When we put the new Western selling formula into action, none of us, not even myself, realized the success we would see from the seeds we planted several months ago. This morning I received an email from an author, one who recently embraced the formula, and one who until recently had been struggling with gaining and maintaining success with his books. This email brightened up my day because it showed that he recognized the complete reversal in his fortunes. From books that were sitting, gathering dust and doing nothing, to the first glimmer of success to his current position—two books sitting on the bestseller chart making sales hourly and being read by joyfully by readers. Let me share this testimonial with you. It says more than I could ever hope to.
Nick,
I have written over thirty Westerns and been fortunate that four have become bestsellers. It had never dawned on me that the four that were bestsellers were in a series. You had told me that the series was the way to write, but it never really sunk in. When you finally got my attention, and I wrote the Will Thomas series (which has both books sitting in the top fifty), I am hard at the third and have an outline for number four. If anyone wants to discuss this approach, they can contact me on Facebook, and I’ll be glad to discuss it. Your formula has changed my writing career for the better. I now know the right length for each book, the right way to present my characters to the selling audience, the way to use my book to please the selling algorithm, the right style, and the right approach. Thank you.
Fred Staff
Author, Will Thomas: Mountain Man
Thank you, Fred. Thank you for your kind words. The formula has proven that it doesn’t matter how old an author is, or how unsuccessful, or how hard they’ve worked. It’s about the way they work, the way they put together Western novels, the way they position their Western novels, the way the Western is promoted. It is a formula that takes what has worked in the past for many authors and asks a current crop of bestsellers three questions:
Can you see how the formula would help sell your Western stories to readers?
Why, yes. Fred could. After discussing and learning about the formula and the algorithm, he knew it was something he could work with. Sure beats not selling any books, right?
Are you interested in selling Westerns?
Why, yes. He was. He loved readers, but he wanted more of them. Selling books is the yardstick of having readers. Fred wanted more readers and that drove him to stop what he was doing wrong, and to start embracing something that was right.
When do you think you ought to start selling Westerns?
Well, for Fred… he figured he wanted to do it straight away. He did his part, I did mine, and what we ended up with was a successful series being enjoyed around the world. Some writers write for pleasure. Staff writes to be read.
And you? Do you think you’d like to try the formula? How do these questions look when you answer them? Remember this, friend, it takes a lot longer to build a school than it does to build a wood hut—but the right blueprint can save you a lot of time.
Now, if you have any questions or ideas you would like to discuss, my door is always open. Like a hawk, I’m always around plotting the next promotional step, watching the bestseller chart, tweaking ads and putting together new ideas. Just send me a note and let’s brainstorm together. Either way, the opportunity to succeed is yours.
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