How Many Copies of Your Book Have To Sell For It To Be Considered A Success?

The easy answer is "enough to earn out your advance" if you're traditionally published, and maybe "enough to earn back your investment" if you're financing publication yourself through either hybrid or author-publishing.

The more complex answer, according to author and publisher Brooke Warner of She Writes Press, in this article Reframing Publishing Success in Publishers Weekly's BookLife, is an honest look at numbers.

While many authors state that selling 10,000 copies is their goal, Brooke cautions that “it’s an unrealistic benchmark for 95% of authors, and it’s especially unrealistic for debut authors.” She goes on to explain:

“In 2015, Lynn Neary reported a story on NPR called “When It Comes to Book Sales, What Counts as Success Might Surprise You” that noted that one of the books shortlisted for that year’s Man Booker Prize had sold fewer than 3,600 copies and another fewer than 3,000.”

Her advice includes this gem:

“Debut authors would do well to think of their first books as an investment in themselves and their futures. It’s common book publishing wisdom that the needle doesn’t truly begin to move on book sales until authors publish their third book. As such, this industry requires patience, and selling 1,000 or 2,000 copies of a freshman effort is something worth celebrating.”

And Brooke adds a reminder to:

“Celebrate the small victories, such as moments of connection with readers, a glowing review from a stranger, and the potential that these kinds of victories have to propel the next book.”

It's an article well-worth reading.

Illustrate and Write On,\Lee

How Success Can Differ From Book to Book: Wisdom from Carol Hinz (via Twitter)

Carol Hinz is the Editorial Director of Millbrook Press and Carolrhoda Books at Lerner Publishing Group.  This essay (in tweets) is shared here with Carol's kind permission.

Here's the full stream:

I’ve been thinking lately about the meaning of what success means for a book and the fact that there’s no one path to success. In fact, what success looks like can be very different from one book to the next.
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Certain books get a lot of buzz ahead of their release. And don’t get me wrong—deal announcements are fun, cover reveals are fun, and starred reviews are fun. But all the buzz in the world doesn’t automatically make a book a success.
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Some books that are ultimately very successful don’t get a lot of buzz. Let me share a few examples…
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I edited a book that received three starred reviews. It has sold okay.
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Two years later, I edited a book from the same author as the book mentioned above. It received two starred reviews. It has sold twice as many copies as the previous book and is still going strong.
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I edited a book that received one starred review and was named an honor book for an ALA award. It’s selling well.
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I edited a book that received no starred reviews but was named to six different state award lists. It is still in print eight years after its release and has sold nicely.
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I edited a book that received one starred review and received no recognition from any ALA committee. Three years after the book’s release, we’ve sold tens of thousands of copies and are reprinting it multiple times a year just to keep it in stock.
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I brought a project to acquisitions years ago that wasn’t approved (much to my disappointment). It found a wonderful home with another publisher and multiple follow-up volumes have been published. I feel happy every time I see one of those books.
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I brought a project to acquisitions that was approved, but I was outbid by another, bigger house. Yet the interactions I had with the author have opened up the possibility for us to work on a different book together.
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Of course we all want each and every book to be a success. The key thing is to make the very best book you can with a team you trust.
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Publishing has a lot of ups and downs—and the longer you stay in it, the more ups and downs there seem to be. Enjoy the ups when they come, and know that the downs are only temporary.
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Keep working, keep creating, and when your book is finished, get the word out about your book in the ways that work best for you—whether it’s on social media, in a monthly e-newsletter, at bookstore events, at school visits, or all of the above.
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And above all, know that the most meaningful success doesn’t come from accolades—it comes from the moment when a reader connects with your book. That sort of success can never be measured, but that doesn’t make it any less important.
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Good luck to all the book makers today and every day. May you find your own path to success!

Thank you Carol. It's insight and advice that clearly resonated—hundreds of likes, dozens of comments and re-tweets, and lots of online conversation! 

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

The Success of Perseverance: A Guest Post by Rori Shay

Author Rori Shay

The Perseverance of Potter (no, not Harry Potter. Beatrix Potter!)

