Word for mildly popular (used as a compliment)

I'm trying to find a word for something meaning not explosively popular or successful, yet not a failure. It should not be intended as criticism and should represent something not necessarily new but more forthcoming or predicted to be destined for eventual greatness.

Alphie's _______ novel Xyz is a ....

Solution 1:

Middling comes to mind, but there is a slight negative connotation to it, even if the meaning is very close to "average".

Solution 2:

"Well-received"

Alphie's novel Xyz was well-received.

It doesn't claim undue respect, and emphasizes that the novel was not a failure.

"Respectable" is another option.

There is a saying, 'damned with faint praise,' that comes into play here, but I believe that these two options show due appreciation to the actual accomplishments of the work without insulting or embellishing.

Solution 3:

trending, aspiring, up-and-coming, promising, worthy, (respectable)

Solution 4:

If you don't demand a single word, you could use something along the lines of "fairly popular", "reasonably popular", "decently popular", "somewhat popular" or "respectably popular". Moving farther from the fill-in-the-blank format, you could describing it as having had "good/decent/respectable sales".