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Writing a bestseller is every writer’s golden dream. As you already know, we call Bestsellers those books that have achieved a very high number of sales. The popularity of a book depends on many factors and can be measured using many parameters.
If you have opened this blog in search of an infallible magic recipe that will tell you how to make your book become a bestseller, I am sorry to disappoint you. There is no magic, infallible recipe to make your book a bestseller. However, various studies have found similar patterns among some of these world-selling books. In general, the criteria can be divided into two categories: one that refers to the book itself, and another that refers more to its marketing. Of course, your book must have value to readers, but first of all, your readers must know that your book exists and want to read it.
The former acquisitions editor of the Penguin publishing house in the United Kingdom, Jodie Archer, and the professor of English literature at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Matthew Jokers, have developed an algorithm, which they have called “bestseller-meter” that allows identifying potential bestsellers. You can read this news in The Guardian newspaper (in English)
“We have found that using a plot line is very important… The perfect curve of fiction, the use of usually emotional and stylistic language to make these curves very symmetrical.”
“Novels that contain high or low emotions tend to have a better chance of reaching and staying among best-sellers.”
1. Write a bestseller
Depending on the type of book you want to turn into a bestseller, you must pay attention to different aspects when writing it:
Fiction novels
This is a story, as its name suggests, of fiction. Your book should be able to immerse the reader in the story as much as possible. Many bestsellers have in common that they open the door to a new and fascinating world and make you feel part of it.
A captivating Action Fiction Writers style and an exciting, unmistakable plot are decisive here. Therefore, the most important criteria to make your book a bestseller are:
Transport the reader into the story as much as possible, trying to achieve a degree of emotional closeness between the reader and the protagonist(s). This is usually achieved when readers feel in the skin of your character. In particularly captivating and immersive novels, the reader is taken on a rollercoaster of emotions, where sometimes they find themselves on top and sometimes they don’t. But it is the alternation between ups and downs that creates a special tension. In terms of structure, stories divided into three acts have proven to be the most successful. And as for the language, it should not be too complicated if you want to reach a large number of potential readers.
Non-fiction
These are informative books, in which the author must focus on conveying the content in an easy-to-read way. It is particularly important to put yourself in your audience’s shoes and consider what information might be new and interesting to them. So you should definitely have an idea of your readers’ knowledge level. Non-fiction books are the best sellers in new advances in knowledge. Simple or well-illustrated presentations are more popular with more people than scientific textbooks.
Title and Cover
It is always said that the first impression is the most important and this also applies to books. An interesting cover and a clever title will capture the reader’s attention to your book and ideally awaken their desire to turn it over and read the synopsis. Here, of course, it’s important to consider whether you want to be the one to design your cover or leave it to a professional. The second option will add costs that, perhaps, can add value. But if you want to design the cover yourself and you have doubts or don’t know how to do it, you can take a look at our blog « How to design the cover of your book » or «How to design your book cover with Canvas «, where we will give you a few guidelines and tips.
The title is the first thing your potential readers will read about your book. A concise and extraordinary title can be like a catchy musical tune. So make your title unique and spark interest.
Differentiate yourself from the rest
Standing out doesn’t just apply to business. You need to write something different from the competition. If possible, your story should not be the hundredth of its kind, but should have a certain unique selling point. Of course, you can take inspiration from already existing books that have been successful, but your book should not be a copy of these, but should stand out from the crowd.
Consider the added value of your book and when launching and promoting it, make it clear what distinguishes it from the rest.
2. Market a bestseller
Marketing plays an essential role in selling your book. Big publishers have a huge influence on which books become bestsellers. And often, there’s a big marketing budget involved. Similar to publishing through a publisher, it is also advisable that self-publishing target as broad a target audience as possible, if this is your marketing strategy; or that has as specific an audience as possible and attracts readers with appropriate marketing measures.
That’s why you need to think big. You may want to consider creating more than just a book. For example, if you are writing a recipe book, you could also create a blog or YouTube channel with those recipes and share photos on Instagram.
With self-publishing, the marketing of the book is placed in the hands of the author. In general, we always recommend Article writing services an audience prior to publishing the book, either using your social networks or a blog. We have numerous marketing tips for self-published authors such as ” How to promote your book on social networks “, ” Tips to succeed with your writer’s blog ” or ” How to organize a book launch event “. All of these articles will help you with your marketing efforts. All you need is time and dedication.
Is bestseller really a pejorative word?
There are antagonistic opinions as to whether bestsellers are literary “scourges” or not. Of course, we should not put all the best-selling novels in that bag, since among them we also find authors like Tolkien, Cervantes or Jane Austen.
In general, time tells us the difference between a commercial bestseller and a quality one. The classics exist and books like Don Quixote continue to be sold today. Commercial bestsellers are ephemeral and are relegated to oblivion as the years go by.
It is true that for any literature lover a commercial bestseller can seem like a flat, overrated book that does not contribute anything to the reader. However, in a society in which reading habits are rather non-existent, these bestsellers could get the public hooked on literature in a scalar way; starting with this type of more basic novels until reaching cult novels.
Conclusion
There is no magic formula that guarantees that your book will be a bestseller. Giving your best to writing your book, and following up with a well-planned publishing schedule, publicity efforts, and a good premeditated marketing campaign, is ultimately the best strategy to optimize your sales and achieve status. bestseller. If there was a 100% science to achieve this goal, all authors would want it, and, therefore, no book would be a bestseller, since all of them would be.
