How do we measure the success of a book?

You dream of getting your novel published.

You want it to be a success. But what does that success look like?

How do we know if a book has sunk or swam? How many copies does a book need to sell to be considered a success?

There really isn’t an answer to this question.

  • Some may say that a book needs to get onto a bestseller list in order to be considered a success.
  • Some may say that a book needs only to make back its advance to be a success.
  • Some may have a number goal.

Our goal for The Boy Next Door is to sell 10,000 copies in one year and we’re making great progress! But it’s definitely a stretch that will require us to push ourselves.

What is your definition of success? If you get a book published (or have a book published) how many copies would you need to sell before you felt like it was a success?

Do Men Read?

Okay, that’s not really a fair question.

I know that men read. I listen to the Sword and Laser podcast and hear both men and women talking about science fiction and fantasy they’ve enjoyed.

But do men read love stories? And, if so, do they read them for the same reasons women do?

The reason I ask is that this company was started with the plan to accept and publish books with romantic heroes that women would find very appealing. However, we’ve received more than one inquiry from a man who has written a book focused on making an appealing heroine, a woman that they find sexy.

We’re not sure whether to expand into accepting these works.

I’ve always heard that men are more visual and more interested in video than in reading. I’ve been told that women read romance for the fantasy of it, to dream of men beyond the realm of the possible, but that men watch things to get the same effect.

Would men be interested in books catered to them with female love interests designed to be particularly appealing to men?

Would lesbians be interested in books with heterosexual relationships, but with female love interests who are played up more?

It’s difficult to explain what I mean by this! What difference does it make?

In most of the books we have, the point of view is mostly the woman’s as she looks for or is suddenly mixed up in love. The heroines are women we can relate to and their love interests are men that we wish we were dating.

What I’m looking at doing is acquiring books that are still love stories but from a more masculine point of view where it is the female who is a little…shinier than real life.

So, pipe up, men! Is this something you would like to see? Please let me know in comments, by email, on FB. Anywhere!
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