Book Sales Dish: 1st Week

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Book sales! What's normal... if you don't sell 1K copies your first week are you a failure? What should you expect after three months, six, a year? I'm sharing some thoughts and real numbers for the non-bestsellers/breakouts... which is most authors.
Mostly I want to reassure the average author out there--you're probably doing better than you think!
Obligatory disclaimers: I'm sharing as best I can from the perspective of a midlist author. I also have the most context for YA sales numbers, though some adult genre knowledge is mixed in (and some YA stats are applicable generally to adult).
00:00 Introduction
02:11 Background & Context
04:33 Sales Benchmarks & BookScan
07:29 1st Week Sales
09:30 Peak & Drop Sales Trend
12:14 Long Term Sales Tail
16:03 Release & Build Sales Trend
17:12 Earning Out & Publishers Making Money
19:06 Career Strategy & the Long Game
23:43 Conclusion
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Опубликовано:

9 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 79

@Supvia 2 года назад

Just to put things in perspective: My debut will release in September at a small German publisher (30ish employees). My editor said, that 1.500 sales in the first year is good. So just ask your publisher what sales they expect. 😊👍🏻

@juliap277 2 года назад

Hey :) May I ask which publisher it is?

@Supvia 2 года назад

@@juliap277 Brunnen Verlag ☺️

@Digitalhunny 2 года назад

Don't forget about "unicorn sales" (extraordinarily rare), you know when your book has been on sale for 4+ YEARS; _Than_ suddenly hits the #1 best sellers list! _Because,_ of you know TikTok, of course. 😂😂

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

The DREAM!!! Tiktok is truly incredible, re: what it can do for a book. It's leading to interesting changes for indie too! I'm watching it with keen interest :)

@thelibrarianofalexandria6200 2 года назад

I am not on tiktok but I do see a bit wha t books are popular. Graceling is very popular which makes me so happy one of my fave books

@alwaysapirateroninace443 2 года назад

"You're more than 1 book." That is so encouraging. It should be a T-shirt! I will pin it on my wall.

@KathySierraVideo 2 года назад

I am a non-fiction author, and my husband is an editor for a non-fiction publisher. I won the “topic lottery” by - through no talent of my own - happened to be good at teaching a topic that later became massive. I sold around two million print copies of my books, and was *seriously* spoiled by these numbers. Then I branched out to a *different* topic/audience, and yikes. A wake-up call. Not even 5,000 copies the first *year*. However, the publisher said it’s become a strange book that seems to sell the same number of copies each year, based entirely on word of mouth. So while the publisher was extremely disappointed (as was I), now five years later the book is about to finally earn out its advance. It was demoralizing to realize that I got 3x my normal advance for that book, and would probably never earn out. It did not seem likely after the first year that it would just keep selling, and I felt like such a failure. But now when I realized it was about to earn out, I suddenly wanted to write again. Meanwhile at my husband’s publisher, sakes of 30,000 is considered *fabulous* and 5,000 is what they expect. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I still earn my living from royalties, despite having written just one new book the past decade. I am now suddenly motivated again, but the book world has changed so much, and my agent is now retired. And I don’t know if I have it in me to do a book based purely on “a large niche” (virtually guaranteed to earn out if I write in my own series) vs. a book that’s important to *me* 😳.

@KathySierraVideo 2 года назад

Side note: I wrote my non-fiction tech/programming books using a fiction inspiration: Save the Cat. I happened to meet Blake Snyder at a conference and showed him how I used his “template”, storyboarding my entire book. He was delighted to see a computer programming book fueled by his template. I can never know for certain if that’s *why* the books were so successful, but it’s what I believe. I could not compete in such a crowded niche on being “the best”, but I *could* compete on something nobody in that space was doing: making it more of a page-turner 😁

@kyleanthony8754 2 года назад

I want to thank you for this channel. I spend this past weekend awaiting "the call" with an agent on Monday, and watching your videos helped me keep my head on straight. I'm currently awaiting responses from other agents I've nudged with the offer of rep. It's a bit surreal.

@FromAnonymouse 2 года назад

Good luck!! I hope you find someone who’s a good fit and honors your story ☺️

@kyleanthony8754 2 года назад

@@FromAnonymouse Thanks! I'll be very happy to go with the offering agent. I almost don't want more than one offer because I don't want to have to turn someone down, but I suppose it's best to consider all options.

