Trip isn't available in kindle format here in Australia, unlike several other books of yours, so that's why I bought the physical copy. This is in response to your note about that book having lower ebook sales than your others
I was impressed that my Melville House books sold so well when I found out in 2018, especially Eeeee Eee Eeee which got like 3 reviews and had sold almost 10k. I’m impressed by Trip’s sales too. It’s rare for a literary book to sell more than like 5k copies. I'm happy with my sales.
more proof that it's all about the advances in traditional publishing...but man are these trade houses good at pushing out books in the 1st month to capture 1000 sales...and then none...such a heroine industry...
Lots of sales at first is mostly because they count all the preorders, and because bookstores put books on "new releases" tables at first, and because most of the media attention comes before and during the release.
We indie publishers must get all our PR after the publication…the numbers either build or nothing happens…I did it with a business book…but general nonfiction seems to controlled by a very tiny tribe of gatekeepers with only status in mind.
Are you saying that book publishing is a heroine industry because it's mostly women who work in publishing and control the industry or that it's mostly women who buy books?
I'm wondering if 50k words - the short novel - is that format better for autobiographical accounts or fiction? It's like / do you consider it more of much longer essay or a much shorter book? This is prob a dumb question but when you posted it my goal suddenly sprang to life of what I could possibly do in a year.
I don't like those graphs where the author's sales start way up in the thousands and then plummet downward and bounce along on the bottom. We all know that's the actual pattern. But no need to represent it in that way. Being a writer is hard enough . . .
This is wild to me! I remember back in ~2015 when I was finishing up college it felt like Taipei was everywhere, and everyone was reading it. I bought a copy new (usually I buy used books). I just assumed you got rich off this book.
So I have read that the average trade paperback book sells 3,000 copies, most of those in the first year. That is very depressing! The author gets only about 20% of the book sales, right, with the rest going to the publisher? How do book authors make enough money to live on? My partner and I are not rich by any means, but I think our combined income for the year is more than most authors make from their books in ten years, or maybe in their whole careers. Or am I missing something? Does the money come from something other than advance payments and 20% of the books sold?
Keep up with the good work.
Thanks for being transparent and sharing this. Congratulations on all of your sales. You should feel proud of what you have accomplished.
Trip isn't available in kindle format here in Australia, unlike several other books of yours, so that's why I bought the physical copy. This is in response to your note about that book having lower ebook sales than your others
Very much appreciate you sharing this - helps to ground people who are trying to break into literary fiction.
I’m surprised by the book sales numbers. They feel small to me. I expected them to be larger. Are you also surprised?
I was impressed that my Melville House books sold so well when I found out in 2018, especially Eeeee Eee Eeee which got like 3 reviews and had sold almost 10k. I’m impressed by Trip’s sales too. It’s rare for a literary book to sell more than like 5k copies. I'm happy with my sales.
more proof that it's all about the advances in traditional publishing...but man are these trade houses good at pushing out books in the 1st month to capture 1000 sales...and then none...such a heroine industry...
Lots of sales at first is mostly because they count all the preorders, and because bookstores put books on "new releases" tables at first, and because most of the media attention comes before and during the release.
We indie publishers must get all our PR after the publication…the numbers either build or nothing happens…I did it with a business book…but general nonfiction seems to controlled by a very tiny tribe of gatekeepers with only status in mind.
Are you saying that book publishing is a heroine industry because it's mostly women who work in publishing and control the industry or that it's mostly women who buy books?
Hello, I was curious: have you tried to apply statistical analyses to hypothesize a proportion of first time vs repeat buyers within your sales?
I haven’t, no.
Why was there a spike in sales of Taipei in 2019?
I think there was an ebook sale by the publisher, with very low ebook prices.
Thanks super interesting
The 2019 Spikes ____^_____ are interesting. What a time. Let's all by books again.
Statistically speaking, how likely is it that the essay collection will be available by 2025?
40-60 percent. If not 2025, early 2026.
Do you think 50k books should be autobiographical
Can you rephrase this? Not sure what you're asking.
I'm wondering if 50k words - the short novel - is that format better for autobiographical accounts or fiction? It's like / do you consider it more of much longer essay or a much shorter book? This is prob a dumb question but when you posted it my goal suddenly sprang to life of what I could possibly do in a year.
It works well for both in my view, autobiographical or not.
I don't like those graphs where the author's sales start way up in the thousands and then plummet downward and bounce along on the bottom. We all know that's the actual pattern. But no need to represent it in that way. Being a writer is hard enough . . .
It's hard to see what's going on in the non-initial parts too, with the big part at the start.
They "pulp" them and make new books.
I remember you saying Tai Pei still hasn’t earned out its advance. How many copies would need to be sold for it to do so?
The advance was $50,000, so probably something like 40,000 to 60,000 copies. I don't remember how much I get per book.
This is wild to me! I remember back in ~2015 when I was finishing up college it felt like Taipei was everywhere, and everyone was reading it. I bought a copy new (usually I buy used books). I just assumed you got rich off this book.
I was rich, in my view, for a while. The movie rights sold for $50k too. It’s the most I’ve made off one book.
Is there a movie in the works?
https://youtu.be/RDtob7fGhu4?si=0sf-oj8rKrmp9AAF
https://youtu.be/RDtob7fGhu4?si=0sf-oj8rKrmp9AAF
Great post, Tao. Looks like the Bookscan image can't be zoomed in on?
It's a screenshot so it doesn't get bigger.
I enjoy statistics.
So I have read that the average trade paperback book sells 3,000 copies, most of those in the first year. That is very depressing! The author gets only about 20% of the book sales, right, with the rest going to the publisher? How do book authors make enough money to live on? My partner and I are not rich by any means, but I think our combined income for the year is more than most authors make from their books in ten years, or maybe in their whole careers. Or am I missing something? Does the money come from something other than advance payments and 20% of the books sold?