“Writing a book is hard. Selling a book is even harder,” admits broadcast icon Tom Brokaw, author of seven books, including his latest, The Time of Our Lives.
As you’ll see in the 22 Tips below, few authors disagree, even the ones who have sold millions of copies of their books. Certainly, a lot has to do with talent. Even more has to do with having a great story—especially one that is timely, truly memorable, or simply captures the imagination of the masses.
To find your own recipe for book success, consider the tips below from bestselling authors who we have had the privilege of interviewing in the last few years since launching Be Inkandescent magazine in January 2010. We thank each of them for taking the time to offer their words of book publishing wisdom.
Here’s to your publishing success! — The Inkandescent team
Secrets to Book Publishing Success
1. Be persistent, consistent, and have sheer determination. “Just like everything else in business that makes an entrepreneur triumphant, writing a book follows the same rules. You have to keep at it. But most importantly, you have to have a clear message that is burning to come out of you. The rest will fall into place.” — Tom Brokaw, known for his landmark work in American journalism and for the New York Times bestsellers The Greatest Generation and Boom!, turned his attention to the challenges that face America in the new millennium in The Time of Our Lives.
2. Breathe, touch, and taste the world where your characters live. “The four-page story about a girl named Velva Jean, which my mother, Penelope Niven, wrote when I was young, always stuck with me. So when I was old enough, I bought the rights for $1, and turned the story into a screenplay. It became an Emmy Award-winning movie in 1996, but I couldn’t get Velva Jean out of my head. I knew that eventually I wanted to bring her back to life in the form of a book, and I did in 2009. I advise others to do the same: If you can feel fictional characters in your skin, and have a burning desire to know more about who they are and what they do, you know that you have a story that’s worth telling.” — Jennifer Niven lives in Los Angeles (where her film ‘Velva Jean Learns to Drive’ won an Emmy Award, and she once played the part of Shania Twain in a music video). Even though she’s always wanted to be a Charlie’s Angel, her true passion is writing. Her fourth book, a memoir called The Aqua-Net Diaries: Big Hair, Big Dreams, Small Town, was optioned by Warner Brothers as a TV series. Niven’s sixth book, Becoming Clementine, is due out from Penguin/Plume on August 30.
3. Fall in love with your material. “Writing a book requires so much energy, dedication, and focus that if you aren’t deeply engaged, you will not have the patience to tackle all the challenges of writing, revising, birthing, and taking the work into the world. Be open to the material. It works on you as you work on it, deepening your understanding of what you are saying, inviting you to stand for what you know and have discovered. Writing is a vocation, a calling, a commitment to clarity. As far as the process of putting a book in the world, nothing is impossible. Much is difficult.” — J. Ruth Gendler is a best-selling author, nationally exhibiting artist, and educator who has led writing workshops for adults and children for 25 years. Her Book of Qualities has been excerpted widely, used as a classroom exercise in personification and values in school settings from 2nd grade to college English classes, adapted for theater/dance, and quoted in sermons and speeches.
4. Decide if you are a sissy, or not. “The best reason to write a book is because you can’t bear not to write it. The publishing process is not for sissies. The process is hard. The business of marketing and selling books is even harder. So if you’re not on fire to share your message, don’t bother. But if you have a passion for spreading your message, then don’t let anything stop you.” — Lisa Earle McLeod is a business strategist and expert in sales force and leadership development. She is also a syndicated columnist, media commentator, and keynote speaker, who has written two books, Forget Perfect, and The Triangle of Truth. It was named a Top 5 Business Book for Leaders by The Washington Post.
5. Ignore the naysayers! “I knew going in that getting my book published was going to be a long shot. I was not an established author, and I didn’t have a ready-built big platform (publisher-speak for folks who follow your work). However, I had an appealing message that I researched thoroughly and wrote about passionately. I decided to take the chance and followed the rules of writing a nonfiction book proposal to the ‘T.’ Add a little luck, lots of faith and determination, and now I’m a published author. It feels great. But most importantly, I got to spread my message to thousands of readers about the magnitude, power, and potential of giving by everyday donors.” — Wendy Smith is the author of Give a Little: How Your Small Donations Can Transform Our World. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for 25 years and now consults to organizations around the world, writes for publications, and speaks about the magnitude, power, and potential of citizen donors.
