How To Turn Book Into A Bestseller

24 replies
I recently stumbled upon this article "How To Turn Book Into A Bestseller"

It basically says Hire an editor, Choose a great title, Create an eye catching book cover, Get a book review, Etc.

Any other helpful tips?
#bestseller #book #book marketing #turn
  • Profile picture of the author Thomas Michal
    Originally Posted by goldeneye75 View Post


    Any other helpful tips?
    Write a good book.
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    • Profile picture of the author StevenJones
      Originally Posted by Thomas Michal View Post

      Write a good book.
      hahaha so right!

      As the saying goes; Never judge a book by its cover!
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  • Profile picture of the author Exel
    Just as I read a title, first thing that came to mind was "with good marketing".

    Whatever the quality of book or a movie or anything for that matter, it won't get
    popular without marketing it heavily (though there are exceptions).

    It's no wonder movie producers spend more than half the whole budget on advertising.
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  • Profile picture of the author goldeneye75
    Yeah, you have to write a good book. Not just one book, maybe a series of books.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mo Goulet
    There was a report I downloaded back in 2004 that details how to become #1 on amazon and become a #1 bestseller. I'll look for it and post a download link for it for everyone. Subscribe to this thread if you would like a copy and I'll post an update reply asap.

    Mo
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  • Profile picture of the author bigcoolio
    Write a good book on a topic that people want to read about.

    Better still, write a few books and put a reference to them all in each book and even link them back to your authors website to help sales.
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  • Profile picture of the author Thomas Michal
    Or write something that makes people really angry so everyone buys it, reads it then yells about it and spreads the word about it. That cycle can drive sales like crazy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Neil AM
    Brad Gosse put up a few tips after his Chronic Marketer launch - well worth reading for anyone planning on publishing a winner:

    Self Published Best Seller | Brad Gosse
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  • Profile picture of the author Darren Hodgson
    Check out the 'Dennis Becker' kindle case study, that's a good read. Unfortunately it's not as easy as 1,2,3.

    1, you need a good book if you want it to go viral

    2. you need an excellent marketing campaign to get it read by the people who will help it go viral. Check this out for a little inspiration on viral campaigns

    Kevin Allocca: Why videos go viral | Video on TED.com

    3. You may also need to enlist some paid advertising such as banners, ppc, solo ads, depending on your price point your ROI may not be that high using this method, however, you should still use it as seed traffic to kick off your viral campaign.

    4. Without any marketing your book will be dead in the water, be creative and persevere and you'll do it.
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  • Profile picture of the author BestLaptopBrands
    Write a book seeing the demand!
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    • Profile picture of the author cashp0wer
      Before a book can be a bestseller the writer has to be very good at his/her craft. He also has to be very good at marketing or hire someone who is, have a good editor, etc. It takes a lot and people that get on that list are very lucky.
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      • Profile picture of the author Cali16
        As a general rule, the content has to be pretty good, although "good" is a highly subjective word. You also have to have a large audience for your book if you want it to be a best seller.

        Some less than stellar books have become best sellers due to clever marketing and a hot target market, while many excellent books don't sell well because no one knows they're out there or because the target market is just too small.

        Really good marketing definitely plays a very important role in most cases, and that typically takes a lot of $$$.
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        If you don't face your fears, the only thing you'll ever see is what's in your comfort zone. ~Anne McClain, astronaut
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  • Profile picture of the author dsafeer
    Before answering the question, I'll ask another question: The best seller on what list? One idea is to find a niche on Amazon.com that is very narrow and then write a book for that list. Even better, try to generate a list on Amazon.com that caters to your category.
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  • Profile picture of the author sal64
    hmmm... how many on here have written a best seller?

    Watch this space.

    Sal
    Signature
    Internet Marketing: 20% Internet - 80% Marketing!
    You Won't See The Light Until You Open Your Eyes.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
    I've had a #1 best-seller (in it's category) on Amazon and marketing/promotion makes a huge difference. Many people think they can just put a book on the Kindle and it will make them a million with no work....not going to happen, but it IS possible with a great book, written to the right market, and the marketing/branding behind it.
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  • Profile picture of the author rickhodge
    THE WF has a ton of resources to show you how to be a best seller and NONE of them tell you to hire an editor only. In fact many will tell you NOT to hire an editor until you are making enough money to hire a good one.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jacqueline Smith
      Originally Posted by rickhodge View Post

      THE WF has a ton of resources to show you how to be a best seller and NONE of them tell you to hire an editor only. In fact many will tell you NOT to hire an editor until you are making enough money to hire a good one.
      Well....if NONE of the WF resources think you should hire an editor then it must be true!

