Want to be a wildly successful author? All it takes is a big pile of cash:
In the cases mentioned above, the authors hired a marketing firm that purchased books ahead of publication date, creating a spike in sales that landed titles on the lists. The marketing firm, San Diego-based ResultSource, charges thousands of dollars for its services in addition to the cost of the books, according to authors interviewed.
As ResultSource’s website points out, hitting best-seller lists can mean fame, and potentially lucrative consulting assignments.
“Publishing a book builds credibility, but having a Bestseller initiates incredible growth—exponentially increasing the demand for your thought leadership, skyrocketing your speaking itinerary and value,” ResultSource says.
ResultSource’s principal, Kevin Small, declined requests for an interview. On its website, the company outlines its ambitions: “‘We create campaigns that reach a specific goal, like: “On the bestsellers list,” or “100,000 copies sold.'”
Note that this is not about self-publishing, but about publishing. Which means this kind of thing has been going on one way or the other for a very long time.
Also, don’t miss the Wall St. Journal refusing to comment about the issue in a story appearing in the Wall. St. Journal.
— Mark Barrett
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