 | 30 Nov 06 |
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 The leading cause of unpublished writers not making it–other than lack of talent–is giving up.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?
© 2006 – 2009, Allison Brennan. All rights reserved.
Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award winning author of seventeen romantic thrillers and several short stories. She lives near Sacramento, California with her husband and five children. Recently, RT Book Reviews called Allison "A master of suspense." And Lee Child said of her Kincaid series launch, "A world-class nail-biter ... Brennan is in the groove with this one." For fun Allison enjoys wine tasting, swimming, kids sports, playing video games, and "of course" reading. Her most recent release is IF I SHOULD DIE, book three in the Lucy Kincaid series. Watch for SILENCED coming on 4.24.12.
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Great blog post, Allison!
I’d have to say Goddess Nora is my favorite because she consistently puts out good books. I’m NEVER disappointed by what she writes, she doesn’t just recycle the same characters and plots over and over, which some big name, big time authors do. And the woman is prolific! Man, in the five years its taken Harris or Charles Frazier to write a single book, she’s put out *multiple* damn good books (In Death series, best out there any genre, bar none). As far as taking years to craft a book? I heard JA Jance speak about this at a conference – and she was sitting next to a high falutin’ “literary” author – Ms. Jance said in the beginning of her career she had no choice but to be prolific because she had to eat and raise her kids and needed the money. She didn’t have the luxury of taking years to create a masterpiece and that pace has stuck with her all these years. Her words resonated with me for some reason.
by Lori G. Armstrong November 30th, 2006 at 5:53 amAnother Nora fan raising her hand. It’s not just her books that make me her fan, it’s her attitude. Writing is a job, and we need to sit our butts in the chair and write. No excuses.
by Edie Ramer November 30th, 2006 at 6:47 amFantastic post, Allison. I’m going to be like my son in answering this question. Whenever I ask him what his favorite is, he proceeds to give me a list of about 10 things. In this case, I’ll stick with two: Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Julie Garwood. There are many other authors who I love, but these two in particular have never let me down. Never. I may like some books better than others, but not a dud in the bunch. That’s saying something.
And something you said really resonated with me:
“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.”
Amen. There is a best selling historical fiction author who I would have added to the list above, but I can’t tell you how shocked/disappointed I was when I opened up a book to read the forward she’d written for another famous author. In the forward, she took some nasty pot shots at romance authors. (The ironic thing is that this author is currently listed on bookscan’s ROMANCE list!)
by Monica M. November 30th, 2006 at 9:53 amRobin Cook is my favorite bestseller. I have all his books, don’t miss a one. Why? The man can tell a story. He takes some catastrophic event and adds real people to the equation. His characters are alive, and people you care about.
by Amanda November 30th, 2006 at 10:32 amI’m with you, Lori. I love the JD Robb books. I can’t wait until I’m done writing my own book so I can read BORN IN DEATH. Been DYING to read it, LOL.
Hi Edie! You have been so quiet lately, LOL, must be writing!
Monica, I hate to hear authors diss a genre or another author. On a loop I’m on, some people started bashing category romance. My response? (No, I didn’t get involved, but what I WOULD have said): “If they’re so formulatic why don’t you just write one and get it published?” Hmm, not so easy, eh?
Most category novels aren’t my cup of tea, but that doesn’t make them bad books. And I’ve read some where I was wholly impressed with the story and the ability of the author to make it full and rich in such a short word count. And I’ve read a couple NEXT books where I was floored, they were so good. So I’ll never make a blanket statement again and any genre or any books. There are good and bad in each.
by Allison November 30th, 2006 at 12:19 pmI’m not going to name a favorite because if I love the book I’m reading–that’s my favorite author. But I’ll talk about JR Ward because she was unknown to me until my agent told me to read her. She breaks a ton of rules and I love that because her characters are in charge of the story not the rules! Her characters grab me and I can’t stop reading. I won’t pick up one of her books unless I have some serious time to devote to reading.
Good post, Allison!
by Jen November 30th, 2006 at 12:52 pmSigh, I have a headache thinking about all of the peripherals required in this business today. Why does there have to be so much crap to deal with? Why can’t we just write and interact with fans, the backbone of our success?
That griping aside, the list is right on, maybe out of order as you made note of A, but right on.
It’s a wonder I haven’t started smoking again. Well, I do when I hang out with a certain author’s mom, but dayum, this business is so complicated, and requires such a Herculean effort at every turn, no wonder so many good authors drop out of the game. I have so much respect for the Nora’s, Debbie Macomber’s, and all of the the other ladies who have made it and hung on to the top and are still decent human beings.
by Karin November 30th, 2006 at 1:03 pmKarin Said: “I have so much respect for the Nora’s, Debbie Macomber’s, and all of the the other ladies who have made it and hung on to the top and are still decent human beings.”
Amen, sister.
Jen, I need to read JR Ward. I know it. I need time. Did I tell you I was judging the Thrillers? You don’t want to know how many books I’ll be reading after I turn in FEAR next week. Suffice it to say, I need to buy another bookshelf.
by Allison November 30th, 2006 at 1:15 pmI think this is a terrific post. I really like your rational approach to the marketing question, one in which I essentially agree with you (which may be why I like it). I also feel all too often these days that unpublished writers are spending more time thinking about how to market and promote work that hasn’t been published yet instead of learning how to write work that can be published.
