Publishing tip: the benchmark number of copies sold to render the book "a success."

A reader asks

Is there any kind of benchmark for how many copies of memoirs sold make the book considered a success?

Memoirs are bought (by a publisher) and sold as novels are. One thousand copies sold would be considered really good for a first-time, unknown or little-known author. Five thousand copies would be considered excellent.

I am a first-time, unknown novelist from a relatively small press. Notably, mine is a first-person account of surviving incest, which is about as hard to sell as anything. I’ve sold about a thousand copies in the first year and a half.

My goal for this book, however, was not to make a mint. I am too aware of the reality of selling books. My goal was, firstly, to have my novel published by someone other than myself. (Our industry does not look kindly on self-published writers of literary fiction.)

Secondly, I treated this debut novel as a bit of a loss-leader. My second but equally important goal was to garner good reviews and prizes so as to set myself up to find a better deal with my second novel than I did with the first, and to find it more quickly.

You can check out the great reader reviews on my novel’s Amazon page. As far as prizes: I entered 23 contests, and won five first place awards, two second place, and have two nominations pending. Here’s to meeting goals!