This post was prompted by another thread with a link to JA Konrath's blog and in particular a post with a discussion between him (a self described mid-lister), and Lee Child, the best selling author of the Jack Reacher books.
http://jakonrath.blogspot.com.au/201...lee-child.html
The two are friends, and there is some very straight talk, often a little tongue in cheek but meant humorously. The sort of talk you would hear between mates in just about any Aussie pub on any day, though some people are apparently a bit non-plussed by it.
Lee is a very successful best selling author and is not shy about expressing the fact. HIs position is well summarised by this quote:
And don’t tell me I was lucky or “anointed” or some such … again, we all start from the same place, but I worked harder and smarter than my rivals, and believe me, I’m ready to do it all again … so don’t tell me I’m scared or whining – truth is, I’m licking my lips in anticipation of the big win in whatever scenario comes next.
Joe's response to this (in part)?
I understand why you believe talent and effort win the day, but you're wrong. Unlike a sport, such as track and field or basketball, writing talents and efforts don't translate to stats because there is no even playing field. Usain Bolt can run 200 meters anywhere on the planet. Michael Jordan can have a personal best even when his team is losing. Their successes don't depend on other factors.
Authors can't do it alone, and publishers make a lot of mistakes. Neither you nor I had any power over how many stores our titles were available in, or how big our marketing pushes were, or if our titles were pre-printed on the NYT Bestseller list, or how many reviews we received, or how many ads were bought. We don't know how my books would sell in airports or drug stores or Sam's Club or in Uzbekistan, because I've never been available in those places. We don't know what would have happened if I'd landed at Simon & Schuster rather than Hyperion (S&S made an offer, we didn't take it).
So what are your opinions? What makes a best seller? Has this changed or is it changing now that Amazon and others have made it so easy to self-publish? I'll probably post my own opinion on the issue a little later when I have a bit more time and have given the matter a little more thought.