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When I met with Jenn Grace and she told me that the "average book sells 150 units" metric we have been talking about is from 2006...
...I was like, "no, that's not true. It's from the Harper Collins trial".
I even spent good time and effort trying to disprove her claim...
...and yet, I can't.
I still in my gut only 3/4 believe this is from 2006, and I literally did the research. Plus, I talked with Jenn for an hour. So, if your first reaction is "Malarkey!" Then, I totally understand...
...and yet, she seems to be right, and when somebody is right, then they are right, no matter what our deepest gut instincts believe to be true.
Also, Jenn's big ask at the end of this is for non-fiction authors to take this survey about author marketing. No surprise, I think data is good and better data is better.
Whether you believe that the data if newer than 2006 or not, the simple fact is that it's not from 2026, and we should have the newest data available. Plus, you get a cool workbook for taking the survey. Now, here's Jenn.
A couple of years ago, I was talking with another book publisher, and our conversation switched to the statistic that “the average author sells 150 copies of their book in its lifetime.”
We were both sharing that the authors we’ve worked with have far surpassed that average. And, we started to question the accuracy or origin of that number in the first place. We had both been repeating it for the better part of a decade and hadn’t really questioned where the number really came from.
We both jumped to Google for a quick search to see if we could find a source without completely derailing our agenda. We couldn’t find one quickly, and moved on.
How disappointing to be an author and hear the stat that the average author is only selling 150 copies, especially when everywhere you turn you hear about these breakthrough bestsellers selling millions of copies.
For this article in particular, I did some deeper digging to see if I could find the source, and if it is still accurate. Rather than finding a missing source, I found a number of sources with conflicting information.
The closest I was able to trace it back to was a 2006 Publishers Weekly piece that pulled from Nielsen Bookscan data. (I don’t have to remind you that we are in 2026). This piece showed that the average American book sold roughly 500 copies (source linked below). Where I and others heard 150 and have been parroting it for years is beyond me.
And, looking past repeating wrong information, how about the fact that we’ve been using data that is 20 years old? Culture, media, books, and the market look nothing like they did 20 years ago. So does that 500 copies number still hold up? I don’t know.
It doesn’t appear that anyone has been consistently tracking this for any duration of time. Last year, I decided I would make an effort in solving this problem. I surveyed 233 nonfiction authors, and among the 159 authors who told me their lifetime sales, here's how the numbers break down:
- Under 100 copies: 19%
- 101–500 copies: 26%
- 501–1,000 copies: 9%
- 1,001–5,000 copies: 25%
- 5,001+ copies: 20%
Now here’s the rub. First, this is a small sample size of only 159 authors. Second, I didn’t construct my survey as helpfully as I could have, to have had more meaningful data. I think this data does point to some trends, but with this small of a group, it doesn't hold up as statistically sound.
For the 2026 State of Author Marketing Survey, I revamped it quite a bit so my data really holds up. I collaborated with a few trusted peers to pressure test it to ensure it will yield solid data that I, you, and the entire industry and community can utilize. Now, I just need more people to take the survey. My goal is 500 this year.
The marketing tactic you can replicate
Part of my interest in getting more accurate data around author marketing is that, firstly, I own a hybrid publishing company. And secondly, it is because I have been a marketing nerd for over 20 years.
On a whim, I put out this survey, shared it within a small sector of my community, and went about my business. What I realized is that there is immense potential in utilizing surveys as a marketing tool for my books and my business. And that's what I want to help you think through.
If you are a B2B consumer or on the receiving end of SaaS tools, you already know what this looks like from the intended receiver perspective. Many companies in tech industries are constantly running surveys to find out what is working, what’s broken, what people are spending their money on, so that they can make their products or services better.
This is not something you really see with authors surveying their readers, and it feels like a missed opportunity depending on your topic and goals. I published the survey findings for my 2025 survey in January 2026, just before the launch of my book, Promote Your Purpose: A Strategic Guide to Book Marketing for Nonfiction Authors Who Want to Grow Their Impact, Influence, and Income, in February 2026.
The timing of my report was by design. Launching a book about book marketing and having real data to share about what is and isn’t working in book marketing was an incredible tool to garner attention for the report, with the book as a secondary note.
When we think about marketing a book, sometimes it’s okay for the book to be the backup singer. It doesn’t always have to be the rockstar taking center stage.
The ASPEN Method
I teach a framework called The ASPEN Method, which stands for Assess, Strategize, Plan, Execute, and Nurture. It is a simple way to think about your book marketing in a cycle that also provides a repeatable process to make marketing feel less overwhelming.
Below, I’ll use my 2026 survey redesign and The ASPEN Method framework to help you think through how you might be able to apply this to something you are working through in your author marketing.
Assess
The first version of this survey came out of curiosity more than strategy. I was looking for real data on how authors were actually marketing their books and their success rates versus the same regurgitated stats over and over again.
