How to Become a Bestselling, Full-Time Novelist — It’s SO Easy!
By Dan Blank | August 28, 2015 |
Photo by Ming Zia
Since I teach a lot of online courses, I tend to seek out and study other online training offers. These may be blog posts, courses, webinars, workshops, conferences, and so much else.
Many of these appear to be very high quality, full of value. But it’s also not uncommon for me to see:
- People selling incredible results with a minimal amount of effort.
- People basing their training programs on what amounts to a “case study of one.” For example, they landed on Amazon’s Top 100 list with three of their books, and will now show you how to do it with yours.
I recently saw a pitch for a training program to teach you how to write a bestselling book in less than a week. Yep. It was specifically described as being “easy.”
In today’s post, I’m here to take my turn at teaching you how to make your book a bestseller, then use that system to make all future books bestsellers. And I’m giving you this for free. Because that is how generous I am. And humble. (Please don’t forget how humble I am.)
Here’s my simple formula for your overnight success:
- Write a really, really good book. But don’t take too long to do it or you won’t be guaranteed to hit the bestseller list in a week (i.e., you’ll mess up the formula). Write a lot of words, every day, really fast.
- If you already have a “success story,” that’s a big plus because you can use it to gain credibility. If you don’t have one, you should go get one. This will help you become a bestseller.
- Have a big personality. (Practice in front of the mirror if you need to.)
- Befriend “Influencers”™.
- Have an email list. You may not be able to sell a lot of books if you don’t have a big list.
- Ensure everyone you know (personal and on the list) is prepared to clear their schedule so they purchase your book and/or post a review on Amazon the day your book is released.
- Make your book free or cheap, or offer an unbelievable special promotion. Like, give away $300 worth of stuff to anyone who downloads your $1.99 ebook.
- Ensure the ebook moves purchasers into a marketing funnel for your services/products/platform which is where the real money is. If you don’t have other services/products/platform, you need to create those.
- Continue selling success — rinse, repeat.
See how easy that is? You’re welcome.
Yes, I intend for all of that to be satire. Too often, I see “easy dreams” sold to people in high pressure sales. “You will miss out if you don’t act now.”
One thing that is NOT satire is my deep respect for Chuck Wendig and Hugh Howey. Each of them recently shared details around their writing process, which I will outline here as incredible case studies of the dedication and stamina involved in the reality of being a writer.
But note: this information is worth thousands of dollars; please see the PayPal link below to send me that money.
Let’s dig in…
Chuck Wendig
Chuck shared his daily writing process in this blog post, and here is the big teaser:
“I tend to write a new novel every one to four months. That’s first draft. Edits take longer.”
This is Chuck’s daily routine:
- He wakes up at 6 a.m.
- Chuck had a shed built in his backyard that acts as his writing studio.
- He addresses important email and social media tasks first.
- By 7 a.m., he is into writing mode. He uses Microsoft Word.
- He writes 2,000 – 3,000+ words per day. He says, “For me, 2K is a barely passing grade. A D+.”
- Of these, the first 1,000 words are more “sluggish” than the rest, and he gets these out of the way in an hour.
- By early afternoon, he’s done writing. That’s about six hours of writing time per day. This is just books and big projects, mind you. His prolific blog mostly gets written on the weekend.
- He tracks how many words he has written each day in a spreadsheet, and has weekly goals. These goals build up to an overall “writing plan,” because deadlines are a thing that exist.
- The afternoon is spent with “administrative or extraneous stuff, outlines, emails, spreadsheets, finances.”
- He checks in on social media throughout the day, including during short breaks in his morning writing time.
Hugh Howey
In this interview, Hugh Howey gives us full access to his writing process:
- He writes in the morning, and uses Microsoft Word.
- He writes on his laptop and brings it with him everywhere.
- He generally writes for 2-3 hours per day, and sometimes does full days (8-12 hours) of writing, which amounts to 5,000 – 7,000 words.
