Years ago I was at a romance writers' meeting at which we analyzed and complained about Danielle Steel's writing--and, of course, her success. We finally agreed it was the pacing that made the difference. Since then, just about every mega bestseller I have come across has had superior pacing even when the writing was flat and the plot was ridiculous.
There's a lot of hype in the blurb. Did you read the Look Inside? It's a well-written book that gives some publishing history you might find interesting if you don't already know it. Mostly he's talking about the top bestsellers, not genre bestsellers. You may think that's nitpicking, but since most indies are writing genre, not mainstream, it could be crucial to whether the book is useful to your writing career.
