What Makes an Author a Breakout Author?

My two part interview series with Zachary Jernigan is now up at Adventures in SciFi Publishing (Part one; Part two).

I recently complimented Zachary Jernigan, debut author of No Return from Night Shade Books, as being a breakout author. He was shocked by this, because he’s humble at times, but also because he doesn’t think he has sold that many books. I told him I don’t see a breakout author as having to have sold a ton of books, but who has leaped ahead of the pack, or at least my expectation...