- He encourages people to view writing as exercise. “Open up the document, turn off the Internet, and start writing.”
- He has a reading habit that exactly follows these numbers; 2-3 hours of reading per day. He uses the Kindle Voyage for reading.
- He tries to do the same thing everyday so that he makes fewer decisions. This means the same daily habits, same outfit, same meals.
- He generally doesn’t listen to music while writing, but will do so occasionally to get inspired.
- He is a believer in venturing out to have new experiences, meet new people, find new observations to fuel his writing. “Observe the world. Carry around a notebook. Describe strangers. Describe settings.”
The final thing that Hugh shares about his writing process is that he writes wherever he is, regardless of what else is happening:
“I can write anywhere. Yesterday, I’m at a family reunion, and I’m sitting at a table with a lot of conversations, a lot going on. I wrap up a work and hit publish and published right there from a dining room table. I’ve published while up on a panel. Right before the panel started, I was putting the finishing touches on a piece. They were doing introductions, and I’m hitting publish under the table. Sitting on curbs, waiting on taxis, on a book tour — Sand, that entire novel I wrote while in Europe on book tour. I wrote that book across nine different countries without a word of that rough draft written in the U.S. You can’t have an excuse. ‘Well, I’m traveling today, so I’m not going to write.’ My attitude is, if you take a day off, you’re giving yourself an excuse to two, or three, or four days off.”
Again, I love how Chuck and Hugh share the reality of what their lives look like. Personally, I find inspiration in learning about their processes. Yet, there is one important caveat to keep in mind when trying to turn your own vision into success…
In the book Art & Fear, authors David Bayles and Ted Orland describe the value of knowing other artists’ processes this way:
“The important point is not that you have — or don’t have — what other artists have, but rather that it doesn’t matter. Whatever they have is something needed to do their work — it wouldn’t help you in your work even if you had it. Their magic is theirs. You don’t lack it. You don’t need it. It has nothing to do with you. Period.”
Despite this, I do think there are some universal takeaways from what Chuck and Hugh share here:
- Have a process. A process that works for you. Don’t wait for the muse.
- Learn to create even when the world is signaling cues that you could be doing something else.
- Write when unmotivated.
- Write, even when it’s crap.
- Publish; or at least have clear goals with deadlines.
Can you achieve bestseller status in a week? Perhaps. Is bestseller status guaranteed if you follow someone’s ‘secret’ formula? No. No, it’s not. But if we look at case studies like Chuck Wendig, Hugh Howey, and so many others, I believe we can all agree that good habits, hard work, and perseverance can pay off.
What is YOUR writing process like? Do you have a tried-and-true formula for success? If so, can I buy it from you for $19.95?
-Dan
Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers share their stories and connect with readers. He has helped hundreds of authors via online courses, events, consulting, and workshops, and worked with amazing publishing houses and organizations who support writers such as Random House, Workman Publishing, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer’s Digest, Library Journal, and many others.
Love the post Dan. Every time I see a post titled along the lines of ‘Write A Best Selling Novel In 30 Days” I want to reach into my laptop and slap them. Reminds me of the ‘snake oil’ salesman of the pioneer days. Overnight success, apart from hard work, is such a rarity for authors, or anyone for that matter, it should be against the law to even bring it up. I didn’t read Chucks post, but it doesn’t surprise me. The man is a writing machine.
Thank you so much Shawn!
“Their magic is theirs.” Among all your wonderful points today, this one jumped out at me. Any kind of “magic” in writing is personal, and I agree that we must create our own kind of magic in our work. I’m so tired of hearing that we are wired for this or for that, and if you follow this blueprint or the follow these twenty steps you’ll write a best seller and sell millions of books. For me, any kind of predestination or pattern locks off creativity. I need to feel free and idle to write, but that’s just me. The most successful writers ARE finding their own magic. Thank you Dan for reminding us about the path of self-trust. Art & Fear is a title I’m not familiar with. On my list now. Thanks.
