On becoming a bestseller (5)

If you thought the process of writing a book was laborious and tiresome, wait until you learn about the process of achieving bestseller status. Nothing just happens; bestsellers require a lot of work and know-how. When I started writing, I was not aware of the know-how of making a book succeed. I know a bit today and I am still learning.

In this article, I want to deal will a few myths that many writers embrace regarding the publishing process. These myths abound in the writing world. They mislead many writers and frustrate their potentials. Below are some of them.

I only need to write very well. Any publisher will be interested in my writing.

Not true. To become a bestseller, you have to write well and do much more than write well. If you cannot demonstrate a ready market for the book you are proposing, you are likely to be rejected by traditional publishers. The identification and generation of a 'ready market' is one of the important steps to becoming a bestselling author.

If a publisher releases my book, it is bound to do well.

Not quite. These days, publishing is a joint venture between publisher and author; and the truth is, publishers are counting on you to make the book succeed. You cannot just write a book and then sit back and expect residual income to come through the door.

Everyone will like my book.

I wish it worked that way! Of course, you should be your number one fan. To expect everyone else to like and spend some money buying your book may be too much to ask. Nonetheless, the work put into getting more and more people to like your book is the real work of becoming a bestseller.

Good covers sell books.

To an extent, yes. But they are not the only factors. Many more determinants abound. I hope to cover them one by one as we proceed.

I can write more myths, some of which I had for many years. But the message is clear: a lot of work is needed to make a book a bestseller. This one thing I am convinced of: it does not matter how much work, you can and are ready to do it!