How can I learn to love bestsellers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop trying - just find people to chat with who like the book genres you like. Reading should be enjoyable - if it's not, put down the book.

+1000

[Anonymous]

I'll generally borrow bestseller type books on Libby because it's low investment and if I don't like it, I can quit and just return it easily.

[Anonymous]

My general rule for my personal reading is to stay a way from books that are popular on #booktok, so basically any trending titles. Try reading popular fiction that has been reviewed in literary magazines.

[Anonymous]

Well OP, it seems that everyone is borrowing their bestsellers anyway so don't bother trying to write a bestseller because nobody will actually *purchase* it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My general rule for my personal reading is to stay a way from books that are popular on #booktok, so basically any trending titles. Try reading popular fiction that has been reviewed in literary magazines.

What about The Week? I buy tons of titles that are recommended on there.

[Anonymous]

stop trying its a scam

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well OP, it seems that everyone is borrowing their bestsellers anyway so don't bother trying to write a bestseller because nobody will actually *purchase* it.

That's not how it works. Bestsellers, by definition have high 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.

This may sound mean but about 10 years ago I told my ladies' book club to stop picking fiction books with themes tied to the Holocaust (family tragedy) and WW2 (drama, romance). Like All The Light We Cannot See.

They moved on to other mass market unhappy books like Where the Crawdad Sings and Art of Racing in the Rain. But I couldn't get them to read Gone Girl (which I loved) because it was too harsh.

I also tried to get them to read a non-fiction book about a small-town bridal store called "The Magic Room". They agreed. Then only one other person read it.

I dropped out of book club. It was really more of an excuse to go out to lunch.

I was also unable to identify what attracted the group approval. Maybe it's how simple the vocabulary is? Maybe it's the novelty of the plot twists?

One thing I can say is that the Internet makes it more possible for authors to self-publish and build a fanbase. Then go to real publishers.

I have watched this happen with Harry Potter and Star Wars (Reylo) fanfiction authors.

The best example is Olivie Blake (Alexene Farol Follmuth).

Her writing is actually very compelling. But her bestselling Atlas 6 trilogy badly "lost the plot" in the last book.

https://www.olivieblake.com/

So maybe you could try to build an organic customer base for yourself through Internet marketing. Then you can stay true to your own style.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well OP, it seems that everyone is borrowing their bestsellers anyway so don't bother trying to write a bestseller because nobody will actually *purchase* it.

Authors are paid for library sales (and per checkout, in the case of ebooks).

[Anonymous]

I think there's a Lee Child quote about how he wrote his first book to make money.

Write what you like if that's your reason for writing, but if you want to make money you have to write something other people are going to like also.

[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.

An old writing teacher of mine said look at all the classics. They’re all plot driven. I’m really over literary fiction, except for those that have a decent plot. Our lives have plot, plot, plot! Especially if you’ve reached midlife.

[Anonymous]

I’m pp, and curious if your agent is the host of a very popular podcast? I heard one co-host agent drops a lot of clients for this reason.

[Anonymous]

The problem with best sellers is that are formulaic, predictable. A book sells and writers are encouraged to write one just like it and they do. Very little originality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Could you clarify what you mean that the NYT bestseller list is fake? Just looked at the USA today list and see many that were in the various NYT lists.