Sales Blockbuster a Big Surprise
“We like to have a comparison title so that we can do sales forecasts, but in this case none of the comparisons work.”
–“The Long Tail of ‘Where the Crawdads Sing”; The New York Times (12/21/19).
It turns out that publishers estimate book sales the same way Realtors (and Appraisers) value homes: by precedent.
The only difference is that the magic number in real estate is three “Comp’s” (short for “Comparable Sold Property”), while apparently in publishing it can be as few as one other book.
If it exists.
According to an industry executive, mega-hit “Crawdads” is unique, steadily increasing in sales 18 months after it was first released vs. the usual sharp drop-off.
Having just finished it, I understand why . . .
See also, “Which of These Four Factors Are Relevant for Pricing a Home?“; “More Than This, Less Than That“; “Why the Neighbor’s Home Isn’t a Comp“; “Real Estate Bracketing ” Advanced Beginner Version;” “The Science ” and Art ” of Doing Comp’s“; and ““Bracketing,’ Explained.”
