Can you write a 'Bestseller' without ever reading one?

[John Jarrold]

Are we there yet?

[gary compton]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

Are we there yet?

Sorry John I have had a couple of glasses more than I should have so me brain is now under anisthetic...where would that be?

[John Jarrold]

No problem!!! I guess I'm always interested in practicalities rather than theorising!

[gary compton]

Yes I think you are right, you can theorise as much as you want... doing something is always harder than talking about it.

[RVM45]

.....Nick P- that was an attempt at humor. Legal definitions don't "PROOVE" anything; though they MIGHT indicate the opinion of the majority of the legislators( Even this isn't certain though; politicians being such slippery, devious reprobates.)

.....If the government refuses to pay claims on CT; then obviously no one can draw claims on CT- a very circular argument there...

.....Like the place that advertises "All the Fried Chicken You Can Eat"; then tells you there's a six piece limit.

....."If we cut you off at six pieces; then six pieces is all YOU CAN eat."

.....Sorry if you thought I was impugning your father's integrity.

.....RVM45

[Marky Lazer]

Originally Posted by garycompton

Well I would say a brilliant idea, an abundance of talent and an ability to write in a style that is worthy of a Best Seller, not necessarily to have read one.

My original question was to stimulate a debate on this subject as a friend of mine is writing a book, he is very dyslexic and I have read his book and I thought it was well written, well researched, I hung on every sentence which surprised me. So I wondered if he might be successful.

Well, let me get the best and worst example: The Da Vinci Code. Yes, it's a best-seller, no doubt about it. But come on! Does Dan Brown have any writing talent?

[ctg]

Well, let me get the best and worst example: The Da Vinci Code. Yes, it's a best-seller, no doubt about it. But come on! Does Dan Brown have any writing talent?

Not in Shakespearean way, but Dan Brown has a talent to pick a subject that is interesting to a wide audience, and he has an ability to tie it to an story.

How do you define a writing talent?

[iansales]

Originally Posted by ctg

Not in Shakespearean way, but Dan Brown has a talent to pick a subject that is interesting to a wide audience, and he has an ability to tie it to an story.

I'd say Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln had the talent to pick "a subject that is interesting to a wide audience" first, although I don't believe The Holy Blood & The Holy Grail has sold as many copies as The da Vinci Code...

[ctg]

My bad, sorry.

[gary compton]

Originally Posted by Marky Lazer

Well, let me get the best and worst example: The Da Vinci Code. Yes, it's a best-seller, no doubt about it. But come on! Does Dan Brown have any writing talent?

Surely talent in the publishing industry is measured by the number of books you sell, thats the whole point isnt it? Cant see how you can critisize Dan Brown in view of his sales figures.

[chrispenycate]

Talent measured by sales? I suppose you think that holds for the music business, too.

Not that I have any idea what the number of sales does represent; it definitely isn't lack of talent. Mind you, my "talentometer" is broken, so I don't know how to measure that, either, in any art form. Since no two people will agree as to who is more talented (and no artist displays the same skill on all oeuvres, despite his talent presumably being constant – no, perhaps talent is a variable, in which case different portions of a book will show different values of talent, to be measured in centimuses…

[John Jarrold]

Commercialty is measured by sales - and 'commercial' publishing does what it says on the tin...

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by garycompton

Surely talent in the publishing industry is measured by the number of books you sell, thats the whole point isnt it? Cant see how you can critisize Dan Brown in view of his sales figures.

John is right. There's a world of difference between writing talent and bein able to market yourself. The vast bulk of best-sellers are quickly forgotten, and for a reason: there's seldom any substance to what they write, and usually very little originality in either subject or development. They're most often formulaic and trite (again, generally speaking), and happen to hit the public taste at that moment. Sales and talent are very rarely connected.

This does not mean that a talented writer can't be a best-seller; it does happen now and again. But no one who takes their craft seriously sits down intending to write a best-seller. The concern is to do the best writing you can, and if you hit the jackpot, then you've been very, very fortunate....