This is it. You’ve finally decided that you’re going to do it; you’re going to write a book. So, you’ve got an idea, a concept, maybe even a flicker of excitement. But there’s one last thing you’ve got to ask yourself: What makes a book successful? 

For many artists and writers, "success" can be defined as work that satisfies one’s personal desire to create; for others, success is achieved through gaining a spot on the New York Times Best Sellers list; and then for the few, success is granted by society. All of this goes to show that a successful book can be achieved in many senses: and moreover, that the fluid concept of success is what continues to fuel the craft.

Personal Success
Most artists and writers are driven by a feeling, an emotion, or some information that they seek to share. A successful book incorporates this driving force into the fabric of its work in a manner that is both seamless, powerful, and effective in what it seeks to convey. For example, Jhumpa Lahiri’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Interpreter of Maladies, effectively displays the concept of communication between people as it takes the form of a desire, a conflict, a need, and even an unattainable goal. Throughout the collection of stories, Lahiri provides a 360-degree view of the concept she set out to cover--and has, in a personal manner, written a successful book. 

Market Success
So, you’ve written the book, and you’re happy with it--maybe you even love it. Who are we kidding--of course you love it! This book is your child; it’s your creation: and because you’ve spent so much time with it, this book is probably a very personal part of you, even if the topic is superficial. The next step can be scary. It’s time to send your kid into the world and see how they measure up among the others.

Many factors influence a book’s ability to gain “market success.” One way for authors to achieve market success is by writing for genres with large audiences, like mystery/crime. But a lot of market success can depend on perfect timing.

For instance, gaining a spot on the New York Times Best Seller list can simply depend on the season. A book released in February can make the NYT Best Sellers list with about 7,000 fewer sales than a book put out in December. Timing actually makes its appearance quite frequently when it comes to the strategic planning of a book’s market success. For a book to be successful, there has to be a properly orchestrated and well-advertised period before the release. In other words, you have to pregame your book.  

Transcendent Success
Last but not least, it’s important to discuss the type of success that most authors live for, and that is the concept of transcendent success--or a book’s ability to break the bounds of time, which appear to be so confined in the realm of "market success." Any writer or reader knows that this concept of "transcendent success" refers to The Great Gatsbys, The Jane Eyres, and The Fire Next Times--you know, the books that managed to break the consumerist idea of fleeting success.

Books with transcendent success champion the torch of what it truly means to be a successful writer. Well, achieving this kind of success is more difficult to comprehend, less visible when you look for it, and entirely worthwhile when it’s achieved: in a nutshell, it boils down to a moment of true greatness and legacy or irreplicable authenticity.

Ready to start writing and achieve success? For whichever version of success you’re looking for, explore our website for more tips and services we offer to help you achieve your goal!

Podcasts are a huge trend right now and for good reason. They’re often accessible for free on streaming services, and are perfect for listening to in the car, at the gym, or anywhere you might find yourself on the go; but, it's not all true crime and niche comedy! Podcasts can also be a great medium for writers and readers – here’s how:

Build Your Reputation
Podcasts are a good way to build your rapport. You can talk for as long or as little as you want about subjects you specialize in or which you find interesting. This can help build your credibility as a writer before your audience even picks up your book.
 
Promote Yourself and Your Book
Additionally, guest-starring on a podcast will likely result in a large amount of exposure for you. It’s a perfect opportunity to promote your work! Guest-starring on a podcast also gives you a way to talk about your book in a longer form of content than a quick social media post. You will be able to answer questions, go into detail, and build your reputation in the literary industry.
 
Being interviewed also gives you a chance to talk at length about yourself, your work, and essentially elevator pitch yourself to the listeners. In addition to getting your name out there, it can also be a good opportunity for networking.
 