Thank you Paula! And yes, I highly recommend Art & Fear.
Have a great day.
-Dan
Thanks for the post as well for quoting Chuck and Hugh. I’m very impressed with their word count. The other day I reached 2000 and thought I’d broken a record. I had, it was my PR, and that’s important. But I’m also not Chuck or Hugh and have to realize that I’ve got to care out my writing life. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank YOU Carol!
-Dan
Thanks for the entertaining post Dan!
Thank you!
“Have a process. A process that works for you. Don’t wait for the muse.”
Of all the pearls of wisdom in your post, these were the best take-aways for me. I won NaNoWriMo three times, but I was never comfortable with 1,667 words a day for 30 days. My sweet spot is about 500 good words a day. I know other writers who “binge-write” once or twice a week and it works for them. There is no single method that is going to work for every writer out there, but every writer needs to have a process. Thanks for another great post, Dan.
Thank you!
Great post, Dan! Having a writing process is important to manufacture work. Time is important to finish the work. Desire and passion are necessary to keep improving your craft to produce good work. Confidence is necessary to market your work. Relationships are what sustain you while you are doing the work. Perseverance is necessary to continue to do all of those things until you become a bestseller.
Love that – thanks!
I love Chuck. Thanks for the introduction to Hugh!
I set a daily goal and make a list. Some days blow up, because life, but even a little progress is still progress!
Nanowrimo is a great way to get into the writing habit. I had no idea if I could do it. The wordcounter became my carrot and I finished in three weeks. Now I use a meter on my site. I update it in my widgets. It works for me:
http://www.svenjaliv.com/wordmeter/
You can deposit the $19.95 in my Swiss bank account.
Love the word meter! Thanks!
-Dan
Oh, the irony!
I turn to the internet instead of blocking it and getting to work – to find you telling me to block the internet and get to work! (Late night, got up late.)
So I set the ten-minute timer, and promise myself that when it goes off, I WILL start up Freedom and get back to those final edits.
So, method: Look to the internet to get me off the internet. Success rate: not so good, but I really do like writing, so I get to it as soon as I can corral my brain from wherever it is that it goes when I’m not using it.
Have a great day, sir! You may send the $19.95 to my email address.
PS: Wish me well – they really ARE final edits.
Alicia, wishing you the wellest of wells: congrats on getting to final edits!
Thank you Alicia!
Love this! Very funny. I especially love this point: “If you don’t have [a success story] go out and get one.” And I guess, if that’s the only thing you need, you can use the Express Lane at the grocery story which will make even faster!
I understand completely what Hugh and Chuck are saying about daily word count, just do it, even if it’s crap. It makes so much sense. Why is it still so hard to just do it?
Thanks so much! Yes, Nike really hit a nerve with that slogan… “Just Do It.” Because that is the crux of it all!
In the past, I’ve noticed that output didn’t matter whether I was working full time or on summer break and had all the time in the world, it was all dependent on me and my decisions to write.
My process is currently changing. I am currently unemployed, and last Friday I was pretty much offered a (non-writing) job. The supervisor told me take the weekend to decide if the job was what I wanted and would work for me. My husband and I decided that, instead of going straight to work after our move, I could take some time to make writing my job. And that is why my process is changing. I realized last week that I’ve been kind of lazy, and now that my husband is letting me mooch off of him for several months, I’m taking that time seriously. Writing is now my job, I feel accountable to spend the time I would be at a non-writing job writing, and so I am focused on getting things done, instead of enjoying the process. Now, I really don’t think this will propel me into super-stardom. However, I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do, when given the time and having the right attitude about using the time.
And, there is something to be said about having the time available. Right now, as long as I don’t waste the time, I don’t have to make choices about what I’m going to do with it – I can write, I can do some marketing, spend time with developing social media, and still keep the house clean, unpack, exercise, and interact with my kids and husband. When working a full time job, writing and being a mom, I had to prioritize more. It’s not an excuse, just a reality for me. Where I fell short was not totally utilizing the time I did have available, when I could. Being lazy. :)
Thanks for the interesting post!