Below is my story of perseverance from the start of querying all the way to publication. It isn’t pretty. It’s messy and embarrassing, and if you didn’t love writing as much as all you SCBWI’ers did, it would surely scare you away from beginning the endeavor of publishing. You’ve been forewarned.

I’ll tell you my story of perseverance, and before you get to the end and think…well, sure she slaved away to get her book published, but it’s not like this Rori Shay is a household name or anything…then I’ll tell you about another author who you’ll be amazed spent WAY more time and brain cells trying to get their book published than I did. And perhaps their story may convince you that half of publishing a book is the perseverance you put into getting it out there into the world.

Alright, where was I? I started querying my mulan-inspired dystopian sci-fi trilogy at the beginning of 2012. I didn’t know the publishing industry. I just knew that I’d spent a good two years toiling over the first novel in the trilogy, and I wanted it read, gosh dang it. I didn’t know how to write a good query letter either…and that was apparent as I started contacting agents, telling them “if you loved the Hunger Games, you’ll love my book!” (Big mistake!)

Halfway through my year of querying, I joined SCBWI and got more professional about my approach. Within that first year, I queried 82 agents. I was told by others that I should query 300 agents! If my book wasn’t picked up by any of those agents, then I should shelve the book and work on something else. So when the 82nd agent said yes, I felt pretty good about it. I’m also one of those people who wrote a first book, queried it, didn’t get any interest after 100 rejections, put it aside, and wrote a second (the one I queried in this story.) Most of the authors I know have a book or two stashed somewhere that didn’t get published. Can you imagine? There are a whole breed of people who spend years writing a novel, and have to deal with knowing that it sits, untouched, unread, in a file folder somewhere.

So, anyway, I got a yes response from the 82nd agent! She was new to the industry, but so was I. I figured if she could take a chance on a new author, I could take a chance on her. She turned out to be a fantastic editor. She suggested things for my book and spent more time editing it with me than all of my future professional editors combined! But when it came time to querying, my new agent didn’t have the connections I’d expected. When the first offer came through for an e-book only with no advance, to a place I hadn’t know she was querying and that I’d never heard of, she recommended I take the offer. And unfortunately…unwisely…so stupidly…I did.

The authors and editors I met at that first publisher were great. I learned so much about promotion and the industry through them. Unfortunately, none of them…nope, not a one…it turned out, were getting paid by the publisher. When the editors and cover artists began realizing the promises of a payment weren’t coming to fruition, one-by-one, they left. It was still one month before my release date, and I didn’t see anything moving forward, but my agent said I had to stay with the publisher until they actually failed to complete the terms of my contract. So I waited. And a week before my release date, when I’d already had the plans for a book launch party underway and had told all my friends about the upcoming release of ELECTED, my publisher folded. Not only did it fold, but no one ever got paid, and fraud was discussed. The authors who were left all told me they’d stayed with the publisher for so long only because I had. Because I was the one with an agent, and if someone like me had stayed, they should, too. I had to laugh, because in all of this, we were all so confused and scared to talk to each other in fear of offending the publisher. Once the pub folded, information flowed through us author-colleagues like butter, and I ended up learning much more about the industry.

My ideas for a release of my book that year started to dwindle, but I kept my head up and discussed it with my agent. We would put out twenty more queries. If those didn’t work, I’d self-publish. I was ok with this idea, actually, and I had high hopes that in the last year my agent had gained much more knowledge about the industry that she could use to sell my book.

But then, a week later, as if my luck with my book couldn’t get worse, my agent called and told me she was leaving the industry. My book would still be repped by the parent agency, though. So I waited expectantly for the owner of the agency to contact me, and when she didn’t, I messaged her. We agreed to talk. My ears were pricked at this point, listening for any falsehoods. I was that scalded by my publishing experience so far. So when I finally got the agency head on the phone and she didn’t sound enthusiastic about my book, not even remembering who I was, I decided to sever that tie.

So here I was. No agent. No agency. No publisher. A blog tour with 150 people who I had to now give my regrets to. And a restaurant where I’d already put down the payment for a release party.

