What makes a New York Times best selling book?

Ever wonder what makes a New York Times Best Seller? I did. I decided to do some research to figure out what I can do to make my future children’s book be on the top of that list. I did learn that a best selling books either has to sell “many copies in a week “ or over time “sell steadily over months and years.” Even with that said, just because you think your book will be a best seller, it is also a gamble. A strong following for a certain topic or for an individual writer can help the promotion and marketing of the book, but the book itself based on the quality is what keeps reader’s buying it. Some of the best author’s out in the book world still have flops which makes the publishing industry have no guarantee on what will sell. 

With the digital age of technology, The New York Times has even begun changing their formats for best sellers by adding ebooks to their list. Although the Times still has to wait and see how ebooks are determined for bestsellers, ebooks have been outselling print and this trend will only continue. 

Not everyone is concerned with the New York Times best seller status, take indie writer, Amanda Hocking, the Kindle store’s best selling indie author. She is able to sell 100,000 copies in a month due to her low production cost, selling ebooks from $.99 to $3. It is because of the low cost she is able to generate millions by keeping 70% of her book sales. 

As an upcoming children’s book writer, I can only say that it would be great to have the best of both world’s. Which means having my book be on the New York Times best seller list and having it sell volumes in a week and plenty more over time. Like many writer’s out there, I would like my work to be read and well received. I want a career in being a children’s writer, I don’t just want a one hit wonder. 

Sources

Bloomgarden-Smoke, K. (2011). The New York Times Ebook Bestseller List, Now In Print. The New York Observer. Retrieved from: http://www.observer.com/2011/tech/new-york-times-ebook-bestseller-list-will-soon-be-printed

Boss, S. (2007, May 13). The Greatest Mystery: Making a Best Seller. The New York Times. Retrieved from:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/business/yourmoney/13book.html?pagewanted=all

Gobry, P. (2011, February 28). This 26-Year-Old Is Making Millions Cutting Out Traditional Publishers With Amazon Kindle. Business Insider SAI. Retrieved from: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-02-28/tech/29960359_1_kindle-store-book-sales-publishing

The New York Times. (2011). Best Sellers. The New York Times. Retrieved from: 

http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/overview.html