How to Write a Bestseller

 

Many authors crave to have the title ‘bestseller’ attached to their books, I mean who doesn’t anyway? However only a few authors tend to know what it takes to write a bestseller, and if you plan on writing a bestselling book, then read on to get a full glimpse into how to write a bestseller.

Writing a bestseller shouldn’t be all that difficult if you follow these steps below.

1. Don’t regurgitate an old idea.

If you’re writing a book to make it a bestseller, then you should be able to bring out a new ‘big idea’ that will interest your audience as well as lure them to pick a copy of your book.  Put ample efforts into research before writing; don’t just write because you want to write.

2. Have your audience in mind.

If you want your book to become a bestseller, then your audience needs to be duly considered. Don’t write like you are your main audience. You need to consider the thousands or millions of people whom you want to pick up your book and enjoy it. Have your audience in mind; give them something to talk about and make your book memorable.

3. Invest in developmental editing.

It is not enough to write and edit for grammar and spell check, invest in developmental editing. That way, you can easily expunge phrases or clauses that might be posing some kind of distractions to your readers. Remove irrelevant and redundant words and edit your manuscript with clarity of mind.

4. Choose the right book cover.

I cannot emphasize this enough. Your choice of cover for your manuscript can either make or mar your entire book. You might want to read my article on Choosing the Right Book Cover for Your Manuscript  to help you learn how to select a befitting cover for your manuscript.  Nobody will pick up a book with a bad cover, and how else do you want to make your book a bestseller if it doesn’t attract readers.

5. Don’t stop promoting your book

The journey to making your book a bestseller doesn’t end in a single promotion stint. New books are published daily, and you need to continue pushing out your book to the public. If you had launched it before, then organise a discussion fest for your book. Talk about your book more often on social media, create a hashtag for it, and just don’t stop promoting your book.

Now that you have learnt how to write a bestseller book, congratulations in advance on becoming the next bestselling author.

Chima Rachael J.

The Little Known Secret to Writing a Bestseller Nonfiction Book

 

If you’re a writer, it’s fair to assume you’d like to write a bestseller. In my 12-plus years of experience as an editor for a major publisher, bestseller status is the Holy Grail of the writing trade, and it’s not just an ego thing.

Hitting the bestseller lists is an emblem of the impact a book is having.

Bestsellers are not just about fame and money; in fact, writing a bestseller guarantees neither. They are about having an impact on society.

Bestsellers are world changers.

By definition bestsellers are rare. Whether it’s the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, or Publishers Weekly, the value of these lists is in direct relationship to the fact that they are limited.

So what does it take? How do you make it onto a bestsellers list? In this post I discuss the key elements to writing a bestseller, including a little known secret that can have a significant effect on book sales. Mind you, this post is not about how to buy your way onto a list. It’s about how to get there organically.

The makings of a bestseller can be divided into internal and external factors. Internal factors are those within an author’s realm of influence. External factors are those beyond the author’s control but which an author can still capitalize on.

Platform

An essential internal factor is platform. Platform is an author’s ability to promote his or her own book. The bad news is it takes time to build a platform. The good news is, if you’re willing to work hard over a period of time, an influential platform has never been more accessible than it is right now. Check out Author Media’s terrific platform-building tips.

Excellent Writing

Another important internal factor is excellent writing. It’s true that many well-written books do not hit the bestsellers list. It’s also true that most books that hit the list are well written, especially those that stay there for a while. In short, if your book is not well written, it probably won’t hit the bestseller lists. My favorite books on the craft of writing are Stein on Writing, Bird by Bird, and The War of Art.

The Wild Card: Luck

One external factor is luck. How big a role luck plays in the life of any bestseller varies, of course, but let’s face it, some books get lucky. Oprah selects your book for her Book of the Month Club. A video or blog post goes viral. You can’t predict these things, they just happen. It’s important to note, however, that luck is often a friend to books that otherwise are worthy of attention.

The Little Known Secret: Write a Book the World Needs

This is the external factor that many authors don’t consider and is so, so important. If you write an excellent book and have a decent platform that you then leverage to promote your book, chances are the book will do fine. It will sell moderately well, and both you and your publisher will be happy.

To write a bestseller, though, often you have to say something unique that the world is ready to hear. In ancient Persia when recently crowned Queen Esther is deliberating about whether to intervene for the Jewish people before the king, her guardian, Mordecai, asks, “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther’s moment had arrived. Bestselling books are often those that have been written for such a time as this. Write a book whose moment has arrived.

How to Write a Book Whose Moment Has Arrived

Let me sketch out some possible steps for writing a book whose moment has arrived:

1. Study all the bestselling books on your topic. Obtain a good working knowledge of the main things that have been said in your field of inquiry.
2. Survey and interview lots of people. Do your research. Ask anybody and everybody what their thoughts are about your particular topic, particularly those who have written about it.
3. Ask, “What hasn’t been said or emphasized that should be?” Based on all your research and intuition, what does the world need to hear?
4. Ask, “What would constitute a watershed message in this area?” The message has to be both unique and sincere. We all know when someone tells us something that sounds too good to be true or smells of ulterior motives.
5. Test the waters. Write some blog posts or articles that deliver your message. Don’t worry about letting the cat out of the bag. If your idea has legs, people will want a book-length treatment of it.
6. Write the book. You’ve done your homework, composed your message, and refined your delivery. Now go, brave writer. Who knows but that you have come to your royal keyboard for such a time as this?

One More Thing

Let’s say you do all the above, and your book fails to hit the bestseller lists. Then all you’ve done is created a signal contribution to your field that will still help quite a few people. That’s worth doing no matter what.

Credit: Chad Allen