How many books do I need to sell to get noticed?

[David Stricklen]

I self-published my book. I sold quite a few and received five-star reviews…but so what.
In your opinion, how many books would I have to sell in what period of time to get an agent or publisher to take notice?

I am trying to uncover the secret formula.

[JustineDell]

Hey David -

Check out these sections of Nathan's blog:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2008/03 ... shing.html

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2007/08 ... areer.html

They might help you better understand how agents (particularly Nathan) feels about self-publishing. I'm sorry to say that I' haven't heard of a secret formula and that self-pub isn't the best route out there. However, with that being said - some people are very fond of it and shout the praises. I'm sorry to say that I am not one of those people. Best of luck to you!

~JD

[taylormillgirl]

You'd have to sell thousands and thousands to impress a publisher. And reviews on Amazon probably don't turn their heads either. It's too easy for friends, family, and even the author to pad the reviews.

[Bryan Russell/Ink]

I've heard they like to see a few thousand sales, and five thousand is a nice number to hit. Not sure if that's a consensus or anything, though.

[David Stricklen]

Thanks for the input. The reviews that I have are real. Good point though, no one takes things at face value anymore. I am the kind of guy that wil sell 10,000 just to make a point.