Taming Amazon discussion

I am always looking for ways to add legitimacy to my novels to make them more attractive to readers. I add good review comments in my book's description, for example. I've noticed other books highlight the fact that they are Amazon best sellers on their covers and in their product description. What does it actually mean to be an Amazon best seller? Is there a best seller list you have to be on, or does this simply mean you crack the top 100 in your genre? I guess I'm wondering where the line is. I did a Kindle Free Days campaign last year, and my novel got all the way to #4 in the paranormal category in the Kindle store and #8 in Action & Adventure in the Kindle store. It only held these ranks for a few days until it was no longer free, but can I use this in my promotion? Any thoughts or similar experiences?

I've wondered the same thing myself. My book briefly hit #30 on the SciFi Paid list...and wondered how long I have to stay on that list to claim something like "Amazon Top 50 SciFi Best Seller"

I don't know if there are any set rules. My book A Pair of Docks briefly hit #1 in on the paid list in my sub-category children's time travel fiction. If you hit #1 you actually get an orange "bestseller" flag that appears next to your book when people search it. That is very exciting let me tell you. So I THINK that when people put bestseller in their descriptions or on their books that it is because they have gotten the bestseller flag. The flag only lasts for as long as you are in the number one spot. Then it disappears. I took a screenshot though (of course). Then as a result, I felt okay putting #1 bestseller in my description, clarifying which sub-category it was in.

Lot of self-pubbed authors are blatantly and grossly mis-using the term, is what I've encountered. Tread with reserve, I would say.

Used to be that the term mis-used the most was 'its a New York Times bestseller' (which could be stretched to mean any number of things) but now I hear phrases like, 'most downloaded in my Amazon category'. I can't put any stock in any web-promo, is what ultimately results. Anyone can 'say anything' in the digital marketplace.

Beware of bestseller lists. For years, legacy publishers have bought their way on to such lists in the mainstream media (just like a publisher would purchase space on the shelf in a bookstore). If you've reached #1 on the paid list of Amazon for even just a few hours, you can call your book a bestseller. After all, you were the best seller for that hour, that day, that week. But what does it really mean? There is no "bestseller" police, no set time you have to stay on a list. Publishers may note that their book spent 5 weeks on the NYT bestseller list. We all may think: that's quite an accomplishment, but we don't know if the the publisher paid for that placement, if that many thousands of books were sold in bookstores, or even if anyone read those thousands of books.
Author of Down Dog Diary

Best article I've seen in months, on the topic of Amazon marketing. Really awesome.

http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/577...

Feliks wrote: "Best article I've seen in months, on the topic of Amazon marketing. Really awesome.

http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/577..."

Sad for writers, great for marketers. Blank book makes bestseller list. What Every Man Thinks About Apart from Sex. Check out the Amazon reviews. It has 19 5-star reviews. One review -- a take off of the take off -- has 111 likes. I can understand the joke aspect for the paperback (you can use as a journal after the initial half-guffaw), but the eBook?

Still, the article does make a good point about using PR agencies and YouTube. However, not many indies can afford agency rates.

The principle is what matters, though. I'm beyond weary from listening to self-pubbers tooting their own horn over how many Amazon downloads they've racked up.

Thanks for all the feedback. Feliks, I agree with your initial response. It is easy to manipulate your placement onto many of these lists. Depending on your genre, a handful of sales can shoot you up to the top. It doesn't seem like much of an accomplishment if it placement on a list didn't come from a big swell of authentic reader support.

Feliks wrote: "Best article I've seen in months, on the topic of Amazon marketing. Really awesome.

http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/577..."


The article put a smile on my face, even if an expensive PR company is out of my reach. It was nice to see someone say they did all the Twitter, Facebook etc. and it didn't make a significant difference. I'm sure we all work really hard to promote our work and when you hear these people saying how well they have done, it makes you think you're doing something wrong. So it's nice to hear someone being honest, not just the hype. I think like most Indie Authors I will have to concentrate on quality over quantity and perhaps when you get on that Bestseller List, you could throw us a bone.

A publisher answered this question in another group. Apparently if you make the bestseller lists in one country (including Amazon genre lists) the book is an Amazon bestseller. If the book lists in more than one country at the same time, the book is an Amazon International Bestseller.
Both the US and Canada have sales limits for National Bestseller status which I cannot remember (not made it yet!). Thousands of book sales in that country.
Personally, if I just dip into a list, I never mention it, but if one of my books stays on a list for months or years (currently 2 books on swimming, + 3 novels) then I do. I had #2, #3 and #10 listing last week although it is dropping now, but the book has been on a bestseller list for over a year anyway.
There is a reference somewhere on Goodreads from this publisher which gives the practice in the industry.

Tracey wrote: "Feliks wrote: "Best article I've seen in months, on the topic of Amazon marketing. Really awesome.

http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/577..."

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The key to being on a bestseller list is to be very careful in choosing your categories and keywords. Go to one of the Amazons>ebooks>overall genre eg Historical fiction>era eg medieval>country eg british.

Don't put in the words you think fits, see what categories Amazon uses and make them your keywords. The US and UK sites are different. One of my books is on the UK list for Celtic but not in the US yet is on both for Viking. Categorisation is an art form!

Michele, thanks so much for your thoughts. That's really interesting. Congrats on hitting and staying on some of the genre lists!

As it was explained to me - Amazon posts rankings in each genre every hour. There are 100 books on the list in sales order.

Amazon has named these lists "Amazon Best Sellers". Their choice of words.

If your book is on that list, even at #100 and only for one hour - you have the right to use their title of "Best Seller".