At any moment there, I bet you’re waiting for me to say I put the book aside. That I wrote a new book entirely. That I shelved this one on top of the first. Or maybe even stopped writing. It would have been easy to do any of those things. It looked like a hundred doors were slamming in my face, all at the same disturbing time.

But it’s the little things in life that sometimes make the most difference. Things you don’t even realize you’re doing are cogs in a greater wheel, and they can turn out to be the big turning points.

I’d arranged for four author friends to blurb my book, back when I had an agent and publisher. I called them after my publisher folded, saying I wouldn’t get to use their blurbs just yet. I tried not to sound pitiful. To hold back my tears and be professional. It was on one of these calls that one of the authors said, “I know a publisher who might want your already-edited, blog-tour ready book…”

And that was history. I spoke with the heads of that publisher the same week, and now The ELECTED Series has been released through the boutique sci-fi publisher Silence in the Library. So my sci-fi dystopian, ELECTED, is out there in the world, in hardback and paperback, in ebook, and with a book trailer. All out of nowhere. When I was least expecting it. ELECTED became an Amazon bestseller, for a period of time, even being placed among the top 100 sci-fi books next to Hugh Howey’s WOOL! And it got 25K reads on Wattpad in three months. Plus, there are fans! Fans that send fan art! Fans who talk to me about my characters Aloy, Vienne, and Griffin like they’re real people! Fans who say that the gender issues discussed in the novel helped them feel stronger!

Rori's debut YA novel

Now I have a new agent (a highly experienced one), and a couple more books in the hopper. My author career is still just starting out. It has been a rocky start, for sure. That’s why I love reading about big-time authors who’ve also persevered against rejections. I just finished reading a short biography and journal of Beatrix Potter. Yep, not Harry Potter. Beatrix Potter!

Did you know that Beatrix Potter was rejected by so many publishers, she decided to self-print 250 copies of Peter Rabbit just for her friends? It was sold in a few bookstores, and through word of mouth it gained popularity. Only then was it picked up by a traditional publisher.

In Beatrix Potter’s own words, here’s what she said about receiving rejections. Tuesday, March 13th, 1900:

Another rejection today for my “Tale of Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor’s Garden”. The publishers Frederick Warne and Co. seemed interested and I went today by appointment to meet Mr. Harold Warne. But he wants a bigger book, which I cannot do, and we had arguments. (It is odious to a shy person to be snubbed especially when the shy person happens to be right). If no one will accept the book as it is, I will get it printed myself. 

If she and the publishers only knew how important Beatrix Potter’s book would become in children’s literature! This year I took my kids to a Beatrix Potter-themed puppet show. It was so cool to see dozens of kids laughing along to the tales of the two bad mice, Jemimah Puddleduck, and Jeremy Fisher the frog. It’s over a hundred years later, and these stories still resonate with children. And to think even Beatrix Potter received her share of rejections. Unbelievable!

Makes you ponder: if you just keep going, plowing on ahead, getting more experience with your craft and trying new avenues, great things can happen. That if people like Beatrix Potter can bounce back after having their writing turned down, we all might have a chance too!



Rori Shay is a strategic management consultant living in the Seattle area with her family, black lab, and cat. In the writing world, Rori is primarily known for her science fiction trilogy, The Elected Series. She enjoys running, reading, snow-shoeing, pumpkin-picking, and right now… writing a new sci-fi novel! You can visit her website at www.rorishay.com.

What I Learned From Writing 52 Picture Books In One Year – A Guest Post on Success by David McMullin

David McMullin 

THE 52 FIRST DRAFTS PROJECT

Leap and the net will appear. So I leapt.

One year ago, I quit my job, sold everything I owned, and headed for Asia. I spread my arms into full swan-dive position and began the plunge.

My plan was to write. I’d been writing for years, but something always kept me from taking the next step. Oh yes, it’s called … life.

With so much at stake, I needed to find a way to give myself every opportunity to build that net: something challenging, realistic, and powerful. This is how The 52 First Drafts Project was born.

