish this book. I melted through the draft of the fifth chapter at a much faster pace than prior chapters. It is a great feeling to have five years of work finally bring in some money (please add to the pile!) Finishing survey I also recently sent out a survey on people’s attitudes and behaviors around finishing creative projects. The patterns I’m seeing in the responses are fascinating, and will provide strong support for the theories I’m presenting in the book. I’ve already drawn the Amazon gift card I promised, but if you’re up for taking the survey, please do! I would love to have more responses. First TikTok income New on this report is my very first income from TikTok! It’s been a long, long struggle with figuring out region restrictions and then realizing I couldn’t have a Business account if I wanted to earn in their Creator Rewards program. But now that I’m in the program, I’ve noticed that the videos that are eligible to earn – those at least one minute long – they are very stingy about sending views to. Why bother if there are other videos they can send to for free. But I did have one that did pretty well, about the origin of the name of the Pringles mascot. I think that video accounts for the majority of the $76 I’ve received. It’s been interesting to see that the same reels that get like 200 views on TikTok routinely reach around 10,000 on Instagram. Video reels are still way on the “wildcard” side of the barbell for me, even if there is revenue potential. The revenue potential and odds of revenue are both higher and more secure in finishing my next book. So I’m trying to limit myself to one reel a week. I’ve built a creative system similar to the one I use for producing Love Mondays emails. It’s doing a good job of helping me avoid getting distracted by new ideas, while still feeling assured that some are still getting the opportunity to succeed. One reel a week is a pretty agonizing pace for me. I’m trying to also schedule re-runs on some cadence. Perhaps I will be able to increase my production volume. I really hope to once the book is done, because I do feel like a window of opportunity is closing with reels. Audiobook earnings missing during Spotify switch It’s worth noting that book earnings are a little artificially low as audiobook earnings shift a bit. Findaway Voices is now InAudio, and Spotify, which used to be accounted for within Findaway Voices, is now its own thing. And it turns out Spotify only reports the streaming revenue quarterly. I can see the streams in one report, but the royalty report so far has nothing. So what may be $30 or $200 for MMT is just not there at all for now. Income Book Sales Mind Management, Not Time Management $780 100-Word Writing Habit $385 100 Journal Prompts Workbook $142 How to Sell a Book $32 Digital Zettelkasten $305 The Heart to Start $129 How to Write a Book $25 Total Book Sales $1,799 Misc. Products 100-Word Habit Wristband $56 Total Misc. Products $56 Affiliates / Advertising Active Campaign $1,403 Alliance of Independent Authors $177 Amazon $173 Google AdSense $0 TikTok $76 Total Affiliates $1,830 Reader Support Patreon $139 Total Reader Support $139 Services Clarity $0 Total Services $0 GROSS INCOME $3,823 Expenses General Accounting $35 Book Printing $0 Outside Contractors $0 Quickbooks $34 Shipping and Handling $66 Total General $135 Advertising Amazon $515 BookBub $0 Meta $209 Google $2 Influencer Marketing $0 Product Samples $19 Total Advertising $745 Hosting ActiveCampaign $161 Bookfunnel $15 Drafts $2 Dropbox $10 Fathom Analtyics $15 Libsyn $5 Namecheap $37 Shopify $39 Ulysses $3 WP Engine $96 X $5 Zapier $14 Total Hosting $402 TOTAL EXPENSES $1,283 NET PROFIT $2,541
Introducing Finish What Matters (Preview Edition)
Today, I’m making available for the first time the Preview Edition of my upcoming book, Finish What Matters. (You can start reading today.)Do you find that the more meaningful the project, the harder it is to follow through?If you start project after project, and never finish, it may not be a personality flaw or lack of discipline.
Today, I’m making available for the first time the Preview Edition of my upcoming book, Finish What Matters. (You can start reading today.) Do you find that the more meaningful the project, the harder it is to follow through? If you start project after project, and never finish, it may not be a personality flaw or lack of discipline. There are good reasons we don’t finish novels, abandon apps before shipping an alpha, or keep collecting gear without shooting a video. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-10973" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FWM-ebook-shopify-store-mockup-350x263.jpg" alt="finish what matters preview mockup" width="350" height="263" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FWM-ebook-shopify-store-mockup-350x263.jpg 350w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FWM-ebook-shopify-store-mockup-750x563.jpg 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FWM-ebook-shopify-store-mockup-768x577.jpg 768w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FWM-ebook-shopify-store-mockup-1536x1154.jpg 1536w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FWM-ebook-shopify-store-mockup.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" /> The nature of creative work and our willingness to take risks combine with the challenges of self-motivation to make following through on our biggest dreams much harder than it needs to be. Meanwhile, the world is set up to motivate us with clear rewards for completing clear tasks – yet our creative projects don’t work that way. Having myself completed several books and shipped hundreds of podcast episodes and newsletters, I thought going into this book that I already had the answers. But this has been my own biggest learning experience yet. It has forever changed the way I approach ideas, brace for criticism, and decide which projects are worth taking on. The special Preview Edition is your chance to be one of the first to read the book, as I myself finish it in coming months, while shaping its final form as you get personalized advice, many months before the book hits shelves. Learn more and join the Preview Edition here » Here’s to finishing in 2026.
