"So, how many copies have you sold?"

AKA the dreaded Question that terrifies this published author.

The past five and a half months since my debut romance novel Match Me If You Can’s release have been… a rollercoaster ride of emotions. And anxious thoughts. And unresolved childhood fears and insecurities making a comeback.

So yeah, um, it’s not been suuuuper fun?

I’m grateful for so much, of course, like getting to call myself a published author with Penguin Random House, with another four books to follow, including Can’t Help Faking in Love (Feb 11, 2025) and As Long as You Loathe Me (Spring 2026).

But I can’t deny that the overachieving, type-A, people-pleasing perfectionist in me is disappointed that I didn’t hit any bestseller lists, make it to any “best of 2024” round-ups, or sell enough copies that the dreaded Question doesn’t affect me anymore.

What is this dreaded Question, you ask?

Well, it’s this one: “So, how many copies have you sold?”

I don’t quite understand how readers, family members, and even complete strangers feel comfortable enough to ask that question to a debut author. Like, you wouldn’t ask someone who’s just starting out in their career how much money they’re making, especially not if you barely know them.

The people who know how many copies I’ve sold are the people I trust with my whole heart, who don’t ask me about the “success” of my book unless I broach the topic, with whom I share my sales numbers unprompted because I know they’ll either cheer for me or commiserate with me, all without judgment.

And then there are those nosy strangers who literally have no business asking any random person about their career milestones, and yet they want to know everything. Only one day after my book released in India, a middle-aged man saw me with my debut novel, and after I told him it just got published, his first question to me was, “So, how many copies have you sold?”

I blinked. “Uh, the book just released yesterday.”

He nodded, gesturing for me to continue. “Yeah, so how many copies have you sold since then?”

Are you kidding me? First of all, authors don’t get that information from their publishers in real time. Second of all, it’s been 24 hours of the book being on shelves. And thirdly, how dare he?

I was pissed, naturally, so I fired back, “How much does your job pay you?”

“W-what?” he stammered out.

“If you can ask me about my sales, why can’t I ask you how much you make?”

The man grimaced, whispered an apology, and walked away. I told myself not to worry about it—it had only been a few weeks since the US release and a day since the India release, and the numbers I knew so far had been, well, low. But it was still early.

Things could change.

Reader, things did not change. Match Me If You Can hasn’t sold nearly as many copies as anyone on my team had hoped for, and with every passing week, the hype for my desi friends-to-lovers Emma retelling is dying down.

Now, when some random person inevitably asks me the dreaded Question, I just smile and say, “Good, thanks for asking!” because I don’t have the energy to put them in their place, not when my hopes for my book have fizzled out.

I’m undoubtedly more successful than I could have ever hoped to be three years ago. But I’m not where I want to be or where I… expected to be? And I tried so hard, you know? I did so many podcast interviews. I posted about my book on social media every day (something I still do, silly delusional me). I attended a bunch of virtual and in-person author events and talked about my work.

And yet…

Sigh.

Don’t worry, though—things aren’t all that bad. I have two more books releasing in 2025 and 2026 that I can actively talk about, and two more scheduled for 2026 and 2027 that I haven’t announced yet.

There is still light at the end of the publishing tunnel. I just need to open my eyes and keep going forward, no matter how many people ask me that Question. The only answer that matters is: “I did my best and I’m doing my best. I have more chances. I’ve got this.”

Comment below and tell me your thoughts, whether you’re an established author, a debut author, or simply a reader following along on my journey. I’ll talk to you soon!

Love hard & dream big,

Swati 💛

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PS: Click here to read all about my books!