Lara: WOW, congratulations on this!!! So exciting. If you need any advice along the way, feel free to reach out to me directly: dan@wegrowmedia.com
I’d love to hear how things go. Thanks!
-Dan
Thanks so much for the offer!
Dan, my formula is compact and simple: I use “Kardashian” as the main parts of speech in all my titles. For instance, my latest novel: “Kardash and Ian: A Kardashianingly Kardashed Tale of the Kardashians, Replete with Kars, Dashes and Ians.”™
Now, go out and conquer.
Tom,
You just gave me an idea for next month’s Writer Unboxed post!
:)
Thanks.
-Dan
Loved your post, Dan. And I esp. loved the line about the magic being our own. I’ve been writing for a dozen years now and every couple of years, the process changes as my kids grow and the routine changes. I used to be a night-time writer, but now an afternoon writer. But one thing is consistent. Thinking, praying and plotting while I wash dishes, walk the dog, or catnap.
Secret of my success: marry well, have kids, get a cat or two, and definitely a dog.
Vijaya,
Ah, so next month I should write about DOGS — the essential ingredient to a successful writing career! :) Thanks so much.
-Dan
Thanks for the laugh, and the reminder to get back to writing! In the end it always comes back to doing the hard work. :-)
Indeed! Thanks Gwen!
Hello Dan. Thanks for your readable, thought-provoking post.
It’s especially useful to have people in the how-to-write/publish business willing to provide cautions. Just as certain weather conditions aggravate health problems (think allergies, or arthritis), self-publishing has spawned all too many hucksters who ring changes on the bestseller-in-less-than-a-week scam you offer as an example.
It should be noted, though, that anyone–anyone at all–who falls for such a scheme knows nothing whatever about how hard the work of writing is. And whose fault is that?
But there are other scams that are much more subtle, in which the writer doesn’t have to be hopelessly naïve. I count myself among such people. Taken to the cleaners by a high-profile, respected book marketer, I learned the hard way that there’s something else to watch for: marketers and experts who sell “packages” that involve no risk or responsibility on the part of the marketer.
I happen to think the only fair way for book marketers to operate is on the agent/author model. Like an agent, the marketer would read someone’s work, and see commercial potential. He/she would charge a startup fee, but agree to a percentage of the author’s royalties to make up most of his/her compensation. That’s how it works for literary agents.
This isn’t going to happen, but in my view it should. Why does it make sense in business terms for someone to sell products, but assume no responsibility for whether or not they’re effective?
As for the writers you use to illustrate what’s involved for anyone who truly wants to be a successful full-time writer, I note something interesting. Both men think in strict quantitative terms. Chuck Wendig says he bangs out “a new novel every one to four months.” If I follow what you say, Hugh Howey (writing on curbs, in bathrooms, under the dining table) pumps out about 5,000 to 7,000 words per day.
These numbers are phenomenal, and bear little resemblance to what other serious writers should expect of themselves. Unless, that is, assembly-line production is their principal measure of success. The really amazing thing is that these two men produce works that lots of people enjoy reading. It must also be noted that both writers are extremely skilled at manipulating social media for marketing purposes.
I prefer to learn from finished books, and to not focus on the gross tonnage produced each day by the writer.
Thanks for your thoughts Barry.
You’re more than welcome, Dan.
Love the nice dose of reality that your post delivered. I know there is no magic out there. The magic is within us – hard work, talent and luck. Now. back to work! :)
Thanks Diana!
-Dan
I have an alarm set on my phone. It says “Write the damn book already!”
Nice! You should make it an app that others can download. :)
-Dan
“Write when you are unmotivated.” One of many simple but necessary points you’ve made in this terrific post. For me, I suffer from a chronic illness. Some days I feel great. Some days I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus while hungover, which makes sitting at my computer unbearable. But I press on, doing the best I can do under my circumstances, and just trust that perseverance is the secret to reaching any worthwhile goal. Thanks for a great post. Im happy to share it today on FB and Twitter.