Free 100 WORDS Wristband When You Buy 100 Word Writing Habit
If you’d like to give your writing New Year’s resolution a boost, I’m offering the 100 WORDS wristband free with any order of the 100 Word Writing Habit paperback on my store. I personally wear the 100 WORDS wristband daily, and turn it right-side out once my writing is done. Oftentimes, I’ll see it still says
If you’d like to give your writing New Year’s resolution a boost, I’m offering the 100 WORDS wristband free with any order of the 100 Word Writing Habit paperback on my store. I personally wear the 100 WORDS wristband daily, and turn it right-side out once my writing is done. Oftentimes, I’ll see it still says 0 WORDS, and that reminds me to at least pick up a journal and write something. Grab the paperback and wristband in this special deal, until 2026. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-10195" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/hwh-plus-wristband-350x263.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="263" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/hwh-plus-wristband-350x263.jpg 350w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/hwh-plus-wristband-750x564.jpg 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/hwh-plus-wristband-768x577.jpg 768w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/hwh-plus-wristband-1536x1155.jpg 1536w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/hwh-plus-wristband-2048x1540.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" /> Happy New Year!
In a recent Love Mondays newsletter, I wrote about the humanities as the science of being human. One reader in particular pointed out this passage: what is a life well-lived, what trade-offs should a society make, and how do you navigate consciousness and this existence of fortune, desire, suffering, and elation? And asked if I had book
In a recent Love Mondays newsletter, I wrote about the humanities as the science of being human. One reader in particular pointed out this passage: what is a life well-lived, what trade-offs should a society make, and how do you navigate consciousness and this existence of fortune, desire, suffering, and elation? And asked if I had book recommendations. I figured I might share them for all. I’ll start off by saying I could explore these questions more deeply and intentionally than I have, which was part of the motivation for writing that newsletter – perhaps to inspire myself to dig deeper. But, these are the books that have been most impactful at teaching me how to be human (along with their Amazon affiliate links), along with my imperfect off-the-cuff recollections. A tour of it all A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell is an outstanding tour of, well Western philosophers – the people who have thought hard about these questions. It’s also the best “read heavy” book. Slowly reading and understanding this added more rigor to my thinking than any book I’ve ever read. Reading a book is trying on someone’s brain and nobody is a more comfortable, yet challenging, fit than Bertrand Russell. “Navigating consciousness” Buddhism, Plain and Simple: It’s been like twenty years so I remember very little. But this highlighted how attachment is a source of suffering, and first introduced me to meditation, which I credit for curing me of what I hadn’t realized was probably clinical anxiety. How to See Yourself As You Really Are, The Dalai Lama: Again, it’s been a long time. I remember it first presenting me with the idea that there is no self. Waking Up, Sam Harris: Again, a long time. The idea I most remember is that of Dzogchen meditation, specifically how trippy it is to try to “look at yourself” with your eyes closed. “What trade-offs should a society make?” The Prince, Machiavelli: Probably a surprising pick. I really appreciate Machiavelli’s ability to tell the truth about filling a certain role at a certain time, which brings up questions about just how much violence is necessary to have peace? – his desperation and ostracization in the moment he wrote this seem to have motivated him to say what nobody else would say. I have written a summary of The Prince. Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert: An allegory about the conflict between rationality and humanity, and so well-written. The whole thing around Hippolyte’s leg and the doctor who screws it up motivated by his own career aspirations is like such an under-appreciated analogy to modern rationality. Dialogues of Plato and The Open Society and Its Enemies: Listing these together because Karl Popper’s work is so critical of Plato, who presents a pretty totalitarian view of what a society should look like (I remember very little of Plato, and assume his Republic goes into that in more depth). How much structure should be ascribed to a society, and two what extent should new ideas be allowed to freely restructure society? Sex at Dawn and Sex at Dusk: Listing these together because, hey, this is all about trade-offs. Dusk absolutely dismantles Dawn, to the point I was surprised it wasn’t a bigger deal – I came away thinking Dawn was deliberately misleading – albeit a far more-entertaining read. Dusk especially had some interesting principles about the biology behind mating behavior. Pretty obvious monogamy isn’t the natural state of things, but does that make it a bad idea? Industrial Society and Its Future (The Unabomber Manifesto): By now hopefully everyone knows Ted Kaczynski wasn’t just a lunatic. He actually had some coherent and compelling ideas about happiness and the faustian bargains we make when we adopt new technologies. I have written a summary of the Unabomber Manifesto. Utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill: So long since I read this one, and I sense that through age I would scoff at its idealism at some point. But twenty years ago it seemed like a foolproof way to decide what’s good or bad. “this existence of fortune, desire, suffering, and elation” Hamlet: This is just so fucking good on so many levels and I don’t know how everyone isn’t talking about Hamlet all day, every day. It gets so deep into questions about sorrow, grief and, well, to be, or not to be and the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. I also swear reading it will make you a better writer. Fun to see if you can pick out words and phrases that originated in this masterpiece. I fantasize about leading a challenge of reading Hamlet over and over again for a year, with visiting lecturers. I have it on repeat, and if I wake up in the middle of the night, this is what I read to get back to sleep – in a good way. If you have trouble understanding it (which is part of the fun – READ HEAVY!), read the Wikipedia page, and watch a movie first. It’s Okay That You’re Not Okay: Everyone will experience grief at some point, and this book helped me when an abnormal blood vessel exploded in my mom’s brain and killed her. Grief does not come in “stages,” it’s an integration of a new reality. I interviewed the author, Megan Devine. With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, Eugene Sledge: I put this in the “suffer porn” category. If you weirdly enjoy reading detailed accounts of just how miserable any type of experience such as war can be, this is for you. It will make you grateful for your own life. Body Keeps the Score: This is part suffer porn and part useful self help. People have their criticisms, and I don’t know what they are or care. I’ve read this twice and have found it oddly calming. Loneliness: This is from 2008, so well before loneliness became the hot topic it is today. It’s by a pioneering researcher in the field, John Cacioppo, who sadly passed away too young. Breaks down how loneliness leads to ill health and early death (irony?), and how it works in a vicious cycle of misinterpreted social cues and maladaptive social signals. One of the most-useful takeaways is that loneliness is not about a quantity of connection but quality. I spend more time alone than I have probably in my whole life, in a cabin in the mountains of a foreign land, and feel far less lonely than when I have lived in some of the biggest cities. Thinking In Bets: Surprising myself here but I have to put some kind of book about “fortune” on the list. It’s a toss-up between this and Nassim Taleb’s Incerto series, but this is a much lighter and still useful introduction to thinking and living in a world that is inherently uncertain. Also, I interviewed author Annie Duke. The Hacking of the American Mind: Gosh, I have a weird amount of science in my list about the science of being human. This is about how dopamine, which we associate with “happiness,” better described as elation is not a neurotransmitter you can keep steadily pumping through your brain at a high volume, and that serotonin, which brings contentment – a better description of true happiness – is far more sustainable. I interviewed the author, Dr. Robert Lustig. There are of course far more great books for learning how to be human, and I especially want to read more of the ancients. The Iliad and any ancient text of any religion can be enjoyable. You might be wondering, Where are all the books on Stoicism? Surely these days nobody can talk about the humanities without talking about the Stoics. Indeed, I generally agree with what I read from the Stoics, but I can’t recall ever feeling impacted by them – perhaps a matter of timing. What books have taught you to be human?