I’ve had the opportunity to interview quite a number of bestselling authors when I was writing reviews and author profiles for The Oakland Press and one of the things I’ve noticed is how all of them are very aware of the business aspects of publishing, how aware they are of the other writers on the NYTBS list (and although competitive, they don’t seem to be hostile about it at all), and how much thought goes into thinking about their projects not just as art and stories, but as stories that they expect TO DO A SPECIFIC THING.
Here’s an example. I interviewed John Sandford, author of the Lucas Davenport “Prey” novels and I mentioned that I had a novel coming out (now out, THE DEVIL’S PITCHFORK) that dealt with bioterrorism. He started talking about an idea he had for a bioterrorism story and how he was really intrigued by the idea, but it had a big problem–he didn’t know how to write it in a suspenseful way because it dealt with agricultural bioterrorism.
Sandford was savvy enough to realize that it would take a lot of thought and work to be able to write a story in which terrorists want to wipe out, say, the U.S. potato crop, in a way that would be exciting and have them give a damn. In real life, would we care? Yeah, your McDonald’s french fries would cost about $40 because the taters would have to be imported from France and the U.S. economy would take a big hit, but HOW THE HELL DO YOU MAKE THAT INTO GOOD FICTION?
And I feel sometimes that THAT is the biggest commonality among bestsellers: they’re looking for THEIR particular story to be A particular TYPE of story.
Best,
by Mark Terry November 30th, 2006 at 1:49 pmMark Terry
http://www.markterrybooks.com
Allison, I loved this post. It really nails it. Except for the missing fairy dust, of course….
We aren’t always going to be comfortable with every aspect of the business, but if you follow the CORE concepts, which I think you have listed, you have done ALL you can do.
by Natalie November 30th, 2006 at 6:05 pm*cringe* I saw that, too, Allison. I think the gist was, category sucks, but self-published rocks. Me, I love category. I love reading a whole book in one sitting, and these days, I need to turn to shorter forms. There’s only so much time in a day!
I posted this list on my computer a few days ago. Rules to live by! They’re even better broken down and explained!
I don’t know if I agree about the pressure, but that’s just me. The first few novellas I wrote, I had the worst time stressing out about deadlines. And I really struggled with writing while I was thinking, “ohmigod, I have to write this. We need the money!” I would even freeze, at times. Then I learned to write under that pressure, and nothing, so far, has been as bad. I’m not NY, so I don’t count, but … it seems like now all I have to focus on is making me better.
Favorite … please, does it have to be just one? Nora Roberts and Stephen King because they kick ass, their writing (especially the characters) rock, and they work hard, day in and day out. I respect the hell out of them. Neil Gaiman, John Irving, Barry Eisler …
by spyscribbler November 30th, 2006 at 7:08 pmHey Mark, I knew I liked you for a reason! (You agree with me!) LOL.
You are SOOO right about unpublished writers stressing too much about marketing. I’m so glad I was naive when I started writing in my own little world. I’ll admit that I do now think of stories as how marketable they are, or how to make my IDEA marketable. And I agree that authors are by and large the least hostile group of competitive people I’ve ever met. I think because we know so much is out of our control . . .
Yeah, Nat, that fairy dust . . . no control over THAT one. That’s the luck factor. You can always hang Tinkerbell over your computer . . .
Spy, I didn’t know you were on that list too! LOL. Small world. I get mad because some of my good friend write category and write it well. It’s a strong market and they’re making money. I know several category writers who make a good living telling stories, and if they weren’t good at it they wouldn’t still be doing it!
Yeah, it’s hard to pick a favorite, but you and I have A LOT in common! LOL.
by Allison November 30th, 2006 at 11:09 pmOh, and Spy, you DO count. Stop knocking yourself or I’ll have to kill you off . . . in one of my books, of course.
by Allison November 30th, 2006 at 11:10 pmTo those of you who think this post is great, try sitting down for half an hour with Allison. She is so full of wonderful information about the publishing business that a conversation with her is like a master class in writing.
Wonderful post, Allison.
by Rob Gregory Browne December 2nd, 2006 at 6:39 amRob, you’re embarrassing me. Stop.
I think the BEST thing about virtually every published author I’ve met is that they are open and generous with their time and advice. Everyone has a different path to publication, and different trials on the road, but none of us are alone. Even though we’re competitive in a sense (like Natalie wrote about earlier this week), we still help one another. That makes as ALL wonderful.
by Allison December 2nd, 2006 at 8:35 pm[...] So, on that note, here’s a list I copied from Murder She Writes, courtesy of the magnificent Allison Brennan, on what it takes to be a bestselling author. On her group blog, she expanded on each point so I won’t do that here. But I think I will print this, frame it, and be sure to read it everyday to keep me focused. Bestsellerdom isn’t my end-all goal; publication and a career in writing is. (Bestseller status would surely be icing on the cake, though!–get a grip, one thing at a time…) Luckily the follwoing steps to bestsellers, as well as a simple career. [...]
by Scarlet Letters December 4th, 2006 at 7:38 am