Why You Can't Manufacture A Bestseller

It happens every year in one category or another. A seemingly obscure book starts to catch fire and becomes an unlikely phenomenon, selling hundreds of thousands or even millions of copies. Book publishing professionals and authors alike look around and wonder, Where did that come from? Who is the author? What was the tipping point?

And then, inevitably they ask, How can we do that?

Sometimes the books that become bestsellers are easy to predict, like when Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming sold 3.4 million copies in its first year of publication. Everyone knew it would happen. That phenomenon wasn’t a complete surprise, given the size of the advance and the celebrity of the author. So, in some sense, publishers can create a bestselling book—but the process is extremely unpredictable and unwieldy.

However, when a book becomes a sudden bestseller, or when a little-known category like adult coloring books catches on and inexplicably starts selling millions of copies, publishing professionals try to find out why and then replicate it. It may not seem deeply creative to try to replicate these successes, but since the average traditionally published book sells less than 5,000 copies in its entire life (while the average self-published book sells on average just 250 copies), there’s a lot of motivation to take advantage of sales momentum.

In recent months, we’ve started seeing books about racial justice and antiracism such as White Fragility and How to Be an Antiracist jump to the top of bestseller lists alongside numerous political books written from a variety of perspectives. In the past, you’ve likely observed other phenomenal bestsellers such as The Purpose Driven Life, The Harry Potter Series, The Left Behind Series, Fifty Shades of Gray, The Secret, The Da Vinci Code, and many others.

So, in this article, I want to address bestsellers and why you can’t really create one, not on your own. However, I will also share what publishers and agents and authors do to try and make them happen. Finally, I will outline some simple things you can do as an author to help launch your own book successfully.

HOW MANY COPIES DOES A BOOK HAVE TO SELL TO BE A BESTSELLER?

In terms of total copies sold, what makes a book a bestseller or phenomenon?

This depends largely on the category, because a bestselling academic textbook will have to sell far fewer copies than a bestselling novel or children’s book. There are many factors at play here, including the total investment a publisher makes to acquire a book, the retail price, production costs, how many books the publisher is releasing each year, size of the potential audience, platform of the author, potential for publicity, and yes, the overall marketing budget and vision behind the book.

For most, if a book hits any bestseller’s list of any kind (there are quite a few smaller speciality lists out there), they consider it a bestseller. But some books that hit those lists only end up selling 5,000 or 10,000 copies for that week. And it’s true that some will manipulate the bestseller’s lists by buying their books in bulk the week of release as a marketing tactic. For me, if a trade book sells more than 50,000 copies in its life, I would consider it a bestseller. And selling more than 100,000 copies is actually quite rare. It may not necessarily hit any bestseller lists (for more on that, see my follow-up article “The Truth about Bestseller Lists”). Based on sources such as NPD Bookscan and Publishers Weekly, out of the millions of books published each year (including self-published books) only several hundred books each year sell more than 100,000 copies. And only a handful of books each year sell millions of copies (sometimes as few as two or three).

Knowing the numbers, it might seem daunting to try to sell lots of books, but don’t be discouraged. I often tell authors that our goal is to create an environment in which a bestseller can happen and work hard to be as strategic and intentional as we can be along the way. After that, in some ways, the marketplace will decide.

CAN YOU CREATE A BESTSELLER?

Early in my career, I recall a salesperson at a smaller publishing company asking me this classic question about book publishing:

“Why don’t you just publish the bestsellers, and forget about all the other books?”

Sounds reasonable, right? Now, if only editors and publishers knew which books would catch on and become bestsellers, book publishing would be a much simpler business. In fact, I’ve heard it said that publishing is the only form of legalized gambling. While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, it’s somewhat true that publishers are essentially placing bets on which books will work. And they’re only right two or three times out of ten! In addition, the marketplace is constantly changing and evolving, so the books that became bestsellers two years ago may not sell very well today. Authors who were bestsellers yesterday, may not sell well tomorrow. That is what makes publishing books more of an art than a science.