To listen to an audio version of this report, join the Patreon » October’s revenue was $5,370, down from September’s $5,649. Profits were $3,595, down from September’s $4,106. Record-low income and profit Twelve-month income was a record low again this month. My income has been $58,524 over the past year. The previous low was last
To listen to an audio version of this report, join the Patreon » October’s revenue was $5,370, down from September’s $5,649. Profits were $3,595, down from September’s $4,106. Record-low income and profit Twelve-month income was a record low again this month. My income has been $58,524 over the past year. The previous low was last month’s $61,970. Profit was an all-time low as well, at $27,020. The previous low was last month’s $28,278. This has been a pattern, so I won’t go too deep into it this time. Book profits low My profit on books was only $250, which isn’t a record low, but is definitely low. Five of ten months this year have been under $1,000 for book profits. I have to go back to 2020 to consistently see months under $1,000. Other than that, there has only been one month under that mark, May 2023. Of course, it’s been since 2020 since I released a major book, and I’m hoping to fix that soon. Mind Management record-low revenu Mind Management had the lowest-revenue month ever, with only $603. The other two lowest months were $709 in May and $767 in August. It did not pull the lowest profit, however. The $520 it profited after ads was about the middle of the pack for this year. It’s looking like my 80% confidence forecast that MMT’s KU term would bring in more revenue than the previous 90 days will very likely be in the incorrect direction. I ran my pricing promotion during Black Friday and didn’t really see a bump. Turn off ads (almost) After digging deep into Amazon Ads, finding ways the default settings were draining my pockets, and experimenting with vibe-coding some scripts to automate ad-management tasks, I’ve concluded Amazon Ads are just not working for me like they used to. I’ve shut off almost all of them, which won’t be reflected in my expenses until December’s report. Ad prices get crazy during the holidays anyway. So, my ads profit margin will probably be increasing. My ROI was 18% in October. Prices going up While revenue decreases, prices on many things are going up (not all reflected yet in the reports). ActiveCampaign increased their prices on me by 30%, without enough notice to do anything about it. Quickbooks increased their prices. IngramSpark changed their production prices (probably an increase for my books but haven’t checked), and have started taking a cut for wholesale network orders. Libsyn will be increasing their prices for hosting the Love Your Work archive. The only vendor who has given me a choice in the matter has been Todoist, who has basically added a pricing tier, for users who want to use their new features. Future of email and other direct marketing This month’s revenue is helped along by $3,212 in revenue from ActiveCampaign referrals. They’ve been a great partner over the years, but this revenue stream will be going away soon, too. When I referred accounts to them, it was under terms that I would receive a referral fee for the “lifetime” of said customer. But they have rescinded their end of that agreement, and will be cutting off those commissions in roughly one year, and any new commissions from my somewhat recent ActiveCampaign review will be limited to 12 months. Accounts I’ve referred to them are currently bringing them $40,000 in revenue. Add to that that they raised prices with poor communication, and I feel it’s time to move on from AC. However, I have about a year to figure out where, exactly. Probably some of my email marketing will take place on Kit, so I can take advantage of the growth network (while being careful to warm-up and quarantine these lower-quality leads). But I’m lightly exploring other options. The cost of email marketing platforms is getting out of control, especially for someone like myself who is primarily trying to keep in touch with his readers, instead of trying to maximize revenue from each contact. When you consider the availability of vibe-coding, it seems only natural that the somewhat-tech-savvy like myself might roll our own email marketing infrastructure with much cheaper tools such as Amazon SES (low per-email fee) and Sendy (one-time fee). So it may be that at the least the RSS emails that come from my blog will go through something like that. Or, the majority of my email marketing will, and tools such as Kit will be used only for the more sophisticated elements. I’m sure there are lots of things I’m not considering about how complicated this would be and what features I would miss. I hope to steadily look into what to do over the next year. As my Instagram following is growing, I’m also considering how I might keep in touch with readers through that channel and other direct ones, such as WhatsApp. I have created an Instagram Broadcast Channel, but my followers were not notified, so there aren’t many on there yet. Join here, and you’ll get a free copy of How to Write a Book. Finish What Matters alpha (Preview Edition?) I’ve found a few engaged alpha readers for my chapters of Finish What Matters (if you’d like to help, apply here). So far, the feedback is reassuring me that I am indeed writing a book. That’s helping me through my current sort of “coming up for air” period, where my forward writing progress is a bit slower, but I’m getting acquainted with what I’ve got and correcting course. I’m also making plans for a Preview Edition, which would give people early access, probably a short-term community to discuss the contents of the book, and maybe offer higher tiers with higher-touch components, such as coaching or group calls. I’m exploring on Shopify if there are any Kickstarter-like plugins that could make the sales period a bit more exciting. I’ve run some projections and it looks like I could get a nice several-thousand-dollar injection of cash that would serve as