      Sorry....I tend to resort to sarcasm when it's 2 a.m......no offense intended.

      Let me just say......as an editor, I assure you those with consistent bestsellers have an editor.

      I started my freelance editing business about a year ago. The increase in business has been astounding. I attribute this to more 'authors' realizing that their 'readers' expectations are high.

      Sure, lots of people sell their first book. How many of those have readers who can't wait for their next book to come out? That's the difference.

      I am not at all implying that everyone who writes any type of content should use an editor. I am just saying, from my experience, those that are achieving long term success from their writing often use an editor.
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      • Profile picture of the author fin
        Get friends. Lots of them.

        Chris Gillebeau is trying to get to the top of the New York bestsellers list for his new book. Everyone he knows is promoting it.

        His friends had a dime sale where they got $1000 worth of products, including his book, for $99.

        Just have to get creative.
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  • Profile picture of the author Toplink
    Originally Posted by goldeneye75 View Post

    I recently stumbled upon this article "How To Turn Book Into A Bestseller"

    It basically says Hire an editor, Choose a great title, Create an eye catching book cover, Get a book review, Etc.

    Any other helpful tips?

    Writing the book is the easy bit: Research a good topic that is in demand, hire a good ghost writer, have it edited, have it type set, cover designed etc.

    The tough bit is selling it! The marketing is 80% of the task........
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    • Profile picture of the author Onora Oz
      Originally Posted by Toplink View Post

      Writing the book is the easy bit: Research a good topic that is in demand, hire a good ghost writer, have it edited, have it type set, cover designed etc.

      The tough bit is selling it! The marketing is 80% of the task........
      In your scenario, it's publishing, not writing. So I don't think you can comment on how easy the writing part is. You outsource it. Just like any publisher, you outsource all the work including writing, editing, design.
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  • Profile picture of the author sal64
    Wow, there's a lot of assumptions on this thread and misinformation.

    As a best selling author and co trainer for the automatic besteller coaching program, I can honestly say there are many factors from title, topic to marketing.

    I'll elaborate later. But the first key is plain old market research and understanding what readers are both looking for and buying.

    Sal
    Signature
    Internet Marketing: 20% Internet - 80% Marketing!
    You Won't See The Light Until You Open Your Eyes.
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  • Profile picture of the author knish
    Originally Posted by goldeneye75 View Post

    I recently stumbled upon this article "How To Turn Book Into A Bestseller"

    It basically says Hire an editor, Choose a great title, Create an eye catching book cover, Get a book review, Etc.

    Any other helpful tips?
    I think writing and rewriting is also important. You also have to have a good attitude and persevere until you reach your goals.
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  • Profile picture of the author Coach Comeback
    Well I hate to be the only one to come from this angle but I hear it mentioned far to little in the "money making" market..........

    As long as you have a strong belief that you can success and an even more compelling reason why you should, the "HOW" always seems to just fall into place.

    There is more to long term success then just reading up on a how-to book and trying to implement a system that seemed to work for the next person.

    Most successful people started with a burning desire to create something to fulfill a need for someone else. It never starts as just a gimmick to make money.

    If you want long term success and fulfillment from what you do... start by doing what you love!
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  • Profile picture of the author equanto
    Here are tips on how you can become successful with a self-published book:
    1) Hire an editor. They will be able to pinpoint things such as errors in spelling, punctuation, etc. that may not occur to a new writer. An editor will go over your entire manuscript with a fine tooth comb and make sure you are being presented in the best possible light for readers who choose to purchase your books now and in the future. They will be a godsend for any new author to consider.
    2) Choose a great title. This will draw someone to your book and want to purchase it for themselves or for someone as a gift. Keywords and tags are another selling point to draw the reader in and will give them something to catch their imagination. In addition the title needs to make the reader want to know what the pages hold and keep them interested until the very last page.
    3) Create an eye catching book cover. You want it to stand out and correspond to what the book is about. Some of the most memorable covers are one you don't expect but once you read the book you go back to it again and again and refer it to others.
    4) Get a book review. This lends credibility to not only the book but also to the author. Many readers may buy your book based only on the reviews they have read and nothing more.
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    What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it.
    Stories of Another day can be saved by your STEPS
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