A Perelandra College writing student recently commented that she wants to be a bestselling author so she can enlighten or awaken people. This gave me pause, and prompted considerable reflection about what makes a bestselling author. 

To make any sense of this topic, we need a solid definition of bestseller. 

One author might claim bestseller status because a given bookstore tallies its sales by the month and his book ranked among the top ten during one of those months, perhaps because he visited for a booksigning and drew dozens of buyers, since it was his hometown.

Another author, whose long time career was public relations, developed an elaborate plan to lure folks to an online book launch party. She was attempting to land in the top hundred selling books of the day on amazon.com and thereby claim bestseller status.

Even the bestselling claims that give specifics may not be as reputable as they seem. If an author, by luck or design, happens to be featured at signings in the same week in the four or five stores the local newspaper surveys to determine its bestseller list, this may give a valid yet misleading claim to bestseller status. Such things can even occur in major cities, say Los Angeles, with the Times.

For this discussion, I'll define bestseller as a book that shows up on many bestseller lists and puts the author in a position to quit his day job without rousing anger or trepidation in his family.

And I'll turn to the heart of the matter by suggesting that the desire to become a bestselling author may be in conflict with other, and perhaps more important, desires. So those who aspire to be read by millions had best pause in their quest and answer a few questions before plotting their strategy.

First question: Do you want to write about what you witness, experience, and/or believe, or about what people want to read?

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