Published: October 24, 2025
Most authors write because that is what they feel called to do, but they publish for a different reason. This is why we start off every author journey with a big question:
What is your goal for publishing this book?
You may or may not be surprised to learn that “making money” is not the number one reason our authors publish. In fact, the answers vary almost as much as the books do!
It’s important to clarify and define these goals so you can create a realistic, structured plan to achieve them. It also informs you about services and activities to consider and how to evaluate the success of your publishing project.
Sales is NOT the main tool we use to measure the success of the campaign. In fact, it’s pretty far down the list of things we keep track of, even if your goal is to make money. Sales are usually a welcome consequence of achieving the other goals.
(Note: most authors don’t make a living on book sales.)
Here’s a list of the six most common approaches for measuring the success of your book, based on the goals we hear most often from our authors, and some of the strategies we use to help you get there.
Set Your Goals:
Download The Goal Setting Worksheet
1. To Entertain
Many authors choose to share their book with the wider world because they believe others would enjoy what they’ve written. They want to make someone smile, or laugh, or feel something as deeply as they have. This is a goal that requires knowing who your target audience–your ideal reader–is and then figuring out the best way to reach them.
Start by looking at comparable books and authors who write in the same genre or on the same topics/themes. Who is engaging with them? What are they doing to reach their readers? What does engagement and interaction look like for them?
This leads us to tracking engagement as our main measurement of success. How many people are we reaching, and from that pool? How many of them are liking/commenting/sharing/saving that content? We want to see that the people who are investing their time and money into your content want to further interact with it, and by proxy, you.
The main measurements of success:
- Number and quality of reviews
- Social media metrics, including likes, comments, shares, and saves
- Community growth, such as newsletter and group signups, and social media followers
2. To Educate
An author’s passion for a specific topic is what drives this goal. They want to reach people who may also be interested in this concept and share what they have learned. Sometimes, the goal goes deeper, and the author may want to change someone’s mind using research and reason. Other times, they may be looking to connect with like-minded individuals and become another resource in their community.
This goal typically lends itself to nonfiction, but we do see many fiction authors looking to educate readers on a perspective or lifestyle that is different from their own.
Start by finding where these communities are most active, and develop a marketing strategy that uses those platforms and would appeal most to that audience–whether that’s email outreach or advertising. Use your book as credibility to boost your brand and expertise.
The main measurements of success:
- Impressions (views) or reach
- Shares on social media
- Publicity runs including articles, blog posts, podcast interviews, etc., allowing you to share your main points
- Endorsements from organizations and influencers
3. To Draw Attention to a Cause
Sometimes the best way to draw attention toward a movement is to make that cause more accessible and, quite frankly, commercial. Writing a book that brings light to a cause or a major player within that movement can be a more bite-sized way of introducing someone to it.
Think of your book as a sample to get people interested, then make sure there are easy ways for them to get further involved, either by donating time and/or money, signing up to learn more, or sharing the messages themselves. Proceeds from the book can also go right back to an organization or nonprofit if you want to make the book go further.
The main measurements of success:
- Impressions (views) or reach
- Publicity runs including articles, blog posts, podcast interviews, etc.
- Community growth, such as newsletter and group signups and social media followers
- Donations
- Speaking opportunities
4. To Inspire
What moves me, and how can I do the same for others? This is a question a lot of people ask themselves throughout their lives. Authors take it a step further by offering their stories, experiences, and thoughts to others to do with as they will.
These are the authors who want one less person to feel alone. They want to give their readers a hand to hold and a shoulder to lean on, and they know that being vulnerable themselves is the first step. This is why the quality of their reach is so much more important than the reach itself. If we can change one person’s life for the better, it’s worth it.
The main measurements of success:
- The quality of reviews
- Comments on social media
- Endorsements and trade reviews
- Speaking opportunities
5. To Leave a Legacy
These authors have thought through what they want to leave behind for future generations and are taking the time to make sure it’s available and accessible. Often, this looks like a memoir or biography. Other times, it may be a story they’ve shared at bedtime with their kids and their grandkids that they want to make sure will live beyond them.
When an author comes to us with this goal, we focus on quality. We want that book to be something beautiful that can stand the test of time. This project needs to be timeless, impactful, accurate, and sturdy.
The main measurements of success:
- The quality of the book
- Accessibility (Where can people get a copy?)
- Endorsements and testimonials from notable individuals connected to the author
6. To Make Money
While this is rarely a main goal, it is a consideration for almost every author. Usually, if your primary goal is to make money, then you’re using the book to drive people to your business. It’s unlikely you’ll make back in book sales what you’ve spent (especially if you are only publishing one book), but if one or two new readers turn into clients, you have made your investment back.
For this reason, we recommend treating your book as a powerful calling card. Offer bulk book sales in lieu of a speaker fee so that everyone attending your session can leave with something tangible that leads back to you and your business. Give away books as often as possible as an incentive to connect with you further. Make sure that you have a sales funnel built to drive potential leads, and you’ll be set!
The main measurements of success:
- Return On Investment (ROI)—how much you’re spending vs. how much you’re earning
- Number of books circulating (sales + free copies)
- Clicks and click-through-rate
- Website impressions and clicks
- New client leads
- Speaking opportunities
What is your goal? Have you considered or are you considering this during your writing and publishing process? If you need guidance, we can help you clarify your goals and create a successful book.