Writing Bestsellers: Love, Money, and Creative Practice

Description

While the term 'bestseller' explicitly relates books to sales, commercially successful books are also products of individual creative work. This Element presents a new perspective on the relationship between art and the market, with particular reference to bestselling writers and books. We examine some existing perspectives on art's relationship to the marketplace to trouble persistent binaries that see the two in opposition; we break down the monolith of the marketplace by thinking of it as made up of a range of invested, non-hostile participants such as publishing personnel and readers; we articulate the material dimensions of creative writing in the industry through the words of bestselling writers themselves; and we examine how the existence of bestselling books and writers in the world of letters bears enormous influence on the industry, and on the practice of other writers. Cover Title page Copyright page Writing Bestsellers: Love, Money, and Creative Practice Contents Introduction What are Bestsellers? 1 The ‘Bestselling Writer’ Paradox Conflict and Cooperation Creativity and Creative Practice Readers and ‘the Market’ Who are Bestselling Writers? 2 Behind the Magician’s Curtain Write What You Love Great Expectations Obligation Freedom 3 Bestselling Writers and Their Influence on Industry How Bestselling Books Change the Industry Emulation: Myths of Creating Bestsellers Training: Secrets of Writing Bestsellers Conclusion Bibliography