6. Realize that things can change in a heartbeat. “My last novel was rejected on contract by my publisher, who said it was not ‘special enough.’ I was sure my career was over, because I had never really had any sales with any of my other novels. But then one day the novel, Pictures of You, was snapped up by another publisher, Algonquin, who turned my ‘not special’ novel into a bestseller that made the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. Sometimes a publisher and a writer are the right fit—and that’s when magic happens.” — Caroline Leavitt is the author of nine novels, including her latest, Pictures of You, which was a San Francisco Chronicle Lit Pick, a Costco’s Penny’s Pick, and on the Best Books of 2011 List from the San Francisco Chronicle. She is also a book critic for People magazine and The Boston Globe.
7. Build a support system. “You need a team of professionals around you to make sure your book shines. When it comes to an agent, make sure you find someone whom the publishers respect and who treats your manuscript like a treasure. After all, a great work may never get a good publisher, because the agent shopped it around and destroyed its appeal. Make sure the agent and the publisher value you, the author, not just your work. Then, once the book comes out, don’t go it alone here either. Even great publishers will do relatively little to promote your book, so know up front that you will need some help. Set aside a promotion budget and retain a good media consultant. You will be glad you went to the professionals for help.” — Herta von Stiegel is the founder and CEO of Ariya Capital Group Limited, a fund manager focusing on sustainable investments in Africa. The firm operates from London, Gaborone, and the Channel Islands, and focuses on three mutually reinforcing sectors: clean energy, financial institutions, and telecommunications. In July 2008, she led a multinational and multi-ability team to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and co-produced the inspirational award-winning film ‘The Mountain Within,’ which she turned into an impressive book on the fundamentals and power of good leadership, in 2011.
8. Snag a great editor. “Your job as an author is to write the best book you possibly can. If the book isn’t good, everything else—getting an agent, finding (or keeping) a publisher, striving to hit the bestseller lists—is a moot point. That’s why everyone needs a great editor to help them whip their manuscript into shape. If you already have a publisher, then an editor comes with the deal. If you don’t, then you need to get your completed manuscript in the hands of a competent editor, preferably someone not related to you, who will give you critical feedback. Market research tells us time and again that the well-written novel, like the proverbial cream, will rise to the top. It isn’t rocket science. Write a good book, and it will sell. So get someone to help make sure it’s the best book you can turn out.” — Marcia Talley is the Agatha and Anthony award-winning author of The Last Refuge, and 10 other mystery novels featuring sleuth Hannah Ives. She also participated in two serial novels, Naked Came the Phoenix, and I’d Kill for That, which included chapters by 13 famous women mystery authors, and the more recent, No Rest for the Dead. Talley’s latest Hannah Ives mystery, A Quiet Death, hit bookstores in May 2011.
9. Help a publisher find you. “While many authors consider self-publishing, I think the better approach is to work with a well-known publishing house. The process is even better if the publisher finds you, which is what happened with my first book, The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions, (Freeman 2000). I had written an article on the same topic for the Scientific American, and the editor of their book publishing arm saw a copy of the galley proofs and asked me if I would turn it into a book. What he liked most, he said, was my style—something the lay public would want to read, not that they had to read to pass an exam. Having been an academic for most of my career, I could relate. Similarly, for my second book Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being, the editor of Harvard University Press heard me deliver a talk at an international conference and wanted me to turn it into a book. This time I was more hesitant, as I didn’t really want to write on the topic at the time. But he convinced me over coffee—and it turned out he knew what he was talking about. Healing Spaces has become an influential book that is now a PBS documentary and an Amazon bestseller.” — Dr. Esther Sternberg, an internationally recognized physician and neuroscientist, whose books include The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions, and Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-Being. Her PBS documentary explores how our brains, through the impact of light, vision, and environment, help us heal physically and emotionally.
10. Research potential agents like you research your book. “There is lots of great advice out there about what makes a good agent and how to find one, but one of the most important and often overlooked characteristics in an agent is whether or not the agent is seeking new writers. Keep an eye on the personnel news of websites and e-newsletters like Publishers Marketplace and Publishers Weekly. Hunt for agents who are new, or who have recently switched agencies, been promoted, or struck out on their own—they are much more likely to be seeking new writers. A new agent at an established agency can give you the best of both worlds: someone young, energetic, and open-minded, but with all the resources of a major agency.” — Jonathan McGoran is author of three D. H. Dublin forensic mysteries, as well as the upcoming thriller Drift, which will be published by Tor/Forge in 2013.
