I wrote 'People Powered', and published it with
@HarperCollins Leadership in 2019. Want the behind-the-scenes data on how it has performed?
Well, let's benchmark this. According to NPD BookScan data:
~66% of titles sell fewer than 1,000 copies in their first year
~88% sell fewer than 5,000 copies
~93% sell fewer than 10,000 copies
So, how is 'People Powered' doing so far?
Here's how many of them I have shifted at the end of my last royalty statement (EOY 2025):
* Hardcover: 8,836 units
* Ebook: 4,329 units
* Audiobook: 2,950 units
* Paperback: 486 gross
This clocks in at 16,500 copies, and I don't believe this includes licensed translations and sales of those copies.
Now, the BookScan data above tends to refer to first-year sales, but mapping out the typical lifespan of books, it seems like 'People Powered' is roughly in the top 5–7% of traditionally published business books.
I am pretty stoked about this, especially as I had 60 rejections from agents, one of whom specifically booked a call with me to tell me how shit my idea for 'People Powered' was. :-)