Chapter 1 The Incomparable Thrill

A Mount Olympus for Authors * First the Struggle, Then the Thrill * Tremendous Rewards, But Tremendous Pressure

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The Making of a Bestseller synopsis
Authors, editors, agents, experts and booksellers interviewed
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The first chapter of The Making of a Bestseller Chapter One

A Mount Olympus for Authors

Bestselling authors are the gods and goddesses of the publishing industry. They occupy a special place, and the air is truly rare, up there. They don’t run into many other people where they live. The Spago restaurant on Authors’ Mount Olympus always has a table waiting for them, and someone else always picks up the tab. The phrase “it’s lonely at the top” has never been more applicable than to the world of the bestselling author.

For a lucky few authors, the rise to the bestseller list is meteoric—they might even achieve it with their very first book as did Allison Pearson, Brad Meltzer, and Jennifer Weiner. For most, though, a writing career builds slowly, painstakingly, and reaching the bestseller lists comes much later, after two, five, even ten books.

Dan Brown, Author

Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code has experienced phenomenal success. It has been on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 79 straight weeks, primarily in the number one position, becoming one of the most widely read books of all time. Worldwide, sales are almost 15 million copies. In every country where The Da Vinci Code has so far been translated and published, it has either debuted at or climbed to number one. In early 2004, after the publication of The Da Vinci Code, Dan’s previous books Digital Fortress, Deception Point, and Angels and Demons, all held spots on the New York Times bestseller list during the same week.

How did you feel when you found out for the first time The Da Vinci Code had made the bestseller list for the first time? “Stunned. I was all alone in a coffee shop in Seattle (my first stop book tour) when my editor called with the news that The Da Vinci Code would debut at number one. After falling off my chair and spilling my coffee, I remember wandering the streets of Seattle in a daze for a couple of hours. At some point I remember realizing that no matter what happened in the following weeks, I would forever have a number one bestseller to my name. Of course, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that The Da Vinci Code would still be number one more than a year later.

Other than the money, how has having a book on the bestseller list changed your life? “A lot more pressure. A lot less privacy.”

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Whatever the timeline—blazingly fast, or agonizingly slow—the first thing you realize when you talk to a number of bestselling authors is the passion, the zeal for writing they share. The bestselling author-to-be is not the one you overhear at the coffee house near the university saying, “Ahh, if only I didn’t have all these time-draining teaching responsibilities, I could sit down and become the next (Faulkner, Hemingway, fill in your favorite).” The bestselling author of five years from now is getting up at 4:00 AM and writing for three hours before she has to go to work. And if we could somehow interview this undiscovered talent, she would say, “I don’t want to be the next. . .whoever I want to be the first and only me. My voice is unique, and it needs to be heard.”

Jonathan Galassi, President and Publisher, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, LLC,

What makes a great literary "voice"? “A great literary voice is always something new – a voice that is sui generis expertly makes use of language to put across a particular way of seeing. Often, you can tell this right away, in the first sentences or paragraphs. It has nothing to do with what the book is ostensibly ‘about.’ What it’s really ‘about’ is the mind of the writer. Needless to say, other factors enter in later – accessibility, coherence, consistency, subject matter, etc., etc. But the impact of a real voice is immediate and often overwhelming. It doesn’t happen terribly often, needless to say.”

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First the Struggle, Then the Thrill

Bestselling authors are not necessarily immediately recognized as having work with great commercial potential. They generally go through the same difficult process as all authors do to get their first work into print. After the momentary ecstasy of seeing their first book in the stores, an apprentice period lasting a number of years, and a number of books, can follow before the author reaches reach even the lowest rung on the bestseller list.

Catherine Coulter, Author

Catherine Coulter is an incredibly prolific and versatile novelist, at home in the suspense/thriller genre, as well as historical romance and contemporary romance. In 1988, she first appeared on the New York Times bestseller list with Moonspun Magic,the third novel of the Magic trilogy. She has continued to hit the New York Times bestseller list more than 59 times in a row, as well as the USA Today, and Publishers Weekly lists. More than 40 million copies of her books are in print. Among her most popular books are her “FBI series” thrillers featuring married FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock. Some of Catherine’s popular titles include, Blowout, Blindside, The Cove, Hemlock Bay and Riptide.

How did you feel when you first made the bestseller list? “Hitting the bestseller list means hitting the New York Times bestseller list for the first time, not the USA Today list or the Publishers Weekly list or any of the other big newspaper lists. It’s a very mysterious thing to me why the publishing industry set up The New York Timesas the torch bearer for bestsellerdom, but at some point in the past they did and now we all have to live with it. How did I feel? It’s a moment you’ll remember until you croak. Everyone remembers exactly what they were doing, what they were feeling. It is a very, very big thing psychologically. For me, it was in August 1987 at 7:30 in the morning when my editor called me. ‘You made the New York Times.’It was a total surprise although it shouldn’t have been because my numbers had grown so that reaching critical mass was just a matter of time. You could have drowned in the champagne that day.”

