When Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto started its rise to bestseller, an interesting thing happened in bookstores: you’d find not only Bel Canto prominently placed, but beside it, her previous four novels. This front-of-store placement, purchased by her publisher, worked like a dream for Patchett—her breakout novel significantly back-sold her previous titles. Authors of series know this phenomenon: a reader hops on board in the middle and then goes back to begin the series from the beginning. But it also boosts sales for authors like Patchett, whose stand-alones feature different characters and premises. Could this bona fide book sales technique work for you? Only if you have a body of published work to stack on that table! Very early in our pre-signing discussion, my agent-to-be asked that all-important question, “Do you have any more works in progress?” Me: “Sure!” [Here’s where a hidden webcam would have found me scraping through a decade of files seeking any jot...