Today I had the honor of interviewing author Dee Power. Dee started out writing business plans, which in her own words were, "often considered works of fiction by investors." Today, she teaches seminars on getting published, writing marketing plans, and finding investors. But you can also catch her writing articles and fiction like, Inside The Crescent Moon. Discover why Dee believes selling authors (and writers) are the ones who never give up, and set hours for their writing...

The Making of A Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors and the Editors, Agents and Booksellers Behind Them, is a wonderful concept. While we know all books won't become bestsellers, how can striving for "bestseller" status help an author's career?

The primary lesson they can learn is to never give up! Perseverance is a key characteristic of those authors who have made it. They didn't just curl up and die at the first "no".

Stephen King's Carrie was the fifth novel he'd written. James Patterson's first mystery was turned down by 31 publishers (but later won an Edgar Award). Mary Higgins Clark's first story took 6 years and 41 rejection slips before it was finally published. Her first novel was, as she puts it, "a commercial disaster." Her second, Where Are the Children? was a bestseller. Janet Evanovich's first three attempts were, in her own words "sucky un-sellable manuscripts."

Time and time again bestselling authors have learned the same lesson: With great diligence, and unwavering devotion to the craft of writing, "sucky" can eventually turn into sublime.

Writers must have the discipline and patience to develop their craft and build their career through a slow, steady, climb that requires patience and discipline. Bestselling authors are very active in the marketing of their books, whether it means calling on bookstores and introducing themselves, developing skills at being interviewed by the media, or interacting with their fans on web sites. Writing a great book is only half the battle. You have to energetically assist your publisher in selling it.

What was one thing that surprised you about best selling books?

One thing? That's a toughie. It would probably be that these bestselling authors still care about the quality of their work. They care that their readers will be satisfied with their latest title. They want their latest work to be their greatest work.

Writing is their job. They don't sit there waiting for the muse to strike; they hunt it down, drag it back, and sit it down in front of their keyboards-except for Barbara Taylor Bradford; she still uses a typewriter, not a computer.

Books sales rely on marketing efforts, what is your best marketing tip?

If you want to achieve any measure of success make sure your book is stocked in bookstores. Nearly 60% of book sales take place in bookstores. The publisher is responsible for getting your book in bookstores.

There is an extensive article on our website that explains how books get on bookstore shelves. (http://www.brianhillanddeepower.com/howbooks.html)

My personal tip would be to have bookmarks made. I can't tell you how many times people want to know about our latest book, I always have bookmarks with me and hand them out. Now I don't leave them everywhere I go, like with the bill in a restaurant, or on the counter in the ladies room, personally I think that's a waste of money. But when talking with someone I'm often asked what I do. When I answer I'm a writer, it's just natural to hand them a bookmark. (The bookmarks are professionally designed and printed: four color on one side, black and white on the other.)

Visit her at http://www.brianhillanddeepower.com/

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