Podcasts Are Popular Mediums
Podcasts aren’t just trendy, they’re also very effective at producing content that appeals to a wide audience. Because of their portability, podcasts are easily accessible and can be listened to at almost anytime – this is a huge contributor to their popularity. This makes garnering an audience via podcast relatively easy as your listeners can quickly turn into your readers.
 
Starting a Podcast is Easy
Podcasts are also inexpensive. There’s no need for a fancy camera or editing software, just a good quality microphone.
 
Make Passive Income
Like most virtual media, podcasts have ads. Unlike most virtual media, audiences often don’t blindly skip through them! An incredible 81% of podcast listeners report sometimes or always listening to midroll ads, compared to the majority of audiences reporting they sometimes or always ignore ads on TV, billboards, radio, etc. This culminates in a high rate of listeners actually checking out the advertised products.
 
Our Recommended Podcasts for Writers
If you’re not quite ready to publish your book with Night Heron Media just yet, there are plenty of great podcasts out there intended to help writers hone their craft, find inspiration, improve their technical skills, and more.
 
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of podcasts for writers:
 

• The Prolific Writer - This podcast talks about writing strategies, techniques, and elements. It also brings in the occasional guest-star to talk about their own process. Available on Apple Music, Spotify, Audacity, and https://theprolificwriter.libsyn.com/.
  
• The Writer Files - Interviews various authors to talk about their processes. The topic is usually their writing process, but some episodes, which are titled accordingly, will delve into publishing, cover design, story submissions, and more. Available on Apple Music, Spotify, and https://writerfiles.libsyn.com/.
  
• Create If Writing - This podcast goes into more of the technical side of platform-building, advertising, and marketing. Available on Apple Music, Spotify, and https://createifwriting.com/.
  
• Writers, Ink - This podcast brings in guest stars to talk about various publishing and writing issues, such as ghostwriting, writing in different mediums, personal branding, experimenting with genre, and much more. Available on Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, and https://writersinkpodcast.com/.
  
• Writing Excuses - Hosted by writers such as Brandon Sanderson, Howard Taylor, and Dan Wells. Great for people in a hurry, as each episode is typically less than 20 minutes. Available on Apple Music and https://writingexcuses.com/.
  
• The Creative Writer’s Toolbelt - This podcast goes over technical elements of writing: dialogue, character motivation, structure, foreshadowing, etc. This one is also great for people in a hurry, as the episodes are very short, save for the occasional interview episode. Available on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and https://ajc-cwt-001.podomatic.com/.
  

The first question every aspiring writer ponders over – right after asking how to use a semicolon – is how much to expect from selling their first book.  The answer, though I wish I could say differently, is a tragically nebulous “it depends.”

While we’d all like a solid answer, writing isn’t like working a nine-to-five job where the salary is solidly established. Most writers enter the literary field because they have a passion, a story inside them that they’re itching to get onto the page.

But how much can passion pay? Let’s break it down.

Advancements in Traditional Publishing
First, there are advancements.

Authors who choose to go through a traditional publisher can usually expect to receive an advance from the publisher before the book is officially released. The advance could be anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 per book and is based on the publishers' prediction of how well the book will sell in the first six to 12 months after publication.
The number on the advance varies book by book, simply because of the endless variables that go into determining how marketable a book can be, including genre, chosen publishing company, effort put into marketing, etc.

However, a ballpark number for a first-timer’s fiction novel is likely to land between $5000 and $15,000, depending on the story and chosen publisher, while an advance on a nonfiction book is likely to be between $5000 and $20,000, depending on the author’s platform, credentials, and general cultural interest on the topic.

Advancements Are Not Charity
While an advance can be a big help to starting off your writing career, don’t think that publishers are being charitable or that they’re giving you spending money. Advances are given to help cover the cost of hiring an agent, along with the cost of building an author website, self-promotions, attending conferences, investing in promotional items, etc. etc. They work like a loan, in the way that a percentage each sale – called a royalty - of the contracted book will slowly return money back to the publisher until the advance “debt” is paid off.

