How to Write a Bestselling Nonfiction Book

Everyone wants to know how to write a bestselling book — nonfiction or fiction. I came across an article not long ago and bookmarked it to read. Today I finally got around to reading it…and I’m so glad I did that I’m going to share the information here and the link. Make time to read it if you have a book or plan to write a nonfiction book and want it to sell more than the average (300 or so) copies.

The article has a few grammatical and linguistic errors. (He could use an editor!) Get past them. Grant Cardone didn’t start out as a publishing pro or writer. He was a simple businessman trying to make a go of it in a bad economy. He decided to write about it. He wrote two books. His first book sold way more than the average nonfiction book; he self-published Sell to Survive and sold over 20,000 copies in two years. That’s pretty amazing in and of itself. He then got a contract with Wiley for If You Aren’t First, You’re Last.

When Cardone wrote the article the book had hit #1 on both the Barnes & Noble and Amazon lists; he was hoping for the same on the New York Times list, but I don’t know if that happened.

Here are some pieces of advice and words of wisdom he offered that I found most memorable:

Here is what I have learned:

1. Don’t believe anyone when they tell you it can not be done.
2. Remember it is best selling book, not best written.
3. It will require a lot of energy, effort and creativity.

I don’t pretend to know the exact formula for getting your book to #1 but no one else seems to know the formula either. I can tell you, the most important thing is you have to get people to know about you and your book. Quality of content is critical but getting people to know about the book is senior! This is where a lot of writers seem to err, spending too much time on content and too little time on selling and promotion. In the real world, the quality of the product is meaningless if no one knows the product exist.

Today you must utilize social media, blogging and then inspire existing clients, friends and those that could benefit from getting your book sold.

This book was successful because of the efforts of my company selling directly to our clients and at my seminars and then catching on by word of mouth.

Here are some things I learned that may help you get your book to be a best seller:

1. Go where bloggers go and write as many articles as you can about the topic of your book.
2. Survey other authors about what they have done successfully in hopes that you can get them to review, comment or involved with your book’s release.
3. Consider joint ventures where others promoting your book may benefit them
4. Build your platform that you are going to sell the book to. Publishing companies want to see that you have a way of selling this book.
5. Build your social media and start talking about the books and then hammer it to levels others would consider unreasonable!

You can read his whole article here. To read more about Cardone, check out Grant Cardone, Author and International Sales Expert.

When it’s all said and done — and after reading Cardone’s words, remember this: Creating a bestselling book involves wearing both a writer’s hat and a businessperson’s hat. Yes. Cardone is a businessman, but that’s not what made him successful. Any writer can be a businessperson as well. What made Cardone and his book successful was his willingess to apply business principles to selling his book. He got out there and promoted the heck out of his book. He looked for joint ventures. He built his platform. He used social networking to the max. Are you willing to do that? If so, you, too, can create a bestselling nonfiction book.