I found this circulated on one of the writing loops I’m on. I don’t know who created it, but I thought there were some interesting points of discussion.
Nine Marks for a Bestselling Author
1. Perseverance is the key
2. They write and write and write
3. They like to write and write and write
4. Promotion is constant
5. Marketing is critical
6. Fans are an important asset
7. The more success the more pressure
8. They’re grateful
9. There is no single profile for a best-selling author
Sounds like good advice. Let’s break them apart and discuss them. Some are more important than others.
1. Perseverance is the key
Absolutely should be number one. The leading cause of unpublished writers not making it–other than lack of talent–is giving up. Sometimes we’re ahead of the market, sometimes we’re behind the market. Sometimes we haven’t found our voice or haven’t hit on the right agent or editor who sees the potential of our work. If we believe in ourselves, we will stick it out until we’re published or dead.
I don’t remember where I heard this, but it was early on in my involvement with RWA. It takes three things to get published: talent, perseverence, and luck. Someone once twisted this to suggest that you really only need two of the three–talent and perseverence, or perseverence and luck. Notice which attribute is in both equations? You got it. People who give up don’t reach their goals. In anything. Ever.
2. They write and write and write
Absolutely. Whether you’re prolific or not, writers write A LOT. The prolific writers tend to write and write new stuff. They don’t spend as much time on crafting sentences because the story is more important than the words. But practice and a natural sense of story generally help keep the flow comfortable for the reader. Slower writers–those who produce one or fewer books a year (Thomas Harris writes one book every five years; Brad Metzler one every two years) tend to spend more time crafting sentences, making sure each phrase is the exact meaning they want. The words and how they are put together are as important as the story.
But no matter if you’re a Nora Roberts or a Thomas Harris, you write and write and write.
3. They like to write and write and write
And you love to write and write and write. You have to, otherwise it’s just a job and your heart isn’t in it anymore. We all know what happens to those in any field who are just doing it for the money and don’t enjoy it: it shows in the final product.
4. Promotion is constant
I think “constant” needs to be put into context. I’d say that a writer is “continually” promoting–meaning that most writers don’t write the book, then “promote” it, then go back to their cave and write, completely disconnected from the world. Most writers are doing some sort of promotion any given day or week of the year. Or they should.
But what does promotion really mean? Different things for different people. There are some things I think all writers need to do: call them the basics. Maintain a website. Update it at least monthly. Respond to fan mail/email in a timely manner. Be polite on-line, know your local booksellers by name, and carry around bookmarks so when someone asks what you do for a living or what your book is about, you have something to hand them.
But do bestselling writers need to constantly promote? No. They don’t. Do writers climbing the ladder need to constantly promote? No, they don’t. Does it help? Maybe. Thing is, promotion IS continual in that a writer needs to be able to talk about their work, whether it’s to their agent or editor or a reader. But the huge drive that I see among so many writers today to promote, promote, promote at all cost–including spending their entire advance and then some–is not necessarily the answer. I don’t have the answer. I think every writer is unique and needs a unique plan. But when I see unpublished writers focusing on promotion, I know there’s something wrong in the universe.
And, frankly, I don’t see bestselling authors constantly promoting. Not like most people THINK of promotion. But I do see them nurturing their readership which, frankly, is what all writers should do.
Sell the book. Then think about what type of promotion suits you and your book. Not everyone is suited to all types of promotion. Some people hate public speaking. Don’t do something you hate. It shows.
5. Marketing is critical
Ah, marketing. Marketing as opposed to promotion. Is this branding? Hell if I know. Promoting I get–talk about the books. Marketing? That’s really up to the publisher except where you, the author, can capitalize on what they are doing, i.e. branding your website to match the tone of your book, etc.
ButI don’t really know the difference between marketing and promotion. Someone care to enlighten me?
6. Fans are an important asset
Okay, why is this #6? After the writing, writing, writing come the fans. You can’t have one without the other. Fans are not AN important asset, they are THE most important asset after the writing. Love them, nurture them, respond to them. Without fans, you are nothing.
7. The more success the more pressure
Like I said in Deb’s post below, I couldn’t write for nearly two months: from the day THE PREY hit the NYT extended list until THE KILL hit it six weeks later. I’m serious. I thought it was a fluke. I then thought I’d never be able to match, let alone top, what I had already written. I was sweating bullets. I didn’t know what I was doing. I felt like a fraud.
Yes, I feel pressure. Mostly from me. Why? Because I know that if SPEAK NO EVIL doesn’t hit higher than THE KILL that somehow I will have failed.
I can’t imagine what the real bestsellers feel like. People joke about how they want to be in Nora’s shoes. Um, no. Yes, I want to be as fabulous a storyteller as Nora Roberts. She’s still putting out not only good books, but they’re getting better. My mom said that ANGELS FALL is her best book yet–after over 150 books (and my mom has read them all.) THAT is the kind of writer I want to be.
But I don’t want to be in her shoes. (But I wouldn’t mind wearing that jacket on the back of the JD Robb books . . . ) no, seriously. Pressure mirrors success. It’s why building a career is so important, to grow and learn to handle the pressure, and the success.
8. They’re grateful
Damn straight. I take nothing for granted, and I know Karin will give me an earful if I ever get too full of myself. Most of the top authors I’ve met, both at Thriller Writers and at RWA, are gracious and grateful. They appreciate what they have, pay it forward, and never take it for granted.
9. There is no single profile for a best-selling author
I agree, except for one. Commitment. They love what they do, warts and all. They are committed to their careers and to their writing. But they can write in any genre, come from any background, and write with voices all over the chart. They inspire me, and they should inspire you.
As Jen pointed out on Monday, there are some people who take great pleasure in dissing bestselling authors. Why? Because they’re on top? Because that particular reader hates that particular story? Please. We have too many people attacking romance, or mass market books, or thrillers. There are literary snobs, hardcover snobs, romance snobs. Do we need to tear down anyone in order to feel better ourselves? No.
Everyone can learn from bestselling authors, and not only how to tell a good story. They are the stories of inspiration, perseverence, hope and success.
Who is your favorite chart-topping author and why?