A reader of my previous post on book sales (Books Sales By The Numbers), noted that I may have been too optimistic about when mainstream trade publishers might show interest in an author or their book. I suggested that 5,000 copies was the threshold for mainstream publishers to start taking notice. He observed based on his lengthy experience in the for-profit publishing world, that it’s more likely 10,000 copies, or at least 5,000 copies per year over two years.
For more on the changing market in publishing and the implications for new and niche authors, see here and here.