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Stephen King’s Carrie was the fifth novel he’d written. James Patterson’s first mystery was turned down by 31 publishers (but later won an Edgar Award). Mary Higgins Clark’s first story took 6 years and 41 rejection slips before it was finally published. Her first novel was, as she puts it, “a commercial disaster.” Her second, Where Are the Children? was a bestseller. Janet Evanovich’s first three attempts were, in her own words “sucky un-sellable manuscripts.” Time and time again bestselling authors have learned the same lesson: With great diligence, and unwavering devotion to the craft of writing, “sucky” can eventually turn into sublime.

Peyton Place, by Grace Metalious, which became the number three bestseller for all of 1956, and raised the bar for spicier romantic fiction, was rejected by more than a dozen publishers before it found a home. Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, still popular and topical 60 years after publication, initially faced rejection. So did the Harper Lee classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, which was later made into a movie for which Gregory Peck won an Academy Award (and is still on every child’s school reading list). The legendary Joy of Cooking was initially self-published and didn’t cause editors to boil over with enthusiasm. And even Dr. Seuss’ first book faced rejection. (Horton may have Heard a Who, but unfortunately he didn’t hear from a publisher for a long time.)

The difference is, that after the first big success, the doors to the publishing houses are forever open to the authors who make the bestseller list. Instead of pursuing editors at the major houses, the authors become the ones being pursued. And looking back, they don’t recall their early career as characterized by rejection; it seems more like “success delayed.”

The defining difference between the would-be author and the bestselling author-to-be occurs at that critical moment when it is easiest to say, “To hell with it. I don’t need all this pain. I’ll go do something else.” That is the moment the bestselling author-to-be simply shrugs and returns to the word processor relatively unscathed by whatever negative comments the gatekeeper (agent, editor), or even the marketplace, might have said.

No one can take away the joy of putting the beautiful words on the page. That joy is the sustaining element. Years later, the same negative comments that lacerated the authors who gave up become humorous cocktail party stories for the author celebrating as 17th straight appearance on the New York Times bestseller list.

You also notice that these perennially bestselling authors have more words inside of them, bursting to get out, than the average author. Their output is amazing. Recall the episode of the TV series Frasier where the Crane brothers had the opportunity to meet one of their beloved authors from their college years, T. H. Houghton (Robert Prosky), who had written exactly one book, was hailed for his literary genius, and then spent the next 20 years wondering if he had anything more to say. Finally, he came out with his next manuscript, which he didn’t like and threw out the window of Frasier’s condo. While this fictional writer of fiction was ruminating for 20 some years, probably in the same coffee house as the professor we met earlier, real-life mystery author Patricia Cornwell has had 17 books published. Danielle Steel has produced 60 novels, 10 children’s books, and 2 nonfiction books. Jude Deveraux has written over 40 books.

Surprisingly, becoming a bestselling author was not necessarily the goal of the writers who have gotten there, and it certainly wasn’t their primary motivation for pursuing a writing career. J.K. Rowling has sold several hundred million copies of her Harry Potter books. She has said repeatedly in interviews that she greatly appreciates all the fame, fortune and movie deals that have resulted from the books. But she maintains the greatest thrill was simply finding out the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,was going to be published. To be able to say she was a published author was her dream from childhood, a dream she didn’t let go of even though she wasn’t actually published until she was past 30 years old.

Even if you don’t quite believe the romantic, if rather Dickensian, story of the struggling but plucky single mum in Edinburgh, Scotland, who had to type extra copies of her manuscript to send out to prospective agents because she didn’t have enough money to go to the local Kinko’s—you still have to admire the fact J.K. Rowling persevered over a period of five long years to complete her first book and find her delightful literary voice.

Stuart Woods, Author

Stuart Woods is one of America’s most successful mystery writers. He has created enduringly popular series characters including jet-setting lawyer Stone Barrington, and tenacious small town chief of police Holly Barker. His bestselling recent titles include Reckless Abandon, Capital Crimes, Dirty Work, and Blood Orchid. Stuart flies his own airplane to book signings, and spends time aboard a vintage motor yacht.

Is there a certain amount of luck involved in reaching the top of the fiction writing profession? “You’ve got to write good books that appeal to people. It’s certainly possible to get a lucky break. A good review at the right time helps. I’m not conscious of having especially good or bad luck along the way. My sales have grown steadily over a period of many years. I haven’t had the explosive growth some authors get with one or two novels.”

