If You Land on a Kindle Bestseller List

Angkor · Feb 8, 2011

If your book winds up on a Kindle bestseller list, can you then legitimately describe yourself as a "bestselling author" in the same vein as if you had landed on one of the more traditional lists? (The Kindle lists encompass their top 100 bestsellers.)

deborahlea · Feb 8, 2011

I'd be reluctant to do that because some readers might justifiably feel misled. Something like "Bestselling author on Kindle" would distinguish you but set forth clear information on the scope of the "bestselling author."

Ineti · Feb 8, 2011

Angkor said:
If your book winds up on a Kindle bestseller list, can you then legitimately describe yourself as a "bestselling author" in the same vein as if you had landed on one of the more traditional lists? (The Kindle lists encompass their top 100 bestsellers.)

Sure, why not? It'd be about as meaningful as any other bestseller list.

James D. Macdonald · Feb 8, 2011

I'd be hesitant to use anything that comes out of Amazon to call myself a "best seller" given how easy it's been for folks to manipulate the Amazon ranks in the past.

Old Hack · Feb 8, 2011

A friend of mine roped in a few of us to blog about her Kindle release and twittered about it a bit, and got her book into the Kindle top ten within hours. (It might have been the genre top ten, I'm not sure.)

It was very easy, and while it was fun it was no big deal because it was so very easily done. I'd not take it seriously.

StephenJSweeney · Feb 9, 2011

I'd say Yes and No.

No, if you arrive in the top 10 of a genre list or whatever, only to fall out of it within a week.

However, I'd say that if you had been in the genre's "bestsellers" list for several months, you could probably say it with a clear conscience, so long as you made it clear that you were an Amazon bestseller.

Having said that, I've been in Amazon UK's science fiction bestsellers list for close to two months now, but am reluctant to describe myself as a bestseller. The ebook retails for less than £1 / $1, so it's maybe too easy to say it's extremely popular (it has received tons of good reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and the iBookstore, though).

johnnysannie · Feb 9, 2011

The New York Times will add an ebook best seller list next week as well as combination - meaning both print and book sales combined - make that list and it's totally legit!

Angkor · Feb 12, 2011

One of my books has been on the Kindle bestseller list for Political Fiction steadily since September '10 and has been on three genre lists for quite a while too. Another of my books comes and goes on a genre bestseller list. (These are all strictly legit sales, no manipulating on my part.) But I'm careful to identify myself as a "Kindle bestseller."

KariGregg · Feb 12, 2011

My Spoils of War has been on the Kindle Gay & Lesbian bestseller list since the beginning of December. It was also #1 Sci-fi/Fantasy bestseller at ARe (I don't recall for how long, sorry, for a while) and #1 Top Reader Rated at ARe. I noted each of those things along with review quotes and the like on that book's page on my site.

Maybe it marks me as a newbie, but...I am a newbie. LOL. And sorry, I'm still tickled about it.

I am careful about how I label this kind of stuff, though. I, for instance, would never pitch Spoils with a blanket "bestseller" statement. No way. It's doing well in that niche, but it's still a niche. OTOH, I'll email my next project around very, very soon (also a GLBT niche book) and you can bet I'm going to mention this in the brief bio in my query/cover letter. IMO, I'd be a fool not to.

deborahlea · Feb 12, 2011

KariGregg said:
Maybe it marks me as a newbie, but...I am a newbie. LOL. And sorry, I'm still tickled about it.

Hell, I'm tickled for you, and I'm just reading a comment about it!

Also, Angkor? I wouldn't hate a chance to attach those two words after my name someday!

jasmin · Feb 16, 2011

Hi

A friend of mine roped in a few of us to blog about her Kindle release and twittered about it a bit, and got her book into the Kindle top ten within hours. (It might have been the genre top ten, I'm not sure.)

It was very easy, and while it was fun it was no big deal because it was so very easily done. I'd not take it seriously.

Thanks

Henri Bauholz · Feb 17, 2011

If e-books sales continue to grow, being on a Kindle or general e-book bestseller list will carry more weight, not to mention added income from sales.

My Blog

williemeikle · Feb 17, 2011

My ebook THE INVASION reached #2 in both Kindle SF and Kindle Horror, and was in the top 20 of all horror books for several weeks. It's sold over 10,000 copies.

Damn right it's a best seller

FranYoakumVeal · Feb 18, 2011

williemeikle said:
My ebook THE INVASION reached #2 in both Kindle SF and Kindle Horror, and was in the top 20 of all horror books for several weeks. It's sold over 10,000 copies.

