How can I learn to love bestsellers?

[Anonymous]

I find bestsellers to be really hit or miss. I get a lot of recommendations from Real Simple magazines and NYT/WAPO. I only end up really liking about 25% of the ones I read. The others are a mixture of "meh" or DNFs. If I get 1/3 of the way through a book and don't like it, no matter how glowing the reviews, I return it.

I have genres I read regularly (historical fiction, sci-fi, adventure nonfiction) but I try and peruse the bestseller list to broaden the scope of what I read. I appreciate that I've been able to read (and enjoy) books I wouldn't have found otherwise, or books in an area/dealing with subject matter I wouldn't normally go for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't need to learn to love best sellers.

You need to learn to be okay with not being able to write a best seller. Those are different things.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I still can’t tell what you mean by “bestseller.” There’s a whole wide world out there, from Oprah-approved books to lit fic darlings to Pulitzer Prize winners.

Right? I feel like people are insinuating that you have to write “ dumb” fast paced mysteries or beach reads to be a bestselling author but there are incredible pieces of literature that and literary classics that have also become bestsellers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Twilight was a bestseller. It's ok not to like them.

It's really not.

Full disclosure: I'm a writer who was recently dropped by her agent because three of my books just didn't sell. In her words, "They're lovely and well-written, but publishers are looking for stories with wider appeal."

For the past year, I've been on a hunt to figure out what makes the stories with wide appeal so successful - but because I don't personally enjoy, it's a struggle. I would like to find out what I'm missing.

Fellow writer with three books that didn't sell well, a fourth that didn't get published, and a fifth I am still trying to finish before my angel of an agent tries to sell it - and I feel you. I used to be a journalist and I really figured out to cover my beat in a way that felt personally satisfying and also that readers ate up. I just cannot figure that out with fiction. I don't think I am above writing stuff that has mass appeal - I just think I maybe can't do it. I sometimes just want to give up because I find it so frustrating. I know there's a formula that works and I just can't get my brain and my fingers to do it.

Anyway - just to say: no one can read everything. Read what you like. Your bookish friends aren't reading everything either. But one way to force yourself to read more of the literary type bestsellers is to join a book club. That way you and your bookish friends WILL all be reading the same thing - and probably reading the same thing as lots of other bookish people as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Twilight was a bestseller. It's ok not to like them.

It's really not.

Full disclosure: I'm a writer who was recently dropped by her agent because three of my books just didn't sell. In her words, "They're lovely and well-written, but publishers are looking for stories with wider appeal."

For the past year, I've been on a hunt to figure out what makes the stories with wide appeal so successful - but because I don't personally enjoy, it's a struggle. I would like to find out what I'm missing.

Oh I see, you should have mentioned that.

Frankly, the majority of people are stupider than you think, and younger generations have a quail's attention span because of social media. Our recent election proves that. So what you want to do is create a powerful hook right off the bat, because everyone is used to a Tik Tok span of attention-grabbing. Something that smacks the reader in the face. Make your stories and characters a little more obvious, with plots that hit more directly at the dopamine: romance, thrills, whatever you're writing about, has to be more easily and rapidly felt by the reader. If you need to dumb down your writing style to do this, go right ahead. If the reader can guess who the villain is, or which beau the heroine will finally choose, before the denouement, they will think "Oh I'm so smart" instead of thinking "this plot was too obvious".

Sorry, but this is how it is.

I am the other non-bestselling writer here - and that's actually very insightful!

[Anonymous]

Remember that JK Rowling was turned down a number of times. I find, as a reader, that something takes off in literature and publishers seem to want ‘something like that’. So, part of it is timing. There are plenty of poorly written books out there that are selling well. Do you belong to a writer’s circle? I’ve known a couple of writers that really rely on their group to keep them going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Twilight was a bestseller. It's ok not to like them.

It's really not.

Full disclosure: I'm a writer who was recently dropped by her agent because three of my books just didn't sell. In her words, "They're lovely and well-written, but publishers are looking for stories with wider appeal."

For the past year, I've been on a hunt to figure out what makes the stories with wide appeal so successful - but because I don't personally enjoy, it's a struggle. I would like to find out what I'm missing.

If you have actually published three books, you should be savvy enough to understand what makes books sell. Even if yours didn’t.You should understand how people like a plot that drives. You should understand what kind of characters have mass appeal. None of this should be news to you, or something that you need to study up on by going through the New York Times bestseller list.

I haven't been published - my agent dropped me because she couldn't sell my books. And yes, I know how to write. What I do not understand is what makes readers love bestsellers so much, because I do not. I suppose it's hard to understand why research is necessary, but it is.

Can you give us an example of a best seller that you didn’t understand why it was a best seller?

For example, I write sci-fi, and I can't stand Andy Weir. I just don't see the appeal! The plots are too similar, the characters crass and paper-thin, and yes, first person isn't my fav. But obviously I'm in the minority.

[Anonymous]

Full disclosure: I'm a writer who was recently dropped by her agent because three of my books just didn't sell. In her words, "They're lovely and well-written, but publishers are looking for stories with wider appeal."

Well now I want to know what books because I rarely read best sellers so maybe I would like your books!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don't need to learn to love best sellers.

