# It’s Boring, But It’s How You Write a Bestseller ![[images/Boring-Bestseller.webp]] **Creator:** Alyssa Matesic · **Published:** 2026-10-21 · **Length:** 14:26 · [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk) > Caption source: YouTube **English captions** (`en-orig`, auto-generated), downloaded with **yt-dlp** (android_vr client) on the first try; they cover the whole video (0:00-14:26). No TubeAlfred or youtube-transcript-api credits were used. Section headings follow the creator's chapter timestamps. Screenshots are from the downloaded video stream. The author clips come from David Perell's interviews; quotes below are lightly cleaned from the auto-captions (which render R.F. Kuang's name once as "Our Quang"). ## Outline ### 0:00 Intro - [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=0s) After a decade in publishing, Matesic says the real process behind bestselling books is far less glamorous than people think. - [0:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=5s) She watched **David Perell's** interviews with five of today's biggest novelists, **Harlan Coben, Andy Weir, Matt Haig, R.F. Kuang and David Baldacci**, who were candid about the parts of the job authors rarely discuss. Between them: dozens of bestsellers, hundreds of millions of books sold, major screen adaptations. - [0:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=34s) Five lessons every aspiring author should hear; the last surprised her most because it's the opposite of what writers hope is true. ![[images/Boring-Bestseller-t0005.webp]] ![[images/Boring-Bestseller-t0045.webp]] ### 0:53 Writing isn't always fun (Harlan Coben) - [0:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=53s) Coben, one of the world's most prolific thriller writers, has written 35 novels that topped bestseller charts, yet he doesn't describe writing as effortless. - [1:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=75s) Coben: productive writers treat it like a job, though he thinks about his work all day. He cites the line "Amateurs wait for the muse to arrive; the rest of us just get to work," which he first read in a **Philip Roth** novel. "The end result may be magical; the process is rarely magical." - [1:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=113s) His best days are when time vanishes and he's been at the desk for six hours, "the ultimate high," but successful writers are the ones who don't need the process to always be magical and still work on the other days. - [2:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=144s) He quotes **Oscar Madison** from TV's ***The Odd Couple***: "I don't like writing, I like having written." You may not always love the process, but he always loves the creation. - [2:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=159s) Matesic: many aspiring authors assume that if writing is hard they're doing it wrong. Pros know blissful, inspired days are the exception; most days every sentence feels like work "because it is." You only need to love seeing a project through to the end. ![[images/Boring-Bestseller-t0085.webp]] ### 3:15 Most writers have regular jobs (Andy Weir) - [3:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=195s) Weir wrote ***The Martian*** and ***Project Hail Mary***, both major bestsellers and screen adaptations, but had a separate career first and faced the same debut struggles as everyone else. - [3:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=221s) Weir: "I always wanted to be a writer, but I also liked regular meals," so he became a software engineer. Laid off from **AOL** at the right time, he cashed in stock options, had about three years of runway, and took a sabbatical to write. - [4:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=245s) That first book (not *The Martian*) got the "standard tale of woe": no publisher or agent was interested. He went back to programming, which he enjoyed, and was still working as an engineer even when *The Martian* was in theaters. - [4:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=267s) Matesic: you don't have to think about your novel 24 hours a day. Most debut authors can't live on book income, so many keep day jobs for money or enjoyment, and a life outside writing gives you perspectives to bring into your stories. - [4:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=298s) The key point: his first book was rejected. Had he quit there, there'd be no *The Martian*. Don't give up if your first novel isn't a breakout; for many authors success comes later. ![[images/Boring-Bestseller-t0235.webp]] ![[images/Boring-Bestseller-t0270.webp]] ### 5:41 Revision is brutal for everyone (Matt Haig) - [5:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=341s) Haig wrote ***The Midnight Library*** (2020), which has more than 2 million Goodreads ratings. - [6:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=361s) Haig on ***The Humans***: the first draft was about **80,000 words**; he deleted about **40,000** of them and added another **55,000** between the first and second drafts. - [6:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=376s) You send a first draft thinking it's perfect because you've lived inside it and edited as you went, and expect your editor "to faint in wonder." Instead there's work to do that needed outside eyes to see. There's no such thing as a perfect novel. - [7:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=437s) Matesic: authors she works with struggle to cut a single scene, while Haig cut half a novel. **Killing your darlings** is essential; hearing your draft isn't working "is like being told your baby is ugly," but you must take feedback objectively when it's what the story needs. - [7:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=469s) Authors often hand her a manuscript saying it needs "a light polish" and are shocked by the editorial assessment. You're too close to see what made it onto the page; overwhelming feedback doesn't mean you're a bad writer. - [8:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=500s) Plug for her own editing team of editors from major publishers and agencies (form on alyssamatesic.com). ![[images/Boring-Bestseller-t0350.webp]] ![[images/Boring-Bestseller-t0380.webp]] ### 8:47 Never stop learning (R.F. Kuang) - [8:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=527s) This lesson is why Matesic started her channel six years ago. Kuang, only 30, is one of the most talked-about authors today: ***The Poppy War***, ***Babel***, ***Yellowface***, and this year's ***Taipei Story*** (as named in the video). She also teaches writing. - [9:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=546s) Kuang: in beginning courses she wants students to see **writing as a technical activity**; you are a craftsman tinkering with words. Some have more instinctive grasp of the tools, but anyone can break a passage into component parts and ask how it functions at every