Tag Archives: bestseller

Ebook news digest: where writers work, photography from above, survival tips after disappointing book sales

2017-08-24

News on ebooks, writing and photography

writing tools, photo by Reuben Ingber (Flickr)
The Rooms Where Writers Work
The New York Times

Romantic images of writers typing in an attic at night, or in a solitude of a wilderness cabin are mostly only romantic visions. Most writers create a dedicated space for themselves where they can work undisturbed. Probably the most common place is the writer’s own house. The New York Times has visited a few writers and asked them to show where they work.

How to Take Photographs From a Helicopter
Fstoppers

It is a rare opportunity to get onboard on a helicopter to shoot pictures. A photographer tells about his first helicopter ride that prompted him to write 10 tips for helicopter photography.

What Are Book Cover Designers and Editors Earning? The Freelance Reality
Publishing Perspectives

Book publishing industry relies freelancers on many tasks. Cover designers, editors, proofreaders and many other professionals work for the industry as independent contractors. The article has some pointers to the level of fees paid in the industry.

Library map of the world
IFLA

Statistics on libraries across the globe projected on a world map.

7 Reasons To Smile When Your Book Is Not a Bestseller
The Creative Penn

Thank you for this article Julia Schooler! It can save a day for so many writers. Perhaps the best way to thank you is to buy your book.

The winners of the 4th annual International Drone Photography Contest
Dronestagram

Drone photography is one of most exciting forms of travel photography that is still so new that we will see a lot of development in the technology (and in restrictions) during the next few years. Dronestagram is the online album for drone photographers. The annual photography contest awards have been chosen, and again, the images are fantastic.

Engineers who can cook have a secret
Klaava

The nerds and the geeks who can cook have read the Engineer’s Cookbook. The book explains the secrets of cooking the way that techies can understand.

After more than half a century, The Village Voice is closing its print edition
Poynter

The Village Voice “plans to maintain its iconic progressive brand with its digital platform and a variety of new editorial initiatives and a full slate of events that will include The Obie Awards and The Pride Awards.” Yes, digital is the future.

Amazon’s TenMarks releases a new curriculum for educators that teaches kids writing using digital assistants, text messaging and more
Techcrunch

Smart tools for children’s writing classes.

Large bookstore reveals the secret of bestseller

2015-07-30

Even if it is only a daydream, every author dreams of writing a bestseller. Audiences would actually listen to the author’s opinions, ask for advice and there would be requests to give speeches. Everyone knows that it is roughly one in a million chance to make it. Unless there was a formula for bestsellers. Large British bookstore chain Waterstones has analyzed 100 bestseller books in order to decipher what made them successes.

Altogether, Waterstones analyzed 100 fiction books. They picked 10 books from the last 10 years. Two genres dominated the lists:
1. 35% of bestsellers are thrillers.
2. 33% of bestsellers are contemporary fiction.

Despite the huge media attention young adult and erotica/romance books have raised during the last few years, they are far behind thrillers, crime and contemporary fiction in sales.

Waterstones discovered that an author must be patient (as everyone who has tried to publish her first book via a traditional publisher knows). We might even say that practice produces a bestseller. The sweet spot for authors to make it big seems to be their 13th book.

A surprising point in Waterstones’ analysis is that the bestseller title doesn’t include verb at all. Here is the bestseller formula infographic from Waterstones.

waterstones, bestseller book formula

What about nonfiction books, what makes a nonfiction bestseller? That’s easy to answer: the book contains so valuable information that people are willing to pay for it.