As a self-published writer you are surely aware that the success of your Book depends on the amount of advertising and influence your book has. One of the best ways to do this is to have your book placed in the New York Times Best Seller list.
The New York Times Best Seller list is considered to be one of the most influential and well respected Best Seller list of all the publishing industry standards. Through the years the New York Times Best Seller list have helped readers know the most popular books sold in the market and reviews on why they are so popular.
To be on the list is a very big deal because it is one of the best ways to guarantee that your book will be a classic. Because not only will your book be sold much more easily, it will also be regarded with more respect by readers from then on.
Of course people would wonder, why is it so important to be on the list for a writer? Why would it make my writing career if I could have my book in the said list?
One word can answer all these questions. And that word is prestige.
To be in the New York Times best sellers list means prestige to your career as a writer. To be in the list means that your book has made it. To be in the list means you are one of the best. This prestige may even guarantee you book royalties even after you are dead. This prestige is also one of the main reasons why some authors would go so far as to try to buy their way into the list. In short being on the list is one of the best ways on making your legacy as a writer.
This list has launched the careers of countless authors just by having their names in the said list. True as a self-published writer you are free to control the trajectory of your book’s advertising and sales, but if you wish to garner respect and an influence over your readers, getting into the New York Times Bestsellers list is definitely the way to go.
But the question is, how do you get your book into the list? Well to begin with you need to know how the list works and how the books are selected.
The New York Times Bestseller list is divided into categories that range from fiction, non-fiction, e-book, paperback and hardcover. Each category has its own list that are comprised of 15 to 20 books. There are also expanded lists that show additional titles are available online through the Book Review website. The lists have also been subdivided several times.
The method in which the list chooses the books are by what can be called a “survey” which is based on propriety and closely guarded list of accounts that are polled weekly for sales. The results are tabulated by a weekly basis, from Sunday to Sunday to be exact. The lists is formed using a methodology for filtering reported sales that excludes books which are reported too narrowly. One thing to remember though if you wish to have your book included in the list is fact that the New York Times need to have a copy of your book and are keeping track of it.
In truth the specific formula in which the list makes it’s ranking methods is technically a closely guarded secret, but it is a known fact that the sales venues for print books include independent book retailers; national, regional and local chains; online and multimedia entertainment retailers; supermarkets, university, gift and discount department stores; and newsstands. The E-book rankings reflect sales from leading online vendors of e-books in a variety of popular e-reader formats.
Another question usually asked is how much can you earn if you are a bestselling author?
Well the more important question would be how much you would be able to sell while it is print? You could sell a lot of books during the first week of your book release but the sales would dwindle out afterwards or you could sell a few books on the first week but sell a huge amount throughout the rest of the year because your book managed to gain popularity in the next few months. Although it is gratifying to be able to sell a large amount of books on the first week it is better from a sales standpoint to be able to sell your book through the whole year because it would stand to gain more money in the end.
Now for the main question how can you get into the list?
Well from a simplistic view the answer would be to sell a lot of books, but how much does a lot of books entail? Well as it is, there is no specific number of books that you need to sell, as long as your book covers all the requirements set by the New York Times your book is still eligible for the list. But as for how to really get into the list, the most important aspect would be the marketing campaign itself. Good marketing and of course the quality of your book. Good marketing would mean that your book is always in the public eye and be advertised well and your books would also sell well in the end.
You could also have your book reviewed by book review sites to give credence to the quality of your writing. Good reviews will give your book the credibility it needs to be bought. It would be even better if your book was reviewed by a well-known and respected author in your genre because it would mean that your book does credit to your genre.
Another effective way is to have your book endorsed by a well-known celebrity. This will not only give your book credibility but also much needed publicity. In truth there really is no guarantee on how to get your book into the list. It all really depends on how hard you are willing to work to get it there. Just remember though it is all worth it in the end.
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