How to Receive the Golden Crown

Ever wonder how a book gets chosen for the coveted Book-of-the-Month club? Doubleday released a press release that tells us exactly, according to them, what the criteria is.

In talking about the newest novel, Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale, to become the International Book-of-the-Month selection, they said it was chosen “because of its compelling voice and outstanding story. The Thirteenth Tale illuminates a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths, with a spellbinding and atmospheric style -- just the type of novel that makes a perfect International Book-of-the-Month®.”

So, there you go. You want your book to be number eleven on the IBOM list? Now you know what to write.

You need to have a compelling voice and an outstanding story and you want to have the potential to become an international bestseller. Easy enough. Of course, that’s what every author aims for when they sit down to write.

Of course, if you can pull it off and get chosen, the rewards are pretty nice. The Thirteenth Tale is Setterfield’s debut novel. It will be offered in twelve countries to a possible twenty-two million readers.

I’d say Setterfield is on a roll. Today’s Yorkshire Post said The Thirteenth Tale was “snapped up by UK publishers for an estimated 800,000 [pounds], the US auction for the book has risen above one million dollars, and eight translation deals have already been signed.”