@WhereTheRainbowEnds1111 2 года назад

I'm currently querying & have heard back from two agents so far! I am beyond nervous because originally I was going to self pub- but when, on a whim, I sent out some queries- I was shocked to hear back from anyone! This video is super helpful in steering me toward building my brand- which I have no idea what the hayul Im doin lol

@lilyd8908 2 года назад

I mean, I know there are industry standards and all that, but honestly I’d be happy to see my book sell ten copies lol This was encouraging! Always good to see you back Alexa

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

Haha right?! Honestly that's why I'm super happy with my sales (though I'd always love to sell more). I'm not a huge bestseller, but I'm FLOORED as many people have read my books as they have--strangers to me! It's easy to get wrapped up on comparing yourself to others, but seriously selling any kind of small volume to not-friends-and-family is amazing.

@saraisabel8673 2 года назад

I got your books in our public library, then I went to make sure they were on display lol 😆

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

Awww thank you!!! I freaking love libraries. And I'm on display?! yay!

@saraisabel8673 2 года назад

@@AlexaDonne yes! I made sure your book was on display and people loved it so much they purchased your other book! Im Super excited for you! Hopefully they will keep getting your books as they come out!

@The_WriterVerse 2 года назад

This was such a hard topic to give voice to. Thank you so much. I honestly had no clue what the numbers were for book sales. This lifts a veil off of the expectations of being a career author. Invaluable. I also appreciate your positivism and encouragement ♥️

@mybooksandthings 2 года назад

This is why we sub to you! Giving transparency and great advice alongside it.

@augabachoo 2 года назад

This is why this is one of my favorite channels! This is really encouraging and great information! Plus, people who read this, read her books! They're fun! 😆

@CNHolmberg 2 года назад

Thank you for the video! I had no idea what was considered good for sales for years after debuting. I wasn't deeply engrained with a lot of professionals and didn't super understand what was happening 😅 Really appreciate your sharing, and many others will, too!

@MikkiProductions204 2 года назад

Thank you for all the great info, Alexa! 🙂 Looking forward to reading Pretty Dead Queens later this year! 😊

@jillnielsen8509 2 года назад

Thanks, Alexa for the great information. It makes me understand the publishing industry better.

@WrestlingwithBooks Год назад

This was really helpful. As an aspiring author just having a visual goal of what to strive for is helpful

@linus1703 2 года назад

Love videos like this, as someone set to self publish soon it's really cool to know what stats are like in the trad realm.

@chucklitka2503 2 года назад

Thanks for this video. Thanks for the numbers.

@emilypaigewilson8437 Год назад

Thanks so much for this info, Alexa!

@ruthanne6729 2 года назад

SQEEE!!! I am finishing the final round of edits on my first novel, getting ready to jump into the querying trenches, and I need some encouragement!

@Digitalhunny 2 года назад

YOU GOT THIS! Keep your head held high. Always, remember _you_ wrote an entire book! *SQUEEL That's HUGE!!😁👍

@ruthanne6729 2 года назад

@@Digitalhunny you are so kind!!! It’s a cozy sci fi romance and I’m really happy with how it has shaped up, especially after this final round of edits!

@Digitalhunny 2 года назад

@@ruthanne6729 Is it YA or adult? What's you author name? I just may have to support ya.You know, get a really good book outta this deal. 😘

@tamarleahh.2150 2 года назад

good luck!

@jankebeatrix9025 2 года назад

I love the lavender eyeshadow on you

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

It's my new holy grail find! It's the shade Wisteria from Lethal Cosmetics... it just blends really beautifully onto my lid and lasts all day. The perfect lighter purple for me. I'm in love!

@justbhavana 2 года назад

TikTok? Well, I wish I could access your content there but it's banned. Maybe some day if you post the content on your Instagram as reels. So glad your back. Love your videos

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

I haven't wanted to spam my Instagram account w/ Reels, but I've reposted some! I'll try to do a few more.

@swaralideshmukh6001 2 года назад

@@AlexaDonne Would it be possible to repost on RU-vid shorts? That's another interesting avenue to explore, I think.

@evilemily7497 2 года назад

Love this vid! You mentioned thrillers having long tails, and now I’m intrigued. Out of curiosity, which genres have longer tails? Especially curious about YA-I write YA fantasy. Ps. I adore your channel. 💜

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

Any genre where the readership tends to be passionate, engaged, and kick off word-of-mouth buzz can have long tails--thriller is like that, romance, select YA fantasy. Really technically any book can have a long tail if it finds its readership... but I do think some genres that support high concepts and readers who will tell their friends about a fun book are more sure-fire bets? Thriller feels like that. I think there's a timeless quality to a good thriller--in the sense that it's not only relevant when it comes out--with The Ivies, the elite college admissions angle is still hitting so it doesn't matter if people didn't discover it when it first came out. I also think it helps in genres mostly composed of stand alones that are less trend driven--you can pick up a thriller published 4 years ago and enjoy it just as much right now as you might have then.

