Bestseller Interviews

If there’s one person on the planet that knows everything about how to write a best-selling book, it’s John Kremer. Besides writing a number of books himself, John is the world’s foremost expert on all forms of book marketing. He’s collected endorsements from legends like Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, and Deepak Chopra, all of whom credit him for their success.

I can also vouch for the quality of his work. Over the past year, I’ve collected dozens of books on how to write a bestseller, and his is by far the best. Sitting at over 700 Pages, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books is probably the most comprehensive book available. You can buy it through his web site.

Here’s the interview:

1. Question: You’ve consulted with hundreds of authors, from best-selling superstars to the aspiring nobody. What’s the biggest difference you see between those who make it and those who don’t?Answer: Persistence and a willingness to do the work themselves rather than try to find someone else to promote their books.
2. Question: Of all the promotion techniques you list in 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, which one is most important for creating a bestseller? Why?Answer: There’s not one that’s most important. It really depends on the book. For example, for self-help and spiritual titles, speaking is the most important tool for creating a bestseller. Speak at churches, learning programs, garden clubs, chambers of commerce, Friends of the Library, etc. For novels, reviews and interviews are the most important tools. For other books, it might be Internet marketing and PR, bookstore appearances, or other events.
3. Question: Publishers and agents always tout the importance of having a platform. If you’re completely unknown, what are some ways you can start building one? 

   Answer: The easiest way to build a platform these days is to write a blog that gets attention. But writing such a blog takes time, both in the writing and in the promotion. A second option would be to write a regular column for a well-visited website that already exists. That way you don’ t have to get involved in the promotional part. Having a regular column at ivillage.com, The Huffington Post or some similarly well-known and much-visited website can make a huge impact on your visibility.

4. Question: How important is it to start a speaking career before you publish your nonfiction book? Is it also important if you’re going to publish fiction? 

   Answer: Establishing a speaking career before publishing a book is not essential, especially for fiction. But even with nonfiction, you can wait until your book is published before establishing a speaking career. Of course, if you do have a speaking career, you have a great platform for selling the manuscript to a publisher as well as selling books once published.

5. Question: Is it possible to become a best-selling author without a huge audience, such as the millions of people that read Chicken Soup for the Soul or Harry Potter? Should you go for the masses or a niche? 

   Answer: Bestselling books come in both flavors: mass-market interest and niche titles. Of course, you can’t become a bestselling author if you write for checkers enthusiasts or some other niche market unless you write in such a way that your book touches a universal nerve. That’s why some mountain-climbing books made the bestseller lists a few years ago, because they dealt with tragedies, life-and-death moments that touch us all.

   You will never become a bestseller, though, if you focus on trying to find the audience rather than writing about your passion. Bestselling books arise out of the author’s passion, not out of calculated attempts to sell books.

6. Question: Is it easier for a book to become a bestseller when it’s published with a large company like Random House? Why or why not? 

   Answer: It is easier to become a bestseller if you are published by one of the top 10 publishers. They have the distribution muscle to get the book in more stores than you could ever do on your own or even with a smaller publisher. They also have more connections with key media that can make a difference.

   If you measure bestseller status by the New York Times, USA Today, or Publishers Weekly bestseller lists, it’s easy to see that 90% plus of the titles come from the top 10 publishers. Those stats clearly indicate that the bigger publishers control most of the bestseller spots.

   But, if the larger publisher isn’t commited to your book, then you will have an easier time creating a bestseller by publishing it yourself. But you will have your work cut out for you.

7. Question: How can an author convince their publisher to spend more money on advertising or publicity? Or is the author completely responsible for both? 

   Answer: A publisher should be responsible for most advertising and publicity. The only way an author can convince a publisher to spend more money on either is to get a large advance from them in the first place. If the publisher has commited money to a large advance, then the publisher will generally commit more to publicity and promotion.

8. Question: Lots of first-time authors believe that writing a bestseller will make you filthy rich. Is this true, and what would you guess the average first-time author receives in advances and royalties? 

   Answer: The average first-time author makes about $5 to $10 thousand on a book’s royalties and advances. The author of a bestselling book can make from $50 thousand on up to millions. It all depends on the actual number of copies sold, the royalty rates in the contract, and the subsidiary rights sold.

9. Question: If your book reaches bestseller status, what are some other ways that an author can turn their fame into income? How much money have some authors made? 

   Answer: When a book reaches bestseller status, it opens many doors for the author to write additional books, write well-paid magazine articles, do more speaking engagements, consult, coach, etc. In fact, most book authors make more money from outside sources than from book sales.

   How much can you make as a bestselling author? Well, Tom Clancy was the first half-billion dollar author. J.K. Rowling is the first author to become a billionaire from writing books (and selling subsidiary rights to movies, etc.). There have been other billionaire authors, but their billions came from other sources. Oprah, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, etc. have all had a number of bestsellers, but their wealth was generated primarily from other work and investments.

10. Question: After this interview, I’m hoping lots of authors will go to your web site and purchase your products and services. If they’re hearing about you for the first time, what would you recommend they buy first? 

    Answer: If they haven’t bought my book, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, they should do that first. Then, at some point, they should either hire me as a consultant or attend one of my Book Marketing Blast-Off Seminars. For specific needs, I also sell reports on distribution, bookstore sales, rights sales, etc. They can find out more about all those reports, databases, audios, etc. at my BookMarket.com website.

If you enjoyed this post, click here to subscribe for automatic updates.