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The SFF All-Time Sales List


Werthead

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11 hours ago, Jussi said:

That's great.  Hopefully some of those people will go back and buy his Felix Castor books too!  Especially after the movie comes out (didn't know about it until I read that link, but Glenn Close and Gemma Arterton is a pretty strong headlining duo).  I hope they don't pull any punches with the ending, but the three adaptations of I am Legend tells me that they likely will. 

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Jonathan Stroud update

The series, which features a grumpy, sarcastic djinni, has sold more than 7 million copies in 36 languages worldwide

 

Deborah Harkness update

The series has sold over 3.5 million copies.

 

Star Wars

Del Rey and sister imprint Bantam Books have sold 70 million copies of “Star Wars”-related titles in the U.S. and Canada in physical and digital formats.

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From the new Redhook/Orbit catalog:

https://www.hachettebookgroup.biz/_b2b/media/media_assets/catalogs/Redhook_Fall_2016__Winter_2017_Frontlist2.pdf

 

Brian McClellan

The Powder Mage trilogy has grossed over 150,000 copies in two years.

 

James Islington

Previously self-published, this book quickly became a sensation selling over 100,000 copies.

 

Brent Weeks update

Brent Weeks has become one of the fastest selling new fantasy authors of all time, selling approximately 3 million copies worldwide since his first book in 2008.

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My plan was to update the master list this week, but as usual fifty other things have come up. But this is now a priority as it's been a year since the last big one.

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:thumbsup:

 

Jeanne DuPrau

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With more than 3.5 million copies sold, the City of Ember books are modern-day classics.

 

Michael J. Sullivan update

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the Riyria series has sold more than three-quarters of a milllion English copies worldwide

 

William R. Forstchen

One Second After, a perennial backlist favorite, has sold over 750,000 copies in North America to date

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Julie Kagawa

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The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa has reached the 1 million copies sold mark.

 

Laurell K. Hamilton update

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Her titles have sold over 12 million copies in twenty two countries.

 

Rachel Ward (author of Numbers)

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More than 650,000 copies sold worldwide.

 

David Mitchell update

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With his books having sold four million copies worldwide

 

Joseph Delaney

over 3 million copies sold worldwide!

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Melissa de la Cruz

Her Blue Bloods series has sold over three million copies

 

Jay Allan

Over 750,000 Crimson Worlds Books Sold

 

Michael G. Manning

The Mageborn Series passes 400,000 books sold mark.

 

 

From the Ellenberg Agency catalogue:

http://ak-agency.myds.me/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Ellenberg-Rights-Guide-Spring-2015

 

MaryJanice Davidson

More than four million copies of the Undead series in print

 

Vaughn Heppner

Over 100,000 copies sold of his Doom Star series

 

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Out of interest, is there a rough rule of thumb to give one an idea how book sales translate into dollar earnings for the author?

Excluding film rights of course (which move earnings into a different league), can one work on say $1 per book copy sold eventually landing in the author's bank account? How many copies must a sci-fi/fantasy author sell before writing can become his day job?

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On 5/22/2016 at 8:38 AM, Free Northman Reborn said:

Out of interest, is there a rough rule of thumb to give one an idea how book sales translate into dollar earnings for the author?

Excluding film rights of course (which move earnings into a different league), can one work on say $1 per book copy sold eventually landing in the author's bank account? How many copies must a sci-fi/fantasy author sell before writing can become his day job?

It varies, but if you have a strong product and good business acumen at the bargaining table the standard hovers around 10% per hardcover and 6% per paperback pricing, respectively. In regard to ebooks, I'd argue that percentage should be considerably higher since the publishers overhead would be much lower, but not sure.