11. Stay in the chair. “The temptation for many writers is to get caught up in the angst of not knowing where to start or where to go next with a character or the plot. So they wiggle around—in their minds and their desk chairs. They get up, make some coffee, walk the dog. And all too often they give up. Authors lovingly call this writer’s block. I say hooey. Designate a chunk of time every day when you are going to do nothing but work on your book. Force yourself to keep your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard. And never talk to me about writer’s block. It’s a figment of your imagination. Put that energy to better use.” — Ridley Pearson is the bestselling author of nearly 30 books, including Peter and the Starcatchers, which he co-wrote with humorist Dave Barry. It has been turned into a musical, which hits Broadway this spring.
12. Make a thorough outline. “Staring at a blinking cursor on a blank Word doc is incredibly intimidating and overwhelming, so do yourself a favor and make a thorough outline. For my book, I made an initial, high-level outline that I shared with my editor and then kept drilling down and adding to it until it was very, very detailed and filled with lots of references and information I wanted to make sure to include and cite. It helped turn what initially felt like the prospect of climbing Mt. Everest all alone into the prospect of climbing a slightly smaller mountain with guides and help along the way. Hey, I won’t lie—it’s still climbing a mountain! And that’s hardly easy. But having an outline really helped me segment the work and feel good about finishing each section. I also printed out a copy of the outline so that I could actually draw lines—with a real pen on real paper—through each little part as I completed it. That helped somehow and made my progress tangible.” — LouAnn Lofton is a longtime editor at the finance firm, The Motley Fool, and the author of the 2011 bestselling investment primer, Warren Buffet Invests Like a Girl—and Why You Should, Too!
13. Know you’ll have to write a lot of junk before you get to the crux of the story you want to tell. “So don’t spend a lot of time stewing about the writing process, or you’ll get stuck in the idea that you need to do it a certain way that doesn’t feel right. Every writer needs to master their own process. Outlines, for example, don’t work for me. And for a while I was so caught up in the idea that I was supposed to write a nice, neat, comprehensive outline, that I didn’t write a thing. So I threw out the fantasy and just started digging in and writing what I felt like writing. I focused on quantity, and just got it all out of my head and onto the computer. I knew I’d go back and edit later. And I did. A lot.” — Rachel Machacek is the author of The Science of Single: One Woman’s Grand Experiment in Modern Dating, Creating Chemistry and Finding Love. She is working on her second book, which is not about dating.
14. Write with a friend. “While not every author has the chance to write with a close friend, in the two books we’ve written together we have found that the benefits in doing so are numerous. First of all, two people can write twice as fast and produce twice the number of words as one. Co-authoring also allowed us to take full advantage of each other’s personal experience and expertise. Perhaps best of all, the collaboration helped us spiritually and psychologically. When one of us was down, the other was there to offer optimism and encouragement. When one of us did something especially well, the other was there to offer congratulations. And in the end, nothing is more important than keeping your emotional stability during the long slog of writing a book.” — Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais are the co-authors of Millennial Makeover: My Space, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics (2008), and Millennial Momentum: How a New Generation Is Remaking America (2011).
15. Use the Meat and Salt Method. “To make the people and events in your book spring to life, remember this simple recipe: Start with a hearty helping of meat, which includes all the facts you’ll ever need to know to explain your story properly. And be sure to flavor it with plenty of salt—some juicy bits of humor or a few spicy anecdotes, for example. And one more thing: The facts aren’t always pretty. But I strongly believe that as authors, we have to be honest about the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of our past and present.” — Rosalyn Schanzer is an author and illustrator of 16 books for young people, including her latest, Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem, which won the Gold Medal for Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2011 and is a 2012 Sibert Honor Book (awarded to the five most distinguished nonfiction books of the year).
16. Write with the reader in mind. “I write books about HR topics, and I always think through what someone would need to know before I sketch what I think they should know. The reason is simple: Sometimes, what I think they need to know and what they really want to learn is very different, and if I tell them what I think they should want to know, I come across as ‘preachy.’ The fact is that adults learn at their own pace, so I do my best to step back and think about the topic from the point of view of someone who knows little or nothing, and then I go from there.” — Barbara Mitchell has been in the HR business for more than three decades. After selling her successful Millennium Group HR firm, she co-authored The Essential HR Handbook (2008) with her colleague Sharon Armstrong. In 2011, she co-wrote The Big Book of HR with Cornelia Gamlem. Both books were published by Career Press.
