SeanF Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 That's pretty solid, though I suspect surprising to some people. A lot of the authors discussed a lot online and on SFF forums have relatively low sales, and vice versa. What would you consider a decent sales figure for a SFF book? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 What would you consider a decent sales figure for a SFF book? These days you can get onto the bestseller lists by shifting a couple of thousand copies in the first week, depending on the time of year. This is why 'bestseller!' being listed on the cover is completely meaningless. Some authors who are NYT or ST bestsellers are actually earning less than the minimum wage. IIRC, there was an urban fantasy author about five years ago whose books would hit the 30s on the NYT list who was living on food stamps, as the return from her books was pretty low.10,000-15,000 copies in the first year (which is what Scott Lynch had) would be regarded as a modest success. At that rate you are paying back the initial investment in the author, breaking even and maybe heading towards earning out the advance so the author can start making his 15% per copy sold. This is why Steven Erikson apparently selling 'only' 1 million copies of 11 novels (and a novella collection) is still pretty good for the publisher, even if compares poorly to Martin/Goodkind/Jordan/Pratchett. You might even say that Erikson selling that amount despite his reputation for being a 'difficult read' (by normal fantasy standards) is even more impressive.On that basis, Mark Lawrence selling 250,000 copies of his first two novels alone in just two years probably has his publishers tap-dancing around their desks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jussi Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 That's pretty solid, though I suspect surprising to some people. A lot of the authors discussed a lot online and on SFF forums have relatively low sales, and vice versa.Yeah, it seems that Karen Miller outsells Lynch:RECORD-BREAKING DEBUT. One of the bestselling debuts of 2007, The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage hit numbers 2 and 4, respectively, on the Bookscan Mass Market Fantasy Bestseller List. The Innocent Mage has reprinted 12 times and has sold over 150,000 copies.http://edelweiss.abo...?sku=0316201278 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 Yeah, it seems that Karen Miller outsells Lynch:http://edelweiss.abo...?sku=0316201278And Gail Z. Martin as well, though I haven't found hard figures for her yet. There's a figure of 100,000, but that doesn't seem reliable given her apparent level of success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyful Union Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Does anyone know how much Daniel Abraham has sold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 These days you can get onto the bestseller lists by shifting a couple of thousand copies in the first week, depending on the time of year. This is why 'bestseller!' being listed on the cover is completely meaningless. Some authors who are NYT or ST bestsellers are actually earning less than the minimum wage. IIRC, there was an urban fantasy author about five years ago whose books would hit the 30s on the NYT list who was living on food stamps, as the return from her books was pretty low.10,000-15,000 copies in the first year (which is what Scott Lynch had) would be regarded as a modest success. At that rate you are paying back the initial investment in the author, breaking even and maybe heading towards earning out the advance so the author can start making his 15% per copy sold. This is why Steven Erikson apparently selling 'only' 1 million copies of 11 novels (and a novella collection) is still pretty good for the publisher, even if compares poorly to Martin/Goodkind/Jordan/Pratchett. You might even say that Erikson selling that amount despite his reputation for being a 'difficult read' (by normal fantasy standards) is even more impressive.On that basis, Mark Lawrence selling 250,000 copies of his first two novels alone in just two years probably has his publishers tap-dancing around their desks :) I've always had the impression that successful authors sell really well in the first few months of publication, before sales fall away. Yet, I have the impression that several of the authors here towards the bottom of the list have seen sales gradually increase over time, as their reputation builds (As an aside, I'm really grateful to this forum for introducing me to several new authors). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 Does anyone know how much Daniel Abraham has sold?Not enough :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Not enough :)Tbh I think the correct response is:Not enough :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CityApache Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Or even "not enough yet". :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maithanet Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Also should probably include Max Brooks. Here's a source from 2011 that puts his sales of Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z at 2.4 million. It is probably double that since the movie came out, but that's still an impressive tally.Not to be pushy, but was there a reason you didn't add Brooks? That source looks sufficiently legit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 Added Heinlein, Le Guin and Lukyanenko. As for Brooks, I forgot :) Getting round to it now and then I'll probably stop updating for the day. Keep more info rolling in, as I'll get on it tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crow Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Goodkind sold more than Martin? he has more things to brag about then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jussi Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Karen Miller figure should be higher. Her first three "K.E. Mills" novels sold over 100,000 copies.Over 100,000 copies of the first three novels now in print.http://edelweiss.abo...?sku=0316120227This is probably the final update from me...Didn't happen... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sansa_Stark Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Goodkind sold more than Martin? he has more things to brag about then...Hasn't GK written more books? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maithanet Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 According to this, Handmaid's Tale has sold over 2 million copies, and Oryx and Crake + Year of the Flood combined for 1 million. So that would put Atwood at 3 million even discounting her sales of non-SFF works (which are probably considerable). According to BarnesandNoble.com, she has sold at least 3 million copies in the US alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearbert Dondarrion Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Hasn't GK written more books?No. Goodkind has written 14 novels, IIRC. Martin has written the 5 ASOIAF books, The Armaggedon Rag, Fevre Dream, Dying of the light, Windhaven, Hunter's Run+ a lot of short stories collections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanF Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Joe Abercrombie's numbers (500,000 per book, 430,000 per year) are very impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerol Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 While Daniel Abraham has not sold enough to score high on that list, he has noted on this board that he has sold enough to keep him from working at a tech support desk. That's a big enough goal for most writers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I love you, Wert.I think this list may shock the hell out of some people here. Sometimes I get the feeling a few people forget that this isn't the be all end all of SFF fandom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seli Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I love you, Wert.I think this list may shock the hell out of some people here. Sometimes I get the feeling a few people forget that this isn't the be all end all of SFF fandom.Odds are there are paranormal romance authors that would en up high on the list as well if we'd think about looking them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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