The Formula For Writing A Bestseller

We dream of writing. We dream of publishing. But, behind all that, we look for success as writers. There are four common traits in the best sellers for all those authors who want to face their novels in that direction.

The first rule of the best-sellers club is that there are no effective rules for writing them. It seems a contradiction to start this argument with such a statement, but it is something that must be clear. If the publishers had the real keys to success, they would not bet on so many books that end in oblivion.

So what happens? There are many factors, regardless of the characteristics and quality that are involved in the success or failure of a novel. It is possible that a particular work does not have enough promotion, that genre may less interesting, or the book may not find the channels to reach the reader. So, you have to trust the story and, above all, know the market and the readers that buy books. Let's not forget which bestseller carries a lot of sales and, like any other businesses, if you don't know your buyer, you're on track.

That is one of the keys of best sellers. We don’t talk about beings with capes and superpowers, but about people, characters, who are in their reality standing out to live life in a different way, to face problems with another perspective and, ultimately, to react heroically to conflicts that the plot presents to them. It does not matter if they are the protagonists of Game of Thrones, the characters that fight to survive within the context of The Pillars of the Earth, The Complex, or even Partly Evil, and Jean-Baptiste Grenouille of The Perfume. All, in their way and with their possibilities, are people who go out of the ordinary. A manual of narrative techniques, advises us to take the characters by the hand and accompany them until the end, without deviating from the path we draw. In a way, in the context of best sellers, it's good advice. Surely, during the creation of the plot, we will have created the path of a hero without realizing it. It is something innate in all narration with mass vocation.

In general, one of the characteristics of the best sellers is that they have little complex but very intense stories. The order of events, the creation of expectations, the understanding of the plot is used to being filled with the understanding of the whole world. The best sellers focus more on the story, on the facts and leave the narrative for other types of literature. It is obvious, isn't it? If you want to reach everyone, write a manual novel. If you don't see it clearly, analyze the Da Vinci Code, The Leopard or 50 Shades of Grey. Even books like Essay on Blindness, written in the particular style of Saramago, has a perfectly structured plot. All have sold a lot and conform to this requirement.

Do not confuse simplicity with poor quality. Great writers know how to write great novels with all the elements of the universal pattern but without the seams being noticed. That is, structuring a plot with a trigger, turns, climax, etc. does not have to subtract originality to the work. It is a way to make sure that the rhythm, the interest, the tension work and will catch all kinds of audiences. The key? The ideas, the art of its staging and, above all, be clear about the objectives and directions of the plot.

What the reader expects to find in a book and the experience he lives after reading it should not be far away. That does not mean that there are no surprises, brutal plot twists or great catharsis of feelings. But, whatever there is, the reader must understand what will come from the front line.

That generates that, when the reader finishes the novel, he is satisfied, excited, relieved just as he expected to feel. This happens, in part, by the marketing of the book: it is important to communicate well what the book is like and address the potential audience. 

Another of the essential points is to establish the bases and the indications coherently from the beginning of the novel. The style, the order of the scenes or the initial rhythm must match that of the rest of the work and, above all, the reader must look forward to the climax of the story and not feel disappointed when he reads it.