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Welcome to Season 7 of The Book Marketing Action Podcast with Becky Robinson, where we give you information you can immediately implement to increase your influence and market your books more successfully.
In this episode, Becky sits down with Kathleen Schmidt—founder of Kathleen Schmidt Public Relations and author of Publishing Confidential on Substack—to pull back the curtain on the New York Times bestseller list. Kathleen explains why bestseller lists are more curated than many authors realize and why hitting the list is far less predictable than most people think. This candid conversation will help authors reset expectations about bestseller lists and focus on more impactful strategies that support long-term success.
Key Points From This Episode:
[01:19] Kathleen shares about herself, her career, and her company, Kathleen Schmidt Public Relations.
[03:50] Kathleen reveals the gap she saw in publishing, which inspired her to create her Substack newsletter.
[06:28] Discover the details of Kathleen’s Substack article that uncovers the truth about various bestseller lists—particularly the New York Times.
[09:56] Kathleen explains how the New York Times bestseller list is selected.
[13:15] (AD) Learn about Weaving Influence Press—Weaving Influence’s marketing-first approach to hybrid publishing.
[14:18] Kathleen reveals what surprises her the most about the issues relating to various bestseller lists.
[15:33] Kathleen talks about who benefits from the current bestseller system and who is disadvantaged by it.
[18:06] If any authors feel defeated or discouraged by the challenge of getting on a bestseller list, Kathleen shares advice and more worthwhile goals that authors can set.
[19:26] Kathleen shares what she would most like to change about the bestseller ecosystem.
[20:18] Kathleen highlights strategies she’s seen used by some of the most successful authors to sustain consistent book sales over time.
[22:50] Kathleen explains what has worked for her in terms of building her online brand and presence.
Action Steps:
- Set right-sized goals for yourself and your book. Think about and evaluate the goals that you have for your book launch, then consider how you can show up consistently and engage with your community so your book can sell over time.
- Decide whether there are other areas of your life that you’re comfortable sharing to create a more authentic online presence. If so, take the risk to share something new with your online connections today!
Resources:
- Subscribe to Publishing Confidential on Substack and read the article that inspired this episode.
- Consider joining Kathleen’s Publishing Confidential Cohort. Details can be found in her recent Substack articles.
- Explore Kathleen’s website to learn more about her work and services.
- Follow Kathleen on Instagram and Threads.
- Email Kathleen directly at kathleen@kmspr.com.
Key Quotes:
What surprises me is how obvious it is sometimes that a book doesn’t belong in a particular slot on a bestseller list. —Kathleen Schmidt
The people who benefit from the current system are authors whom publishers invest a lot in. —Kathleen Schmidt
Ultimately, it’s outside the control of the author. They can do everything correctly or optimally and sell the right number of books, but still be excluded somehow. —Kathleen Schmidt
Consistency over time is really what the goal should be. —Kathleen Schmidt
It is important to have some kind of platform where you can connect directly with readers, because publishers are going to look less at your follower count and more at engagement. —Kathleen Schmidt
The biggest problem I see with authors is that some of them just hand the keys over to the publisher for promotion, and they don’t do anything on their own. You have to be a participant. That is non-negotiable these days. —Kathleen Schmidt
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