Kindle Top 100 paid - how to crack it

[Christina]

A friend of mine recently cracked the top 100, in fact the top 20 in paid Kindle. Up there with the likes of Stephen King etc. While they haven't confirmed exactly how it was done, I have filled in the gaps and I am ready to experiment and share the results and "how to" in my pending release, "Anatomy of a Kindle Bestseller".

My experiment is to see if I can emulate their meteoric shot up the charts with my own book, Sensual Agony and break into the top 100 and hopefully stay there a while. A part of doing this is to concentrate a number of sales in a 24-36 hour period. I am looking to recruit as many fellow authors as possible, with the hopes of co-ordinating 500 sales on Thursday 10 October, (that day I will drop the price to .99). I do have some expertise and currently my book "How to Write Erotic short stories that sells" is currently #1 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Erotica. If you would like to take part in the experiment, it will cost you 99 cents on the day for the copy, but I am happy to send you a free copy of my number one "How to" book as a bonus. To register your interest and receive a reminder and your free book, just send me an email to avryanpublishing@outlook.com with "experiment" in the subject field and you will receive a reminder to purchase along with a link to the book on the day.

Thanks and power to the people (well authors at least)

[Bryan]

Christina-
Sound s interesting. I would be happy to buy one of your books for 99cents if you could do the same for one of my books. Any interest please let me know.
Bryan Mooney

[Harry]

Hey Christina, my partner and I just put together a new website called Authortrade.com this is exactly what our website does (on a much smaller scale of course) completely automated!

It's great to take part in the big swaps once every couple of weeks, and sure, you shoot up really far, really fast! but once you get there, you need to have continual daily sales to stay there ... that's where we come in!

Check us out www.authortrade.com it's free for the first week!!

[Camille]

Hello All, i am a new author,Here is the link to my brand new ebook. It is my first ebook and I am looking for reviews and honest opinions. It is a summary of my volunteering experience in Africa, more specifically in Gulu, Uganada. If you enjoy reading about travelling experiences, cultural differences and Africa you will LOVE it! The ebook will go free tomorrow Monday 11 of Nov 2013. It would be great to have people read it and review it! And I hope you are going to like my work:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GF5226Y

Thanks for helping me out and I will do the same!

Camille

[Carol]

I have a question about POD publishing -- what's a good SIZE for the book? 5 x 8? 6 x 9"? Bigger?

Wondering about the postage/shipping concerns. This is a nonfiction how-to type book on how to get freelance writing gigs off your blog. Really unsure, haven't done physical-book self-publishing before!

[Phoenix]

Christina wrote: "A friend of mine recently cracked the top 100, in fact the top 20 in paid Kindle. Up there with the likes of Stephen King etc. While they haven't confirmed exactly how it was done, I have filled in..."

Just saw this. How'd it work out?

[Michael]

Carol wrote: "I have a question about POD publishing -- what's a good SIZE for the book? 5 x 8? 6 x 9"? Bigger?

Wondering about the postage/shipping concerns. This is a nonfiction how-to type book on how to get..."

When I was trying to figure out the answer to this problem I pulled a few books off my bookshelf, measured the sizes to see which ones matched the standard sizes that Createspace suggests we should use. That way I had something physical to work with. I started of thinking something like 5 x 8 but I ended up changing to 6x9 for my second book. The first one I went with a little over 5x8.

Selling through Createspace/Amazon I didn't even consider postage (Amazon makes no postage charge in the UK)so size and weight weren't considerations for me - all I was interested in was how the book would look and feel. Once I started working on the book's layout I was pleased I'd settled for 6x9. With the completed book in my hand I know I made the right choice.

Page count is also a factor, larger size means fewer pages and that means a thinner book, which might affect spine width and the readability of the title on the spine.

My books are also in the self-help/how to genre.

[Rodney]

My book, Perhaps I've Said Too Much, debuted last Tuesday, and has been in the Top 100 paid category since AND was listed as a "Hot New Release!"

I'm honestly beside myself.

The Amazon link is here: http://bit.ly/1eIIM06

Honestly, I think the cover art has a TON to do with it, as well as getting a good book tour/marketing campaign out WELL ahead of the release.

We also did a pre-sale for Kindle and paperback, even though we are a small publishing house. We did the pre-sales via PayPal - so, on release day, pre-ordered Kindles were purchased by us and gifted. These COUNT as sales. It appears that once the book is on the Top 100, it generates it's own sales. PLUS, you can use that info for social media updates as well (ie, "Look! I'm a "Hot New Release" and in the top 100!")

[Sabri]

Thank you Rodney

My Novel God on Trial, by Sabri Bebawi is available everywhere. It is on sale now at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/God-Trial-A-Sho...

[Sally]

Does anyone here know of a formula that relates Amazon author rank changes to numerical sales, since I have only one Kindle book? Any ratio or ballpark figures welcomed, especially for changes. Example: when a rank moves up or down 1000 or 10,000, what does that mean in terms of actual ebook sales?

[Jim]

I've written an eBook called, Sell More Books: Amazon Marketing and Promotion Strategies. Ithas a lot of information to help you increase your book's visibility on Amazon. It's currently on sale for $0.99.
http://amazon.com/dp/B00HUZNRXA

[Joe]

Sally,

There are several charts around that propose to show the answer to what you’re asking. Unfortunately, none of them are accurate. It depends entirely on the category of your book. Books in the mystery category sell well, but there is a lot of competition. Making several sales won’t influence your sales rank as much as some other classification where there are few books competing for the top place. There is also the effect that other books have on your rank. If you sell only one book, and your competition doesn't sell any, then you will shoot up significantly in the ranks. On another day, you might sell thirty copies and drop. Wish I could give you some kind of formula, but the best answer is that there is no answer.

Joe Prentis

[Jim]

This might help you:
Rank to Sales Estimator
#1 to #5 = 3,500+ books a day (sometimes a lot more)
#5 to #10 = 2,000 to 3,500 per day
#10 to #20 = 1,100 to 2,000
#20 to #66 = 850-1,100
#80 = 850
#90 = 750
#275 = 325
#500 = 200
#1000 = 100
#2000 = 50-55
#3000 = 40-45
#4000 = 30
#5000 = 20-25
#12000 = 10
#25000 = 5
#32000 = 3
#42500 = 2
#70000 to #100,0000 = 1
#1000,000+ = less than 1 per day

This information is just a guide from David Gaughran's book, "Let's Get Visible."

Take a look at my new Goodreads group, "Taming Amazon." A place for authors to share ideas and experiences about writing, promotion, and marketing.
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...