[Fenris Technique]

Quote Originally Posted by qcrisp

Also, I would seriously question that definition of success. Back in the eighties or nineties, the minor celebrity Alexei Sayle used his status as minor celebrity to publish a book. I remember him being interviewed about it. His book was on the bestseller list in England after selling about 5,000 copies. This was a kind of culture shock for him, because he'd had some dealing with the music industry (a novelty single), where sales like that would have indicated a flop. I give this as one concrete example, but basically, such examples are legion.

That is the impression I've been under, that it only takes a few thousand (or tens of thousands of) copies sold to hit a best-seller list. A million in five years seemed an extravagant number, but what do I know? I generally submit to token, semi-pro, and pro paying short fiction markets, many with circulation numbers somewhere in the hundreds I imagine.
/shrug

On a separate note, a very late congrats on the 2009 Shirley Jackson award nomination. I was searching for more reading material by going through various awards lists and ran across your name. I had no idea. Making a living at writing is a noble ambition, but having your work recognized as among the best in the field isn't a bad consolation prize, eh?