The Anatomy of a Bestselling Novel [Infographic]

Is it really possible to write a bestselling novel to order? To break down its constituent parts and use them as a kind of writing-a-blockbuster-by-numbers?

After all, literature isn’t Lego, is it?

Despite this, many people have tried. On the bookshelves, physical and digital, you’ll find endless books and courses on how to write a bestselling novel.

Some of them use complicated algorithms that break every element down to a series of mathematical formulae. While, at the other end of the scale, some merely present you with a series of building blocks and leave you to assemble them into a literary whole.

And there may be something in it, especially if you’re writing genre fiction.

If it’s that easy, however, why isn’t everyone doing it?

A good question. Which is why when I saw this infographic on one of my favorite writing blogs, Book Baby I was intrigued. Have a look and see if you think they have the anatomy of a bestselling novel worked out…

bestselling novel - infographic

Do you think Book Baby got it right? Have they broken down the anatomy of a bestselling novel? Or is there more to it than that?

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About The Author

Laura Tong

Laura Tong is the Editor here at Write To Done and her writing regularly features on such top blogs as HuffPost, Tiny Buddha and of course Write To Done. She’s a published author (traditional and indie) and has written books as diverse as luxury travel, surreal fiction, autobiographical and personal development.

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