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Can Your Book Become A Bestseller?

By on June 29, 2017
Can Your Book Become A Bestseller? Writer's Life.org

There are lots of factors which must be in place to create a bestseller, and, we’ve got to be honest, one of them is luck!

There is nothing quite as powerful as writing the right book and showing it to the right person who just happens to be in the right frame of mind to want to give your book a chance.

While there are some factors we simply can’t control, the good news is that there are lots that you can. If you want to write a book it takes hard work and dedication, if you want to write a bestseller it’s even more difficult. But there are tried and tested methods and certain things you simply must do if yo want to write a book that goes on to become popular. You may think it's all about networking, building up a fanbase, and knowing the right people, but in fact, a lot must be done before your book is published to ensure it hits the bestsellers lists.

One thing we all know for certain is that no badly written book is going to make it as a bestseller no matter how much it is expertly marketed. Think about celebrity vanity projects which have huge budgets and all the right industry people behind them - if they aren’t good they still end up being remembered as embarrassing flops that no one is allowed to talk about!

The same goes for writing - if you want your book to be successful it has to be pretty damn good.

So what strategies should every writer employ to ensure their book is a success?

Make sure it has a clear and obvious purpose

Whether the book you are writing is fact or fiction, it must be clear to your reader what it is about, and the sooner they have clarity the better. Ideally, the title and cover will reveal a lot about your books content, the blurb on the back will do even more, and by the end of the first few pages, your reader will have a very clear sense of what to expect.

If you fail to do this you risk disappointing your reader, confusing them, letting them down, and even angering them. If a reader feels misled in any way they will turn against your book and you. They won’t buy it, they will leave a bad review, they’ll bad mouth it to friends, and if this happens frequently this spells disaster for your book.

Think of your book as a collection or essays or short stories

If you are writing a non-fiction book each chapter should teach a lesson, should contain interesting points, summaries and snappy excerpts that stick in a reader's mind and they can take away with them and apply elsewhere. If you are writing a fiction book each chapter should be as carefully crafted as your novel as a whole. Chapters should start off with impact, be packed with action and intrigue and end with a cliffhanger that gives the reader no choice but to keep on reading.

Make your book timeless

This piece of advice is particularly pertinent for writers of non- fiction books but can also be applied to fiction writers work. For writers of non-fiction giving your readers information which stands the test of time will ensure your book remains relevant and useful for years to come - so people will continue to buy it. In terms of fiction, coming up with a unique and clever concept and a plot that will appeal to many generations is a good way to ensure that it continues to be bought and enjoyed by readers of all ages, all over the world. Writing about trendy of niche topics could gain you brief popularity, but if these topics become irrelevant, so will your book.

So there you have it. Using these strategies will help you write the best book possible, and begin your journey to launching a bestseller!

Do you have any top tips for writing a bestseller? Share them with us here!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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