[…]”Mostly I suspect that both Irish authors and Irish consumers either have no clear idea of what a successful book would sell or THINK that they have a good idea. Much as nearly everybody I have met who doesn’t work in the industry thinks that editors, commissioning editors and publishers are paid large salaries (if only!). My sister is better off as a primary school teacher than most editors I know.”[…]
Polls aside, the question is certainly one every self-publishing author needs to give serious consideration. Over-estimate your potential sales on a first print run and you are in danger of ending up with a garage full of books. This is of course one of the fundamental reasons why Print on demand technology has led to an explosion in self-published books. For most authors self-publishing, without the backup traditional of widespread brick ‘n’ mortar shelf space and an well-oiled marketing machine – expectations are considerably pruned back. The exceptions are the authors who have the time, flexibility and knownhow to reach their target audience virally and who have a strong social network presence. This is an area some traditional publishers are still struggling to get to grips with.
