How to Become a Bestselling Author
Becoming a bestselling author is a gauge that what we (authors) have spent months writing is appreciated by our target audience, adding value to them and making an impact.
Most authors spend long hours daily, with high caffeine dozes, day in and day out, for months to publish a high-quality book they're proud of. This means they've invested their most valuable asset, their time, to share their message and experiences with the world. You'd agree that seeing our book become a bestseller is quite rewarding. And, of course, we'd all like to know how to become a bestselling author.
However, with over 4 million new books being released worldwide yearly, you might get disheartened at getting a chance for your book to stand out of this heavy competition — and that's normal. But we wouldn't be writing this article if it was impossible to crack the bestseller list. Many people have done and are doing it, so don't sell yourself short before trying. Besides, you have me as a fellow author who has walked the talk and has your back — and that's how authors should stick together and support each other.
But first, let's have some context.
What are Bestseller Lists
Bestseller lists are compilations of the most popular and top-selling books in a specific category or genre within a given period.
These lists are usually published regularly by various organizations or media outlets, such as newspapers, magazines, and online retailers (the most popular of which is Amazon Bestseller List).
The rankings are based on the number of copies sold, and they provide readers and the publishing industry with insights into which books are currently the most popular.
Bestseller lists can be categorized in different ways, such as:
Overall Bestsellers: These lists include books from various genres, combining fiction, non-fiction, and other categories.
Genre (or Category ) Specific Bestsellers: These lists focus on a particular genre or category, such as fiction, non-fiction, mystery, romance, science fiction, fantasy, self-help, and more. This is where most bestselling authors earn their bestselling author status.
Regional Bestsellers: Some lists are specific to certain regions or countries, reflecting the popularity of books within that geographic area.
Format-specific Bestsellers: With the rise of digital books and audiobooks, some bestseller lists distinguish between physical book sales and digital formats.
The most popular bestseller lists are rankings for books within a given category. There are several notable lists in the writing industry, like the ones for The New York Times, USA Today, Publisher's Weekly, and Barnes and Noble. Different companies may have slight differences in how they calculate their rankings. Still, the general gist of these lists is that they all have books that sell well on their platform and outperform others within a specific category and a certain period.
As of January 2023, Amazon is the largest seller of books in the United States and worldwide, with around $28 billion sold worldwide yearly. The company is responsible for over 50% of sales from the Big Five publishers and controls between 50% and 80% of the book distribution in the United States. Some estimates show that Amazon could take over more than 70% of the US print book market by 2025. Regarding eBooks, Amazon dominates the market by a wide margin, with a market share of at least 67%, climbing to 83% when Kindle Unlimited is included. This market dominance of print books and eBooks makes hitting the Amazon Best Seller List one of the most sought-after statuses for authors.
Bestseller lists are often considered significant indicators of a book's commercial success and can influence book sales and popularity. Many authors, publishers, and readers watch these lists to discover new and popular titles. At the same time, literary agents and publishers also use them to gauge potential commercial viability and interest in a particular book.
Most authors ask themselves, "How many books does it take to get into the Amazon Best Seller List?"
Why the #amazonbestseller list?
Amazon has many book categories, and getting into the bestseller list of any category requires you to break into the top 100.
Some third-party tools help quantify how many books shall be sold within a specific category to get into that list and to win that list as a number 1 bestseller. Generally, the baseline sales of getting into the top 100 of the most popular categories on Amazon are around 500 – 1,000 book sales per day. Getting into the top 100 of the Amazon best seller list is already quite an achievement. Still, if you want to aim for the #1 spot, it requires you to sell upwards of 4,000 copies within 24 hours, and that number is subject to change, depending on how much the competition is selling in that specific period.
The ranking also distinguishes between eBook and print sales up to a certain point. You'll generally need a lower number to rank in the print bestseller lists compared to the eBook category.
With a careful selection of categories for your book, you could hit the bestseller list and achieve the #1 spot with much lower daily sales numbers. It all boils down to analyzing each of the relevant categories to your book, figuring out how many books the current #1 bestselling book sells per day, and driving traffic and demand for your book to exceed the daily sales the recent #1 book is achieving.
It is universally acknowledged that having "Amazon Best Seller" (that orange badge) on your product page will benefit you. Some of them are evident, such as sales and clout, but there are a few more perks that you'll enjoy with the title.
Generate More Interest in Your Book
Having the bestseller badge on your book's product page (and book cover) means your book has demonstrated that it's meeting the superior customer experience at the heart of what Amazon stands for. Good news begets more good news, and your book will frequently appear in search listings for your category and suggested purchases. You might also get recommended through the company's emails to users subscribed to newsletters and suggested products.
