This is a question I hear every day. Along with other comments such as, "Readers aren't buying anything but free books anymore", or "If I promote another author's book, I'll lose a sale."
A little recap from the previous posts in this series before you look at the list below. Although Amazon's algorithms are confusing, authors and book aficionados like myself, who watch the book market daily, have come up with an estimate of what it takes to be on the first page of Amazon's bestseller list.
A bestseller rank of 3 to 8 means you’re selling about 4,000-plus books a day! Do the math on my first star pupil below with 483 days in the top 100. That's almost two million books.
Yes! Readers are still buying eBooks, even if they're not four-star rated, and even if the eBook cost more than the Wal-Mart paperback version.
Reviews of top-selling books on Amazon
13,500 revs avg . 3.8
483 days in top 100
5 star : (5,160)
4 star : (3,799)
3 star : (2,148)
2 star : (1,250)
1 star: (1,247)
9,907 revs avg . 3.9
211 days in top 100
5 star : (4,153)
4 star : (2,482)
3 star : (1,922)
2 star : (820)
1 star: (530)
3,353 revs avg . 4.0
219 days in top 100
5 star : (1,622)
4 star : (786)
3 star : (426)
2 star : (264)
1 star: (255)
5,060 revs avg . 4.1
220 days in top 100
5 star : (2,483)
4 star : (1,416)
3 star : (710)
2 star : (303)
1 star: (148)
Prices of top selling books on Amazon.
#1 $8.54
#2 $12.60
#3 $8.69
#4 $5.99
#5 $12.74
#6 $10.99
#7 $10.99
One click to the right, and the consumer can download eBooks with great reviews... FREE!
And many do for the most part, but as you saw above, readers are buying a massive amount of eBooks. That, above 'two million' number was just one eBook.
Yes, it's harder for Indie authors, so it might feel as though you aren't getting anywhere. But if you love what you do, don't give up. Remember, we have to make a name for ourselves, let readers know we are here. We don't have the money behind us as some authors have, so we have to be better so that readers will want to spread the word about our books.
As I mentioned above, there are two other posts in this series if you're interested in reading:
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Those are some big numbers, but you're right, it's much harder for indie writers. My guess these are mostly numbers for bestselling authors with a major following. Some of the big indie authors were mid-list authors before with major publishers, so they'd already made their mark. We, as indie writers, have to work twice as hard. It does get tiring, though.
ReplyDeleteVery true! And yes, most are, as I mentioned in the 'How to make a Bestseller' post. The readers are out there, but as Indie authors--in a pool with thousands and thousands of other authors--we have to do what we can to stand out. Yes, writing a great book should be foremost, but unfortunately, if you aren't Nicholas Sparks or Nora Roberts, it takes a long time for readers to learn you wrote a great book. So...we need to go further. But yes, there are plenty of readers, and with time and patience, and often, giving away free books, we will gain a following. Or, there is good old-fashioned hype. Hype, in a sprint, sells more books than most other marketing plans, but it doesn't last. :P
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