---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: (The sweet spot for traditional…"
description: "\"“(The sweet spot for traditional publishing is between 80k and 100k, though Fantasy can go up to 120k.)”\" — Rachel Aaron"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/rachel-aaron-22752_publishing_the-sweet-spot-for-traditional-publishin_456668.jpg"
---

#  (The sweet spot for traditional publishing is between 80k…

![“(The sweet spot for traditional publishing is between 80k and 100k, though Fantasy can go up to 120k.)” quote by Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/rachel-aaron-22752_publishing_the-sweet-spot-for-traditional-publishin_456668.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/rachel-aaron-22752_publishing_the-sweet-spot-for-traditional-publishin_456668.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/rachel-aaron-22752_publishing_the-sweet-spot-for-traditional-publishin_456668.jpg)

> ““(The sweet spot for traditional publishing is between 80k and 100k, though Fantasy can go up to 120k.)””

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Traditional publishing pays best for mid‑range sales; fantasy can command higher advances.

**In simple terms:** Mid‑range books earn most; fantasy can earn more.

Key Takeaway

Target realistic sales goals.

Themes

publishing sales genre economics

Mood

pragmatic analytical

Type

industry financial

When to use this quote

- planning a book launch
- budgeting
- genre selection

Key Concepts

market dynamics author contracts advance structures

Questions to Reflect On

- Is your manuscript suited for mid‑range or high‑end markets?
- How can you increase a fantasy novel’s advance?

A Different Perspective

Higher advances are rare and depend on market trends.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/)

## Related quotes

> [Traditional publishers will be dominant, and they should be because they really do assure quality. But eBooks, which are huge already, are going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/traditional-publishers-will-be-dominant-and-they-should-be-because/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“What I don't get about "traditional publishing" is that an author creates a work that they think is good enough to be published. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicol/what-i-don-t-get-about-traditional-publishing-is-that-an-author/)

David Nicol

> [With traditional publishing, books might be pulled due to plagiarism or libel - but rarely for content, and especially not without a widespread outcry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-shaffer/with-traditional-publishing-books-might-be-pulled-due-to-plagiarism/)

[Andrew Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-shaffer/)

> [I have to declare in all candor that no one interested in being published in our time can afford to be so naive as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-curtis/i-have-to-declare-in-all-candor-that-no-one-interested-in-being/)

[Richard Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-curtis/)

> [Printers shall be liable to legal prosecution for printing and publishing false facts injurious to the party prosecuting: but they shall be under no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/printers-shall-be-liable-to-legal-prosecution-for-printing-and/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I started publishing my comic while I was still living with my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-started-publishing-my-comic-while-i-was-still-living-with-my-parents/)

[Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/)

> [And I'm working with all these great people at Sony Publishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-i-m-working-with-all-these-great-people-at-sony-publishing/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When I was doing it, I just thought, 'I'm going to do this because it's fun.' I wasn't writing for a publisher or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/when-i-was-doing-it-i-just-thought-i-m-going-to-do-this-because-it-s/)

[Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/)

> [Memoirs are going to be problematic sells for a while, though, because even if memoir means "based in memory," right now, in the collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-monroe/memoirs-are-going-to-be-problematic-sells-for-a-while-though-because/)

[Debra Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-monroe/)

> [Truth is, people like buying things for $0.99 and $1.99 for their digital devices. We know that from iTunes. We know that from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/truth-is-people-like-buying-things-for-0-99-and-1-99-for-their/)

[Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/)

> [“By their very nature, idiots do not have the intellectual capacity to identify genius. All that idiots are mentally equipped to recognize are other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dermot-davis/by-their-very-nature-idiots-do-not-have-the-intellectual-capacity-to/)

[Dermot Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dermot-davis/)

> [One of the things that's great about New York is that it is not a one-industry town. It has education, academia, the service industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jessica-parker/one-of-the-things-that-s-great-about-new-york-is-that-it-is-not-a-one/)

[Sarah Jessica Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jessica-parker/)

> [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/)