As a quick aside: I do believe there’s a “moneyball” aspect to publishing in which the creative work that a publisher does in building a list and cultivating a strategic offering of specific releases each season can positively impact their sales numbers. That’s why platform information, past sales numbers, social media following, category of book, and other important data can become an incredibly important part of deciding what books to sign and what books to let go. But I’ll save that for another article.

So, while no one can create a bestseller, I have always believed that we (authors, literary agents, and publishers) can work together to build smart launch strategies, intentionally supporting a book release with as much marketing and publicity and promotion as possible in order to give the book the best shot of reaching its intended audience and then finding that ever-elusive tipping point.

Sometimes these efforts work and sometimes they don’t. I’ll write more about how to create an environment in which your book can become a bestseller in a bit, but keep in mind that publishing, like many things, is unpredictable.

For example: What if a major news story or natural disaster hits the day or week of your book launch? What if another major book release is announced just when you start promoting your own book and it takes all the air out of your campaign? I know a number of authors who had ambitious book launches planned for 2020 that were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many factors that are out of our control.

The fact of the matter is that sometimes all our strategy and intention and hard work just works, causing a book to catch fire and reach millions of people. On the flip side, more often it doesn’t go the way we hope. If bookselling were easy and predictable, everyone would succeed in this business.

10 WAYS TO POSITION YOUR BOOK TO BECOME A BESTSELLER

Now, let’s talk about what you can do (alone or in partnership with your publisher) to give your book the very best shot of reaching as many people as humanly possible and fulfilling its full potential.

First, it’s important to honestly evaluate how big an audience you can potentially reach with your book. If you’re writing a book for a small, niche audience, your chances of creating a mega bestseller are obviously much smaller. But I never could have predicted that adult coloring books would become a phenomenon, so you never know! 

1.     Invest in Building Your Platform Now

I define platform as an author’s ability to influence others to buy his or her book. This can include having your own podcast, radio or TV program, website or blog, social media following, newsletter or email list, online courses, published articles or essays, Youtube channel or vlog, regular speaking gigs, or some other influential position. If you don’t have a platform of some kind, I recommend picking one or two key avenues that feel natural for you in order to get your voice and/or message in front of as many people as you can before you try to write or sell your book. You don’t have to be on every channel or social media platform, but it’s important that you’re sharing some of the content you hope to include in your future book in order to build an audience. I recommend investing in your platform in some way for at least a year before you consider writing or publishing a book. Otherwise, you risk feeling very disappointed in your book sales later.

2.     Write a Great Book

You might think this goes without saying, but actually, all the promotion in the world probably won’t help if your book isn’t a great read. Take your time in the writing process and participate wholeheartedly in the various rounds of editing (or hire at least one editor if you’re self-publishing your book). If your book isn’t carefully crafted and fully edited, it becomes unlikely that readers will gush about it to their friends when they put it down.

3.     Choose a Compelling Title

Everything begins with the title and concept of your book, both of which you must consider carefully. Is your title intriguing, creative, and clear? Will it hook the reader and make them want to know more? If your book is nonfiction, the title (and subtitle) should offer some sort of promise or benefit to the reader. If you’re working with a publisher, they will have a strong opinion on your book title and may even conduct polls or some market testing to determine which title, cover, or subtitle appeals to more people. Although this can be a frustrating process, the ultimate goal is to ensure that the title isn’t a barrier to consumers buying your book, and instead draws in readers.

4.     Secure the Best Book Deal Possible

The bigger the book deal you (or your literary agent) negotiate with a traditional publisher, the more that publisher will likely invest in promoting your book. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but generally the larger your advance, the larger your marketing and publicity and promotion budget. Whether you’re working with a literary agent or not, this is one way to try to ensure you get the biggest marketing investment possible for your book’s launch, since the advance often indicates the level of belief and passion on the publisher’s part.

