It's becoming increasingly apparent that traditional publishing and hitting the bestseller lists is a game. You don't write a bestseller so much as you launch one. And yet, for those who want their work to endure, the question hangs in the air: is the game worth playing?

As a writer and five-time author, I'd be lying if I told you that hitting the Wall Street Journal bestseller list twice meant nothing to me. Honestly, it feels good.

But you know what?