A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Why Amazon Rankings and Sales Don't Always Align
It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. This week, the topic is one that authors often ask me about, with frustration. Why do great sales ranking on Amazon not show up as great sales? This is actually a very common situation, and there are reasons for the seeming mismatch. Amazon’s Sales Rank ≠ Sales : A book can rank in the top 100 of a niche category and still not sell a single copy that month. Category ranks are relative and can be misleading if the category itself has low traffic. Inventory Lag : If Amazon still has stock from earlier orders (especially from expanded distribution), sales may not register with your distributor until that stock is replenished. Used Book Cannibali...