level. - [9:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=577s) She can't teach students everything, so she hopes they keep teaching themselves by going to the library and reading something new every week. Even those who won't become writers (most are scratching an itch or filling a humanities requirement) learn to read better and see "how the sausage is made." - [10:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=624s) Matesic: this counters the myth that you're born with talent or not. Learn craft by reading and dissecting fiction, then apply it. Courses and videos help, "but nothing will teach you the craft of writing like reading well," so schedule reading time just as you do writing time. ![[images/Boring-Bestseller-t0560.webp]] ![[images/Boring-Bestseller-t0600.webp]] ### 11:28 It never gets easier (David Baldacci) - [11:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=688s) Baldacci, a famous thriller writer with decades in the business and dozens of bestsellers, still isn't fully confident. - [11:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=701s) Baldacci: people assume it gets easier; it gets harder "because I know how good it can be if you try a little bit harder": a tighter scene, fewer beats with "more meat" for a character. "We're never going to master it. That's why they call us apprentices," but you can get better with every book. He'd edit his earlier books heavily today, and they'd be shorter. - [12:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=732s) Matesic: there is no finish line; it keeps moving because your standards rise as you learn. If writing feels harder now, you're probably getting better, spotting problems you couldn't see before. - [13:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=794s) One of today's most successful novelists still has room to grow, which should be encouraging: wherever you are, you can only progress. - [13:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=811s) Wrap-up: none of the five called writing easy or magical. They described hard work, showing up uninspired, throwing out half a draft, and continuing anyway. Writing is "unglamorous, grueling, and frankly boring," which is good news: you don't need natural talent, just commitment to the process. - [14:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CktFySXS9Sk&t=842s) Next watch: her feedback on a bestselling author's manuscript ([[I Edited a Bestselling Author's New Novel. Here's What Shocked Me]]). ![[images/Boring-Bestseller-t0735.webp]] ![[images/Boring-Bestseller-t0790.webp]] ## Things mentioned ### Books - ***The Martian*** and ***Project Hail Mary*** by **Andy Weir** (both adapted for the screen); Weir's unnamed first, rejected novel - ***The Midnight Library*** (2020) and ***The Humans*** by **Matt Haig** - ***The Poppy War***, ***Babel***, ***Yellowface*** and ***Taipei Story*** (her latest, per the video) by **R.F. Kuang** - Harlan Coben's 35 chart-topping novels and David Baldacci's dozens of bestsellers (no titles named) - A **Philip Roth** novel, where Coben first read the "amateurs wait for the muse" line - ***The Modern Guide to Querying Literary Agents***, Matesic's querying guide (description link) ### TV and media - ***The Odd Couple*** and its character **Oscar Madison**, source of "I don't like writing, I like having written" as Coben heard it - **David Perell's** interviews with the five authors, the source of every clip - **Goodreads** (2 million+ ratings for *The Midnight Library*) ### Organizations and services - **AOL**, where Weir worked as a software engineer before a layoff funded his writing sabbatical - Matesic's editing team and inquiry form, **Query Academy** query reviews, the **Chapter Break** newsletter (description) ### Craft concepts - Treating writing as a job; working on uninspired days - "I don't like writing, I like having written" - Keeping a day job; life experience as story material - Persistence after a first novel is rejected - Revision at scale: cutting half a draft, **killing your darlings**, needing outside eyes - Writing as a technical, learnable craft; reading and dissecting books to learn - Rising standards make writing feel harder; the writer as permanent apprentice - Commitment to process over natural talent ### Links from the description - Work with her on your story: https://www.alyssamatesic.com/inquire#inquire-2 - Querying guide on Amazon: https://amzn.to/46xIHhp - Free Story Self-Assessment: https://www.alyssamatesic.com/#freebie-form - Newsletter **Chapter Break**: https://www.chapter-break.com/ - Query letter reviews: https://www.queryacademy.com - Related videos: "How to Become a Bestselling Author" (https://youtu.be/Qufp7eLV4Wo), [[I Edited a Bestselling Author's New Novel. Here's What Shocked Me]] (https://youtu.be/rQ1U9xpAA7g) - Music credit: *Charlie Brown* by Smith The Mister (https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com) ## Biographies ### Alyssa Matesic Professional book editor with more than a decade of experience across Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies; she started her YouTube channel about six years ago to help writers with craft and publishing. She runs an editing team, Query Academy query reviews and the newsletter **Chapter Break**, and wrote a querying guide. (Sources: this video and its description.) ### David Perell Interviewer whose conversations with the five novelists supply every author clip in the video; Matesic names him but says nothing more about him. (Source: this video.) ### Harlan Coben One of the world's most prolific thriller authors; per the video he has written 35 novels that topped bestseller charts. He treats writing as a job and values the finished creation over the process. (Source: this video.) ### Andy Weir Author of *The Martian* and *Project Hail Mary*, both bestsellers adapted for the screen. A former software engineer, he wrote an unpublished first novel during a sabbatical funded by AOL stock options after a layoff, and kept his engineering job even after *The Martian* reached theaters. (Source: this video.) ### Matt Haig Author of *The Midnight Library* (2020, 2 million+ Goodreads ratings) and *The Humans*, whose first draft he cut by about half and rebuilt. (Source: this video.) ### R.F. Kuang Novelist, 30 at the time of the video, author of *The Poppy War*, *Babel*, *Yellowface* and *Taipei Story*; she also teaches writing and urges students to treat it as a technical craft learned through reading. (Source: this video.) ### David Baldacci Thriller writer with decades in the business and dozens of bestsellers, who says writing gets harder as your standards rise and calls writers permanent apprentices. (Source: this video.) ### Philip Roth and Oscar Madison Roth is the novelist in whose book Coben first read the "amateurs wait for the muse" line; Oscar Madison is the character from TV's *The Odd Couple* whom Coben first heard say "I don't like writing, I like having written." (Source: this video.)