Confessions of a Better-than-Average Selling Author

My dream of being a bestselling author may never be realized. But there are other ways to make dreams come true!

I recently read a statistic that said that two-thirds of the books published by the top 10 publishers in the US sell less than 1,000 copies each.¹

That’s all! 1,000 copies!

If you’re not a writer and you are reading that statistic you are thinking “What kind of crazy business model is that?” 

If you are a writer, you’re thinking. “Really? In that case I’m doing better than I thought!”

At least, that was my reaction.

I’ve published seven books and a deck of dream cards—and I have a guided dream journal coming out this spring. Based on that, you might say that as an author I’m doing all right. But to be honest, I have been underwhelmed by the sales numbers for some of my titles. But no longer!

Now that I know that most books sell fewer than 1,000 copies, I can celebrate my success as, if not a bestseller, a better-than-average one!

Which is comforting—as far as it goes. But there’s more:

I’m currently working on two more books, with no guarantee that they’ll get published so they, too, can have a chance at becoming mediumsellers, let alone bestsellers.

But thanks to you, dear reader, I don’t need a physical book to have a robust readership. After all, more than 4,000 subscribers read my two Substack publications. Which is, after all, far more than most better-than-average sellers enjoy!

Books by Tzivia

A publishing model for the rest of us

Sure, any writer—myself included—dreams of being a best-selling author. But what we really want is to write and for what we write to be read.

Substack lets us do that—and even make a few bucks in the process.

That’s why I set up my other Substack publication, The Life of H: Sarah, Reimagined as a poetry book in progress. So far in that publication I’ve emphasized the process part of the project, publishing posts as I write my poems.

But now that I’ve completed some 70 poems for that collection, my next step is to polish and organize the posts in order, as they would appear if they were published between the covers of a physical book.

So, even if a publisher doesn’t pick that book up someday, it can still be a better-than-average-seller right here on Substack.

After all, the beauty of the digital age we live in is that we don’t have to rely on a publisher to connect us with readers. We can do that all by ourselves!

Thank you for being a subscriber! Your support means the world to me. (Photo by Courtney Hedger on Unsplash)

If you have a Substack or other online publication you want us to know about, drop the link in the comments, and tell us about it!

Coming events

THIS WEEKEND:

Unearthing Sarah's Story with Creativity and Spirituality

with  Tzivia Gover. Sunday, October 20, 11:00am (in person) at Temple Beth Zion, Brookline, MA

In this workshop, author, poet, and Certified Dreamwork Professional Tzivia Gover will share her process of rediscovering the biblical matriarch Sarah and invite participants to find their place in this foundational story as well. Using text study, guided discussion, and creative writing we will dive into key passages about the first Hebrew matriarch, Sarah, to rediscover her on the pages of our sacred texts, and as an archetypal presence within ourselves. 

Everyone is welcome. For more info and to register click here

Starting soon:

The Poetic Dream: Tapping into the Subconscious for Creative Inspiration 

with Tzivia Gover (hosted by Hudson Valley Writers, via Zoom). November 3, 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm. 

Dreams can offer new writers and experienced scribes alike first drafts, prompts, or guidance for their writing. Likewise crafting poems from dreams can help people find new levels of creative self-expression, insight, meaning, and even healing. In this workshop we will use dreams and other material from the subconscious mind (including random imagery, dreamlike waking experiences, guided daydreams, etc.) to spark poems and other creative literary expressions. 

This workshop is open to all participants, whether they consider themselves poets or not, and whether or not they recall their dreams.

NB: This class will be capped at 15 students. Registration required. For more info click here.

1. Are Bookstores Just a Waste of Space? | The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/08/26/a-history-of-the-american-bookstore-evan-friss-book-review#:~:text=According%20to%20Kristen%20McLean%2C%20an,diversions%20one%20might%20think%20of]