Keen to dispel some of the myths surrounding writing a bestseller, Veronica Roth, who wrote the first installment of the bestselling Divergent series whilst still in college, offers us 5 insights into the challenging process behind any book:
1. There’s no such thing as an ”overnight success.”
Although Roth’s bestseller may have been labeled as one, the reality behind an overnight success is a lot of hard graft.
”In high school I took physics in summer school so that I could take both creative writing and my regular English class my junior year.”
Even after all this, her first manuscript wasn’t accepted and following a book deal, she still had to produce a rewrite, showing just how long an ”overnight success” really takes.
Source: Amazon
2. A love of the process is paramount
Roth does little to conceal the hard graft taken to produce a bestselling novel. It’s a long process that demands a love of the craft itself, not just of the potential outcome of a paycheck. As she describes it:
”Writing is about growth, challenge and change. Without those things, there’s no joy in it.”
Source: New York Style
3. The importance of losing yourself to the creative flow
When it comes to finding inspiration, Roth describes indulging her curiosity, reading Wikipedia entries and exploring ideas until something clicks. She describes the all-consuming nature of such a lifestyle, writing at night, in the morning, and generally doing ”whatever is necessary to get the story done.”
4. Appreciating the people that make a bestseller
The idea of writing a novel generally lends itself to a solitary self-promoting lifestyle, but Roth is at pains to suggest that this isn’t the case. Just like a movie being so much more than just the star actor, a bestselling book not only relies on an author, but an editor, an agent, proof-readers, production and design teams, and marketers.
”All those people work extremely hard to put that book into the world and to ensure that it gets its best shot at success.”
Source: Zimbio
5. Using the Internet as a helping hand
The world of book publishing may seem like a daunting place with all those different people involved, but Roth describes the oasis of help available on webs and blogs that can start you on the track to navigating your way to a bestseller.
”Google is an amazing resource for any questions about publishing a person might have.”
Source: Amazon
With Veronica Roth’s worldly advice on writing your own bestseller, why not start dreaming one up today?
Veronica Roth’s latest novel, Carve The Mark, is available now
YouTube Channel: POPSUGAR Entertainment
Featured image via Alchetron
h/t Entrepreneur
