My Insights into How to Become a Bestselling Author

I have been helping authors get their books published for several years. I offer advice strategizing about what kind of book will help them in their businesses, who their audience is, what value will be added to the readers, and more. I also suggest two or three methods to write the book. Then, I back away, and when their book is done, I step back in and publish it for them.

I create their KDP/Amazon account, teach them how to change categories, keywords, and prices. They control their own account. I am available to answer questions as they arise.

Last year when the pandemic got our attention, I had six clients in various stages of writing and almost ready to publish. Within three weeks, all told me that they were putting a halt on their books. Cash flow, focus, and other reasons entered their lives. I would have done the same.

The rest of 2020 was lean – extra lean – no clients. This year started with a few conversations – more than I had in the past six months. I was a guest on a podcast and talked about writing and publishing your book for free. https://wp.me/p4ztmz-1iY is a link to one of the articles I wrote describing, in detail, the 1-3-5-7-10 process for writing a book.

New Client

In February, I was fortunate to connect with a young woman who had planned to leave the corporate world to seek her fame and fortune on her own - two weeks before the pandemic shut down most of the country. I suggested that she write a book quickly if she answered questions that people wanted to know the answers to.

If I asked any of my readers to tell me about the first car you owned? Anyone could answer that without thinking. We know many things about our businesses, how we operate differently from other companies, how we bring value to our customers. Structure a series of questions that the reader must know the answers to.

Interview Style

Each question is a chapter, and each question should have bullets to identify what you want to cover and in the order, you want to discuss them. They are your subchapters. When a person interviews you and you know the answer without thinking, there is little likelihood that you will hem and haw around. The same applies when you structure your book writing the same way – as an interview.

Get with a trusted friend, spouse, or acquaintance and have them ask you the questions you created to describe your work, hobby, memoir, whatever your book is about. Record it. When you answer a question that you know the answer to intimately, there will be little to no editing.

A company like Rev.com will transcribe your audio recording for less than $2 a minute – a human will listen and give you a type-written manuscript back, usually within 24 hours. That manuscript is your book. This is the way that my new client decided she wanted to do. We talked about the kinds of things that add value to an audience, and she created questions to address those areas.

We began recordings in late February, and very quickly, her book took shape. She does not let the grass grow under her feet. She is constantly talking with others (did I mention that she interviews the movers and shakers on live television) and kept coming back with this question or another. She decided that she wanted to change the focus of her book to a how-to book.

Let the Writing Begin!

We set off in that direction after nearly the entire book was written. More new questions and recordings ensued. The book started to have a life of its own. Publishing time approached, and we discussed how to market her book, specifically to achieve a number 1 bestselling author status.

She immediately let the world know she had a book coming out soon – Let the World Know! She has access to multiple live and recorded outlets as well as social media platforms.

Sales

Many things contribute to becoming a best-selling author. https://self-publishingschool.com/how-to-become-a-bestselling-author/ is an excellent source to review. We chose a few from that list but concentrated on two areas – sales and reviews – in a timely manner. Pricing was adjusted on the e-book to allow her to purchase multiple copies to send as gifts to her list of friends and associates. GIFT E-BOOKS! A gift is considered a sale because you paid for the gift. Buy 20 e-books at 99 cents each (less than $20) and you have 20 sales attributed to your book.

Reviews

A person who receives a link for a gift e-book can write a review as a verified purchaser of the book. She sent out books (PDFs, actually) to many and asked them to review and write an honest critique of her book. When you do not buy the book, a review will likely be kicked rather than counted and posted. Anyone with a free version of a book and who wants to write a review should include the statement that they were given a free copy of the book to review and honestly assess it. REVIEWS!

Preorders and Promotions

It is great when you have the time to set up pre-orders since they all count as being sold on Day 1 when the book is published. You cannot do this for physical books (most of us cannot). However, you can do that for e-books. Hype your book during the pre-sale period and consider promo-stacking as an option to market your book. PROMO-STACKING!

Many companies have large e-mail lists and will send you a book to that list for a small fee. Set one promotion up for a day or two. Immediately when that promotion is over, another promotion should take its place. Then another should be scheduled. This can be done with your e-books are under $2.99 or free. Free e-book information can be found at this link - (https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201298240).

Free Books

https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201298240#:~:text=After%20your%20eBook%20is%20enrolled,title%20is%20available%20for%20sale. E-books can only be free for five days during a 90-day window when the book is entered in the KDP select program. FREE BOOKS!

Conclusion

What works for one author is a category that does not guarantee success for other authors. What does not work for you should be evident within a few days. Change tactics, promotions, categories, prices, etc., to find what does work for you.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com