How to Create a Bestselling Book

I’ve had the privilege to work on multiple bestsellers. Some rocked The New York Times list, whereas others hit the USA Today and Wall Street Journal lists. Others hit #1 in large categories on Amazon (like Business & Money) and stayed there, for days, weeks, months.

And what I’ve seen, time and time again, is that there are two main ways anyone can turn their book into a bestseller.

#1 — Product-Market Fit.

When I was an editorial assistant hunting for projects to pitch, I saw a character on one of my favorite TV shows — Barney Stinson, from How I Met Your Mother — hold up a fake book.

The Bro Code outlined all the things that “bros” should and should not do. (For example: Whether a Bro cares about sports or not — a Bro cares about sports.) I knew my ex-boyfriend and his friends constantly referred to a similar “Code” and that there were thousands of guys out there just like them. I figured many would buy a $13 book with Neil Patrick Harris (who played Barney) on the cover . . . and I was right.

The Bro Code hit #9 on the Advice, How-to, and Miscellaneous list in The New York Times in its first week and went on to sell 300,000 copies (and produce several spinoffs).

That’s product-market fit.