Be aware, if your book doesn’t sell well and never pays back the money the publisher invested in the advancement, then you could be stuck paying back the deficit.

Royalty Percentages and House Standards
Now this is where things can get complicated.

Most trade publishers like Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Macmillan, etc., offer a standard royalty on their offered books that varies by version of the book sold. For example, the industry standard eBook royalty for legacy publishers is 25%, while royalties for most trade-paper books are 7.5% of the retail price, and mass market books pay a bit less than that. 

The most common royalty that people pay attention to is, of course, the hardback books since the royalties offered with them will increase with time and the number of copies sold. The industry standard for hardbacks is 10% of the book’s retail price on the first 5000 copies sold, 12.5% on the next 5000 copies sold, and 15% thereafter.
But all these numbers can be abstract and confusing, so here’s an example to help you understand what all this really means.  

Let’s say you’ve just published your first novel, and you have received an advance of $15,000. If your book is a $25 hardcover, and you’ve got a traditional book contract for 10% royalties with a legacy publisher, you’d be making $2.50 for each of the first 5000 books sold (that’s $12,500!). The publishing house will keep track of that figure and apply the royalties earned as credit to your account.

After the first 5000 copies have sold, your earnings will jump to $3.12 per copy sold; then after the first 10,000, your royalties are bumped up to $3.75 per copy sold. Eventually you erase the $15,000 negative balance, and you begin making money that will be sent to you a few times per year.

Now you’re in the best possible situation — a company is going to send you checks on a book you finished a year or two ago, and you can finally relish the sweet taste of accomplishment.

However: you should be aware that not everybody follows these industry standards, and as a result will make your royalties much more customized to your specific book based on genre, marketing, platform, etc.

For example, publishers like Tyndale don’t use the traditional royalty structure and will negotiate a deal for every book they publish, sometimes offering a 16% royalty over the standard 10%, while several retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Walmart tend to put their own prices and discounts on new book releases to garner attention.

This means that authors must be keenly aware of which publisher they sign on with and where exactly their books are being promoted. Publishing is a business. If you want the best royalties and services, you should do your research to find the company best suited for you.

You may have noticed the trend of young adult (YA) books on social media. Reviewers on social media, especially BookTube (the branch of YouTube dedicated to book-related content), are always recommending YA books to their followers despite not fitting into the target demographic. In fact, one study even reports that over 50% of YA readers are over the age of 18, with adults from the ages of 30-44 making up 28% of all YA sales!

So here is our list of why adults read YA, and why you should, too!

They’re often shorter, easier reads.
 
Adult readers may not be able to find the time to read a 500+ page book. Because YA is geared towards a younger audience, the books often sit at lower page counts, and the writing style is more simple. The books are easy to get into, tell compelling stories, and do so in less pages with less words. It’s much easier to pick up a YA book on a fifteen minute break than it is to pick up Tolkien or King.
 
YA is a female-dominated space with room for diversity.
 
It’s no secret that there are a lot of books written by men and about men. Of course these books are also good, but it can be refreshing to enter a literary sphere that is dominated by women. With female writers and female characters, the YA genre is a space where women can see themselves represented in their own stories.
 
And even outside of female representation, YA books tend to explore diversity that a lot of adult fiction tends to ignore. There are a multitude of books centering around characters with who are LGBT, non-white, part of religious minorities, immigrants, disabled, and more. Stories that have historically been brushed aside are not only told in YA, but celebrated.
 
Do we ever stop coming-of-age?
 
Alright, so you might not be graduating high school anymore, but the feeling of change and growing up is a constant. The problems the main characters face might be issues of the past for you, but the emotions that link to those problems are relatable.
 
The main character is graduating and moving out for the first time? Moving from one phase of life to another is something adults do, too. The main character is stressing over who to bring to the prom? Romance is complicated no matter how old you are. Even if the specific plot points of a YA novel are not relatable anymore, the intensity of a young person’s feelings when faced with a new problem is easy to understand no matter how old you are.
 