@ssb031 2 года назад

Thank you so much for this! My book is now available on Amazon (officially) and of course the imposter syndrome is in full swing about sales. I did self pub and have been pushing hard on bookstagram and blogs for reviews so... I guess we’ll se how it all shakes out.. eeee... here’s hoping I’m able to hit some decent debut #s!

@campwriter9289 2 года назад

Good luck! I’ve recently decided to try self pub as well :)

@thestepup2009 2 года назад

hi, I just watched your HARSH WRITING ADVICE! video and that was exactly what I needed, I know I'm two years too late, but I've been writting a screenplay for over a two year and yes it's my first screenplay, it might suck but is there away to make it better, love your channel. my screenplay is a fiction supernatural abilities show, thanks.

@kopfgefickt 2 года назад

Omg you’re on tiktok?? Instant follow!!

@DarkEmber100 2 года назад

Super excited for this topic . :) thank you for posting .

@rachelblack379 2 года назад

I am about to finish up last edits on my novel and have no idea what the next step should be.

@nicklang6798 Год назад

Thank you for being honest about the publishing industry. This is a long tail game. Indie or Tread

@TheChristianna321 2 года назад

My cats were very confused by the bell toy in the background 🤣

@xxkillashandraxx 2 года назад

Thanks for this video! It's weird to me how print-focused the publishing industry still is. I typically buy a fiction ebook off Amazon every week or two, but I haven't bought a print book since the 2000s. I understand that printing hard copies is the main financial investment for publishers and don't know whether it's too difficult to get ebook sales figures from Amazon, but it's odd that print sales are still the be-all and end-all.

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

Print sells WAY more then ebook in a LOT of genres. Like... my print sales vastly outnumber my ebook and audio. By a lot--on every book I've published. Ebook tends to only move at sale prices and you make almost no profit at all on sales--Amazon takes most of it. That's why it makes sense for indie b/c they get all the profit on the lower price points that actually move volume, but with trad that doesn't make sense... but even then, I just don't see a volume on ebooks at a $2.99 price point for my titles that can compare to what print does for me (so I wouldn't personally self-pub YA to focus on ebook for scant profits). YA is a very print-focused category. Trad focuses on print because a LOT of readers prefer print, print books still move in real numbers, and trad is really good at print. Honestly it's fascinating to me. I'd love to see numbers on romance though--that would be a different story than YA because ebook does well there (but paperback MOVES in romance so don't underestimate print there, either).

@xxkillashandraxx 2 года назад

@@AlexaDonne Interesting, I didn't realize print sales were so much higher/more profitable for trad! Thanks for the insight.

@Ambition4 2 года назад

Hiii Alexa! I've been watching most of your videos since it help me learn how to become an editor and I'm trying to apply for the position. I'm wondering if you can make more videos about narratives, dialogue and dialogue tags editing which includes punctuation such as ' : ; - / ` , just the general punctuation that you haven't talked about in your videos because I would be really interested to watch it!

@michaelneff2507 2 года назад

Could you explain "advances, earning out", book scan, you mentioned these, never explained. Never heard bottom line- Sell 300 books = how much money you earned

@thekaileykizzeshow1851 2 года назад

I think that sales change overtime, a book can do great at the beginning and then peter out or the opposite can happen. Sales can pick up overtime.

@livforever8664 2 года назад

Quick question: Do trad pub authors control their Author Page on Amazon, or do publishers?

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

The author generally claims it and makes edits, though the publisher controls the book pages.

@bodine219 2 года назад

I hear youtube's new algorithm is all about shares. Not fair to niche content 😭 (edit; I love this channel and all of booktube/authortube)

@adelaideelfie4922 2 года назад

So curious... Everything is all in ratios, bigger advance, bigger expectations.. What advance numbers should one be shooting for higher than 5k sales? Or what range of advance is that 5k book sales goal aimed at? Maybe I missed it. Btw, please don't leave us for tik tok (do we have to share?). I only now found you and love your channel! :) :) I have been checking out other channels, and so far, nothing compares to your channel.. Something about the detail, the cadence, the atmosphere.. Just feels real and personable.

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

There is no magical number, generally, though if you're going to sell fewer than 10K copies you don't want a high 6 figure advance. Anything over 250K advance would mean they lost money on you. From there, it really does vary... the only "100% safe/you will earn out" advance for a true midlister is like 15K... but what you ACTUALLY want is the alchemy of as much as you can get from them as fair payment for your hard work that will make you a "safe bet"... if you can get a 35K or 50K advance and sell 10K copies, that's much better for the author. Why get 15K when you can get 50K, basically haha. Higher advances are ALWAYS better for the author... until they're not lol. It's a delicate balance.

@aguideto....8738 2 года назад

What counts as a sale? Is it when a bookshop buys a case, or when an individual book is sold in the bookshop?