You need to learn to be okay with not being able to write a best seller. Those are different things.

Ooof. Harsh truths.

Writing a best seller is insanely difficult. It's like when the most talented person you know goes to NYC, and ends up a back up dancer (not ever getting to perform more than a show or two).

I think that I find frustrating is that people praise my writing - including the publishers who say no. But I'm tired of hearing "it just doesn't have the marketability we're looking for now." And since I personally don't love bestsellers, I know there's something I'm just not meshing with.

Think about how books and tv shows/movies are pitched - they’re often a slightly novel twist on something tried and true. Pride and Prejudice but with zombies! With a South Asian family! Or this new show is a cross between Friends and Seinfeld!

This is PP. Another idea is to try to figure out what somewhat popular authors have a style somewhat similar to yours and see what stands out in their books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Twilight was a bestseller. It's ok not to like them.

It's really not.

Full disclosure: I'm a writer who was recently dropped by her agent because three of my books just didn't sell. In her words, "They're lovely and well-written, but publishers are looking for stories with wider appeal."

For the past year, I've been on a hunt to figure out what makes the stories with wide appeal so successful - but because I don't personally enjoy, it's a struggle. I would like to find out what I'm missing.

If you have actually published three books, you should be savvy enough to understand what makes books sell. Even if yours didn’t.You should understand how people like a plot that drives. You should understand what kind of characters have mass appeal. None of this should be news to you, or something that you need to study up on by going through the New York Times bestseller list.

I haven't been published - my agent dropped me because she couldn't sell my books. And yes, I know how to write. What I do not understand is what makes readers love bestsellers so much, because I do not. I suppose it's hard to understand why research is necessary, but it is.

Can you give us an example of a best seller that you didn’t understand why it was a best seller?

For example, I write sci-fi, and I can't stand Andy Weir. I just don't see the appeal! The plots are too similar, the characters crass and paper-thin, and yes, first person isn't my fav. But obviously I'm in the minority.

I’m the PP who asked and I can enjoy lots of best sellers. And I couldn’t make it through the Martian and never bothered with the rest!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don't need to learn to love best sellers.

You need to learn to be okay with not being able to write a best seller. Those are different things.

+1000

This.

[Anonymous]

Bestsellers are blockbusters. They are bestsellers because of marketing, not quality.

[Anonymous]

I'm an author with published books (traditional publisher).

Here are a few thoughts.

1. "Bestsellers" is a very broad category. You will do well to read critically, sort of like you did with Weir. Except I would try to think of it as identifying a book's strengths and weaknesses and not just like/dislike. So, characters are a weakness of Weir, that's valid. Strength: His hooks are amazing and make people say "I want to read THAT!" (Also, fwiw, the simpler characters likely help him achieve a faster pace and allow him to put more energy into the plot.) What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

2. Similar to above, do you have a trustworthy critique partner or two? What do they see as your strengths and weaknesses? You may come up with some things you want to work on, like--do you need hooks that are more high concept? Do you need higher stakes? How's your pacing? etc. (See how this is so much more informative already than saying you like/dislike a book.)

3. Truly, this sounds like it might be somewhat of an agent problem. I'm sorry she dropped you, that sucks. It doesn't necessarily mean that your books are bad. It means that she doesn't know how to sell them and/or match them up with the right editor/publisher. Sadly, since they've been shopped around you're going to need to query with a new manuscript. But happily, hopefully that new ms will be so much stronger and address some of the weaknesses you identified in 1-2. (if your agent at any point gave helpful, specific input then I'd consider it along with the list you make from 1-2, but otherwise: disregard.)

4. It is almost never effective to have a broad goal when you're writing, e.g., I want to write a bestseller. The key for writing well is specificity. Kind of counterintuitively, specificity is what will make your writing resonate with others.

5. Some comments have alluded to this already but in publishing it is 100% true that there is an element of randomness to what becomes a bestseller and what doesn't. Not infrequently, publishers spent $$$$ on books that tank. Books with tiny advances becomes huge sellers. If they knew the formula, they'd use it.

6. Publishers actually aren't looking for every book to be a bestseller. Publishers make their money back well before a book "earns out" its advance. I guess I'm throwing this in there for general information, but it also makes me apprehensive to feel your "swing for the fences" energy. Again, specificity is your friend.

There are so many ups and downs with writing. You aren't the first writer to go on sub with 3, you aren't the first writer to be dropped by an agent. But hopefully you will be a writer who keeps going. Best of luck to you.

[Anonymous]

Just look at the monthly "what I'm reading" posts and see how many people read bestsellers, but say they didn't like them.

I know what I like and I'm good at picking out books for myself.

And the New York Times Bestseller list is fake, so don't even bother with them. USA Today actually goes off sales.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Twilight was a bestseller. It's ok not to like them.

It's really not.

Full disclosure: I'm a writer who was recently dropped by her agent because three of my books just didn't sell. In her words, "They're lovely and well-written, but publishers are looking for stories with wider appeal."

For the past year, I've been on a hunt to figure out what makes the stories with wide appeal so successful - but because I don't personally enjoy, it's a struggle. I would like to find out what I'm missing.

Wait what? It's not ok to not like best sellers? What a weird post.