Overnight Success vs. Longevity in Publishing

Most authors dream of the day their book lands on the Best Selling lists, whether on Amazon or the major New York Times Best Sellers List. It is a noble goal to set, especially if your heart is to reach the masses with the message God has given you. Unfortunately, many do not understand the publishing industry or the criteria to chart in these areas. On Amazon's distribution platform, you must sell at least 100-500 books in a short period of time in order to chart on their most basic list, niche categories. This depends upon the categories your book is listed in as some are more competitive than others. Most authors do not understand that they can chart at number 1 in their niche category by only selling one copy in a 24 hour period if no other book in that particular category is ordered on the same day. This has proven to give authors a false sense of celebration as that number 1 bestseller's 'badge' can leave as fast as it appeared. You can also see these as "Hot New Releases" listed on a red badge above your book title on Amazon.

To chart in Amazon's Top 100, you must sell at least 1000 books per day, and upwards of 3500-5000 a day. Yes, a day! Remember, this is not charting in categories, but in the actual Best Sellers list. (Publishing industry analytics reveal that most new authors will sell no more than 200 copies on their initial launch; some, overall.) To chart as a New York Times Bestseller, an author must sell at least 5000-10,000 books a week.

How Many Books Do You Have to Sell to Be a New York Times Bestseller? If you want to become a bestseller, you must sell at least 5000-1000 books in one week. The amount needed to succeed fluctuates based on the level of competition and the number of new releases each week. (Rob Eager)

Most published authors will never reach these numbers and are now resorting to self-publishing, creating their own books: editing, formatting, and book cover design. If you are not a well-known author and do not have a decent following, or a sphere of influence where you can promote your book, self-publishing is the better choice. The only issue I am witnessing in this area is that most authors, because they say they are on a limited budget, are producing second-class products. Books that are grossly unedited, book covers that for a lack of words are "slapped together," and content that will cause the reader to put the book down and throw it away before getting past the first paragraph. There are a few principles that I try to teach as I travel around the world meeting new authors. The first and most important question I ask is, "Are you sure you have been called to write, or is this just a dream that you always wanted to fulfill?" Unfortunately, with the explosion of authors and even publishers in this day and time, we are witnessing millions of books being published that are sub par, to say the least. As publishers, we understand that there is always room for "human error" and the most well-known publishers have a few errors in many of their published books. A popular quote amongst us publishers, "That is what revisions are for." Yet this is not what I am pointing out in regard to authors that choose to publish a book completely on their own without any professional editing, formatting, or design. This is a selfish ambition as you are asking people to pay their hard-earned money for a book that looks like a child created it. We MUST do better!

The next question I ask them is, "If you believe you have been called to write, have you planned for the costs associated with producing an excellent product that your customers will cherish and even share with others?" I can unequivocally tell you that most do not plan ahead for such an endeavor. And many more do not COUNT THE COST of setting out on the venture and journey of writing. Many first time writers, and I dare say even those that have written multiple books in a short period of time, are seeking overnight success. The most repeated phrase I hear from authors, "Well, I did not even recoup the cost of my first book." My next question is, once again, "Did God call you to write? If He did, then one, He will provide for it and two, your obedience in continuing to write without great compensation will open up the doors He has planned in advance for you." I always know those that are actually called to write by their immedeate response. As someone that has been writing for twenty-five years, I tell authors all the time that it took me almost fifteen years to really begin producing in the area of profiting from my books, and by that time, I had written five books. Secondly, I ONLY write a book when He tells me to write a book. I am not simply writing to write, or to sell books. There is DIVINE PURPOSE in my writing ministry. We must understand that there are rarely overnight successes in anything. I then begin to see them publishing a second, third, fourth, and even fifth book within months, expecting different results. Unfortunately, this will provide to be more frustrating as you can write one-hundred books, but NO ONE knows who you are and Amazon is merely a storefront to house your book. There is NO real advertising or marketing on Amazon. You are one of over 44 million books on this platform.

I want to speak to the Christian writers/authors in this space (and this can even apply to non-believers), "NOT EVERYONE IS CALLED TO WRITE!" Writing is a form of teaching. Now, if you are writing your life story, this is different. What I am witnessing, en masse, within the Body of Christ today is an explosion of believers that FEEL they are called to write or FEEL they have been called to teach. Again, with the eruption of voices, or what I better refer to as "echoes," on social media today, EVERYONE feels they have a message! This is very dangerous and the Bible actually speaks sternly to this falsehood. Read with me in James 3:1,

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment."

As a publisher, I have received multiple manuscripts over the years with false doctrine and even witchcraft from PASTORS! Yes, you heard that correctly! I have turned down more requests from professing pastors and spiritual leaders than any other demographic of writers. Sadly, many of them are merely regurgitating what they have read from others on social media, or what they have copied from Google. During the 2020 "Prophetic Explosion" of professing prophets, I received dozens of manuscripts from pastors that were trying to get their "prophecies" published before others, so they could be the "first one" to publish their words. Unfortunately, most were only copying prophecies spoken years ago from other prophets. The second group of authors sent in outrageous "revelations" that competely went against the Word of the Living God! One pastor put together a book so fast that it was FULL of errors and reguritated prophecies from ten years prior, "fluffed up" by modern day events that had already taken place and he called it "divine revelation from God". The book was poorly formatted and was no more than 50-60 pages, and they had the audacity to retail this book at more than $15.99! But sadly, people LOVE to hear the voice of man rather than the VOICE OF GOD, so they will ignorantly purchase these books and then get mad and leave bad reviews.

Brothers and sisters... I have a holy fear and reverence for Father God and if He has not called you to write for HIM in the sphere and scope of the Gospel, PUT THE PEN DOWN! (Or pull your fingers back from the keyboard, including social media!) There is, as the Bible coins it, a STRICTER judgment for those that are teaching that have NOT been called or anointed to teach, which includes writing books. Unfortunately, MOST are only seeking financial gain and worldly fame... OVERNIGHT SUCCESS! In fifteen years of publishing, I have found only a handful of true, authentic writers for the Kingdom of God. Sure, there have been those that have written their life stories, memoirs, cookbooks, children's books, etc., and their books are wonderful, but I am speaking to KINGDOM WRITERS (SCRIBES) that God has appointed and anointed to write for Him. These are writers that are "seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness," not if they are going to recoup their investment, sell a million books, or gain a massive following.

But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33

These are the kind of writers we are seeking at Hunter Entertainment Network/Hunter Heart Publishing/Hunter Heart Kids. We understand the power of words, but even more importantly, the VOICE OF GOD! If you are seeking overnight success, this may not be the company for you. The true test of an authentic writer is LONGEVITY! Will your voice be heard long after you leave this Earth, and will that voice lead others, through discipleship and transformation, to the One you say you follow, Jesus Christ? Another true test is FRUIT! Financial compensation is NOT true fruit, it is merely a byproduct of the true FRUIT THAT REMAINS! Much to consider...

In His Service,

Deborah G. Hunter

Publisher