How crowded is the marketplace for books, and how should you think about success? I came across some advice from a top book publicist that made me think. Get this stuff right and you could unlock the secret to a book that doesn't just launch itself, but also achieves whatever goal was powerful enough for you to write it in the first place.
I’ve asked how, out of all the books published this year, people will find yours. It can get a little deflating, a little overwhelming, when you accept the reality that your book is one of millions available to readers. Recently over on LinkedIn Marissa Eigenbrood, President of Smith Publicity, shared some numbers and context that put this in perspective.
…here are some hard facts for book sales in 2022 from Jason Colavito on Twitter:
■ In 2022, only 28 books out of ~300,000 titles sold more than 500,000 copies. Eight were by one author, Colleen Hoover, and no book of history or politics sold more than 295,000 copies.
■ Past the top 100 books, the numbers are dire. The average book sells 200 copies. An average "bestseller" sells about 2,000 copies.
There are a couple of takeaways from this: the bad news is that you probably have a skewed idea of how many copies your book will sell. Even after reading those numbers, you’re probably inclined to think that your book is one of the ones that will pull toward the top of that range. I’m proud to say that a lot of books I’ve published or been involved with have surpassed even these “average bestseller” numbers Of course, there are also truly great books that haven’t.
But the good news is really good. With just a few exceptions, the books and authors you think of when you think about who you want to emulate, the impact you’d like to have, the influence you want to build—they are all subject to the same realities. That book that shook up your fundamental understanding of things? Chances are it sold fewer than 2,000 copies. And it still changed the world. (What book had the biggest impact on you? Are there different books that influenced you in your personal life vs professional life?).
Eigenbrood says that “if your idea of a successful book launch focuses solely on selling copies, it's time to shift your mindset” and I couldn’t agree more. If you’re in this solely to make money, I can almost guarantee that you’ll be disappointed after your first royalty check comes in and you calculate your hourly rate. But beyond that, a book can do so much more than just sell.
There’s more good news in the post, for people who are paying attention:
Almost all significant book sales are to "communities," typically book clubs, authors' social media followers, or interest groups
When you read my post about the guy who would only publish bestsellers this is exactly what I was talking about. And you have the ability to control this aspect of your book’s success—even better, the magnitude of your book’s success is not only something you can influence, but if you do it right you get to take that influence with you into whatever you do afterward. Building a community of interested and like-minded people around your book’s topic is one thing that you’re better positioned to do than your publisher. Your community be more likely to buy and boost your book, and once you do the work to build it, you can loop them into future projects—you won’t be starting from scratch.
So instead of just focusing on your book’s sales, or even worse, just sitting and waiting to see if your publisher can make your book into a big hit, Eigenbrood suggests you use your book to:
📈 Grow your platform
🤝 Connect with your target audience
📖 Build your successful author brand
💼 Generate leads for your business
🎤 And launch your speaking career
Publishing your book isn’t just about sales. It can be the foundation of your brand - but it’s up to you to take it to the next level.
You’ve heard me say similar things when we’ve talked about your book, or you’ve picked up on it by reading this newsletter. A book is a lot like a new startup—with a unique customer profile, pricing and marketing strategy, and each relies heavily on its founder (author) and their personal branding. Finding a publisher is like getting funded by a VC firm. They play an important role, but they can’t make the company great without you.
So what would you do if you were a founder and this book was your brand-new company? That perspective could be the difference between sitting back and watching your book muddle along and committing to the actions that will truly help you achieve your goals.