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

Sell-through to consumers. Because bookstores can and do return unsold books--and your publisher holds a "reserve" against those returns.

@aguideto....8738 2 года назад

@@AlexaDonne thanks Alexa

@alwaysapirateroninace443 2 года назад

Good follow up video would be advice for helping make good or at least average book sales.

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

Honestly for most trad authors it's out of your control--the things that really move the needle lie with your publisher, such as a strong sales force to push your title to bookstores (and get you hand sold). Social media and author-driven marketing can only do so much--and I don't think that marketing burden should fall on the author, especially given the negligible ROI. Beyond that, the best thing you can do if you're focusing on sales as a metric of success is write in the most commercially successful genres, always hit with a high concept, pick a distinct and catchy title, and then pray you get a good cover (if indie, pay for a good cover).

@alwaysapirateroninace443 2 года назад

@@AlexaDonne Thank you for the response! Yes, I forgot you've made it clear marketing is what trad publishing is (should) be for!

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

@@alwaysapirateroninace443 Should haha. I mean... they still leave a lot of deficits particularly in consumer marketing, but they DO have access to select marketing/publicity channels that are invaluable especially on the "behind the scenes" side :)

@floragraves5167 2 года назад

I’m not sure if you know the answer, but is the sales number for success the same for self-pub as trad? Let’s say we’re talking anything but romance

@AlexaDonne 2 года назад

I'm really not familiar enough with indie sales norms to speak with any authority, though I do know they say the average indie book sells only 100 copies... but that's due to the mass volume of self-published works and wouldn't be a helpful metric for someone who is indie publishing well. (and sources vary on what the "average" trad pub book sells--seriously book sales data is SO OPAQUE.) To get into the weeds a little: one reason it's pretty much impossible for me to say is at least with BookScan I can look up (through friends who have BookScan lol) any book being tracked by BookScan (and then compare it to my own sales to get a sense of what numbers might mean)... and the vast majority of indie titles, especially with ebook sales, are not. I will say I have looked up a few indie titles who had physical hardcovers printed/sold via Ingram and they're not moving as many copies as their authors might lead you to believe... but that doesn't factor in ebook, which dominates for the average indie. Plus, I don't personally know any indie pub people well enough to ask that dreaded question: how many books have you sold? Over many years I've built enough trust with trad pub people (especially in YA) to be transparent about MY sales and in turn get direct information about THEIR sales in return. It's helped a lot with developing a sense of what is "normal" in trad pub YA for non-bestsellers.

@floragraves5167 2 года назад

First, thank you so much for answering I also really love your channel and find it encouraging This does help set up more realistic expectations. I think most writers going in define success by selling copies in the ten thousands, as frequently mentioned by famous writers. It’s a lot of pressure to sell, sell, sell and there’s definitely shame and humiliation if you don’t live up to those expectations. Hopefully with the rise of booktubers such as yourself revealing the goings behind the wizard’s curtain

@JohannesSiemers 2 года назад

Print sales are very small for indies. For most indies it's all about the e-book. And that can be split up into sales and Kindle Unlimited if you are publishing your e-book Amazon exclusive. (Amazon is paying out almost 40 million $ per month for KU. Most of that money goes to indies). Everyone has a different meaning of success. A couple of thousands books sales / KU read throughs is, where it starts to get really interesting for an Indie author. You earn more per e-book sale than a trad pub author, but keep in mind, that you have to pay yourself for editing/cover/etc.

@Holsp 2 года назад

You say "You want to keep selling" but can you really influence that? Isn't it more in the hands of the people and the bookshops that sell it / place it somewhere?

@pucknell886 2 года назад

Yes! Especially in the age of social media. Many authors are now expected to have some level of social media presence. You’ll notice some indie or self-pub authors even like Jenna Moreci (Authortuber) who do pretty well in sales. Of course the publisher is also responsible for the marketing and that matters a lot but yea if you can use what little influence you have to grow a brand of sorts, it can really help for subsequent releases and stuff.

@AMMA83 2 года назад

that's true, an author recently posted a great twitter thread about how it's not about the author - publishers are largely responsible for the sales and marketing of a book. The input from authors will be minimal unless they have like 20K followers and even then it doesn't always translate into sales.

@ldw051290 Год назад

My only goal for my debut is to sell enough copies to sell my 2nd book

@adrienm3687 2 года назад

Are you related to John Campea movie reviewer?

@aleysuarez8217 2 года назад

I’m about to publish a book, independently. It’s the very first book I ever publish and I’m incredibly nervous. Tbh, I’m literally expecting it to be completely ignored (actually, I’m telling myself that if I manage to sell 10 copies within the first year, it’ll be fine, haha) 🥲 Now I feel like a pessimist (?)