What I do know
Traditional publishing is an opaque industry
Traditional publishing is an opaque industry, at least it feels that way as a first-time author. It feels especially opaque when said author is also a business owner used to looking at data and tracking key performance indicators.
When people ask me how the book launch is going. I respond hesitantly with…“Good?”
Because I don’t really know.
I don’t know how many pre-orders there are. I’ve had people assume my publisher sends me some kind of pre-order report. They don’t. I asked for an update earlier this month, and the number (2,900 for the curious) they gave me wasn’t meaningful because it also included the books sold to bookstores. Bookstores still have to sell those books to customers, and some of those stores ordered books on consignment, meaning they can return any books that don’t sell to my publisher.
So how much of that 2,900 are individual sales? No idea.
How much is going to bookstores? Couldn’t tell ya.
How many of those bookstores have a consignment agreement? *shrugs*
I could have pre-sold anywhere from 100 or 1,000 copies to individual readers like you.
This is the marathon of sales cycles, and I have very little idea how much progress I’m making.
It’s disorienting, but here’s what I do know:
The number of people who redeemed the pre-order bonus. 45 people are have been through the workflow on Flodesk, my email service provider. Assuming everyone was honest about pre-ordering the book, I’ve sold at least 45 books. It’s likely that at least half of the people who pre-ordered didn’t redeem their free digital journal. So there are probably a minimum of 90 pre-orders.
My Amazon ranking. Since these are pre-orders Amazon, Bookshop, and other booksellers don’t count these as true sales until the book ships in March. That means I won’t see a sales report for a few more weeks. Thankfully, I can see my Amazon sales ranking.
Depending on how your book is categorized, a dozen sales might make you an Amazon bestseller. It’s not particularly difficult to game the algorithm. I’m not interested in my Amazon ranking because I’m chasing besteller-dom. I’d actually prefer it if you pre-ordered from Bookshop or your local bookstore. However, this is one of the few data points I have. I can see the spike when I promoted the book on my birthday. The dip when I laid low on book promotion in January, and the spike when I picked it back up again this month.
How many orders are represented in this graph? Your guess is good as mine, but I appreciate having a bit of proof that orders are happening.
The people who have personally informed me of their pre-order. I heave a grateful exhale every time I get a DM or a LinkedIn message or an email response from someone who pre-ordered a book. It’s always a day-brightening data point.
The publishing industry is opaque, so I find clarity by returning to the goals I set for this launch:
1. Share an accessible resource for people in their self-care and inner work journeys
2. Build my thought leadership in self-care and personal development
3. Sell enough to get another book deal
I’m well on my way towards the first two goals, and I’ll keep working blindly towards the third. Onward!