The Secret Behind EVERY Bestselling Novel

I've once heard this idea summarized as: make sure that the reader always has questions that they MUST have answered so they will be compelled to keep reading.

It's nice to see a booktuber with actual experience in the publishing industry, great content :)

You are 100% right. I've been writing books forever and I've looked at many "guides, but this one is probably the best. People say: believable protagonist, interesting plot, good conflict, but a lot of books have that and they don't sell well. When I look back, it's the suspense that I remember most in books. I remember when I read "The Count of Monte Christo" and had to go to school. I couldn't concentrate all the time wondering how the duel between the Count and Albert would go, because, after all, Albert couldn't be killed by Edmund. Now an example from the Chinese series "Sparrow." - I knew that the main character was not going to die (at least not until the last episode) but in each episode I felt anxiety, insecurity, what would happen next, how they would get out of the situation. I couldn't tear myself away from this drama. Thank you for this video, because it really helped me. While watching it I had some scenes from my books in front of my eyes and wondered if they were ok. They are. Unfortunately, there are a little too few of them. I need to work on multiplying them without losing quality :)

I'm writing a middle-grade novel about two children who go into the woods and find themselves in the ice age. Its called "Ice" it needs to have plenty of suspense to create the sense of adventure needed in every middle-grade adventure story.

My guess is that the real secret is finding an editor as insightful as Alyssa

Getting pulled in can be subjective. For me, it's the character and his or her reasons. Their motive. Even the world they live in.

Alyssa, I have been fumbling in the dark and spent a goodly sum on educating myself in the art of novel writing for three years. Finally, I have 95k of work I am reasonably pleased with and then ... I discover you. How I wish I had the benefit of your insights before now. However, you now give direction to my editing, publishing and some re-writing phase. You offer exactly what I have been finding the need of and have made an old writer very happy.

You are a real hero for the writers............ Love you Alyssa !!! (Sachin Jadhav - India)

I once hear, can't remember who said it, that writers should create questions in their writing that readers can only get answered by continuing to read. I've tried to take that to heart.

I see you added suspense to your message with the drumroll. 😄 I'm really enjoying your videos. Thank you.

This was really great advice. I've recently discovered your channel and am really enjoying your videos. Thank you.

I appreciate your information and your attitude. Many editors who make videos promulgate lists of “never” and “don’t” rules that choke the mind with restrictions that needn’t be brought into play during the first draft. 👏

Thank you so much for your videos, Alyssa! I am so grateful for the advice you're willingly giving out; it's helping me to form a clear picture of the publishing industry, and to help me become the best writer I can be. Your personal experience in the industry really shows. Please, keep posting – you're fantastic! I have subscribed and liked 👍

I'm so thankful for your content.

Amazing video. Been writing writing long time and now just trying to get published. Your videos are always great !

Must say -- I was blown away by your advice and have been binge-watching today, trying to catch up with all that you've offered on this channel. In the midst of writing what's turned into an epic novel, I've been trying to decide if it all belongs in one book and if the core will bear stretching into a trilogy. I went after an agent too soon [as I now see] and the idea wasn't fully formed; hadn't really taken shape. I've found so much here and thank you for adding your voice to the milling information on youtube about writing and getting published. What you're saying and the way you present it works for me and nothing else has.

I've just started writing again and I'm trying my hand at starting a romance series. These videos have been really useful so far! Thanks.

So I have finished my book back in 2020 December. I started it in August 2020 and its a romance-drama-mystery genre. During the whole story I myself didn't know what I was writing. I had a small vision of the book about a girl who meets a guy and a past they shared together comes up. I wanted it to be just a short love story. And more than the romance genre I was focused on adding mystery to their personalities and friction when the two got together. Slowly as I was writing I realised there were more questions that needed to be answered. My original goal was to make it around 50-60k. But then when I tried to re-read it again, the questions just kept coming up and I myself was intrigued to see what would happen next. I kept going with the flow and the story ended up as a 110,000k book but this time with the focus on the later chapters on the guy's personality. It turned out to be extremely romantic yet really empowering. I learned that write what you want to write. As though you are living that experience. Put your own personality into your protagonist and make it realistic, give them a goal and then turn the whole universe against them. Write as though you are writing a diary. Forget important stuff for a while but mention it here and there. Honestly it comes from that inner flow. Feel how important this story is to you and keep writing. Eventually you'll see questions coming up and you'll be compelled to answer them. Now I'm editing it and trying to cut short a bit, focus on spell check, grammar etc.

An insightful explanation. Well done!

Thank You. Thank YOU!! I truly appreciate your expertise because your explanation and the examples will help me to revise my little short story that I'm writing for my class. I can feel that it'll be like night and day difference!