When it comes to a successful book, most people tie success directly to book sales. While, in theory, the more book sales you achieve, the more successful a book will be, this is not something you want to focus solely on.
The success of your book is relative. While it is important to look at the number of sales, other aspects such as positive reviews received and reader engagement should also be taken into account. While sales are important, you need to make sure your book is selling for the right reasons.
You are reading: How many books sold
In this article, I’ll talk about how many books need to be sold to be considered “successful.” I’ll also discuss other factors that should also be considered, focusing specifically on reader engagement.
How many books sold are considered successful?
When looking at the number of books an author needs to sell to be considered “successful,” there’s no specific number you should aim for. the amount of sales is relative to the book and genre.
If you’re a self-published author, this is something you’ll want to keep in mind. self-published books typically sell fewer copies compared to a book published by a traditional publisher, due to the amount of influence publishers have in the book world.
best-seller lists
Most authors have heard of the New York Times bestseller list. If anything is going to solidify a book’s success, it’s a place on this list. is seen as a prestigious title to have, and being featured on this list will further boost a book’s sales.
Looking at best-seller lists, typically a book needs to sell around 5,000 copies to rank, and the ones at the top of the list will likely sell around 15,000 copies or more. Any book that receives more than 25,000 sales in the week of publication has sold particularly well.
See Also: Top 10 Most Expensive Handbags of 2022: From Hermes to Mouawad – Financesonline.com
however, the benchmarks for each list will vary and are based on slightly different figures. pre-sales are also taken into account, so they are an important part of the book’s promotional campaign.
While it’s great for a book to appear on the bestseller list, it’s not the most important thing to aim for. There are still other ways to measure the success of a book.
It’s important to note that when you look at the number of books sold, all of this matters. For example, in general, a non-fiction book will sell fewer books compared to a fiction book, this is because fewer people will read it.
when looking at a book genre that has a lot of new books published every week, like you, it’s easier in some ways to get more sales. even so, all this is relative, when compared to a less popular genre of books. the sales benchmark for darker genres tends to be lower because fewer people buy books in this genre overall.
The vast majority of authors will sell a few hundred copies in their first week of sales, especially if they are self-published authors. With this in mind, your sole focus shouldn’t just be on selling books.
copies sold over time
When looking at the success of a book, the number of copies sold over a longer period of time is something to keep in mind. If a book doesn’t sell additional copies after having a successful first week, it will affect its overall success.
Many self-published authors will get off to a slow start when it comes to book sales and may become more successful as the months go on. when you consider that self-published authors don’t have the same influence as publisher-published books, this is understandable.
See Also: 12 Books of the Bible For One-to-One Reading – WordPartners
When it comes to general book sales, ideally you want a steady but steady stream of sales over a longer period. this helps generate a steady stream of money over time.
why the number of books sold is not always related to success
Many authors, especially those who have written a debut novel, can get discouraged if their book isn’t an instant hit. This is especially true for self-published authors, because they don’t receive the same endorsement as a book published through a publisher.
While book sales are an important part of a book’s success, they’re not something you focus solely on. success is relative, and you must have in mind your own realistic goals that you want to achieve.
interact with readers
Building an audience and engaging with readers is an important part of a book’s success. she wants a reader to keep buying her books and support her work. the best way to do this is through engagement and interactions.
Having loyal, dedicated readers will help your future books sell, and it’s rewarding for an author to get to know their audience. A great way to engage with your reader on a deeper level is through the author community. this is a free text messaging service that allows your readers to contact you directly.
You are given your own unique number that can be added to your book. this allows readers to text the number to receive additional information and details about your book that they may not have otherwise been aware of.
From here, it allows you to encourage your readers to leave positive reviews of the book, which in turn increases interest and sales. There’s a lot you can accomplish by using the author community, and it can completely change the way you measure your book’s success. you can get a demo of this service here.
summary
To summarize, the number of books an author sells is important and can be related to success. however, it is not something that should be an author’s sole focus. Interacting with readers on a personal level is also important, and using the author community can help you do just that.
See Also: How much does a box full of books weigh? – AnswersToAll