Edward Einhorn

> [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

## More by Rachel Aaron

> [“Never put a scene you don't love in your book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/never-put-a-scene-you-don-t-love-in-your-book/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“It’s one of humanity’s worst traits. Good intentions justify all kinds of terrible behavior.” Myron”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/it-s-one-of-humanity-s-worst-traits-good-intentions-justify-all-kinds/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“Sometimes the price of doing the right thing is higher than we realize when we do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/sometimes-the-price-of-doing-the-right-thing-is-higher-than-we/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“Every writing session after this realization, I dedicated five minutes (sometimes more, never less) and wrote out a quick description of what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/every-writing-session-after-this-realization-i-dedicated-five-minutes/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“A book is not a battle, nor is it a conquest. A book is a story, and telling it should be an enjoyable exercise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/a-book-is-not-a-battle-nor-is-it-a-conquest-a-book-is-a-story-and/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“The point I'm trying to make is that by recording my progress every day, I had the data I needed to start optimizing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/the-point-i-m-trying-to-make-is-that-by-recording-my-progress-every/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“I know your mother has a secret stash. Can she get me a clean one? Free-range organic?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/i-know-your-mother-has-a-secret-stash-can-she-get-me-a-clean-one-free/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“I am a mage,” she replied with every ounce of haughtiness three years in a competitive doctoral program had taught her. “We bend the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/i-am-a-mage-she-replied-with-every-ounce-of-haughtiness-three-years/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“Tension is making the reader ask a question, and then not answering it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/tension-is-making-the-reader-ask-a-question-and-then-not-answering-it/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“As such, the first question you should be asking yourself isn’t “Is this a good book?” but "Is this really the story I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/as-such-the-first-question-you-should-be-asking-yourself-isn-t-is/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“How did you get in here?' (...) 'How I got here isn't important, because I could do it twenty times again, each time a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/how-did-you-get-in-here-how-i-got-here-isn-t-important-because-i/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“Every writing session after this realization, I dedicated five minutes (sometimes more, never less) and wrote out a quick description of what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/every-writing-session-after-this-realization-i-dedicated-five-minutes-2/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“He winked at their mother, who snarled at him, and Julius decided he’d better keep things moving before someone got blood all over his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/he-winked-at-their-mother-who-snarled-at-him-and-julius-decided-he-d/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“Otherwise I risk ending up with a story whose voice doesn’t match its meat, which is just about the worst problem ever to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/otherwise-i-risk-ending-up-with-a-story-whose-voice-doesn-t-match-its/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

> [“That said, some of my best scenes and most dramatic scenes have actually been the ones I’ve combined to get my word count down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/that-said-some-of-my-best-scenes-and-most-dramatic-scenes-have/)

[Rachel Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

[Explore all 27 Rachel Aaron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/)

## More Publishing quotes

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/)

[Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/)

> [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/)

Edward Einhorn

> [One of the things that's great about New York is that it is not a one-industry town. It has education, academia, the service industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jessica-parker/one-of-the-things-that-s-great-about-new-york-is-that-it-is-not-a-one/)

[Sarah Jessica Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jessica-parker/)

> [“By their very nature, idiots do not have the intellectual capacity to identify genius. All that idiots are mentally equipped to recognize are other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dermot-davis/by-their-very-nature-idiots-do-not-have-the-intellectual-capacity-to/)

[Dermot Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dermot-davis/)

> [Truth is, people like buying things for $0.99 and $1.99 for their digital devices. We know that from iTunes. We know that from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/truth-is-people-like-buying-things-for-0-99-and-1-99-for-their/)

[Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/)

> [Memoirs are going to be problematic sells for a while, though, because even if memoir means "based in memory," right now, in the collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-monroe/memoirs-are-going-to-be-problematic-sells-for-a-while-though-because/)

[Debra Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-monroe/)

> [When I was doing it, I just thought, 'I'm going to do this because it's fun.' I wasn't writing for a publisher or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/when-i-was-doing-it-i-just-thought-i-m-going-to-do-this-because-it-s/)

[Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/)

> [And I'm working with all these great people at Sony Publishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-i-m-working-with-all-these-great-people-at-sony-publishing/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I started publishing my comic while I was still living with my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tomine/i-started-publishing-my-comic-while-i-was-still-living-with-my-parents/)

[Adrian Tomine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tomine/)

> [Printers shall be liable to legal prosecution for printing and publishing false facts injurious to the party prosecuting: but they shall be under no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/printers-shall-be-liable-to-legal-prosecution-for-printing-and/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I have to declare in all candor that no one interested in being published in our time can afford to be so naive as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-curtis/i-have-to-declare-in-all-candor-that-no-one-interested-in-being/)

[Richard Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-curtis/)

> [With iPad publishing, you can try new things, experiment, and even launch new magazines without the massive risk normally associated with print publishing. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-kelby/with-ipad-publishing-you-can-try-new-things-experiment-and-even/)

[Scott Kelby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-kelby/)

> [What's different now is that while political leaders used to give talking points to talk radio, now talk-radio hosts are giving talking points to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-avlon/what-s-different-now-is-that-while-political-leaders-used-to-give/)

[John Avlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-avlon/)

> [51% of the French people - who are not very religious - were thinking that what "Charlie Hebdo" did was unwise. They aren't asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/51-of-the-french-people-who-are-not-very-religious-were-thinking-that/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

[Browse all 868 Publishing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“(The sweet spot for traditional publishing is between 80k and 100k, though Fantasy can go up to 120k.)”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rachel Aaron"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/the-sweet-spot-for-traditional-publishing-is-between-80k-and-100k/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Publishing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/the-sweet-spot-for-traditional-publishing-is-between-80k-and-100k/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/rachel-aaron-22752_publishing_the-sweet-spot-for-traditional-publishin_456668.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/rachel-aaron-22752_publishing_the-sweet-spot-for-traditional-publishin_456668.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8a/rachel-aaron-22752_publishing_the-sweet-spot-for-traditional-publishin_456668.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“(The sweet spot for traditional publishing is between 80k and 100k, though Fantasy can go up to 120k.)” — Rachel Aaron",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Rachel Aaron",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-aaron/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“(The sweet spot for traditional publishing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/the-sweet-spot-for-traditional-publishing-is-between-80k-and-100k/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-aaron/the-sweet-spot-for-traditional-publishing-is-between-80k-and-100k/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
