Good post, Martha, and bless you for spelling Donna Tartt's two-t last name right.
Nicely written and thought out.
My take... success is met by setting goals and surpassing them, setting more goals and then surpassing those as well.
Simple to state, harder to implement.
OT: I just read the excerpts on your web page from "The Bitch Posse". I am 'wow'ed. Your voice, style and tone are so engaging. I didn't want to read all of the excerpts... but I did. I just wanted to see a little bit. Now I'm going to have to go and by the book. Darn you for writing so well 
Oh Martha--
I am so with you on The DaVinci Code hate.
While I've never actually read the book (I know, unfair of me to judge), one of my sisters (a huge Dan Brown fan) urged me to give Angels and Demons a go.
The first chapter slayed me with its astounding level of awfulness-- to me it read like a really bad romance novel. Needless to say, that's as far as I got...
And, on Donna Tartt -- a resounding "Yes.". The Secret History is one of my all-time favorite books.
Must check out those titles you list that I have yet to read...
I have absolutely no comment on The Da Vinci Code... You will have to read my book... lol
Gilead is a huge success Martha, she's on the Orange prize shortlist, that's great for an american author... and I know yourself were championing this last year....
This was a great post and I am going to link it... This should have been a Tactical Tuesday post... How to not let your Marketing Department Fuck with you etc...
The Lovely Bones was successful here as it was the first Richard and Judy winner...
Mmm Big Mac.
Tactical Tuesday RIP...
I think at the end of the day a writer has to write the book they would read had someone else written it. If the marketplace is favorable to that sort of book, so be it. If the NBA and Pulitzer are, so be it.
A very good post. You know, I look at the bestseller list sometimes and I just shake my head in wonder. This is the best of the best? I mean, some of it is ok, even great, but most of it is not. I rarely like the books everyone else is. In fact, I think the only time I did was with Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone, and I'm still amazed it was an Oprah pick. I think success involves making some money (I just can't feel like a successful writer when I'm making bupkus, which I am, but whatever). But you don't want to write "what's popular" or "for the public." You have to write what's in your heart, always, and do it the best you can, and keep learning how to do it better. And you have to try to make some money at it, but you don't need to break the bank. I don't know, just my 2 cents. Anyway, good post.
i love the lovely bones .. maybe because it was surprisingly moving for such an accessibly written book..
So spot on as to be deadly--and I love the McDonalds analogy. I have The Davinci Code in my TBR Pile where it's been for two years. I sorta felt obligated to buy it just to see what all the fuss was about LOL
And FWIW I loved How to be Lost but the ending ticked me off.
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