The Two Qualities of a Bestselling Author

When my client Vivian Tu hit the New York Times bestseller list earlier this year with her book RICH AF, I wasn’t surprised. Partially that’s because of numbers: Vivian has over 5 million followers on social media who watch her insightful, funny, and informative videos about personal finance.

But — as someone who has worked with hundreds of potential and published authors over the years — I also knew Vivian was going to succeed from the moment I met her. The reason I knew is because she had already done most of the work. Vivian had already created a strong personal brand, a huge audience, and a dedicated following for what her book was about. (She simply needed help with writing the actual book — which we could, and did, do.)

Traditional publishing is an industry where most people don’t succeed.

And I would argue that the people who do —

1. Are willing to do the work (often for years beforehand, with no guarantee of payoff).
2. Bring a unique set of expertise and experiences that help them stand out.

What I have discovered in my career as an editor, ghostwriter, and collaborator for hire is that most people have potential. Everyone reading this post could create, build, and run a successful business; could create, post, and share content to grow an…