4 ms·

Quoting: > In some cases the decline is much steeper—30-40% from episode to episode: I speak from experience. This isn't just theoretical: it's why there won't

Quoting: > In some cases the decline is much steeper—30-40% from episode to episode: I speak from experience. This isn't just theoretical: it's why there won't be a third book in the series beginning with "Saturn's Children" and "Neptune's Brood": they sold okay in the USA, but then I changed US publisher—and the British sales took a 40% dive between book 1 and book 2, so I couldn't fall back on the UK market. > > A series where the sales figures of book n are the same as book n-1, n-2 .. 1 are flat is worth persisting with, because it's bucking the market trend and not stagnating. And a series where the sales figures actually grow from book to book is a prize beyond compare. I don't quite agree with this. Of course there will be a falloff between entries in a series, but that does not mean that writing an additional book is a wasted effort. The potential sales of n+1 book get added to all the books coming before n, with corresponding % loss of readership between books. So, one should also add the increase in sales in all the books coming before the new release.

mannykannot 8y ago
I am not sure I follow you here - are you saying that when a book is added to a series, it tends to generate new readers for its predecessors? I would guess that, unless the new book significantly enhances the awareness or prestige of the series, it would have little effect on the sales of earlier episodes. Otherwise, regardless of how good it is in its own right, I doubt it is likely to attract readers who have not already read its predecessors.
- sethammons 8y ago
  It might be of little effect, but I specifically target series. A set of nine will beat out a pair for me. I'm hooked on Brandon Sanderson partly due to the interlinking between his different series.
  - montenegrohugo 8y ago
    Exactly. Especially in SF and Fantasy, series present a much more attractive target. You know the author has put in some love & effort into the books, and you know that the effort YOU put into learning the world and your emotional investment into the characters won't be wasted. You might of course still drop it after the 2nd or 3rd (or even during the 1st) book due to various reasons (you didn't like it, found something better, were busy, family emergency etc..), but the nth+1 book still influenced in that first sale.
    - TheOtherHobbes 8y ago
      Paper book retail has complicated shelving and buying rules which make it a winner's game. A tiny percentage of the most popular writers gets reprints, new editions, and shelf space. For new writers, the process is more like a sales audition. And it's a very short audition. If a new title doesn't show serious sales momentum within a few weeks, most copies will be returned, and the odds of a follow-up title from that author go down rapidly. Virtually all of the n-ologies you see in the bigger stores are already best sellers, and the publishers and the store buyers have both said "Give us more of the same" because previous sales were strong enough. Some markets - like romance, and sometimes fantasy - have more complicated rules. Store buyers typically buy a consignment from a publisher, and authors can sometimes find themselves sneaking into a consignment without being anyone's first choice.

mannykannot 8y ago

I am not sure I follow you here - are you saying that when a book is added to a series, it tends to generate new readers for its predecessors? I would guess that, unless the new book significantly enhances the awareness or prestige of the series, it would have little effect on the sales of earlier episodes. Otherwise, regardless of how good it is in its own right, I doubt it is likely to attract readers who have not already read its predecessors.

sethammons 8y ago
It might be of little effect, but I specifically target series. A set of nine will beat out a pair for me. I'm hooked on Brandon Sanderson partly due to the interlinking between his different series.
- montenegrohugo 8y ago
  Exactly. Especially in SF and Fantasy, series present a much more attractive target. You know the author has put in some love & effort into the books, and you know that the effort YOU put into learning the world and your emotional investment into the characters won't be wasted. You might of course still drop it after the 2nd or 3rd (or even during the 1st) book due to various reasons (you didn't like it, found something better, were busy, family emergency etc..), but the nth+1 book still influenced in that first sale.
  - TheOtherHobbes 8y ago
    Paper book retail has complicated shelving and buying rules which make it a winner's game. A tiny percentage of the most popular writers gets reprints, new editions, and shelf space. For new writers, the process is more like a sales audition. And it's a very short audition. If a new title doesn't show serious sales momentum within a few weeks, most copies will be returned, and the odds of a follow-up title from that author go down rapidly. Virtually all of the n-ologies you see in the bigger stores are already best sellers, and the publishers and the store buyers have both said "Give us more of the same" because previous sales were strong enough. Some markets - like romance, and sometimes fantasy - have more complicated rules. Store buyers typically buy a consignment from a publisher, and authors can sometimes find themselves sneaking into a consignment without being anyone's first choice.