Books that Never Fail? 6 Books with Amazingly Low Failure Rates [Backed by Data]

Summary

The presenter argues that book success depends less on writing for a broad audience and more on matching a book to a clearly defined readership and its needs. SelfPublishing.com says it has helped publish more than 7,000 books; the presenter claims the average self-published book sells fewer than 100 copies. The video does not provide category-by-category failure-rate data, but shares author case studies to illustrate book types the company considers more reliable.

Six Book Categories Highlighted

1. Niche expertise — presented as the strongest bet

   • Focus on a specific audience and its recurring questions rather than trying to appeal to everyone.
   • Example: Bill Sarroka’s Sign and Thrive serves mobile notaries and loan-signing agents. The presenter says it has sold thousands of copies, earned more than 1,000 Amazon reviews, established Sarroka as a niche authority, and helped grow a membership community generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales and a multiple-six-figure annual business.
   • Takeaway: A narrow topic can support a larger business when it reaches a clearly identifiable audience.

2. How-to books

   • Readers buy solutions, so a practical, step-by-step guide can be more compelling than general information.
   • Example: Karen Morris’s A Year Without the Grocery Store, based on her food-storage expertise, reportedly sells about 2,000 copies per month and generates $8,000–$10,000 per month in royalties.
   • Takeaway: Give readers a clear roadmap to solve a specific problem.

3. Memoirs with a reader-focused lesson

   • The presenter warns that memoirs centered only on the author’s life are difficult to sell unless the author is already famous. A memoir is more marketable when the story helps readers navigate a challenge or learn something.
   • Example: Karen Wilkinson’s On Borrowed Breath, launched in March 2023, reportedly has more than 500 reviews and led to over 100 speaking engagements. Its story of a major health crisis connects faith, love, and advocacy to readers facing related struggles.
   • Takeaway: Frame personal experience around what it can offer the reader.

4. Business and thought-leadership books

   • A niche expertise book can establish someone as a specialist; a broader thought-leadership book can help position an author as an industry leader.
   • Examples: Chad Alia’s The Book on High Ticket Sales reportedly generated more than $50,000 in business sales in its first 90 days and supported a seven-figure coaching business. Chandler Bolt says his book Published helped position him as an authority and generated over $7 million in business sales in the past year.
   • Takeaway: Treat a book as a business asset—for authority, leads, sales, and referrals—not only as a source of royalties.

5. Faith and personal-growth books

   • These can serve enduring interests and audiences that already seek this kind of content. The presenter recommends stating the book’s faith orientation clearly and defining the intended reader.
   • Example: Jennifer Yates’s devotional Seek Him First reportedly remained a bestseller five years after publication and had more than 300 reviews.
   • Takeaway: Be specific about the faith or personal-growth audience instead of obscuring the book’s focus.

6. Health and wellness books

   • The presenter describes health as a lasting area of demand and recommends narrowing broad topics to a particular population or need.
   • Example: Dr. Jonathan Sue’s Six Minute Fitness at 60 Plus targets seniors. It reportedly sells over 1,500 copies per month on Amazon. Major publishers approached Sue, but he declined their offers because, according to the presenter, his self-published royalties were five times higher.
   • Takeaway: Turn repeated professional conversations into a resource that can reach more people at scale.

Frameworks and Actionable Recommendations

• “Riches are in the niches”: Define a specific reader, audience, or problem before choosing a broad topic.
• Solution-first positioning: Build a book around what readers want to accomplish, not simply what the author wants to discuss.
• Reader-centered memoir: Connect personal stories to a lesson, process, or source of support for readers.
• Book-as-business-asset: Use a book to build authority and create opportunities for leads, sales, referrals, memberships, coaching, or speaking.
• Scale existing expertise: Identify questions or explanations repeated in one-to-one work, then package them into a book that serves more people.
• The presenter refers to a “four Ps” concept for niching down but does not explain the framework in the subtitles.

Metrics Mentioned

• Average self-published book sales: fewer than 100 copies, according to the presenter.
• SelfPublishing.com publishing experience: over 7,000 books, according to the presenter.
• Case-study results include monthly unit sales, royalties, reviews, business revenue, and speaking engagements. These figures are cited by the presenter and are not accompanied by methodology or independent verification in the video.
• No specific category-level failure rates, comparative success percentages, or future targets are provided.

Presenter/source: Chandler Bolt of SelfPublishing.com. Author examples cited: Bill Sarroka, Karen Morris, Karen Wilkinson, Chad Alia, Jennifer Yates, and Dr. Jonathan Sue.