Becoming A Bestselling Author: 5 Myths Debunked

About this video

Dale comments on a Kirkus Reviews post debunking five myths about becoming a bestselling author. Myth 1, ‘writing a bestseller will make you rich’: he agrees it is false — he says he has numerous Amazon bestselling books without being wealthy, because a bestseller tag does not change how you are paid or trigger a bonus; it mainly gives an accolade, credibility and authority. He cites Brent Underwood’s book Putting My Foot Down, placed in random categories, as an example of gaming bestseller status. Myth 2, ‘you can only make money as an author if your book is a bestseller’: he says many authors earn without one, giving the example of a friend of the channel who, he says, lands five-figure speaking gigs using books mainly for credibility, and notes much of his own income comes from outside book publications, so diversification matters. Myth 3, ‘anyone can claim their book is a bestseller’: he pushes back on Kirkus, arguing this is largely true in practice despite Amazon vetting ‘bestseller’ labels, and advises spending cover/description space on the audience rather than flexing the tag. Myth 4, ‘hire the right firm and they can get you on the list’: he says this also happens, describing ‘book laundering’ services that, for a hefty fee, buy thousands of copies in small batches across stores or accounts to evade bulk-purchase safeguards — a practice he calls unethical and does not agree with. Myth 5, ‘it is worth doing all you can to become a bestseller’: he agrees this is a myth, urging authors to stop obsessing over sales rank and invest instead in long-term marketing — advertising, social media, newsletters and public appearances — and in providing readers value.

Key takeaways

• A bestseller tag does not change how an author is paid and brings no bonus, Dale says — it mainly confers credibility and authority
• Authors can earn well without a bestseller, for example through speaking and other income outside book publications; diversification is Dale’s recurring point
• Dale argues anyone can in practice claim bestseller status despite Amazon’s vetting, and advises not wasting cover or description space on the tag
• He describes paid ‘book laundering’ services that buy copies in small batches to game bestseller lists, and explicitly calls the practice unethical
• Instead of chasing rank, invest energy in long-term marketing — advertising, social media, newsletters and public appearances — and in reader value

Episode details: published September 28, 2020 · 9:16 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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