 

edit: after a little perusal, and using American publisher/author royalties as a standard it looks a bit more like this:

HC: 10% net receipt of first 5000 copies sold, with incremtenal increases after that, i.e. up to 15% after 10,000

TPB: Not sure

PB: 8% net receipt for the first 150,000 copies, then 10% after that 

ebook: anywhere from 25% to 50% depending on publisher

 

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Kenneth Oppel

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My books include the Silverwing trilogy, which has sold over a million copies around the world

 

Sarah J. Maas update

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Throne of Glass series is a global success, published in more than 22 countries with more than 1,600,000 copies sold

 

Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black

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The Spiderwick Chronicles is loved by children and adults alike, and has been published in over 30 countries, selling over 12 million copies.

 

Audrey Niffenegger update

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The Time Traveler’s Wife has sold over seven million copies worldwide.

 

J.R. Ward

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There are more than fifteen million copies of Ward’s novels in print worldwide

 

Tim Powers (1990)

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his science fiction tales have sold more than a million copies

 

Lois McMaster Bujold update

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2.5 MILLION BOOKS IN PRINT.

 

Alyson Noël

The Immortals series from St. Martin’s Griffin has more than eight million copies in print worldwide — 3.5 million in the U.S. alone.

 

Amanda Hocking

1.5 million copies sold.

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Janet Morris

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According to original publisher Bantam Books, the Silistra quartet had over four million copies in print when the fourth volume, The Carnelian Throne was published.

 

Richard Matheson (2007)

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Tor sells over a million copies of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, the basis for the hit movie starring Will Smith

 

Sharon Lee & Steve Miller update

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Over a half million Liaden Universe books sold with an audience that keeps growing!

 

Ed Greenwood update

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his 1987 novel Spellfire has sold over three million copies worldwide in various editions

 

Henri Lœvenbruck

400,000 copies sold to date in France

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On 22/05/2016 at 3:38 PM, Free Northman Reborn said:

Out of interest, is there a rough rule of thumb to give one an idea how book sales translate into dollar earnings for the author?

Excluding film rights of course (which move earnings into a different league), can one work on say $1 per book copy sold eventually landing in the author's bank account? How many copies must a sci-fi/fantasy author sell before writing can become his day job?

This article my ex board contributor and author Mark Lawrence gives an interesting breakdown on where ebook sales go in terms of his pocket.

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Ransom Riggs update

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The book has been a runaway success since it was published in 2011, selling more than 4 million copies

 

Joe Hill

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With the series adapted in dozens of languages across the globe, and more than a million copies sold worldwide, Locke & Key is an obvious choice to make the transition to the screen.

 

Laura Gallego García

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has sold over two million copies in Spain alone

 

P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Her mega-hit young adult series, The House of Night, co-authored with her daughter, Kristin, has transcended the genre and, with over 20 million copies in print, appeals to readers of all ages.

 

Kerstin Gier

More than two million books in the series have been sold in Germany alone.

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Maggie Furey

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The series has now sold in excess of 250,000 copies

 

Gail Z. Martin update

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Gail’s books have sold over 600,000 copies.

 

Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan

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Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s best-selling novel trilogy, The Strain, has sold over a million copies worldwide.

 

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (Nielsen BookScan)

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133,756 units sold

 

Cherie Priest

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Cherie Priest has a huge international following and has sold over 100,000 copies of her books in the US alone.

 

Andrew Michael Hurley

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The Loney has sold 40,415 copies

 

H.P. Lovecraft 

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millions of copies of his books in print

 

Erin Morgenstern update (2014)

Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, which has now sold over a million copies

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Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

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Beautiful Creatures has been published in 50 countries and translated in 39 languages, and it has sold over 5 million copies.

 

Lev Grossman update (2014)

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Grossman's Magicians trilogy has sold millions of copies worldwide

 

Kelley Armstrong update (2013)

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millions of copies of her books in print around the world

 

Dmitry Glukhovsky

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it became a European cult bestseller, shifting nearly two million copies of the printed edition worldwide, with equally large numbers downloading the Russian digital edition.

 

It looks like Sara Douglass sold "millions of books" worldwide:

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/10361292/a-life-cut-short/

 

According to this article, Robert A. Heinlein had sold more than 40 million books by the time of his death:

https://mises.org/library/was-robert-heinlein-libertarian

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