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Then there’s the story of Alice Sebold, whose first novel, The Lovely Bones, became the literary phenomenon of 2002 and much of 2003. All she managed to do was sell nearly three million copies of this first novel. It reached number one on Amazon.com six weeks before it was published, spurred by a recommendation by author Anna Quindlen on NBC’s The Today Show. Publishing industry insiders had difficulty finding a comparable book that has rocketed to the top of the bestseller lists so quickly.

Mark Bowden

Mark is perhaps best known for his bestselling book Black Hawk Down, an intense, harrowing account of the 1993 US Army Rangers’ mission in Mogadishu, Somalia, that resulted in a drawn out firefight; the book was made into a very popular motion picture directed by Ridley Scott. He is also the award-winning author of Bringing the Heat (named one of best sports books of 1994 by New York Times), Doctor Dealer, and Killing Paulo, and has been a reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer for 19 years. He also writes for many national magazines and is a national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly.

How did you feel when you first saw Black Hawk Down in the bookstore with the banner New York Times bestseller next to it? You’d written other books prior to that. . . “Which were purchased by members of my immediate family.

“Black Hawk Down’s success was a huge thrill. I can remember getting the news when it made the New York Times bestseller list. It’s the kind of thing that attaches to your name—bestselling author.

“At first, to tell you the truth, you feel a little fraudulent. You haven’t done anything different than you did before, with your previous books. Suddenly, you are just given this information, from the publisher, that this book you’ve written has become bestselling. It’s enormously satisfying. The full implications of it aren’t immediately understood.

“You don’t feel like you’re suddenly a better writer, better at what you do. It’s almost as though you’re walking down the street, and somebody comes up to you and tells you you’re descended from royalty. You aren’t a different person, but suddenly everyone’s calling you ‘Prince’.”

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Tremendous Rewards but Tremendous Pressure

Bestselling authors sleep well at night not just because of their large bank accounts and investment portfolios, and because they have the luxury of getting up in the morning and doing what they have always dreamed of doing—writing. They also sleep well because they have another asset, one that does not necessarily depreciate over time, and one that the IRS has not yet found a way to tax: a loyal readership. They know that the public will likely gobble up whatever they write next.

Authors newly arrived on the bestseller list quickly learn of an additional great reward: The publisher wants to keep you there, and is willing to invest significant financial and creative resources to do so.

For these fortunate authors, their latest title’s marketing program is planned out months before the book is completed, and the publisher backs it with significant amounts of money when it’s released. This is important, because bookstores want to know what kind of marketing campaign is behind the book to decide how many copies to order. Tyndale, the publisher of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins’The Remnant, shipped an amazing 2.4 million copies of the book to bookstores prior to the publication date, and was said to have committed $3 million to the book’s marketing campaign. Not surprisingly, the book made its debut on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list in the number one position.

Perpetually bestselling authors are expected to produce at least one title per year, and the publishing house’s marketing and promotion machine goes into motion on their behalf. Certain authors’ books are even released each year on pretty much the same date because of that date’s perceived attractiveness to the author’s loyal audience. The goal for these upper echelon books is sales of a million or more copies, thus, the stakes for the authors and their publishing houses continue to get higher. Twenty years ago, selling 250,000-500,000 hardcover books were considered terrific.

Matt Bialer, Literary Agent, Sanford J. Greenburger & Associates

When you have a client who becomes a breakout author, how does it make you feel personally? “It’s a great feeling. You know your instincts were correct. It makes you optimistic about the industry. At our agency we had The DaVinci Code, an example of a book where everything fell in place: the right author with the right book who found the right agent who found the right editor and the right publisher.”

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Reviews, feature stories about the author, advertising campaigns and author appearances on TV are all planned to reach a crescendo when the book is shipped to stores. The publisher must ship enough copies so that every chain bookstore can have stacks available when the customers begin pouring in to ask for them. In our instant gratification society, bookstores that do not have enough copies in stock can lose sales; the customer may not come back again. The bookstore can return books that don’t sell to the publisher, but still faces the risk of using valuable retail space for a book that turns out to be a dud.

When a first printing of a book is huge, the risk is that much greater for the publishing house, because so much capital goes into the printing costs, and then to the marketing campaign (and the author has already received a huge advance).

Nonfiction is to some extent also celebrity-author driven with big names from politics, sports, entertainment and self-help gurus. But the nonfiction list is more likely to include “new” authors who do not yet have a big following. A riveting topic, event, or unusual approach to the self-help genre can allow a relatively unknown author to crack the non-fiction list. At any given time, the mix of authors on the nonfiction list can seem strange, to say the least. Take 1996, for instance: “Dilbert,” Dennis Rodman, Walter Cronkite and the Duchess of York, all appeared on the Publishers Weekly annual bestseller list—in that order.