YA tackles intense topics in a way that is optimistic and hopeful.
 
Despite popular belief, YA is not just about high school drama and romance. YA books deal with complicated topics, including racism, sexuality, violence, abuse, and more through the lens of teenage protagonists.
 
The youthful perspective these books bring to the topics they choose to handle is refreshing. Not only that, but YA books often tackle these issues with the mindset of fixing them. Instead of “racism is bad, but that’s just the way the world is!” characters will take active steps to better themselves and their communities. This optimism is a great thing-- it teaches even adults that though the world can be tough, it can be made better.
 
It often overlaps with genre fiction.
 
If you don’t like contemporary books, no worries! YA is much more than that. YA also comes in crime thrillers, horror, sci-fi, and everything else you can imagine! The YA fantasy subgenre in particular has gained great popularity in recent years.
 
No matter what type of books you like, you will always be able to find something you like in YA.
 
YA is good.
 
So, maybe there are a few more serious reasons that adults read YA, but this is probably the real reason for most people. YA is just worth reading. There are thousands of well-written, interesting, emotional, creative stories waiting to be read. So what are you waiting for?
 
Are you sold on YA yet? Check out these recommendations (in no particular order)!

• Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (Mystery/Thriller)
  
• If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio (Mystery/Thriller)
• Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar (Romance, LGBT)
• XOXO by Axie Oh (Romance)
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Contemporary)
• The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBT)
• Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas (Urban Fantasy)
• A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (Fantasy)
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (Fantasy)
  

Documentaries have been a huge trend on YouTube recently, with many of these videos reaching hundreds of thousands of views. Whether they be about history, internet celebrity drama, or niche interests, viewers are more willing to watch long, in-depth content, and video essay channels such as Sarah Z and Lindsey Ellis amass millions of views. Want to learn how to make these documentaries? Here are our tips:

Find your thesis.
Sure, you probably have a topic in mind, but what is your video about? Why does it matter, and why should the audience care? Your thesis doesn’t have to be one sentence the way it would be in an essay — your thesis can just be your main point! Maybe you’re making this documentary to make an argument, educate your audience, teach a life-lesson, or maybe just because your topic is fascinating. No matter what it might be, it is a good idea to know what your thesis is before you start filming. This will make it easier when you reach the end of the video, because you will already know how to wrap it up.
 
The conclusion can often be the hardest part of a documentary, but it is also extremely important! A good conclusion will leave your audience satisfied with the entire video; however, a subpar one will make the audience feel like something is missing. Answering the question of “Why did I make this?” can be a hard task, but once you have your thesis down, the conclusion comes easily.

Make a plan.
How do you want your documentary to look? Are you going to sit down and talk to the camera, or are you going to be a voice-over while clips play across the screen? Are you going to use any clips or music that might be copyrighted? Before you go any further with your documentary, you need to think about these things!
 
Gathering clips and music beforehand is a great way to save you some trouble later. Though most documentary content falls under Fair Use, long, unedited movie or music snippets can be claimed by copyright. This could prevent your video from being monetized, visible in certain countries, or published altogether. But there are ways around copyright claims! Often, editing longer clips down, placing images or text over the clips, or removing the sound can absolve automatic copyright claims. Copyright-free music is also a safe bet!

Get the right equipment.
A decent camera and microphone are important to making sure your video looks and sounds high-quality. Of course, plenty of video essayists use their standard phone camera and microphone, but if you want to add that extra craftsmanship, finding better equipment is necessary. Good equipment can be pricey, so expect to pay at least $120 on a camera and $50 on a microphone. The quality will be noticeable, though, and since these are one-time purchases, they are good investments if you intend to make multiple videos.

Write a script.
So you have your topic, your thesis, and a plan. Now it’s time for arguably the most important step – the script!
 