Here’s where I went wrong. I asked good questions but I didn't ask them in a way that let me really do what I intended with the answers afterward. The data was interesting, but it wasn’t really usable. It wasn’t clear enough for anyone to take meaningful action.
When it comes to assessing, this is typically something you are doing privately. However, you can do things like this and publicly acknowledge where you went wrong, so you can do better next time.
Strategize
Having the experience of doing the survey and knowing what didn’t go right the first time, I had to really sit and think about what I wanted this survey to do, before editing a single question.
Strategizing is the phase where you ask yourself a lot of questions.
- Was this survey purely research?
- Was it to grow my audience?
- Was it a mix of both?
- Was it neither?
I landed on the fact that both mattered equally. In the world of authorship and books, standing out can be difficult. I realized part of my goal was to give me data I could use to build my own thought leadership and visibility.
What I also uncovered is that my inner mantra of the rising tide floats all boats really came to light. In my desire to get data and to increase my visibility, I wanted to bring others on the journey with me. And, if I were to do that, what questions might I ask that would benefit them and their businesses too?
Strategy is never something we skip on purpose, and sometimes we don’t even know we skipped it until we get data or feedback that misses the mark of our intentions.
Plan
Having a more defined strategy this time helped me realize what needs to be done, but planning is where we figure out how to get it done.
The planning phase is where my Community Partners came in. I brought in over 40 partners who are trusted peers in the industry. People with their own audiences, who have their own reasons to be interested in this data, are exactly who I needed.
With the goal to expand well beyond my own reach this time around, Community Partners are clutch in making this happen.
With a goal to reach at least 500 nonfiction authors in the 2026 survey, I knew I’d have a much better chance of getting there if I brought in folks to make it mutually beneficial. As a Community Partner, folks are named on the survey landing page and thank you page, with their logo and a link to their website. I want the rising tide to lift all of us collectively.
Additionally, I created unique URLs for all Community Partners so their participation could be tracked. And, if someone were to enroll in anything tied to my site at a later date, they’d get affiliate credit for it, simply because they were the original source of the connection. I’m always looking for the win-win-win.
Execute
Now, if it is not obvious at this point, the 2026 State of Author Marketing Survey is available right now, through the end of October.
Execute is the phase where you just do it. It’s the part in the process where you see if the plan you put together actually holds up or falls apart.
My survey will take about 10 minutes to complete, and participants are provided with a workbook at the end that they can use to think through their own book marketing. Those who take the survey will also get a copy of the report before the general public in early 2027.
Has this article made you think about how you could potentially use a survey in your author business?
I hope it illustrates how a survey can be super effective. It can produce a reason for a stranger to give you their attention, their honest opinion, and their email address. Simply because you are asking questions they want to answer and that will illuminate something in their own process that they might be able to do better or differently.
Nurture
Nurture is the phase most people get wrong. We spend time, energy, effort, and resources in getting someone's attention, and then when we have it, we squander it.
In this case, the easiest way to waste a survey is to collect the data and then disappear. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the task at hand of analyzing the data and following through on all promises made.
For my survey, everyone who takes it gets the results before anyone else, and all Community Partners are acknowledged in the official report findings. What this does is it creates accountability. Because now, it’s not just me with the data. It’s 40+ other people waiting for me to deliver on the promise that I made.
Nurturing is about the relationship that is built at the end. Whether it’s with readers, survey participants, community partners, clients, etc., every constituent involved matters to ensure everyone got what they came for. This is the difference between creating a relationship and going through the motions of a transaction.
Full circle
I still don't know exactly where the 150 number came from. Neither does my colleague, and I imagine neither does anyone else who has repeated it in the last decade or two. What I do know is that getting to an accurate, current number requires asking purposeful questions of people willing to answer them honestly.
I published my 2025 findings earlier this year, even the messier parts, showing I only had 233 responses versus the thousands some might expect to consider it a 'real' survey. The bar feels low and it’s really no surprise that we are using 20-year-old data, at a time when technology changes by the day.
If you take away one thing from this, let it be the tactic. Ask your audience a real question. Build something out of their answers. Bring people alongside you while you do it. And the next time someone hands you a stat that's been circulating since before most of your readers had a smartphone, maybe it's a chance to ask them where it came from. And maybe you can be the one who changes that for your industry.
And if you want to be part of a number that actually has a source, the 2026 State of Author Marketing Survey is open through the end of October and I’d love to have you along for the ride with me.
Jenn T. Grace is an award-winning author, nationally recognized speaker, and publishing strategist with more than 20 years of experience in marketing, communication, and storytelling. She is the founder of Publish Your Purpose, a certified B Corp hybrid publisher, and the creator of The Institute for Author Growth & Impact, an educational platform designed to support nonfiction and memoir authors through every stage of the author journey. Jenn is the author of nine books, including Promote Your Purpose, and has guided hundreds of authors, from first-time writers to experienced thought leaders refining their strategy.
- Publishers Weekly, "A Bookselling Tail," July 14, 2006. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/soapbox/article/6153-a-bookselling-tail.html