The project? I decided to write 52 picture books in one year. In my time as an SCBWI member, one message kept leaping out at me: to become a better writer, you need to write. Simple. Write bad, write sloppy, write tired, write grumpy. And writing well is acceptable too. It doesn’t matter, just write. Every piece will inform the next.

My strategy was straightforward. Write all week, and finish by a deadline. I chose Tuesdays, no excuses. I was not concerned about the length, genre, or quality. Where would I get the ideas? Where would I find the energy? Would I make it to the end?

Earlier this month, on a hot, Tuesday morning in Merida, Mexico (I’ve moved on since Asia); I completed my 52nd picture book. Hurray! Toot, toot. That would be my own horn.

Those were 52 opportunities to learn, and 52 opportunities to grow. Did I? I did.

Growth happens quicker when you are proactive, so I read blogs and books about the craft and the publishing industry. I studied hundreds of picture books. I listened to podcasts, attended conferences and classes, and worked with my fantastic critique group. I also blogged about my journey. I gave myself every opportunity to succeed.

It wasn’t always easy. Sometimes I struggled through weeks when I floundered with every word. But as I flipped the pages in my calendar, things changed. Writing became easier. I became more daring. I was willing to try new styles and write with more abandon.

In the end, I couldn’t believe the variety that came out of my pencil: from fables to LGBTQ, quirky to bedtime, holiday to concept. My experiences in places like Indonesia and the Philippines inspired me to create multicultural offerings. I even wrote a song … it was terrible, but I did it. My characters were human, animal, inanimate, mythical and monster. Stories revealed themselves in first and third person, past and present tense, rhyme and prose, with word counts from 24 to 1600.

My takeaways are many. Here are the highlights.

-The importance of each word. When working with so few words, each needs to be perfect. I look now at every word and consider its syllables, sounds, meaning, descriptiveness, difficulty and necessity. Say them aloud: individually, in groups, and from beginning to end.

-The importance of page turns. Page turns affect everything in a picture book: rhythm, pauses, scene changes, pacing, flow, readability, anticipation, and tension. The greatest joy of reading a picture book is discovering what is on the next page.

-Writing for illustrations. When I started, this idea scared me. I couldn’t see how an editor would understand my story if I didn’t lay everything out for her. I’ve changed. Now I ask myself these questions. Do I need to say this, or will the illustrations show it? Will this story be interesting to look at? Will it be fun for an illustrator to work on? Am I giving the illustrator freedom to be creative? 

-Generating ideas. I didn’t think I could possibly come up with 52 good stories until I did. Coming up with ideas is a skill that needs to be developed and I had lots of time to practice. Over the year’s time, I conceived hundreds of ideas. It has become habit; I now find myself jotting down fresh ideas every day.

Now for the big picture. Two lessons stand out that will serve me throughout the rest of my career as an author.

First is control. It is so easy to feel as if you have no control in this business. Standing between you and a published book are agents, publishers and dozens of others. Though they are our allies, we give them control over our literary lives. The 52 First Drafts Project was my way of taking back that control. Do I still need agents and publishers? Of course I do, but now I’m not just sitting and waiting. I’m doing everything I can to be ready for them when they are ready for me.

Second is confidence. After writing 52 books in a year, I know I can do anything I put my mind to. The children’s literature community is the most encouraging and welcoming group I know. But even so, when you are a pre-published author, it’s easy to feel like you’re tagging along. This project makes me feel like I belong at the party—not because of what I have done, but because of what I know I am capable of.

Has this year been a success? Yes, YES, and some synonym for yes that means so much more than simply yes. The 52 First Drafts Project has gifted me with stronger craft skills, control over my career, and confidence. And how could I forget … dozens of terrific stories. For now, I’m happy with that.

This project was all about improvement. I encourage everyone to set goals and seek your own success. Big or small, start today. If you need a cheerleader, I’m here.

Did my net appear? Yes, and I landed squarely in the middle. To my delight, writing is a series of adventurous leaps, and I find myself tumbling through the air once again.


You can find out more about David by visiting his website here.

