What is the shelf life of a novel compared to a non-fiction title?
For fiction, you’re going to get most of your sales in the first year after release. It will stay on the shelf as long as it continues to sell. Average, however, is 1 to 2 years.
Non-fiction average is about 3 to 5 years.
I’d add that the majority of novel sales will be in a book’s first six months or less, even if it manages to hang onto the shelf for a couple of years.
Thanks for posting this question and answer. I’ve wondered about shelf life, too.