Infographic: The Bestseller Formula - Should You Follow It?
Waterstones came out with an inforgraphic and blog a couple of years ago that was based on meticulous research. A group of individuals wanted to find out if they could take sales information and turn it into a definitive formula for a best selling book. At first glance, even I was mesmerized by the idea that this blog could put a best seller in the hands of an indie author just starting out in self publishing. It was too enticing to resist the read, but then as I saw the results, I began to think about it. The research is actually very compelling, and I do think it is worth your time as a writer or publisher to give it a look as your genre, even if not the "winning" genre, is covered in the statistics given. However, the result was this: thriller and crime books set in America containing lawyer and detective main characters. It apparently also helps if you have already published 13 other books and won 4 awards. But don't go out and scrap your latest fantasy or sci-fi novel just yet because I am here to tell you that a formula does not mean anything when it comes to an artistic talent. It is a publisher's job to worry about these metrics and not the creative thinker who would surely be stifled by such a proposition as writing only in this narrow box. Now, if you enjoy writing these types of novels and are skilled, please go for this. But I know that as a paranormal author and romance writer that the writing and character development would likely be poor if I set out to do a crime novel and publish it right away, even though I am a great writer. If you are still in doubt about your talent, remember that the greatest success story of our age was about a young, orphan boy who found out he was a wizard.
