A big part of my job as an editor and a book publishing educator is to explain how book marketing works.
There’s one point that really gets me fired up. That’s the question of what the term “bestseller” means.
Stick with me—I’m about to get controversial.
There is a widely recognized, standardized usage for the term “bestselling” within the US book publishing industry. Big publishers will only use this term if certain qualifications have been met.
Self-publishing authors, not so much. Which—if I may get honest—irritates me to no end.
Why? Because if anybody can call themselves a bestselling author, the term loses all meaning. Which is precisely the state of affairs in which we find ourselves today.
So I beg of you. Learn the rules before deciding whether to call your book a “bestseller.”
I’m giving you the inside scoop in this week’s video. You’ll learn:
- What the term “bestseller” means
- The only mark of “bestsellerdom” recognized in the traditional biz
- How you can use this term in an honest and meaningful way
I’m big on integrity. Throwing around the term “bestseller” willy-nilly doesn’t work for me. If you want to know my thoughts on this controversial topic, check out the video now.
