The “No Fluff” Guide to Writing a Bestselling Book in 2024

A list of things you need

It’s been a while since I have written anything on this subject. So, I think this is a good time to go again. If you have “writing a book” as one of your goals for 2024, then you are in the right place.

I have published 2 physical books and multiple ebooks in the last 6 years. And there is hardly any trend in book publishing that I don’t know by experience. But to keep this piece short, I will stick to the most important details.

Background

This article is inspired by a request I got recently. A friend told me he wanted to write a book and needed my advice. He knows I am a published author and wants to know what he needs to do.

At the end of my consultation with him, we discovered what he needed was a podcast. Many times, people get carried away by the exuberance of “I want to be a published author.” But that doesn’t help anyone.

It doesn’t help you. It doesn’t help your reader. It doesn’t do anyone any good. The main question is this — what is the right thing for you to do?

Do you really need to write a book? Or what you need is a blog? Or what you need is a newsletter? Or what you need is a podcast? Trust me, all these things are very different.

If you are supposed to do a podcast and you do a book, you will struggle and not know why. It doesn’t matter how much money you put into it, you will still struggle.

The only thing that qualifies you to write a bestselling book in 2024 is if you have a community (or a brand that people expect a book from). Don’t worry if you don’t have one and still want to write a bestseller. I’m just showing what to focus on first.

List of Things You Need

Authors don’t become New York Times Bestsellers by chance. The vast majority of authors that hit that list knew they were going to hit it. It is actually a deliberate campaign by the authors.

You have to sell a certain number of books in a certain number of days across a region to be considered for the coveted New York Times Bestselling list. I know people who have been on that list. I don’t know anyone who got on that list without a deliberate marketing campaign designed to get that result.

In other words, it never just happens. Success is never by chance in the writing world. It may look like it, but there is always a dedicated marketing team responsible.

Okay, now let’s make a list of things you need:

1. Community

You will need an early momentum to give you an edge the week your book is finally released. And no random stranger is going to give you that early momentum.

The early momentum is going to come from your people. It is going to come from your tribe. It is going to come from your community.

If you have not found your tribe or community, success will be quite difficult. You will need to spend a lot more on marketing to get the same result. Meanwhile, if you have a community, your work is way easier.

A community is a growing group of people who love your work and continue to be a devoted audience.

2. Publisher

I’ll advise you to go ahead with self-publishing. If your book becomes a hit, publishers will find you and reach out to you. You can get a deal based on a self-published book that you have released.

So, don’t waste time trying to persuade any gatekeeper. Be successful, and the gatekeepers will find you.

3. A Writing Method

Writing is the least problematic part. And this is the common misconception I see in people who want to publish books. They think the reason they can’t is because they can’t write.

They think it is a discipline issue. Not true. Writing is not a discipline issue. Writing is a methodical issue. Some of the best authors I know are not writers initially. In fact, I have a dear friend in Northern Ireland who took part in a random writing workshop out of “trying new things.” And the organizer told him he was very good and should try writing more. That’s how he became an author.

It is not about you learning how to write. Instead, it is understanding the writing methods that suit you.

I have seen people who say they can’t write, yet they can spend 1 hour chatting with their BFFs. That’s writing!

Why not pretend you are chatting with your best friend and write for 30 minutes every day? After 3 months, you will have a body of work worth publishing.

In another case, I have advised people to use text-to-speech. You will be surprised how far that takes you (if you think you hate writing).

You don’t hate writing. Nobody does. You have just not found a style of writing that you love.

4. A Compelling Message

There are things worth writing about. There are other things that are just not worth writing about.

This part is quite tricky. This is because it is not merely about the subject. It is also about the concept and the idea conveyed. How unconventional is your idea?

You have to make your idea unconventional to make it appealing. Your message and your approach to the message must be unique.

If I owned a publishing company, here is what I would be doing right now. I would go on the internet (maybe on this platform) and look for raw, talented writers who are not well-known yet. Then, I will pair them up with a celebrity that their unconventional message matches with. Put the two people together in a room to brainstorm to see if their energies match. Then, give them a book deal if they will work together. I think that formula will be a winner.

In other words, people want to see something different, something fresh but with a recognizable flair. You have to find a way to weave a unique message.

This was the main factor for me when I was working on my second book. I decided I wanted to write a book on crypto investing that was different from everything that already existed. I wanted to write something that the everyday person can read, understand, and have fun with. I don’t want something only sophisticated finance people could understand.

So, I told a lot of stories and put a lot of humor in it. To this day, I still think that book is the only crypto investing book with humor.

Your message matters.

5. A Book Launch

This part may not be necessary if you are not keen on having a bestseller (and you have a very good email list).

Writing is just about 3% of being an author. The other 97% has very little to do with writing. That is how you sell your books. You should do a book launch.

In most cases, you need support. You need someone to keep you accountable to get you across the finish line. Otherwise, you will start and abandon the project.

I didn’t do a book launch for any of my books. I just focused on promoting to my email list. I had one Amazon bestseller, but that’s pretty much it. If you are going to have a bestseller, you need to do a book launch.

For a first-timer, these things can be really strange. This is why you need a guide, coach, or consultant to help you (if you have the budget).

Conclusion

The “no-fluff” shortlist of what you need to be a bestselling author in 2023:

1. An active community
2. Publisher
3. Writing method
4. Compelling message
5. Book launch

If you want more insight into this, I will happily share it with you. See how to reach me in my bio.

P.S. Here is the first paperback book I published (in 2020): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BDT947T