The Worst Goal When You Want To Write and Publish a Book.

I’ve been in publishing for nearly 20 years and I can say with absolute certainty and confidence that one goal creates the most heartbreak for authors I know.

Wanting to be a New York Times bestseller.

Here’s why.

First, “the list” — as it’s known in publishing — is curated. Instead of being based on the bestselling books of the week, the people who work for The New York Times choose what’s on the list.

Yep. It’s sorta rigged.

In my career, I’ve worked on “bestselling” books that appeared on the list, even though I knew and everyone else knew that book hadn’t sold enough copies to be there. And I’ve also worked on books that sold more than enough that were mysteriously left off.

But that’s not all.

What I’ve seen is that when authors focus on The New York Times list or becoming a bestselling author or getting a particularly big advance, say — their perspective gets twisted. The goal becomes very all-or-nothing, boom-or-bust. Any “good” goals they meet along the way — like landing their dream literary agent or selling 5,000 books in the first week on sale — seem mediocre and paltry in comparison. Worse, the author is doing it to themselves by making an extraordinary accomplishment that only a…