There's a real difference between what rich authors do and what poor authors do, and the difference has nothing to do with their writing ability.

How many times have you read a poorly written book and then wondered why it was a best seller, only to then read a really well written book that languished in anonymity. No one had ever heard of it and it had sold only a handful of copies.

It's not the writing, it's not the cover art, it's not the author's sincerity or the accuracy of the information. It really has little to do with the publisher, the distributor or the bookstore.

But it has everything to do with the author.

There is no such thing as a best-selling book. There is only a best-selling author. It is the author who makes the book a best seller and only through the author's efforts will the book see the light of the best-seller's list, or bring the author the kind of riches that dreams and writing careers are made of.

Yes there are exceptions. Yes there are books that gain stellar levels of success without the author putting forth much effort. But that's only because someone else, directly or indirectly, is doing the work for the best-selling author.

You the author must promote your book relentlessly. You've got to get on those radio talk shows, those television programs, talk to the columnists, the media folk, the book reviewers, and make them aware of what your book is and, more importantly, what it can mean to those who will read it.

Won't the publisher do this for you? Aren't they in charge of marketing and publicity? Yep, but they've got many books to promote and few resources. They also know it's much easier to promote a book that is already taking off. So that's where they'll spend those resources, where they get the biggest bang for their buck.

If you're self publishing, everything is on your shoulders (but that's the way you should approach it regardless of how you publish your book). Become an unabashedly enthusiastic promoter of your book.

It's not difficult. The most important quality is enthusiasm. Remember that your book is important. Important not to you, but to the tens of thousands (or more) people out there who could benefit from the information, the ideas, the entertainment, and the shear pleasure your book contains.

Start realizing you'd be doing a real disservice to everyone if you didn't do everything possible to get copies into as many hands as possible. If this means spending your own money, and you have some to spare, then spend it. If you've received an advance from the publisher, think about spending part of it for your own publicity efforts (even if your book isn't self published).

So often I hear from authors who tell me they're on a tour 'flogging' their book. If that's really the way they feel, why write the book in the first place? Don't they want as many people as possible to be enriched by the content of their book? Don't they think the price on the cover, whatever it is, is a bargain when you consider what you get in return? They better start thinking that way. Because if they don't they'll be sending copies as Christmas gifts for years to come and the whole publishing experience will be something they'd rather forget.

That's the difference between rich authors and poor authors. There's no such thing as a best selling book, only a best-selling author.