Do you have dreams of your name on the top of the lists and everyone talking about your latest work? There’s nothing wrong with that. We should all aspire to do the best we can, and writing a bestselling book is a great ambition to have.
But… what if I told you there’s something better… much, much better?
The reality is that there’s more to writing than creating a bestselling title. There’s more to being a writer than that –there’s practice, there’s trial and error, failure and success, editing, lots and lots of fking editing—there’s more to being an artist than the spotlight, attention and accolades.
There’s the work, the doubts, and the fear that what you’re writing isn’t good enough, and there’s the networking and helping other artists achieve their dreams, too.
When we say we want to be bestselling authors, what do we really mean?
Do you mean that you want to sell a lot of books? That you want to market and promote your work with such perfection that millions of people will go berserk for it and stand in line for hours (even days) to buy it?
Or, do you mean you want to make the lists because so many people truly care about your work, that it touches them in such ways that they are compelled to tell others about it?
I’m not sure that writers are remembered for being bestselling authors or for that matter how well they promoted their books. They’re remembered for their work, what they had to say, and who they were as a person, an artist, and as a teacher. Because, let’s face it, we’re all setting examples for those who follow. What are we going to teach about ourselves and our work? What are we going to leave behind. Who are we going to lift up? These are things we should consider.
The truth about being a bestselling author is that it’s about so much more than sales. Sales come and go, but our words will last forever. It’s important to make them mean something, to make them count and make them stand the test of time. Maybe, consequently, you’ll make the bestseller lists, and then again, maybe you won’t. And that’s okay too, especially if you’re writing for the right reasons.
What are your reasons for writing?
To create work that matters or merely work that sells? We all have to put food on the table, but I hope (and I think you do too) it’s for more than that.
I’m often tempted to sign my name with “bestselling author of,” and yes, I often do. I’m proud of achieving something I worked for. But, to be candid about it, I sometimes become jealous and a bit envious of those who make it onto better lists, or those who stay on those lists longer. I can’t seem to help but play the compare myself game, and then I find myself feeling miserable, because I’m unable to measure up and I start devaluing my hard work. This is the side of “making it” most of us don’t talk about.
Is becoming a bestselling author the best goal to have? Or is it better to make the lists as a result of creating your most remarkable work and readers loving it?
It’s a conundrum. Because if you’re like me, you’re afraid your best isn’t good enough.
The truth is, many bestselling books are the results of hard hitting promotional stunts which catapult them up the lists, but rarely do those titles stay on the lists for long. Such stunts are great if you only want the title of bestselling author, because being on a bestselling list, even if merely for a day, is enough for the title.
Think about: Stephen King.
If we add bestselling author after Stephen’s name wouldn’t that be redundant?
Of course, not everyone can be the likes of Stephen King, but isn’t that what aspiring for greatness is all about? I can help you get on a list of bestsellers within weeks, even days, if necessary. But that doesn’t mean anyone will remember you if your work is not remarkable.
Now here’s the catch, remarkable doesn’t mean being perfect, ordinary, average, special, flawed, or even noticed.
It means touching people with your words in such a way that they are compelled to talk about it and the people they tell are in turn compelled to tell others about it, even if they haven’t read it yet.
Being noticed is not the same as being remarkable. Running down the street naked will get you noticed, but it won’t accomplish much. It’s easy to pull off a stunt, but not useful.
-Seth Godin
Strive to be remarkable.
It’s more valuable and lasting. It’s infectious.
How do you do that? Well, there are no real guidelines. But I’ll give you a hint. You know that idea you have, the one that scares you, the one you don’t think anyone will care about, the one you think people will laugh at you for if you share it? All of your fears about it might be right. Write about it anyway.
The people who get past their fears and create the work which calls to them, they tend to create work we talk about and remember. If a thought or an idea scares you, or moves you enough, then the odds are it’s worth writing about.
Here are a few examples:
- The Diary of a Young Girl (The Diary of Anne Frank)
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll.
- Carrie by Stephen King
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Paulo Coelho wrote The Alchemist in only two weeks. He explained that he was able to write at this pace because the story was “already written in [his] soul.” (The Guardian. 01-27-2012)
Remarkable writers often make it onto the bestseller lists, but bestselling authors are not always remarkable writers.
