Lindstrom Literary Management LLC

News and Views

What Makes a Bestseller?

There’s no one formula for landing a book on the New York Times bestseller list. But sometimes it seems that all the stars are in alignment for a particular author when his or her book is introduced to the marketplace. Reviews are glowing, interviews go well, and sales spike. LLM client Dr. Nick Trout is one such author. Nick’s first book, Tell Me Where It Hurts, debuted on the NYT bestseller list at #13. How did sales for this book jump so quickly from its release date?

First, Nick has written a wonderful book in the tradition of James Herriot that has appeal to a broad range of readers as it focuses on how we care for pets in this age of advancing technology. From the beginning, things went well with Broadway. A decision was made by the publisher relatively early on to back the book with a significant publicity and marketing campaign, unusual for a first-time author. As the publicity and marketing staff got to know Nick, they realized they had a capable partner to work with in organizing interviews, events and other appearances.

News and Views

The personality that comes across in Nick’s book -– compassionate, funny -- had the potential to shine as he interacted with booksellers and readers. To emphasize his compassionate side, Nick’s original title, Veterinary Confidential, was changed to a warmer and more evocative one, Tell Me Where It Hurts. The wonderful cover photo of the unhappy Boston Terrier spoke volumes about the content of the book: the ‘aw” factor was a hit with men, women and children. Hundreds of advanced reading copies were printed and sent to the big chain bookstores, independent booksellers, and reviewers around the country. This lead to healthy advance orders. The book received very good reviews from important industry periodicals, including Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal.

The Broadway publicity/marketing staff worked hard to gain critical placements for the book. They landed an interview on National Public Radio’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. The book picked up several other prized placements. A condensed version appeared in Reader’s Digest, a magazine with over 17 million subscribers. It was featured in the Barnes & Noble Discover Program over the summer of 2008, where the book was displayed with the face out – a particular pull with the Boston Terrier – near the “power aisle,” along with other marketing benefits. Tell Me Where It Hurts has also been offered as an alternate feature by a number of books clubs.