Selling that first novel
Apr. 28th, 2010 10:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deborahjrossJim Hines has posted the results of his survey about first novel sales. Some of the results are no-brainers, like the genres (fantasy and romance are more common than mainstream, yup) and most first sold novels are submitted to an agent, who sells it or submitted directly to a publisher (as opposed to self-published).
For me, the most interesting graph comes fairly far down in the article: How Sold By Decade. In the 1980s, most first sales were direct to publisher, then through agent (about 3/4 of the number of direct sales). By the 1990s, however, the relationship was reversed, with a small number going to small press. In the 2000s, the agent sales outnumber the direct to publisher sales by about 3 to 1 and small press sales, while still relatively insignificant, have roughly doubled. Epublishing isn't yet on the chart.
Times have indeed changed.
For me, the most interesting graph comes fairly far down in the article: How Sold By Decade. In the 1980s, most first sales were direct to publisher, then through agent (about 3/4 of the number of direct sales). By the 1990s, however, the relationship was reversed, with a small number going to small press. In the 2000s, the agent sales outnumber the direct to publisher sales by about 3 to 1 and small press sales, while still relatively insignificant, have roughly doubled. Epublishing isn't yet on the chart.
Times have indeed changed.
