BookScan
A service tracking point-of-sale book sales data.
Where BookScan comes up1 episode or test
- 1Pitch becomes a compA book the new one will behave like
- 2Look up comp in BookScanPrint sales only, about 85% covered
- 3Work out what to payEditors size the advance from comp sales
- 4Agents quote comps backThey push the advance up
From Macmillan CEO on BookScan comps
What was said about BookScan
Editors use BookScan sales of a comparable book to size an advance. At Macmillan, editors and sales teams reduce each pitch to a comp, meaning a book the new one will behave like. They check that comp's sales in BookScan for print and work out what they can pay.
Agents also quote comp sales numbers to push advances up, so a writer who knows their comps speaks the buyer's language. As the Macmillan CEO puts it: "this book we think it's going to behave like that book."
BookScan covers about 85% of print sales but misses ebooks and audio. It counts roughly 85% of the industry's physical book sales, including Amazon. It does not count ebooks or audio.
A comp's BookScan figure is therefore a print-only view of how the book sold.
The Best Ways to Publish a Book (Macmillan CEO Interview)
Covers about 85% of the industry but counts only physical books, not ebooks or audio. Editors and sales teams use it to size an advance from a comparable book.
Editors use BookScan sales of a comparable book to size an advance. At Macmillan, editors and sales teams reduce each pitch to a comp, meaning a book the new one will behave like. They check that comp's sales in BookScan for print and work out what they can pay.
Agents also quote comp sales numbers to push advances up, so a writer who knows their comps speaks the buyer's language. As the Macmillan CEO puts it: "this book we think it's going to behave like that book."
BookScan covers about 85% of print sales but misses ebooks and audio. It counts roughly 85% of the industry's physical book sales, including Amazon. It does not count ebooks or audio.
A comp's BookScan figure is therefore a print-only view of how the book sold.
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