Lee Boudreaux, Senior Editor, Random House

What personal satisfaction does an editor get from seeing one of their authors make it to the bestseller list? “Well, it’s hugely satisfying! I was thrilled when Black House was number one on the New York Times list. Last summer, Adriana Trigiani’s Lucia, Lucia hit the list. Random House published her first novel in 2000 and this was the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people. It’s great to know that a book like that is going to reach the wide audience it deserves.”

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Given the long odds, how does a new author crack the bestseller fiction list? It is something of a mystery, even to veteran editors at the largest publishing houses, and as a result, difficult to repeat with the next “new” author with great talent who comes along. Editors have no idea why an unknown writer sometimes immediately strikes a chord with book buyers. It was certainly not because the author benefited from the kind of massive marketing campaign that the “sure thing” bestselling authors receive.

The challenge faced by the first time bestselling author is to turn a successful first bestseller into an enduringly successful career. With one success, an author is left to ponder whether it was just a fluke. Perhaps the subject matter just happened to be particularly compelling or topical. Or the work was just something the marketplace was looking for at that one moment in time, and the publisher did a terrific job at marketing. With the second success comes more confidence.

John Bennett, Bennett Books, Wyckoff, NJ

How often do you see a surprise bestseller? “Every season. I did not anticipate the success of The DaVinci Code,and South Beach Diet.The bestseller lists are not exclusively dominated by the familiar names—first time authors, or authors that never had a big success before can make it, too. Dan Brown published several books that never approached the popularity of The DaVinci Code. You try to figure out what will be the next big seller, and it is difficult. It might be easy to predict that the next Harry Potterbook will be a success. It’s not as easy to have predicted Dan Brown’s emergence.”

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The top of the bestseller list, the Author’s Mt. Olympus, is not a peaceful, sun-splashed park where you can snooze in a hammock all afternoon. It is a precarious place where all those people you left behind on the way up are still climbing—and they’ve all read your most recent bestseller and think they can write something better. Publishers expect the sales of a new book by a bestselling author to exceed sales of all that author’s previous books. The pressure builds.

Sandra Brown, Author

Sandra Brown is a suspense novelist who began her career in 1981.  Among her more than 50 New York Times bestsellers are White Hot, Hello Darkness, The Crush, Envy and The Switch. This Texas native has 70 million copies of her books in print worldwide and is translated into 30 languages.  In an earlier career, Sandra worked as a feature reporter for the nationally syndicated TV program PM Magazine.

Every one of your books since Mirror Image has made the list – do you feel pressure to continue making the list? “Oh absolutely, the competition is more intense. There are so many brand name authors who have a loyal readership. When their books come out their fans are eager to buy them. I know when scheduling a book to come out, I’m constantly looking to see ‘well who is coming out that same week, what’s the competition going to be?’

“There’s an implied competitiveness with myself as well. If I made number two on the list last year, then I’d like to make number one this year. If I was on the list for six weeks last year, I’d like to be on the list for eight weeks this year. You’re always looking to ratchet it up if you can.

“It’s not only book sales. I also feel even more pressure to provide new and interesting stories to my readers. It would be a severe downfall for any author to start concentrating on strictly the market, on sales, on making the bestseller list. You expend a lot of energy and time that could otherwise go into your creative process.

“I feel more pressure to tell a good story to my reader. There are some things I can’t do anything about. I can’t do anything about John Grisham, Tom Clancy and Stephen King all coming out the same week I’m coming out. What I can do something about is write the best story I know how to write. That’s what I really try and focus on.”

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Neil Nyren, Senior Vice President, Publisher, Editor-in-Chief G. P. Putnam & Sons

So how does a book become a bestseller? “The main thing to remember is there is no one way to a bestseller. There are an infinite number of ways to get there – not to mention an infinite number of ways to fail. Sometimes a concentrated burst of publicity will do it, sometimes word of mouth, sometimes it’s a slow build, sometimes great reviews. There are times when everything happens just the way you expect it to, and other times when a book comes out of nowhere.

“And we love that. It gives us all hope: That good books can become bestsellers purely because they’re just good books.”

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Why are some books gobbled up by insatiable readers while others meet an ugly fate in the remainder bin? What makes a bestseller happen? Is the author subject to the whims of a capricious marketplace, or are there solid reasons for a book’s success that can be replicated? Do bestselling authors approach the craft of writing, and the marketing of their books, differently than those who are perpetually on the outside looking in? Let’s find out. We’ll probably encounter a number of surprises along the way.

“Success comes to a writer, as a rule, so gradually that it is always something of a shock to him to look back and realize the heights to which he has climbed.” --P.G. Wodehouse in Louder and Funnier