There are some truths that every aspiring writer should know, including that their book might not find a perfect readership. Also, even when you might have a few published books under your name, there is still a chance that most of your books wouldn’t probably do as much as they could.
Nonetheless, there are a few ways that you can certainly inch closer to the best-selling categories. And many of these ways occur before even a single word of the manuscript is written. Usually, these things occur in the initial phase when the potential writer is working on a book idea.
In other words, things occur when a writer actively thinks about their book subject – aka – what they want to write about. As a novice writer, the pathway to writing a book that actually falls into the bestseller category starts when the author searches for the answer to the question about who they are as an author.
Content Summary
Search for the Answers to Two Basic Questions
The following two questions, “What is my book about” and “Who can I be as an author” are questions that no literary agent, ghostwriter, publisher, or editor can answer for you. But – the answers to these questions are certainly fueled by every action an aspiring writer needs to write a book that sells.
At this point, you might wonder where you can start as an author. And the answer is as simple as this: you may start at the bookstore.
As an aspiring author, there is a great chance that you might be an avid reader as well. So, before you even start with the entire book-planning and book-writing process, you will want to make a trip to your favorite bookstore.
Once you are there, you will want to see what is happening in the respective genre you plan to write in. By making a trip to your favorite bookstore, you can also come up with the perfect book idea that is mandatory for writing a book that actually sells.
Do Your Research on the Following Things
If you are an aspiring writer, there is a great chance that you are an avid reader as well. That said, once you reach the bookstore, you will want to take a moment and deeply breathe in that beautiful aroma of the bookstore.
Take a moment to enjoy the bliss before you beeline to the shelf of the bestsellers.
1.Assess the Bestseller Shelves
The bestseller shelf is where you will want to start your research. On your way there, you might want to look at the new and featured book releases. The purpose is to know what is new in the market and what is popular these days.
You will also want to assess the overall composition of the bestseller book market. You will want to know the big hits in fiction and non-fiction. If a book catches your attention and you don’t know how much it is selling, you will want to look up its Amazon ranking on Google.
You can also assess the bestselling books in your niche by looking up your chosen genre on Amazon and assessing its category regarding sales rank. However, the bookstore should be your primary research platform, as you will want to use Amazon as a supplemental platform.
2.Assess the Shelves for Your Respective Genre
What will be the shelves where your potential book would be placed after publication? You will want to visually assess your book and how it would stand out on the shelf. Mind you that you will want your book to stand out on the shelf, and the best way to do this is by focusing on the book cover and making it as eye-catching as possible.
Ideally, you will want to hire one of the best book cover designers in the UK and get the book cover designed by a professional. The professional book cover designer will be aware of the trends and know how to make your book attractive to potential readers.
Trust us when we tell you that you will never want to underestimate the power of a good book cover. Your potential readers will judge your book based on its cover, which is why it is essential to have an attractive book cover for your book.
The book cover is as powerful as it can make or break your book, which is why you will want to keep this aspect in mind if you want to nail your first book and create content that will sell.
That said, you will want to assess the prominently displayed books. You will want to assess the category killers, essentially the books that sell and keep selling even years after they were released.
Assess the book spines and pull out the books that look attractive to you. You will want to mentally assess why those books are jumping out to you.
3.Sit Down with the Books that Jump Out to You
After completing the visual assessment, it is time to pull down the books that stand out to you and fall into your respective genre. You will want to assess the book covers and assess everything else, including the format, title, subtitle, title fonts, graphic art, and the author bio.
Usually, all books that are bestsellers are carefully designed, which means that every single detail of the book is a clue to how you could potentially market your own book and make it stand out in your genre.
So, while you are assessing those best-selling books from your genre, you will want to soak up all the details so you know the potential expectations your ideal readers will have from your book.
While you are at it, you cannot skip the part where the author’s bio is. You will want to assess what the author bi says and what it doesn’t say. Make notes of the author’s names and shamelessly stalk them once you get home.
Don’t skip the acknowledgments, as you will want to know the literary agents and editors for the chosen books. You will want to gather knowledge about everything involved in writing the books.
