F. Scott Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise describes life at Princeton among the glittering, bored, and disillusioned—the post–World War I “lost generation.” Published in 1920, when he was just twenty-three, the novel was an overnight success and shot Fitzgerald to instant stardom as dauphin of the Jazz Age.
Publication
This Side of Paradise was published on March 26, 1920 with a first printing of 3,000 copies. The initial printing sold out in three days, confirming his prediction of overnight fame.
On March 30, four days after publication and one day after selling out the first printing, Scott wired for Zelda to come to New York and get married that weekend. Barely a week after publication, Zelda and Scott married in New York on April 3, 1920.
The book went through 12 printings in 1920 and 1921, for a total of 49,075 copies. The novel itself did not provide a huge income for Fitzgerald. Copies sold for $1.75 for which he earned 10 percent on the first 5,000 copies and 15 percent beyond that. In total, in 1920 he earned $6,200 from the book. Its success, however, helped the now-famous Fitzgerald earn much higher rates for his short stories.
Source: Wikipedia
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