Author Melissa Petro Reflects on Book Sales Failure and Unexpected Career Opportunities

My book was a failure. I won't ever make a penny from it beyond the advance, but it did lead to career opportunities.

Petro with her book. Melissa Petro Melissa Petro's 2023 book advance didn't translate into the expected book sales she had hoped for. Despite a six-figure advance, Petro's book sold only 2,000 copies in its first year. Petro's book did lead to new opportunities, such as ghostwriting, despite failing to meet sales goals. When I sold a book in a six-figure deal back in 2023, I thought my whole life would change. For starters, that amount of money — for a book I had been working on for free fo...