I get this question almost every week: What’s the secret to selling books?

The simple answer is that there is no secret.

Authors with large social media presences, regular speaking gigs, sexy topics, high-profile endorsements, solid interviewing skills, and great covers only serve to move the needle. While immensely valuable, those attributes in and of themselves guarantee nothing. 

Michael Lewis, Stephen King, or John Grisham could release a “bad” book and still sell millions of copies. At that level, a Matthew Effect is taking place.

Don’t let anyone ever tell you that there’s a ten-point checklist or plan for success. It simply doesn’t exist.

Do what you can to improve the odds, but never forget the fact that they are odds, not certainties.