Success: What Counts? – A Guest Post By Claudia Harrington

Author and SCBWI Regional Advisor Emeritus Claudia Harrington

In our commercial world, it’s hard NOT to think of success in terms of something flashy, but for me, success comes in small bites.

Success isn’t just having a blockbuster so you can be invited to keynote at the summer conference. It’s made up of all of those little moments of growth, when you feel your head expand and you work through the challenge of translating it onto the page.

My first success came at my Dad’s funeral. I’d been asked to give a eulogy, and I started with this: “I told you I was sick – that’s what my dad always said he wanted on his tombstone.” It got an enormous laugh. The way I felt when my words made people laugh was a huge motivator, and a huge success.

My next (and first published) success came after reading a call for submissions in SCBWI’s Bulletin – one of my poems was included in what became a “Best Pick” picture book anthology from Philomel.

Flash forward over these past years… There have been so many close calls, where editors loved my work and either revised with me sans contract (success!), or championed my manuscript at acquisitions meetings (success!)

After each near miss I got back on the horse, but those moments helped me grow as a writer, and were absolutely successes. One editor, in fact, said “Why, oh why, didn’t I see this sooner?” when she got back from a long leave only to find my manuscript in her slush pile. Although that time Sales & Marketing didn’t agree, her comment was still a wonderful success – it kept me going.

Being L.A.’s SCBWI Regional Advisor for eleven years helped me to grow so much faster and deeper than I otherwise might have. It gifted me with relationships with wonderfully talented writers, agents and editors in our field, and the opportunity to pick their brains and listen to their talks on craft. I’ve also always taken advantage of available conferences and critiques, knowing that I could be one comment away from what helps me take a manuscript from almost-working to glorious. Usually I get that nugget, and my manuscripts have gotten better and better over the years.

Every draft has made me a better writer (success!)

Every book has made me a better writer (success!)

Every critique, from an editor, agent or fellow writer, stretched me and made my work better (success!)

When I submitted a manuscript for critique to a conference a few years ago, my manuscript ‘met’ my current agent, and it was pretty much love at first sight. (success!) My agent asked me if I wanted to pitch to an educational publisher who had approached her about a 6 picture book series. Because I work in a lot of genres, but felt weakest in picture books, how did I answer? With a resounding YES! I worked my butt off on the proposal, learning as I went (success!), and ended up writing a sample book in the process, which they loved. (success!) That led to being awarded the contract, (success!) and those 6 books just came out September 1st! (success!)

I feel as if I’m building on my 22 years of success as I now plan my debut book series launch party, and look forward to many more successes, big and small, in the future.

What I’ve learned is to cherish all the successes, and that my SCBWI family will cheer me on every step of the way (huge success!)

Here's another one of Claudia's "success!" moments...

More about Claudia:

Claudia Harrington launched her writing career in kindergarten with a poem called Scab On Her Head. Five-year-old literary passion eventually blossomed into poetic publication, including a piece in I Invited A Dragon To Dinner & Other Poems To Make You Laugh Out Loud (Philomel), a CBC Best Pick. Claudia soon found the SCBWI, a recharging station of kindred spirits, going on to lead the LA chapter as Regional Advisor for eleven years. She was recently honored with a nomination for their prestigious Sue Alexander Most Promising Manuscript Award. 

By day, Claudia sells homes in Los Angeles. By night, she conjures the writing spirits in hopes of a few juicy literary morsels. In her former life, she could be seen in commercials, film and television, thanks to her theatre degree from Northwestern University. She’s played everything from a woman giving birth in front of a young Bradley Whitford to a sex-starved magazine editor on The Young & The Restless to Mark Harmon’s nurse in an indie film. Despite the acting work, she remains grateful to her mother for forcing typing school on her so she’d have “something to fall back on” – novel revisions are brutal in longhand. 

When she’s not writing, Claudia juggles her wild and wacky assortment of kids, husband (singular) and a standard poodle who eats underwear. Check out her blog, home to bite-size bursts of inspiration from gems in the children’s book industry, at ClaudiaHarrington.blogspot.com