If you have to determine succes for an author, this answer is going to look different for everyone. Some prefer to be sales driven, and to some, having fan art could be enough. The point is success looks different for everyone, so it really doesn't help to compare. Because while not everyone has the same goals, not everyone has the same context and access as the other.
It's so easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to other authors. I know I still do it. Example: I see an author posting about a few million page reads on KU and I could be struggling to get 1000 page reads on KU. Immediately I start wondering why I am not good enough because I compare myself to the author getting millions of page reads. This becomes a spiral eventually and in enters the crippling imposter syndrome that no one prepares you for on this journey.
I've spoken about it before, so it should come as no surprise when I mention it now, but even after doing this for a while, it's still something I struggle with. But here's the reality, that example I used above, that author has been working hard to hone their marketing skills, and their page reads are a direct reflection of that. Where marketing is definitely one of my weaker skills and it's something I'm constantly trying to improve on.
I was lucky enough to be able to take the whole month of December off for an extended holiday and this gave me some much needed perspective about this. And when I encountered another situation like this when I came back, I was able to look at this differently.
"Why am I letting someone else determine my worth?"
"Why am I letting someone else's opinion of me and my writing completely derail my confidence?"
But more importantly, it reminded me why I write and what's important to me. When readers tell me a book of mine got them out of a reading slump, or they finally felt represented in the fantasy space, it's things like that mean everything to me. Sure, sales are definitely important, but they're more of a secondary goal for me at this point. Building connection with my Bookstagram community is far more important at this point of my career.
So if you're an author reading this, my wish to you is to find your peace and perspective for 2025, because everyone deserves that. And if you ever want to chat to someone, I'm always here!