How to become a bestselling author of all time?

Writing a bestselling author of all time is a hard task. Now, many of us may wish to become top selling author of all time. But, it is a hard road and writing one, or two books may not make the cut. But what makes a book a bestselling one? 

The thing is as an author, we need to reach bestselling lists. Authors should familiarize themselves with these lists to strategize effectively. If you are a self- published author, Amazon gives the opportunity to become bestsellers through platforms like Amazon Charts, and Amazon bestsellers. Strategies like choosing the right category, using pre- orders to your advantage.

Authors need to employ a mix of marketing and promotional strategies including online advertising, email marketing and collaborate with authors to increase your visibility on social media to become the bestselling author ever.

Here is a detailed breakdown of the strategies needed to make your book a bestseller:

• Amazon Charts and Bestsellers: Charts appear on Amazon once a week, after they track the books with the most books sold, and the most read, or books you can listen to on Kindle, and Audible respectively.

This is a detailed insight into how each category works:

• Sales Data: This kind of category tracks the books that have sold the most copies in a week. It includes sales across all formats.
• Pre- Orders: This count is taken in a week of the book release boosting new books that have generated anticipation. This garners curiosity for the book, and leads to increase in sales and keeps readers hooked.

Most Read

Engagement: This category of marketing goes beyond sales and provides insight into which books are being read including Kindle books and Audible audiobooks.

 Completion Rates: This list includes those books that have captured the attention of readers, but could not become bestsellers.

Amazon Bestsellers

This list of books includes the books that are most sold across Amazon's marketplace. It is a dynamic list gives authors, publishers a look at list of bestsellers.

Categorization

Amazon breaks down the bestseller list into categories and genres. This allows books to achieve bestseller status within specific niches and broad genres such as fiction, non-fiction.

Sales Volume: The primary factor for sales on this list is sales volume which includes digital sales, paper back and hardback.

Indie Bound Bestseller List

Indie Bound provides a distinctive approach to highlight bestseller books. This site draws its algorithm based on sale in bookstores across the United States.

Indie Bound updates its bestsellers weekly.

Sales from Independent Bookstores: The key factor is exclusive reliance on sales data from independent bookstores. This list includes hundreds of bookstores in the country.

Categorization: Indiebound organises its bestseller into categories, including bestsellers including fiction, non- fiction and children literature.

USA Today Bestseller List

• This is one of the most exclusive and comprehensive book rankings important for snapshots of book sales, across the United States. It amalgamates sales data for fiction, non-fiction, hardback, paperback into a single unified list.

Compilation Method

• Aggregating Sales Data: This is based on weekly sales data based on weekly sources. This includes book retailers, independent bookstores, mass merchandisers, and direct consumer sales.

·     Format and Genre Exclusivity: In this format and genre occupies one list.

Criteria for Sales

1. Volume of Sales: This accounts for volume of books appearing, during the tracking week.
2. Nation Wide Sales: This shows sale from the entire United States, rather than from stores in the United States.

Publishers Weekly Bestseller List

It uses Nielsen Books can service to track printed book sales in the USA. It draws its sales from major book sellers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Walmart and independent bookstores.

It gets sales data from the following:

1. Bookstores: Chain and independent bookstores send their sales reports to publisher weekly. This includes physical bookstores in the United States, to local independent shops.
2. Wholesalers and Distributors: These entities are the suppliers to bookstores and libraries and help authors become bestselling novelist of all time. 

Additional Tips to make the bestseller list

1. Craft a Story which can hook: At the heart of a bestseller is a story which can hook. It could be non-fiction, fiction. But the thing is the narrative needs to be enhanced to hook the audience. 
2. Design, or customise a book cover: The cover needs to look flashy and homogenous.
3. Book Description: It should be like a sales pitch.

If you wish to become a bestselling author ever, then, build your brand which can significantly impact your book success. You need to establish a presence on social media. Besides, you need to know the preferences of your audience to make your book click and resonate with audience. One more strategy is through newsletters and blog posts. Try for early reviews and build momentum for the book. It will already become a bestseller, before it is formally launched