What Makes a Book a Success?
10 June 2011
An interesting post by Agent and Author Janet Kobobel Grant about a book that was a Top Ten bestseller on Amazon, a USA Today bestseller, and a New York Times bestseller while being written for the core Christian market.
The book is One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp and Janet has some ideas about why it was so successful.
Excerpts:
- It speaks to a significant–and recognized–need. A lot of people today are struggling through hard times. You know the list: lost their home, lost their job, lost their security, lost their American dream. Ann takes that sense of loss and turns it on its head: What if we learned to find beauty, grace and reasons to be thankful right where we are? How do we live fully where we are?
- It’s positive rather than a diatribe. I don’t know about you, but I don’t need anyone to beat me over the head about the decisions I’ve made in the past; I need someone to help me to learn to live with those decisions.
. . . .
- The cover is inviting, simple, and a strong reflection of the book’s content and tone. We do judge books by their covers, all the time. And this one is a winner. Simple concept, simple lines, quick communication of the tone of the book.
Link to the rest at Books & Such Literary Agency
