Celebrating the Small Wins (a.k.a. How I Learned to Love My Three Copies Sold)

There’s a special brand of existential panic reserved for authors who refresh their sales dashboard on Day 7 and discover their magnum opus has sold… two copies. We go from “Maybe I’ll get on a list!” to “Does my mom’s preorder even count?” faster than you can say “algorithm.”

But here’s the plot twist nobody told us: those two copies matter. When a third sale slides in, that’s a 50 percent spike. If a Fortune 500 company posted 50 percent growth overnight, CNBC would break into programming and finance bros would high-five in the streets. Yet authors shrug and mutter, “Only three.”

Time to flip that narrative. Let’s talk about small wins—why they’re worth confetti, and how to stack them until they look suspiciously like momentum.

1. Reframing the Math: The “Three-Copy Tsunami”

I recently celebrated a 50 percent sales surge (from two copies to three). Yes, I can hear your eyes rolling from here, but stay with me:

Day	Copies Sold	% Growth
1	2	—
2	3	+50 %

Statistically, I’m outperforming Netflix circa 2020. That uptick tells me:

1. The buy button works. (Underrated technical victory.)

2. My cover, blurb, or sheer charisma convinced someone new.

3. Real humans are somewhere out there, reading my words.

That’s not small; that’s proof of concept.

2. The Myth of “Instant” Success (and the Compost Pile of Overnight Sensations)

Every breakout tale hides a compost heap of drafts, deleted tweets, and launch flops. Colleen Hoover? Fifteen self-published novels before the world noticed. Andy Weir? Years of free blog chapters before The Martian rocketed. Your tiny sales graph isn’t a death sentence—it’s chapter one of the eventual press-release origin story.

So repeat after me: I am not behind schedule; I’m in the montage phase.

3. Confetti Checklist: Micro-Wins Worth Celebrating

• First Goodreads rating (even if it’s your cousin). That’s public proof the book exists.

• Email list signup from a stranger. Stranger = potential super-fan.

• Local indie bookstore replies with “Not right now.” Translation: they read the email!

• Your cat vomits on a printed proof. You produced a physical object—critics literally can’t stomach your brilliance.

Print the list, tape it above your desk, and tick boxes like achievements in a video game.

4. Low-Cost, High-Smirk Marketing Tactics

You don’t need a second mortgage to nudge sales north. Start here:

Strategy	Why It Works	Approx. Cost
Press Release Blitz	Local papers love “Hometown Author Publishes Fantasy Trilogy.” Syndication can land surprising reach.	$0–$100 (wire service optional)
Podcast Guest Spot	Niche shows are always hunting fresh voices. Offer a quirky angle—“How I Turned 3 Sales into Unstoppable Optimism.”	Free (just your time)
Author Facebook Groups	Share craft journeys, not spam links. Earn goodwill first, drop link later.	Free
Email Signature	Add your book title + short tagline + link in every outgoing email.	Free
One-Chapter Giveaway	Post Chapter 1 as a beautifully formatted PDF on your site. Teaser magic.	Free–$20 (fancy design template)
Library Event	Offer a reading or workshop. Libraries promote—and sometimes even pay honorariums.	Usually free

Pick two this month, track the bumps, iterate like a caffeinated scientist.

5. Mind Hacks to Keep the Tank Full

1. Define “enough” for the week. One Amazon review? Five newsletter signups? Hit it, reward yourself with a fancy coffee.

2. Schedule brag breaks. Fridays at 4 p.m., log every micro-victory in a doc called “Evidence I Don’t Suck.”

3. Find an accountability buddy. Another author who’ll cheer when you shout, “Fifth copy sold!” Trust me, they get it.

4. Mute the metrics occasionally. Weekends are for writing new words, not spiraling over rank fluctuations.

6. Future-Proofing: Plant Seeds, Don’t Chase Rabbits

Press releases, podcast chats, library gigs—these are seeds. Some sprout in a week, some six months later. If you keep sowing, you’ll wake up to a garden while others are still hunting the one big rabbit they swear is just over that hill.

Remember: small wins compound. Ten readers tell two friends each? You’re at thirty without spending a cent. That’s math you can take to the bank (or at least the fancy-coffee counter).

Three sales never tasted so sweet.

Final Pep Talk

If your dashboard still shows single digits, congratulations—you’re officially ahead of every dreamer who never hit “publish.” Your mission is simple:

1. Celebrate loudly. Post that 50 percent growth meme.

2. Stack the tiny wins. Keep a running list; it’s rocket fuel.

3. Sow one new seed each week. Cheap, cheerful marketing beats emotional burnout every time.

Because one day, when a future newbie cries over their first three sales, you’ll smile, hand them this post, and say, “Trust me. The fireworks are coming.”

Now go tape an imaginary gold star on your wall—you earned it. 🥳✨

Saoirse

P.S. If you just sold your fourth copy while reading this, that’s another 33 percent bump. Might want to order champagne.