tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post7133479682499353212..comments2023-08-23T01:12:35.906-07:00Comments on Dollars and Deadlines: 5 Questions to Ask Before you Turn Down a Small AdvanceAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12518158232642872324noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post-43008324400204398492011-07-05T08:58:43.772-07:002011-07-05T08:58:43.772-07:00Mark, I agree with your comment re: traditional pu...Mark, I agree with your comment re: traditional publishers wanting big, immediate sales or they lose interest. And they're willing to do so little for mid-list authors it's not surprising so many authors and choosing POD and e-books. Very good point re: how many books will you sell *overall,*, not just in the first few months after publication. A publishing expert told me at ASJA this year that a POD book doesn't really build/reach an audience for three years. Obviously this isn't true of all books, but I thought it was an interesting concept and definitely supports the idea of considering sales over years, not months or weeks. <br /><br />Thanks for weighing in! :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12518158232642872324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7956176634474051220.post-21473747083082602252011-07-05T04:47:09.234-07:002011-07-05T04:47:09.234-07:00In my experience most writers - even experienced w...In my experience most writers - even experienced writers - have a hard time judging how many copies of a book they will sell. One issue in the marketplace that probably doesn't get discussed enough is the idea of sales velocity. For instance, most bestseller lists really focus on sales velocity versus number of copies sold. For example, a book that sells 1000 copies in its first year will not likely hit any bestseller lists and might even be considered a failure by the publisher. Another book that sells 1000 copies in the first week will probably hit a bestseller list. If the book then drops dead and doesn't sell another copy ever after (it happens), the publisher may view it as a success, even though it's sold the same number of copies as the other book.<br /><br />Publishers think that way about a lot of different types of books, but writers may find themselves with a book that will not sell tons of copies immediately - how-to, self-help, certain types of reference and histories - but will sell steadily for years.<br /><br />Traditional publishing - which is pretty much under siege at the moment - generally wants to sell tons of copies of a book in the first 6 weeks it came out, then they forget about it and move on.<br /><br />e-books, self-published or otherwise, seem to be changing that paradigm. They don't get yanked off the shelf or remaindered or returned, so they're allowed to build an audience. At least, that's the current thinking. So sometimes it's better for an author to think, will this book continue to sell for the next 2 or 5 or 10 years? Or will it sell well this year and then kind of fade out because it's so current?<br /><br />It's a consideration.Mark Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09410424046477699059noreply@blogger.com