Thank you Karen!
Love it. Loved that start. If only. Long game really counts here. I live down the road from Lorde (yes the singer) who’s rise appeared metrical. But she was signed up years ago and groomed and marketed. Point is nothing happens overnight or very rarely.
Thanks Shane!
Fabulous post!! Thank you!!
Thanks Stacy!
Great post. Thank you for the humor. Even though I “know” it, it’s a relief to read your words. I often wonder what I’m doing wrong with two books published and about as many readers. It’s always in the process and always in the books. So, back to work!
Thanks Stacey!
You mention “hard work” like many others do as an ingredient for success as a writer. I take exception to this. Today I work less than half an hour a day and earn a better income than 99 percent of writers do.
These words of wisdom by people much smarter than me apply:
“It’s better to do a sub-par job on the right project than an excellent job on the wrong project.”
— Robert J. Ringer
“It’s not enough to be the best at what you do. You must be perceived as the only one who does what you do.”
— Jerry Garcia
“Even the most careful and expensive marketing plans cannot sell people a book they don’t want to read.”
— Michael Korda, former Editor-in-Chief at Simon & Schuster
“The shortest and best way to make your fortune is to let people see clearly that it is in their interests to promote yours.”
— Jean de La Bruyére
“Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity.”
— Christopher Morley
In short, forget about hard work. If hard work is the key to success, why not go to the coal mines of South Africa and work 18 hours a day? Perfection and hard work are vastly overrated. Putting in a somewhat lazy and less-than-perfect performance on a well thought-out, world-shaking project will pay off a thousand times more than putting in a flawless and bust-your-ass performance on a pie-in-the-sky project that defies common sense. With over 875,000 copies of my books (mainly self-published) sold worldwide, I have the results to prove that this is true.
Ernie J. Zelinski
The Prosperity Guy
“Helping Adventurous Souls Live Prosperous and Free”
Author of the Bestseller “How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free”
(Over 260,000 copies sold and published in 9 languages)
and the International Bestseller “The Joy of Not Working”
(Over 280,000 copies sold and published in 17 languages)
Congrats Ernie! Glad you found what works well for you.
-Dan
Great article, Dan! I always look forward to your writing style, and content.
BTW, for $19.99 you can have my wisdom AND a cup of coffee.
Here is my writing week, as it has been for 15 years and 10 novels (only exception is when I am in between projects…then I need to decompress for a week or two):
Mon-Thurs
Up @ 7:30
Eat a good breakfast
Go to gym
Home at 10
Coffee clutch with artist husband (invaluable idea time)
Check emails, sales, social junk from 10:30-11
11:00, Internet off
Write, rewrite, edit, etc. (in Word)
2:30 stop writing, no matter where I am in the great scheme of things (1,000 or 5,000 words, does not matter to me at all)
Off to work (I tutor from 3-8)
Come home and crash on the couch with my supper
Friday:
Eat, gym, coffee clutch, housecleaning, yard work, grocery shopping, laundry, etc.
No writing on Fri
Sat/Sun:
Pool, beach, hang with friends, market current project, social media junk, talk to family, take a drive, fly a kite, read a lot, prep for the coming week
No writing on Sat or Sun unless I am on a deadline with my agent
For me, it is all about balance. If I do not have balance, I keel over, and then my writing and other aspects of my life go to pot.
Life is a gift. Immerse yourself in the art of creating. Carve your own unique path to success. Work Smart. Love Others and Self fully. Eat great food. Laugh a bunch. Enjoy all moments, whether writing or not.
: )
Great Ideas I’ve already tried out some, but since I’m still learning, I will try out the rest anything that will help me to promote and sell my books. Mind Process and Formulas-Jamaican and Caribbean Recipes
Thanks!
Thanks Leslie! REALLY helpful.