17. Write like no one is watching. “You were born to go out, hunt, gather, and survive, and that’s a far cry from sitting on your duff writing for hours each day. Humans writing books is about as natural as unicorns riding unicycles. Yet, we do it. Odd activities require odd behavior, so give yourself permission to read your book out loud. If you can’t get a sentence out without taking a breath, shorten it. If you’re lecturing to yourself like your high school English teacher, explain it in a way that a kindergartner could understand. And be a writer’s-block-buster! When your head gets clogged, jump around, wave your hands, and make any noise that comes naturally—disturbing or desirable. Really, no one is watching.” — Laura Berger is an executive advisor and founder of The Berdéo Group. She has 15 years of experience as a consultant advising leadership in global operations management and strategy, project and change management, and solution development and implementation. She co-wrote her 2012 book, Fall in Love Again, with her husband, Glen Tibaldeo.
18. Don’t edit while you’re writing. “It’s harder than it looks. But by following this advice, I was able to allow my ideas to flow and simply get everything that came into mind onto paper (or I guess more accurately, into my Word document). The trick was letting my ‘stream of consciousness’ do the work. Somehow, the information evolved, and one idea would remind me of a story that would lead to an example, idea, or action item to include. My focus was on getting my thoughts and ideas captured, and it was a relief to know that I didn’t need to be concerned, at that time, about grammar or punctuation or even whether information was in the right order. Once I had everything written, it was effective to go back and make the edits.” — Donna Fisher is an expert on the art of networking. Her books include Power Networking, People Power, Professional Networking for Dummies and Switched-On Networking.
19. Promote, promote, promote. “Once your book is published, the fun really begins. Now it’s time to start promoting it so you can sell copies. We always list our books on websites, and our favorites are the ones where you can offer signed copies as a prize because they get some great attention. More than 850 people entered to win our book as a prize, and that helped drive book sales and also helped the book get some nice reviews. So get savvy about getting the word out. Then keep at it.” — Sam Barry and Kathi Kamen Goldmark are the co-authors of Write That Book Already! Barry is also the author of How to Play the Harmonica—And Other Life Lessons.
20. Don’t expect the publisher to market your book. “They won’t. Or at least not much. So do something EVERY day to get the word out. Do speaking engagements on the topic, write articles, blog. You are the expert on the issue, so get out there. And give away as many copies as you can. It’s more important to get the book circulating—and develop good word of mouth—than to make a few pennies on royalties. So keep at it. Just as I learned that I have a capacity to write at 3 a.m. for several days in a row the week before the manuscript is due, I was able to put as much energy and passion into promoting the book. You can, too!” — Sharon Armstrong has more than 20 years of experience as a HR trainer and career counselor. Since launching her own consulting firm in 1998, she has written four books: Heeling the Canine Within: The Dog’s Self-Help Companion (1998), Stress-Free Performance Appraisals: Turn Your Most Painful Management Duty into a Powerful Motivational Tool (2003), The Essential HR Handbook: A Quick and Handy Guide for Any Manager or HR Professional (2008), and The Essential Performance Review Handbook (2010).
21. Remember, Facebook is your friend. “Working with a publisher to do the mechanics of book publishing—editing, proofing, graphics—is a valuable service that can be difficult to find and coordinate on our own. But if funds are tight when it comes to promoting the book and you can’t hire a professional publicist, get busy in the social media sphere. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all provide great platforms to expand your base and establish yourself as a thought leader on your book topic. These outreach outlets have helped get my recent book off to a terrific start.” — Andy Hines is a futurist, lecturer, and executive-in-residence at the University of Houston’s Graduate Program in Futures Studies. He co-founded and is currently on the board of the Association of Professional Futurists and has co-authored four books, including Thinking About the Future: Guidelines for Strategic Foresight (2007), and his latest, ConsumerShift: How Changing Values Are Reshaping the Consumer Landscape.
22. Know when you don’t have another book in you. “I actually don’t know if I have an 11th book in me. When I look back to the beginning of my career as an author, I simply had to get the word out. My latest book, Enchantment, was the same experience. I had a burning desire to talk to people about what it means to be enchanting in business. Before I published the book, I knew that I was drawing a bull’s-eye on my back, and that if I was going to teach others to be enchanting, I’d better be a good role model. So if I go through the writing and selling process again, I’d better have something important to say—or there will be no point in attempting the endeavor. I’ll keep you posted.” — Guy Kawasaki is the author of 10 books, including the bestselling titles Enchantment and The Art of the Start. He is also credited with being one of the entrepreneurial geniuses who helped make Apple Computer into the mega success that it is today. Kawasaki is also a founder of Alltop.com, an online magazine rack of hot web topics.