Most video essayists and documentarians, even the amateurs, do not go in empty-handed. Coming up with what to say on the spot is an impossible task and will almost certainly lead to second-guessing yourself later, so it’s important to write out exactly what you want to say. After you have a script, wait a day or so, then read it again and have someone else read it. Visual content is certainly a huge plus, but the real value of your documentary is in what you are saying, not playing on the screen, so be certain that your script is good!
 
It is also a good idea to hire a co-writer. Even the biggest and most experienced documentary channels use co-writers. Again, your script is the most important part of your video, so making sure it is perfect is a huge task. Enlisting help can lighten the load.

Start editing.
Of course, your documentary will only truly look professional if all the parts fit together properly. Clips, music, voice-over, and video all need to work well together.
 
First, you’ll need editing software. iMovie might work for short videos, but its editing capabilities are limited. Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the most-used and best-rated video editing software for good reason. With color correction, filters, transitions, built-in special effect options, and more, Premiere Pro is an excellent resource for making clean, professional videos. Because it is so popular, hundreds of videos explaining the tips and tricks to using it are available for free on YouTube. However with a monthly price tag of about $20, it may not be an option for many aspiring filmmakers. Adobe Premiere Elements is a one-time payment, but it comes with far more limited capabilities.
 
Don’t want to pay for fancy editing software? Hire an editor! Hiring help is a great way to relieve your own burden and ensures that your video will be top-notch quality.
 
Making your own documentary is no small feat, but it is also not impossible, even for beginners! We hope that from this article, you have learned where to start, what you need, and when to get help! If you’re in need of inspiration, check out these short documentaries posted on our very own Night Heron Media YouTube channel.

Every aspiring writer knows that getting your story featured in the New York Times' best seller list is one of the greatest honors any book could achieve but getting your foot in the door can feel more like climbing Mount Everest than publishing a book.
 
Getting on this prestigious list offers huge bragging rights for authors. To get an idea of the difficulty, a study showed that of 100,000 hardcover books published each year between 2008 and 2016, less than 500 of them made the list. A quarter of those books that managed to land in one of the 15 available slots only made an appearance for a week before dropping off.
 
Overall, only about 37% of the chosen books manage to stay more than four weeks, while even fewer--about 8%-- snag the No.1 spot. Looking at that, it probably would be easier to climb Mount Everest!
 
However, this doesn't mean you have no chance. While no one knows the full judging process that grants authors access to this selective list, here are a few tips that could improve your book's chances:

Get Your Sales Up in a Week
Book sales are the biggest aspect of getting on the New York Times' best seller list--for obvious reasons--but the velocity of these sales is the real key to getting noticed. If you want a realistic shot at getting on the list, you need to sell at least 5,000 to 10,000 copies within one week. The general rule of thumb is to sell at least 6,000 in fiction or 7,500 in nonfiction.
 
So if you want to make the best seller list--sell.

Diversify Sales
However, it’s not enough just to sell over 6,000 books in a week. The New York Times also requires that sales be spread across America using a plethora of retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, independent bookstores, etc. Sales must be dispersed, rather than concentrated--so no buying your book in bulk off Amazon and calling it a day. That’s cheating, and they know it.

Market and Build a Fanbase
Building up your fanbase before you release your book is important, especially when you see that authors usually sell the most copies during the first weeks after launch. Fiction sales almost always peak within the first two to six weeks, while nonfiction usually peaks within the first fifteen.
 
Your best course of action is to market your book before the release date and then be ready to sell in the heat of excitement of your book's release.

Get the Timing Right
Mind when you’re going to release. Depending on the season, the New York Times could require double the amount of sales. For example, while a fiction book might need to sell 5,000 copies during February, during the holiday season, you might need to sell 10,000 of the same book. Choosing a strategic release date will greatly impact your chances of landing a spot on the best seller list.
 
Timing is everything!

Armed with this new information, we at Night Heron Media wish you well in your writing endeavors!