What Can a New Author Expect in Book Sales?
By Maria MianSo, you’ve written a great book, gotten feedback, chosen an amazing title, edited, and edited some more, came up with an incredible cover, and found yourself wondering, “When it comes to book sales, what should I expect as a new author?”
Before I get into the guts of this topic, a quick overview of the history of publishing: In today’s digital age there are many more opportunities for self-published authors than those that existed even fifteen years ago. The modern publishing industry is indeed an old one; dating all the way back to 1609, and largely existing under the same model for many years with the typical gatekeepers guarding which books were published and which weren’t. That all changed in 2007 when Kindle was introduced. Suddenly the influence of typical gatekeepers in the publishing industry didn’t seem as necessary, and new opportunities arose for the independent author. However, with all these new opportunities, a new challenge arose. Standing out from the noise and generating real sales for new authors still remains an incredibly difficult hurdle to navigate today.
The Factors Influencing Book Sales
Authors are always looking at the book sales angle as to how they will recoup their investment; a recipe for disappointment if there is not a realistic strategy in place. So what can you really expect about book sales as a new author? A fair question to ask, but it is indeed a complicated one that depends on a number of factors. Did you write a great book? What does the cover look like? What kind of genre is it? How much effort have you put into marketing? These factors will significantly influence how many copies of your book you sell. No one situation is the same. Therefore one writer’s experience may be entirely different than others. For example, a popular blogger who publishes a book may sell quite a few copies simply selling to their fanbase. However, if you are a new writer starting out with no following, it is naturally much harder to generate book sales.
So How Many Books Can I Expect To Sell?
Releasing a book requires a lot of work if you have serious aspirations of being a professional author. It takes a solid marketing plan to get it off the ground, and the truth is that most people put far too little effort into this aspect. With a solid marketing and advertising plan in place to generate interest and sales in your new book, you can expect to see:
● 50 sales in your first week
● 200 sales after the first quarter
● 400 sales in the first year
● 1000 at the 5-year mark
If these numbers discourage you, don’t let them! Let’s consider that when it comes to setting a precedent, we can’t simply take the average of all first books and decide that number is the benchmark for first-time book sales. First off, it really depends on the genre you are writing about, if there is a fanbase for it. Can you compare one book's sales about a relatively niche topic of, for example, A Complete History In The Materials Used In Pan Flutes Over Centuries compared to a typical Young Adult fiction book? The latter has a more built-in fan base and therefore has the potential to generate more sales. Keep in mind that moving forward, each new book that you publish will add to your backlist. Sales from those books have a strong chance to generate sales for previous releases as long as the author is generating traction on an ongoing basis with each new release.
Final Thoughts
In a world obsessed with vanity metrics, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the numbers and attribute success solely to sales numbers, but book sales alone aren’t the best way to measure success. Success often depends on a handful of sales to the right people. This can help springboard other opportunities such as speaking, consulting, or coaching, where writing a book can directly impact how much one gets paid based on their positioning as an expert.
Don’t get into publishing books on a hope and a prayer that one book will generate huge sales and enough income for you to live off. A first novel is not likely to sell many copies, so you should think of it more as a first step for growing a fanbase. You have to build up your credibility through time and perseverance and put in the necessary work towards promoting yourself as an author. Let’s not forget the huge accomplishment that is writing and releasing a book into the world, something that most people never get the chance to do! Celebrate the little wins, and keep your chin up.
