How to write a bestselling book
3 strategies to land your book on top of bestseller lists
When I got a book deal, it was one of the biggest personal achievements and career accomplishments of my life.
It was exciting! It was validating!
It took me from writer to published author! Woo!
But I also learned a lot along the way, including these 5 myths of being a published author:
You will be rich: You may not receive a large advance (if at all), and royalties (if any) are typically paid annually
You will be famous: Marketing and PR are largely a result of your own efforts before and after publication
It will be a bestseller: Large publishers put marketing money and work with buyers and booksellers for only those titles they want to get behind
You have to write it yourself: You can pay ghostwriters or these days, leverage A.I.
The second book will be easier: You will ruminate about making the second book as good as the first, and experience imposter syndrome
Content entrepreneur | Agency Founder & CEO | Author | Featured in Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Cheddar TV, HuffPost | Join more than 2,500 people who follow Shindy for unconventional lifestyle and career advice:
I never wrote a book with the intent to be rich or famous, but I dare say narcissism exists, if even at a low level, in all authors.
After all, who wouldn't want their work publicly adored by tons of fans, and gain notoriety and wealth to the likes of Harlan Coben, J.K. Rowling, or Colleen Hoover?
After being published, I wanted to make a follow-up book, and I wanted to cut out the time and energy it would take to go through the traditional publishing route.
Creative and price control
I also knew I wanted creative control over the book’s cover design and the price.
Because the publisher of my first book mostly served academia, it wasn’t uncommon for them to set a steeper price. The retail hardcover sales price for my first book, “The Credit Cleanup Book,” sits at $41.
If you’re an avid book reader, then you know people rarely spend that much on any book unless it's a hot new fiction release—not a non-fiction, self-help-y personal finance book.
My share of that $41 is a small, small fraction. But that’s not the point. I wanted to make sure my pricing was competitive so people would realistically buy it, and so I could keep more of my total production revenue.
The only way I could achieve this would be self-publishing on Amazon.
I began to research how to go about it. Self-publishing used to get a bad rep.
There are plenty of horrible self-published titles on Amazon, likely by authors who passed on objective feedback and quality editing.
But self-publishing also paved the way for many well known authors like E L James, Colleen Hoover, and Andy Weir.
As if self-publishing wasn’t enough, I also wanted to challenge myself and try to make my books actual bestsellers.
A bestselling strategy
If I was putting in the writing work, then why not also make the most out of each book launch?
Erotica remains one of the best selling book categories on Amazon.
I decided I would write erotic fiction and sell it on Amazon.
At the time, it was an experiment and my first foray in self-publishing, but also a test for whether I could write fiction.
Turns out writing fiction, for me, is way harder than nonfiction. With my personal finance book, facts are facts. I was sharing practical tips and advice, but also anecdotal stories, which were easy to write about.
But fiction is another beast: it requires imagination and creativity, and the skills to transform your make-believe world into a cohesive, convincing story.
I have so much respect for fiction writers and novelists who can create and develop characters over a compelling and comprehensive story arc.
After learning the process for registering and submitting a book onto Amazon, I published “The First Time” in February 2017. I can’t say it’s my best work ever, but it was a lot of fun to write for sure.😉
When it launched, it ranked among Amazon’s Bestsellers in multiple categories.
Later, in October 2017 when I released “Credit Score Hacks,” it hit #1 in multiple categories.
How did I do it?
3 ways to self-publish a bestseller
1. Choose the right category
I was able to get my erotic fiction and personal finance nonfiction books in the top 20, 10, 5 and at #1 of multiple book categories because I selected the right book categories for them to rank highly.
If you choose an obscure or detailed category with low competition for your book, then your efforts on release day will likely make it a bestseller.
2. Enlist a squad to purchase or review your book
Enlist friends, family, coworkers, and your fans to buy and/or review your book on Amazon, on or as close to your book release date as possible.
Make it easy for them by offering a spreadsheet with pre-written suggestions about the story line and desired review wording.
People are lazy and want to be told what to write, especially if they’re taking the time to provide a review.
Of course, there are also people who will actually read your book and provide an honest review, too, which is great!
3. Offer price discounts and coupons
On the day of release and in the week after, I offered my books on Kindle for free and also at discount prices.
This encouraged sales but also enabled product reviewers to provide “Verified” reviews which offered way more credibility.
If you have a big social media following or email marketing list, then it’s even easier to promote limited-time offers to help with sales and reviews.
Are you self-publishing a book?
I’d love to know what you’re working on and how you’re promoting it! Hit reply or comment below.
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Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok
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