5.     Choose the Right Release Moment

Seek to time your book release for maximum impact and to give it the best possible chance of being discovered by potential readers. You might kick off your launch with a big, live in-person event or a virtual event, which can create exposure for your book and drive early sales. Consider your platform when picking a date and utilize your existing networks to create demand. If you have a popular blog, publish a series of blog posts the week your book hits stores. If you’re a motivational speaker, time your book release to coincide with your biggest speaking event of the year and, ideally, speak on the topic of your book. If you’re writing a juicy romance novel, consider an early summer release so your book can be promoted with other popular beach reads or on summer reading lists. Many of the biggest book releases happen in the fall, so if you’re worried about getting attention for your book, maybe consider another time of year.

6.     Consider a Pre-Order Campaign

Many successful authors and publishers build a book launch strategy that they start to deploy 3-6 months before launch, in order to build excitement for the book. One strategy that I’ve seen work very well is a pre-order campaign, when an author asks followers and potential readers to pre-order the book ahead of its release in exchange for a bundle of exclusive content and gifts. Most online retailers list new books well in advance of publication so this can also be an important way for them to see early sales and momentum, which then prompts them to order and stock more books for release week. Pre-order bonuses vary but can include an early chapter of the book, a free copy of the audio book, a bonus chapter, access to an online course, or even some exclusive video or audio content (or all of the above). You’ll have a better response if you make these items exclusive, valuable, and hard to ignore.

7.     Create a Launch Team

It has become much more common in recent years for authors to form a book launch team to help get the word out about a new book release. A launch team often consists of anywhere from 20 to 2,000 (or more) of your closest friends, fans, and followers who will eagerly read an early copy of your book and support the launch by sharing graphics, posting reviews, or distributing other promotional materials about the book on social media. Publishers will usually provide early galley copies of the book to the launch team. This group is often moderated in a private group on Facebook or via email and can be active for as little as four weeks (or as long as three months) before release, or up to six months after launch.

8.     Pursue Publicity Aggressively

Publicity is one of the oldest ways to drive interest in a new book and it’s still one of the best tactics to drive attention and sales. Publicity can include TV or radio interviews, magazine articles or features, as well as podcast interviews, guest blogging, interviews with online publications, as well as other free or ‘earned’ media. Even a Live Video with another social media influencer can help drive interest. Most publishers try to coordinate as many publicity hits as possible in the first couple weeks of a book’s life starting on the day of launch. If you are going the self-publishing route, it can be well worth the investment to hire an independent publicist or media consultant to help coordinate media hits around the launch of your book. Well-coordinated publicity can have a massive impact on early sales and market awareness, creating sales momentum over a longer period of time.

9.     Harness the Power of Social Media

Many publishers consider social media to be a primary marketing channel now for books. Advertising on social media has become a relatively low-cost way to build awareness before a book launch. As an author, you can also ask your influential friends to post about your book on social media on launch day or launch week. I have seen this drive trending topics, as well as interest in, and therefore sales, of a new book. You can also simply share posts and stories about your new book and if your following is big enough, see a rise in awareness and sales. If you have a large following on social media, especially YouTube, consider creating a series of videos to drive awareness or pre-orders of your book. These can include book trailers, interviews, live videos, or teaser videos that lead up to the book’s launch. Or maybe it makes more sense to share a series of videos after launch to keep the sales momentum going. Some authors may put out one video for each chapter of the book, while others go live on one of their social channels to share about the publishing process along the way. Videos get more traction on social media than almost any other content, so this could be a good way for you to reach readers and drive interest in your book.

10.  Hope for a Bit of Luck

Frankly, the last element you need in order for your book to become a bestseller is a little bit of luck! Call it serendipity, providence, God, or whatever you prefer, but phenomenal bestsellers of the sort we’ve discussed above also seem to require an extra dash of magic in order to reach the tipping point that is downright hard to explain. When a phenomenal bestseller happens, many people to try to point out why it happened, or even claim the credit for the book’s massive success. But oftentimes, a book becomes a bestseller due to a confluence of unforeseen events that conspire to drive awareness and sales in a way that is largely inexplicable.

So to sum it all up, I’m not convinced it’s possible to create a bestseller, but I do believe you can construct an environment around your book launch that increase the chances that your book becomes a bestseller. I hope these ideas and insights about the process are helpful for you as you set big goals for your book.

I wish you the best with your book launches, friends!