Saw the above question on Quora this morning. Here’s my reply to this general inquiry.
The answer to this question depends on all sorts of variables. For example…
- Which audiences do you intend to reach? Are they large (e.g. the general public), or smaller and specific (e.g. biochemists working on genomics).
- Do you already have a public following – for instance on social media, your newsletter, readers of your previous books – or will you need to build one from scratch?
- Is the topic of the book timely, relevant and in demand?
- How much money are you willing/able to spend in order to promote the book?
- Are you a recognized expert with appropriate credentials?
- Who is going to edit, publish and distribute your book?
- How much media coverage can you roust to get the word out?
What’s A Best Seller, Anyway?
The list goes on and on. It starts with defining what you mean by “best seller.” An unknown first-time author who flogs 100 copies of their book will consider that their best seller ever!
Leave a Reply