As any person starts a brand new day, there is always an element of wonder when you start to read your mail and find letters written by the good folks you work with praising your work. The note below was sent to me by Gene Turney, an author who started working with me last year, and has so far managed to turn out four top one hundred and three top twenty bestsellers in the Western genre. Many would say he was an overnight sensation but no. No, he wasn’t. That would undermine his work ethic and drive. His success is the result of hard work—and following the formula. Gene Turney is an author who was given the opportunity and took it with both hands to create success. I want to share his words with you—and thank him for writing them because to me there is no greater pleasure than pleasing the people I am working to promote.
“There is so much more to writing a book than just writing the book. I had no idea of the elements that turn out to make a book successful. At least I didn’t until I met Nick Wale. He knows how to turn book writing from an ‘okay, I did that thing’ to a fun, booming business. He has a process, the process is easy, and if I follow the process, I will be successful. I recently learned that nearly a half million pages of my books have been read. That little statistic will warm a writer’s heart. Nick knows how to make a book sell. I thought a publicist helped with the cover and got it to market. That is now a given. It is what the publicist does for that book after all those things that helps the book sell. We enjoy our meetings and I enjoy listening to Nick help craft the future of my books. There is a saying that came from somewhere that says business is more fun when you are winning. Nick helps me win, and I want to be on his team!”
Thank you so much, Gene. It’s tremendous to see you riding so high on the charts. The question is what does it take to be a winner? Every author writes a book hoping to win some success, some acceptance from readers, but the big question is this: What are they doing to achieve this success and acceptance? When talking to new Western authors, I rely on three questions to determine the success level an author is looking for.
Can you see how the formula would help sell your Western stories to readers?
When talking to Gene, I knew he could work to the formula. He wanted to sell books and was already mulling over the series that would break him through to the readership at large. That mountain man series looked and smelled like a hit. When I told Gene this, he doubled down and made the rest of the elements fit the formula so we could aim for the greatest possible audience.
Are you interested in selling Westerns?
Everyone thinks they are interested in selling books, but some authors know they want to sell books. When asked this question, there was no hesitation. Gene wanted to sell books and he committed himself in his mind to success.
When do you think you ought to start selling Westerns?
Some authors say “I don’t know” to this question. Some authors say, “Let me think about it.” Gene said, “Right now. Let’s do it.”
And a commitment was made—he wrote the books, I sold them, and now we have something cooking as his books are taking over the charts. “Boots on the Mountain,” “Mountain Man John Comes To Texas,” “Bullets Fly in Yellowstone Mountains” and “Manhunt in the Mountains.” All are being read this very moment by readers across the world.
And how about 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. Heck, if you want to discuss the formula, you can send me a note through the form below. I always like hearing from the next Western bestseller.
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