Subscribe to RSS 2.0Reflections on that last post
So I read through the post below once I'd published it. A big question raised itself: what makes a bestseller?
The unavoidable conclusion, from my experience to date, is that it's actually very little to do with the publisher. Snowbooks' bestsellers have been, in volume sales order (which is certainly not the same as profit order) Adept, Boxing Fitness, Plotting for Beginners, The Other Eden and The Needle in the Blood. Snowbooks has sort of intervened with each one - but have we really been the catalyst for their success? We've done appropriate covers; given our twopenneth on not much more than spelling and grammar; gathered a handful of endorsements and reviews for each; and made sure that timely and compelling sales information has been communicated to retailers and the trade. We've stumped up the cash, up front, for printing and promotion. Is that a lot of work? Have those activities made all the difference? Only one of those titles has benefitted from significant intervention from us - intervention without which the book wouldn't exist - and that's Boxing Fitness.
It certainly seems like each time we create a book we put a huge amount of work, time, money and effort in - particularly for four colour non fiction. But I wonder - how much value do we really add?
I suspect that the things we do which matter most and which have the greatest effect are:
1) Retailer and sales connections
2) Cover design
3) Stumping up the cash.
All else being equal, I reckon Rob, Sarah, Sarah, and Sue could have self published their books to look exactly like our editions. They might well have come unstuck at the actual selling part of it, though - and, of course, getting the books into stores in sufficient quantities to be noticed has always been our main priority. The question about what happens once the book's in store is pretty much down to the cover, I think (which includes any reviews and endorsements we might have garnered).
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. What do you think makes a bestseller? Why do you think some books take off and others don't? What's the point in publishers? Do you think publishers add sufficient value or would the world be better off with more self-published books? All interesting questions.
Comments: 9
Having self published in the past, I would have to say what makes the book a bestseller is, at least in part, the publisher.
Readers are spoilt for choice and need some sort of validation that this book is worth the £7.99, or whatever, of their hard-earned cash, and that is what a publisher's logo gives them. It says "this had to be good enough to interest at least X number of us in the office, against all the other competition on our slush pile, and it has been professionally edited and proofread, and we believe in our product enough to put hard cash behind it. If it's the sort of story (or non-fiction book) that you like to read, then you will not be disappointed with this one."
When I self publish, I have to meet the reader face to face, to ensure I get the same message across - they are not going to take the book at face value.
So don't put yourself down, guys, you're an essential cog in the process.
Posted by: NaomiM on September 22, 2008 01:48 PM
Lots of sales.
M
Posted by: Matthew on September 22, 2008 02:32 PM
Apart from the publisher, two other key factors are the amount of work the author puts in both pre- and post-publication (which at least the author has some control over) and word of mouth. The trouble with word-of-mouth is that it can't be controlled or quantified, but it can be an extremely powerful tool - especially with younger readers who will evangelise books that they like both online and offline.
Posted by: Bob on September 22, 2008 02:32 PM
As the author of one of your bestsellers (that's nice to know) and of a second book which doesn't seem to be selling at all, I find this a fascinating question. I agree with everything Naomi says, but would extend from the mere involvement of a publisher to their role as promoter. I think this works on readers too, the process of telling them - nay, banging them over the head with the thought - that this particular book is the one they've been waiting for. I also think this can extend to the packaging of the author, finding his or her USP, eg: grandmother on rough council estate, on benefits all her life, publishes first novel in her 60s and blows advance on a pink Range Rover (that's true, by the way). Of course, the author needs to be complicit in all this.
The other point I'd like to make from trying to interpet my own experience, is the matter of readers' expectations. I know - because I'm an experienced writer and creative writing teacher, and I know my job - that'The Book of Love' is technically a much better book than 'Needle in the Blood.' But I suspect it's disappointed those who enjoyed the former because it's not the same kind of story. Readers like you to write the same book over again if they've enjoyed it. They don't like change. And as readers aren't, on the whole, as technically knowledgeable about writing as authors are, they don't give you brownie points for technical proficiency.
Of course, it's easy to find examples to refute everything I've said here - which just goes to show what an imponderable question it is.
Posted by: Sarah Bower on September 22, 2008 02:39 PM
"I suspect it's disappointed those who enjoyed the former because it's not the same kind of story"
But the odd thing about book sales is that the one piece of information you can't use to inform your buying decision is 'did I enjoy it', because by definition you haven't read it yet. What baffles me is this: we know readers loved Needle, so even if they weren't going to like Book of Love they didn't know that before they bought it, if you see what I mean! So I don't see why it wouldn't have sold at least the same number of copies as the number of people who loved Needle.
Of course, this leads us to publishing truth #1: publishers have no idea whether readers actually enjoyed a book or not, because we don't collect as much data on shopper opinions as other industries.
Posted by: Em on September 22, 2008 04:50 PM
The publisher makes a difference by getting a book on an instore promotion, and also in designing an appropriate and attractive cover. But I also think reviews in the national press make a huge difference. I know you don't, Em, but reviews inform my reading habits and also those of my friends. Plotting for Beginners got a big boost at its launch because The Times reviewed it and likened it to The Diary of a Provincial Lady - a comedy classic beloved of all kinds of readers. Then we were mentioned in the New Year Guardian with a centre page pull quote and that boosted sales again. Word of mouth also plays a big part. I know of several people who bought Plotting for friends as a fiftieth birthday present so there must have been others who I didn't know about. As an author, I work very hard at publicity - I did for Plotting and I have done for Zuzu's Petals, and like Sarah I am dismayed that Zuzu - which I consider a more accomplished book than Plotting - has so far not sold as well.
Posted by: sue hepworth on September 22, 2008 06:29 PM
Correction - Sarah is disappointed about the sales of The Book of Love (her second book) not Zuzu's Petals (my second book.)
Posted by: sue hepworth on September 22, 2008 06:32 PM
Dear Sue, I'll be disappointed for you too - a trouble shared is a trouble halved and all that.
And I agree with you about reviews. Although I haven't been lucky enough to get the attention of the press for either of my books, the reviews of Needle in the blogosphere were undoubtedly influential in raising its profile and helping sales.
As a reader, I take an interest in reviews, so assume other readers do too.
Sorry, Em, don't feel paranoid!
Posted by: Sarah Bower on September 23, 2008 12:22 PM
What makes a best-seller? A name or names the reader knows, word of mouth, and free booze during the launch...
... it worked for me last weekend - especially the free booze. :)
Posted by: Christopher Teague on September 25, 2008 02:24 PM