You know those moments when you are walking through town, minding your business, but then notice a knot of people crowding a particular spot?
You pivot and approach because you just have to know what the fuss is about. What about those instances where you can’t choose an appliance to buy? But then you learn that everyone you know selects the same brand every time, and that is enough to shape your decision?
The internet is saturated with guides showing authors how to write bestsellers. One article from The Guardian believes that successful authors use short sentences and simple vocabulary. They also noted that consumers gravitate towards stories with compelling human relationships. Other tutorials encourage writers to experiment with controversial topics.
But what qualifies as a bestseller? The definition varies, although most sources assign that descriptor to books that sell 5,000 – 10,000 copies. Publications such as The New York Times and USA Today track the sales records at thousands of bookstores online and offline to get a rough estimate of the bestselling books within a given period.
But why does that matter? ‘Bestseller’ is a powerful marketing term. Why do you think publishers print that claim on book covers?
Studies have shown that appearing on a bestseller list increases book sales, especially for first-time authors. It tells hesitant consumers that you are doing something right. At the very least, they will buy your book because they want to know why everyone else bought it.
They can’t help but wonder whether they are missing out. After all, readers wouldn’t buy a book in such large numbers unless it had something of note to offer. Why does that matter? Because authors know the power a ‘Bestseller’ tag holds, which is why Mark Dawson bought 400 copies of his own book.
The Cleaner was stuck at number 13 in the charts and Dawson wanted the sales boost an appearance within the top ten would bring; so, he spent £3,600 on 400 copies of his book. Before you dismiss this claim as baseless slander, Dawson admitted what he had done on a podcast.
He dismissed the strategy as a simple marketing ploy. Dawson is not alone. Mark Driscoll, a mega-church pastor, spent a whopping $210,000 buying copies of his book. The investment paid off, rocketing the manuscript to number one on the bestseller list. Again, that is not conjecture.
Driscol and his wife publicly apologized once their actions came to light. Triggered by Donald Trump Jr dominated the hardcover nonfiction bestseller list when it debuted, because Trump bought copies of the book worth $100,000.
On the one hand, this tactic is not illegal. Nothing in the law forbids an author from engineering the bestseller list by purchasing their books in bulk. In fact, no one faults small indie authors for taking this approach.
They can’t compete with famous authors attached to more reputable publishers. On the other hand, publications have been known to strike books from the bestseller list once their author’s unethical schemes are revealed. So, clearly, not everyone agrees with this tactic.
Additionally, hardcore readers ignore the ‘Bestseller’ tag. They know it does not mean anything anymore. They urge casual readers
to follow in their stead. If you want to know what people like, look at books with the highest number of reviews.
Reviews have flaws. But at the very least, they show that a particular book has actual readers behind it. Don’t allow authors and publishers to fool you with the ‘Bestseller’ tag.
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