Credibility Booster
People tend to trust authority figures. Having "Amazon Best Seller" on your author page, CV, LinkedIn, website, and online presence is a great way to show that you know your stuff or are at least competent enough to write a book about it.
Backend Sales of Your Book
Authors don't just sell books and don't count only on their book royalties to make a living. People or businesses can book them for speaking engagements, interviews, signings, convention appearances, and other cool stuff. The Amazon Best Seller status will allow them to receive marketing opportunities and engagements.
Such backend sales from your book vary from category to category and from author to the other, but you can also get offers for various rights to your book. Getting a profile boost can also lead to your work getting adapted for TV or film.
How to Become an Amazon Bestselling Author
Now that you know what you'd gain from becoming an Amazon bestselling author, let's talk about how you will become one.
A quick disclaimer before moving any further! Amazon is constantly changing its algorithm, and this means that it is entirely possible for things to change over time. Although we believe that the below practices will still hold, nothing is set in stone, and everything is subject to change.
As of the writing of this article, these are the most recommended strategies to execute when trying to get into the rankings.
Your Amazon Book Listing
This one's pretty straightforward: the better your listing, the better your chances of getting noticed. Let's break down the moving parts of your book's product page and how they can be enhanced:
A Book Title (and Subtitle) that's catchy and evocative goes a long way in grabbing your readers' attention. But there's much more to a book title. It's one of the most critical real estate plots on your book listing page that has a decent weight in getting indexed for keywords. If you've researched those highly relevant keywords with a high-volume search and then included them in your book title (and subtitle), you increase your book's relevance to those keywords. Remember, once a book is published and an ISBN has been affixed to your book, you can't change your book's title and subtitle. So, choose wisely!
The Book Cover goes hand in hand with the title. It's the first thing readers see, even at a distance, and it can communicate essential details about your book. Making your cover as attractive as possible to your target audience will earn you their consideration. The best strategy is to research bestselling books in the categories relevant to your book and ask a professional designer to design a book cover that fits those categories and stands out from the crowd.
The Price Tag is a vital influencer of the purchase decision-making. While you need a pricing strategy that covers all your bottom lines and makes you profit, you might need to lower the price tag to break even to get traction and get your book noticed. If you're determined to get into the Amazon Best Seller List, you might consider dropping your price initially. The logic is that quality content and low prices attract customers even more. You don't have to keep it low forever. It's a solid strategy to sell books on Amazon.
The sales trend of your book matters both in the launch phase and in the long term. Developing consistent sales over time is still the preferred way to have Amazon's algorithm classify your book as relevant to your target audience. But for the sake of getting noticed by the algorithm, a spike in sales during the launch phase does help a lot. The more sales you get at first, the more Amazon suggests your product; the more sales you get, the more Amazon will suggest your book — it's a win-win situation. This makes your book relevant, giving it more priority in coming up on searches.
Picking the best, most specific, and relevant Categories could make the difference between earning the bestseller badge or keeping on trying forever. You can do competitor research on each category and see where the competition is thinnest. Doing it right will allow you to get into the rankings.
Getting your book Nominated for Awards goes a long way in making your name as an author and more credible for potential readers who still haven't heard of your book or you. You can research those book awards that are credible, recognized, and fit for your book's genre and category. Once you pinpoint those potential awards that are a good fit for your book, you can send them copies of your book and apply to get nominated for awards.
Customer Reviews (and Editorial Reviews) are social proof that your book is worth reading. Having a strategy to get reviews before publishing your book will set up your book for success from the launch phase. Giving away advance reader copies (ARC) to influencers in your sphere in exchange for reviews is a strategy you should consider seriously.
Classic Marketing and PR are always a plus. A deep understanding of your target audience lets you know where they congregate online and then show up there and share valuable content with them to generate as much interest in you as an author and build your email list. Old-school marketing, such as attending events and promoting your book offline, is another good way to get people talking about your book.
Going The Extra Mile on Your Best Seller Strategy
Now, let's say you've figured out all the right strategies covered in this article, from the title, subtitle, cover, pricing, categories, and listing, you might still feel it's a bit overwhelming to carry all of that on your own... and most importantly keep on optimizing those strategies until you figure out what works for your book. Is there anything else you can do to help with your goal of becoming an Amazon bestseller?
You can get professional help. PR and marketing firms are everywhere on the internet. They offer different services for different needs, and you'll have to shop to find the one that best fits your requirements.
