Targeting Genre for Big Sales
A course for self-publishing novelists who long to see their books hit the top of the best-seller lists.
Want to become a best-selling author? Impossible dream?
Face it: with more than 4,000 new books published daily, the chance that your novel will sell big is slim. Few novels ever sell more than a handful of copies ever. Despite extensive marketing and promotion efforts, most authors still fail to get discovered, resulting in frustration and heartache.
There is nothing more disappointing for an author than to write a terrific novel and watch it flop. Few sales. Few reviews. A handful of new fans. All those months of hard work writing a stellar novel ... and zilch returns.
Is there some secret to hitting the best-seller lists? Can't you just write a great book? Clearly not. No doubt you've seen plenty of novels top the charts that, at least to you, are not so great. Some writers get lucky breaks. Others have clout or connections.
Great marketing and targeted promotion can help only to some extent.
What most writers don't understand is the part that genre plays in sales.
Genre plays a huge part in sales. And learning to target genre can mean the difference between a novel no one's heard of and one that sells hundreds or even thousands of copies a month.
Does selling big mean you have to sell out? Not at all.
I believe you can find just the right genre you'll love to write in. And then it's just a matter of learning how to write novels that target that genre. In this course you'll learn how to
- identify top-selling genres
- pick a genre to write in that you'll love
- deconstruct best sellers in your target genre
- structure your novel to fit perfectly into your target genre
- pick a perfect title and cover design for success
- prepare your online product pages to jump to the top of best-seller lists
- price your book for your target market
It's not impossible!
This course will show you in clear, easy steps how to target genre for big sales. Yes, you have to write a terrific novel. That's the hard part. But getting that novel to sell shouldn't be harder.
There is no magic secret, however, to achieving big sales. And learning these techniques and methods of targeting genre will not guarantee your book will become a best seller. But they will give you the greatest advantage to doing so.
There is nothing more satisfying for an author than seeing her book at the top of the best-seller lists.
What are you waiting for? Get started on your road to success!
"This instruction has been a game changer for me personally. I went from selling practically nothing to a couple of thousands books per month just from following the steps you laid out!"
—S.D.
"My book went right to the #1 bestseller lists. There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that this immediate success is due to your guidance on carefully selecting key phrases and writing them into the product description, then selecting the less competitive categories. There is no way I would have had this success without optimizing the Amazon search engine according to the information and directions set out in your course material. I'm forever grateful for this, Susanne."
—Garry Rodgers
"If you're serious about writing, then you seriously need this course on Targeting Genre as provided by expert instructor and author C. S. Lakin. Books that don't sell are just reams of paper filled with a dream that died upon awakening. But if being an author is your calling, coupled with a burning desire to succeed in today's market, Lakin delivers all the tools you will need."
—Dawn Mattox
"Lakin’s class 'Targeting Genre for Big Sales' overflows with step-by-step principles essential for all career-minded authors. Regardless of traditional, indie, or hybrid publishing aspirations, this course will show you how to increase discoverability and sales. I’ve recommended it to all my writer friends. Get it now. It’s worth every penny!"
—Rachelle Denecochea
Your Instructor
C. S. Lakin is the award-winning author of thirty books and blogger at Live Write Thrive, a top-ten site for writers. She works as a book copyeditor and writing coach, specializing in manuscript critiques. Her writing craft book series The Writer's Toolbox teaches aspiring and experienced novelists how to write terrific stories. More than 5,000 writers have taken her online video courses over the last 10 years. She loves nothing more than to help writers craft stellar novels and experience success and joy in their writing journey.
"I finished your Big Sales class, and WOW, did it ever work. My two books ranked in the millions, and now one is around 1,000 and the other lingers around 500. One book even got up to 150 in the teen and young adult mystery and thriller. 😊 No, I didn’t cheat; I watched your course about five times and applied the techniques. Between your guidance and the insight of KDSPY, I almost made it to the Bestseller List. " ~ William J. Davis (2024)
Course Curriculum
Frequently Asked Questions
Beginning to experienced novelists, writers of creative nonfiction, and anyone interested in self-publishing a book that will sell well.
Get started now!
My story . . .
My story of my novel-writing journey is not unique. Many writers have experienced similar frustration in trying to get traction as a successful author.
I spent years writing novels, trying different genres, signing with agent after agent, hoping to realize my dream of becoming a best-selling author. Finally, after 23 years, I got a publishing contract with one of the top 5 publishers in the world. My hopes soared. I had made it! I went on to contract nine novels with three traditional publishers in three years, but my novels sank into the mire of obscurity.
I turned to self-publishing, hoping I'd see success with my unusual novels—stories I loved but that didn't quite fit neatly into genre slots. My agents had praised my writing style, but I kept being given the same excuse for failure to land the big contracts. "Your novels are beautiful, but they're hard to place. They don't quite fit into a publisher's list."
I took workshops, read writing craft books, attended writers' retreats, read blog posts. I interviewed successful authors to learn how they marketed and promoted their books. For three years, I tried everything recommended to me and spent more than $15,000 on marketing, publicists, and promotion.
Although my many novels had great reviews, won awards, and garnered high praise, I could barely sell a dozen copies a month.
My experiment
Then, in desperation, I decided to do an experiment.
I wrote specifically to fit a genre I'd heard sold with little effort. Supply couldn't meet demand, I was told. Authors writing in this narrow subgenre were making thousands of dollars a month off their books with hardly any advertising and little-to-no platform.
Could it be that genre really might play a part—a big part—in big sales? Was there a way I could channel my love for writing beautiful stories into an actual money-making career?
I found out that genre did play a big part in sales. And that, yes, I could finally make a living as a writer. Less than three weeks after putting my novel up for sale, I hit the top of the best-seller lists for my subgenres and saw sales of more than $3,000 a month—for months!
What I did changed my entire perspective and launched my success. It changed the way I approached my writing goals and the stories I chose to write. And it changed my entire outlook on my writing career.
I was no longer frustrated, hopeless, ever ready to quit. I was happy! And I still am. Now I'm thrilled and excited every time I start in on a new novel. Because I know it will sell big.
In this course, I share with you, step by step, how to find the big-selling genres that don't have huge competition, and how to launch your novel that targets genre for greatest discoverability. These are the steps I used and continue to use for success.
No, I did not sell out. And you don't have to either. I believe writers can target genre and sell big—and love what they are writing.
Come explore the possibilities and see your dreams realized too.