4 ms·

"98 percent of the books that publishers released" is the key phrase, and it's nothing new; the sell rate in traditional publishing has always been quite low.

"98 percent of the books that publishers released" is the key phrase, and it's nothing new; the sell rate in traditional publishing has always been quite low. But this does not include books sold in all the other self-publishing ways.

ghaff 5y ago
I'd be skeptical that more than a handful of self-published books sold more than 100K copies (if that).
- stakkur 5y ago
  I don't agree. Self publishing has not only arrived, in some genres it outsells trad pub books. One discussion: https://mashable.com/article/self-published-authors-making-a-living/ https://mashable.com/article/self-published-authors-making-a... From that article: "According to Amazon's 2019 review of its Kindle sales, there are now thousands of self-published authors taking home royalties of over $50,000, while more than a thousand hit six-figure salaries from their book sales last year." And 'self publishing' encompasses more than just Amazon, etc. --there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of authors selling books directly online.
  - NullInvictus 5y ago
    It wouldn't surprise me. In many genres, I'm not sure there is a huge difference in the product put out by traditional publishers vs. that put out by direct publishing. I own a lot of books, and a sizable chunk is fiction. Maybe I'm just picking up the best, but it feels like the freely published ones have the same amount of advertising, editing, and type-checking as the traditionally published ones. Which is to say - absolutely none. It feels like in many cases, traditional publishing has decided to play the same numbers-game as the self-publishers and have given up on adding quality after they receive the manuscript. Ironically this may be why they're receding under the waves. Commodities is a hard place to get rich.
ChrisRR 5y ago
Is it though? I highly doubt many self published authors are selling over 100k copies. That's a ton of logistics to deal with

ghaff 5y ago

I'd be skeptical that more than a handful of self-published books sold more than 100K copies (if that).

stakkur 5y ago
I don't agree. Self publishing has not only arrived, in some genres it outsells trad pub books. One discussion: https://mashable.com/article/self-published-authors-making-a-living/ https://mashable.com/article/self-published-authors-making-a... From that article: "According to Amazon's 2019 review of its Kindle sales, there are now thousands of self-published authors taking home royalties of over $50,000, while more than a thousand hit six-figure salaries from their book sales last year." And 'self publishing' encompasses more than just Amazon, etc. --there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of authors selling books directly online.
- NullInvictus 5y ago
  It wouldn't surprise me. In many genres, I'm not sure there is a huge difference in the product put out by traditional publishers vs. that put out by direct publishing. I own a lot of books, and a sizable chunk is fiction. Maybe I'm just picking up the best, but it feels like the freely published ones have the same amount of advertising, editing, and type-checking as the traditionally published ones. Which is to say - absolutely none. It feels like in many cases, traditional publishing has decided to play the same numbers-game as the self-publishers and have given up on adding quality after they receive the manuscript. Ironically this may be why they're receding under the waves. Commodities is a hard place to get rich.

ChrisRR 5y ago

Is it though? I highly doubt many self published authors are selling over 100k copies. That's a ton of logistics to deal with