In this post back in the wilds of 2013, I explored (with the aid of some lovely data. And maybe some pretty shoddy guesswork, it has to be said) how many books an author has to sell in the English-speaking world to achieve bestseller status. In most countries, a bestseller is defined only by what…
Tag: Publishing
Are you writing? Then SHHH! I’ll tell you a secret
Writing competitions might save your life. Unless you’re keen on starving for your art, in which case you should probably stop reading now. Writing competitions are the lowest common denominator of literary prizes. And I mean that in the best way possible. Because we may be living in an era when writing competitions have become the new – if…
4 Easy Ways To Write A Smash Bestseller!
Well. 2 of them are easy, from the outside looking in… Method 1: Accidentally encapsulate the cultural zeitgeist which began defining a generation yesterday at 2.43pm Who knew that young adults, for instance, wanted a world of complete fantasy where your undead boyfriend is constantly resisting the urge to kill you, before Twilight came along? Method 2: Be controversial This…
Can Terrible Books Make Great Movies?
Yes, of course they can! We tend only to talk about the great books we know which were assassinated by bad films, but we forget that there is another side to the coin. Filmmakers are always looking for ideas, and screenwriting tutors will tell you that it’s a hell of a lot easier for an unknown writer to…
Small Publishers, And The Way They Might Look At You
In a previous post I said I was a little bit in love with the small press movement, and small wonder, with the successes brought about by these small publishing houses in recent years. Several international big-ticket prizewinners and nominees have seen the light of day only because a small press took a chance on them when nobody…
New! Mathematical Mondays
…Exploring dubious theories by using real numbers to prove intangible arguments. Today: Why You Should Be Writing A Book The Formula (Where y= number of books read by a regular reader in 1 year and P = population) How Many People Could Be Reading Your Book? I read between 20-40 books a year, depending on how long, literary,…
5 Reasons Why An Author Should Self-Publish
1. Your Book Crosses Genres Score!! An agent has expressed an interest in your book! But oh dear. She says they can’t take it, because they haven’t a clue how or where to pitch it. They just don’t know whether to shelve it in the Science Fiction section, or in Gardening. Look. A lot of people working in publishing are jaded, working…
5 Old Bookselling Rules which No Longer Apply
…and, from the emerging author’s perspective, are they a Woo-Hoo, or a Boo Hoo? 1. Back Catalogues Sell Slowly, Or Not At All Back in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, when a reader stumbled across a new author, their latest book was often the only one available. If the author were really successful, the bookshop might stock…
Tara Sparling writes 