Getting a book or multiple books into the Top Ten of an Amazon category, on the face of it seems like a great achievement.
Let us consider what it really means.
Alfie Goes to Thailand
I'm in the middle of publishing my first fiction series called - Alfie goes to Thailand. And I currently have 4 books of the series published on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Select. There are two short stories, which are perma-free, and two paid novels.
Hitting the Top of Amazon Categories
On 12 June 2020, 3 of my books reached the Top Ten of at least 3 Amazon categories, and both novels reached Number ONE.
It sounds great, and don’t get me wrong, I was pleased, but it didn't mean I was selling hundreds of books and making loads of money, as some established self-published authors do.
What did it mean?
It was a slow process which required a lot of patience, and there was no short cut I knew about, other than praying for a huge slice of luck. Taking it one step at a time, and in the process of getting my books into the Top Ten, I offered all of them for FREE, at some point.
Why? Because, it meant that the series as a whole got more exposure, and because more people were reading my books there was a chance they would tell other people and would read the rest of my books in the series. And some of them might support me and pay for those books.
When the whole series is complete in the last quarter of 2020, the short stories will still be free but the novels will be reasonably priced eBooks and Paperbacks.
How to get into the Top Ten
So how did I get the books into the Top Ten of a category all at the same time.
First, there were SIX vital elements I had to master for it to stand a chance of happening.
I had to;
write books with a good story, that people would want to read.
make sure there were no glaring errors, typos and grammar mistakes – as far as is humanly possible.
produce professional covers to fit the genre,
write a compelling blurb, describing each book so that people would be encouraged to buy it.
Second, I adopted a simple strategy.
By taking advantage of Amazon’s generosity, I made sure that the four books were featured in 8 to 10 categories.
Some categories were more competitive than others, meaning there were a lot more books in them. But I made sure but there were at least 3 categories where there was much less competition.
Third, I began building a mailing list of subscribers
I mailed them three to six times a month.
And I engage personally with all readers who wish to email me.
Thank You
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the readers of my books, especially those readers who have been kind enough to leave reviews which are another critical factor I haven't mentioned in helping me to achieve an important milestone.
Please keep reading my books, and if you haven't done so, but would like to join my mailing list where you will receive all information about my books and each series as it unfolds, you are welcome. The best way to do it is to download a FREE book here.
Above all, stay safe and keep well.
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