How To Write A Book That Sells: 10 Must-Know Steps
Many writers can’t see the forest for the trees and so never learn how to write a book that sells. When you learn to identify what brings in book sales, you create a more effective book launch. However, you also heighten your chances of reaching that bestseller list.
Is this your first attempt at becoming a successful author? Do you already have a contract with a traditional publisher? No matter where you are in your publishing journey, these must-know tips can help you improve.
How to write a book that sells: what I cover
How do you write a book that makes money?
To bring in a profit on your book you must know what’s selling, why, and write well. While this is just scratching the surface on how to write a book that sells, selling your book starts here. Let’s dive into tips that will help you toward your goal of reaching that bestseller status.
1. Know what’s selling
A good rule of thumb to follow when attempting to sell your book may seem counterintuitive: don’t write to trends. Of course, for New York Times bestsellers this may work. These authors proved they can sell books.
For debut authors, it’s unlikely you will publish your book while a particular topic is still trending. Traditional publishing simply takes too long. However, take time to research what’s selling in your preferred genre.
Ask yourself the following:
What are popular tropes in my genre?
What types of characters do readers gravitate to?
Are there common themes among the most recent books published?
For instance, during the pandemic, dystopia did not sell well. People felt they were living in a dystopian world and did not want to immerse themselves in more chaos.
Now this genre is back, with various novels hitting bestseller status and paving the way for new books in this genre.
2. Read the top books in your genre
Now is the time to visit your local bookstore or browse books on Amazon. Find the top fifteen to twenty books in your genre and commit to reading them. Don’t forget to include books on a variety of bestseller lists. This provides you with well-rounded examples.
Do you not have enough time to read every book on the list? Consider audiobook versions or at the very least, reading through their synopses. To learn how to become a bestselling author, it’s important to read the bestselling authors.
3. Learn how to write well
Let’s say your plot is incredibly original. The bad news is, if you don’t know how to write, it’s unlikely you’ll sell many books.
There are many ways to brush up on your writing skills:
Read books on writing
Join a writing group
Invest in working with a writing coach
Enter writing contests for feedback on your writing
Do you wonder:
What books should I read about writing?
Click the link or contact me for a list of helpful books. Once you master a few of the top writing tips, you can take your storytelling prowess to the next level.
4. Focus on one idea
Writers often ask how to know which idea to settle on. With so many ideas, how do you know which one might make it to the New York Times list? How do you decide which one has potential to become an Amazon bestseller?
My writing mentor recommends choosing the idea you are most passionate about.
Your passion will emerge through your writing. Readers recognize passionate writing when they see it. Do your best to articulate the one idea that means most to you.
If you feel like you lack ideas, read how to get into a creative mindset for help.
5. Dedicate quality time to social media
Bringing in a built-in audience still emerges as a top selling point in landing a traditional book deal. Writers with a well-written book and a strong platform are much more likely to land a book deal. This is why building your platform is so crucial.
Notice this tip says dedicate quality time to social platforms, not quantity. You could easily eat up an entire day on socials without realizing it. Instead, create a content strategy and dedicate a specific amount of time to implementation. Then get back to writing.
6. Don’t overly focus on writing a great book that will sell
I doubt that the current USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling authors set out to write a bestseller. In fact, writers only have so much focus. If you choose to focus on becoming a bestselling author, you divert your focus from the story.
Instead of focusing on writing a book that will sell, focus on writing a great book. Commit your attention span to focusing on:
Characterization
Plot
Tone
Theme
Great writing often precedes bestsellers. It’s important to keep the details that impact sales in the back of your mind. However, when drafting, just focus on getting your story down.
7. Entertain yourself with your writing
A major part in knowing how to write a book that sells is its entertainment value. If you don’t enjoy writing the book, it’s hard to believe readers will enjoy reading it. Write the book you want to read. As long as you target the correct audience, you should bring in a readership.
8. Humanize your characters
Do you ever wonder how to write compelling characters? The trick is to write characters that feel human. Take a moment to think back to the characters that most influenced you growing up. Chances are that no matter how heroic they were, they embodied human characteristics.
Maybe their heroism came as a result of facing a deep fear. Perhaps they had to fight their way over seemingly insurmountable odds to find success.
Whatever it was, human aspects make characters compelling. Readers relate to these types of characters. If you want to know how to write a book that sells, focus on humanizing your characters. Readers gravitate to what they can relate to.
9. Avoid writing clichés
Writing clichés not only bore readers but strip your story of its tension. Is there anything worse than a well-crafted scene ending with a cliché?
No matter what genre you write, make sure you edit clichés out before querying an agent or publisher. Including clichés in your manuscript is one of the quickest ways to get a rejection and consequently, zero sales.
10. Commit to the process
One final step trumps the other nine in learning how to write a book that sells: commit to the process. This means no matter how many rejections you receive, you are still determined to succeed.
Committing to the process includes various details, some of which include:
Identifying your book’s market
Learning from feedback
Improving your self-edits
Consistently writing
Slow and steady progress in the right direction, over time, can bring tremendous results. Refuse to give up.
How do you write a book and get it sold?
There are numerous steps to writing a book and selling it, but condensed, they are:
Write your book
Sign with an agent
Shop your manuscript
Land a book contract
How long does it take to get a book published? This depends on a myriad of factors.
Is your writing original? What’s the quality of your writing? How long does it take you to secure an agent? Does a publisher offer right away?
Those questions may feel overwhelming. For now, set them aside. Remember, the first step in this process is to take charge of your creative passion and actually write your book.
Is writing a book still profitable?
Yes, writing a book is profitable in many ways.
Creatively: you learn how to write a story
Endurance: you train yourself to finish what you start
Financially: if you sell well, you bring in passive income
Writing a book is not for the faint of heart. But now you have ten tips on how to write a book that sells. It’s time to implement these tips. Spend some focused time learning platform building for creative writers. You may want to pursue a manuscript critique as well. Happy writing!