motivation to make the final push. I made about $4,200 on the Preview Edition for MMT, and that was with just one $20 tier. More reels success I continue to publish reels that are pretty successful. The latest hit is a re-publish of a YouTube video I published in 2009, on how to tie a winter scarf. The Instagram Reel has well over 8 million views. I’m still experimenting with how to turn this attention into anything useful. Time management changes To prevent myself from getting too sucked into reels and as part of an end-of-year mental house-cleaning, I’m making some changes to how I manage my time. One of my more popular reels about how the birthday paradox illustrates why there’s too much to do is helping me think about this. There have been so many little demands for my time that I’ve been piling on over the years, and each new thing is not just one more thing, but a new connection between that and every already-existing thing. This year I’ve added an hour a day of meditation. I grew a bigger beard and mustache that takes up some extra time. I’ve been growing vegetables in the garden. In my business, I’m taking on reels. Don’t forget in 2021, I also started a writing project aimed at writing a book about golf – I’ve been playing and practicing golf something like ten hours a week for four years now! Those mostly sound like nice relaxing things, but they of course interact with the less-fun stuff like continuing to deal with my chronic health issues and the extra organization and preparation it adds to anything I do. There’s also the issue that when I started writing, I didn’t have a bunch of books to try to sell and to collect sales data on. My time and attention are victims of my own mild success. Nothing has been decided fully yet, but I’m experimenting with some new creative systems, developing sloppy operating procedures to try to streamline things. I keep reconsidering these income reports, but have a hard time talking myself out of that they’re useful to create. I’m at least trying to keep them as useful as possible for myself. I have an excellent system for developing my newsletter, so I’m trying to apply the same principles to developing reels. It amounts to publishing only one reel per week, but that at least gives me a restriction, instead of feeling like I should make a reel each time I have an idea – and having a system will let me do a better job with each reel and better think through how to make making them useful for myself. This includes an Airtable with vibe-coded idea-capture shortcut on my phone. Thank you for sharing my work! Thank you to Sagar Soni for having me on the Beyond the Speech podcast. Thank you also to JJ Thelen for having me on The JJ Thelen Show podcast. Income Book Sales Mind Management, Not Time Management $603 100-Word Writing Habit $295 100 Journal Prompts Workbook $39 How to Sell a Book $77 Digital Zettelkasten $492 The Heart to Start $91 How to Write a Book $39 Total Book Sales $1,636 Misc. Products 100-Word Habit Wristband $22 Total Misc. Products $22 Affiliates / Advertising Active Campaign $3,212 Alliance of Independent Authors $206 Amazon $36 Google AdSense $121 Total Affiliates $3,575 Reader Support Patreon $137 Total Reader Support $137 Services Clarity $0 Total Services $0 GROSS INCOME $5,370 Expenses General Accounting $0 Book Printing $0 Outside Contractors $0 Quickbooks $32 Shipping and Handling $27 Total General $58 Advertising Amazon $1,132 BookBub $0 Meta $209 Google $22 Influencer Marketing $0 Product Samples $23 Total Advertising $1,386 Hosting ActiveCampaign $112 Bookfunnel $30 Drafts $2 Dropbox $10 Fathom Analtyics $15 Libsyn $5 Namecheap $0 Shopify $39 Ulysses $3 WP Engine $96 X $5 Zapier $14 Total Hosting $331 TOTAL EXPENSES $1,775 NET PROFIT $3,595
The time has come for me to move on from my email marketing platform, ActiveCampaign (after 10 years!), and the timing is good with Kit’s Black Friday deal. They’re offering 60% off for 3 months of their Creator Monthly Plan, so for up to 1,000 subscribers, you can get started for just $15.60 per month.
The time has come for me to move on from my email marketing platform, ActiveCampaign (after 10 years!), and the timing is good with Kit’s Black Friday deal. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-10899" src="http://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/kit-logo-soft-black-on-blue-350x184.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="184" srcset="https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/kit-logo-soft-black-on-blue-350x184.jpg 350w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/kit-logo-soft-black-on-blue-750x394.jpg 750w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/kit-logo-soft-black-on-blue-768x403.jpg 768w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/kit-logo-soft-black-on-blue-1536x806.jpg 1536w, https://kadavy.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/kit-logo-soft-black-on-blue-2048x1075.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" /> They’re offering 60% off for 3 months of their Creator Monthly Plan, so for up to 1,000 subscribers, you can get started for just $15.60 per month. All my lists together are currently above the limit for which this promotion applies, but since I’ll be slowly migrating over the next year, it works out for me – I hope it works out for you! I’ll share more details about why I’m making this switch when it’s further underway, but here are some things I really like about Kit: Robust automations Creator-focused (Founded by Nathan Barry, a pioneer in the creator space.) Bootstrap-funded (AC’s VC-funding has I think led to some issues for me) Growth/recommendation network (but monitor and warm-up those contacts!) Solid deliverability (at least as good, maybe better than AC – I’ve verified this with an independent test) Comparable affiliate program to AC’s (sign up with my link and you support my work, at no extra cost) I’ve long admired the features on Kit (formerly ConvertKit), so I’m excited to take advantage of this promotion and hope you are, too.