Damn right it's a best seller

Rockin'! I bet you made more money on yours than those who were, ahem, NYT best sellers.

deborahlea · Feb 22, 2011

FranYoakumVeal said:
Rockin'! I bet you made more money on yours than those who were, ahem, NYT best sellers.

Seconding all of this!

I definitely can see treating each on a case-by-case basis. My collection of letters from Japan is currently #14 on Kindle in its category. Given that represents four sales since I posted it roughly a week ago, this "bestseller" just makes me giggle.

Where category bestseller isn't quite so niche and/or the sales are much, much higher, I'd be much reluctant to agree something should be called a "bestseller." Then, I'm in contracts, so I can see it spun any which way!

donatos · Feb 22, 2011

williemeikle said:
My ebook THE INVASION reached #2 in both Kindle SF and Kindle Horror, and was in the top 20 of all horror books for several weeks. It's sold over 10,000 copies.

Damn right it's a best seller

I just bought it before reading this.

veinglory · Feb 23, 2011

IMHO 'bestseller' unqualified means one of the high profile bestseller list (NYT etc). Anything else can be seen as hyperbole unless appropriately qualfied e.g. 'Kindle bestseller'. You can do whatever you wish and many people tout themselve as bestsellers on all sort of grounds and none at all. But I will admit that it sometimes makes me roll my eyes a bit when I find they are using within publisher ranks, free books or genre-specific kindle lists etc as the basis.

BjornAbust · Feb 26, 2011

deborahlea said:
Hell, I'm tickled for you, and I'm just reading a comment about it!

Also, Angkor? I wouldn't hate a chance to attach those two words after my name someday!

This. I feel exactly the same; it's still a great accomplishment!

AmsterdamAssassin · Feb 26, 2011

I wouldn't trump my own horn - if Amazon would put Kindle Bestseller behind someone's name, that's their choice. It's better to be perceived as humble than as arrogant.

Angkor · Jun 13, 2011

UPDATE: My first novel, PERMANENT INTERESTS, first climbed onto the Kindle Political Fiction bestseller list in Sept. 2010. Shortly thereafter, it made it onto two more genre bestseller lists. My second novel, CHASM, then joined it on all three lists. And there they've stayed these many months. I'm launching my third novel, TRIBE, in two weeks and am hoping for another grand slam. I certainly am touting myself as a "Kindle Bestseller." The income alone validates me in this startus.

MMcDonald64 · Jun 13, 2011

Old Hack said:
A friend of mine roped in a few of us to blog about her Kindle release and twittered about it a bit, and got her book into the Kindle top ten within hours. (It might have been the genre top ten, I'm not sure.)

It was very easy, and while it was fun it was no big deal because it was so very easily done. I'd not take it seriously.

I'm sure it would have been a genre top ten list, not the overall store--unless she had phenomenal release. My first book recently was #15 on the Kindle top 100. To get there, I had to sell 4,000 books in two days. Right now my book is sitting around #60 in the store and to maintain that, I still have to sell over 700 books a day.

Otoh, I have another book sitting around 7,000 in the store last I checked. I've sold over 100 of those this month already. It is in several top 100 catagories in its genre. Some genres have so few books, just having a few sales can put one in the top 100. Others are so packed, even being in the top 400 of the overall store will not put your book in the top 100 of the main genre. (Mysteries & Thrillers is one such genre. Sub-genres are achievable at lower sales numbers.)

Sheryl Nantus · Jun 13, 2011

How do you get into the sub-sub-sub catagories like that?

Just wondering - my books don't seem to get sliced up down that specific...

MMcDonald64 · Jun 13, 2011

Sheryl Nantus said:
How do you get into the sub-sub-sub catagories like that?

Just wondering - my books don't seem to get sliced up down that specific...

It depends on the catagories you pick when uploading them. It used to be you could choose 3 or 4, I think, but now it's only 2. I picked thriller, and then political for my first book, and then thriller and psychological suspense for my second. Getting in the top 100 of political wasn't too difficult. I think as long as I kept my overall ranking below 10,000, I was in the top 100 of the sub-genre. Psychological suspense is a bit harder, but I can't recall the numbers.

I see you are with Samhain--do they upload to Kindle for you? If they do, see if they can just edit the catagories for you. It's a two minute process.

Sheryl Nantus · Jun 13, 2011

MMcDonald64 said:
It depends on the catagories you pick when uploading them. It used to be you could choose 3 or 4, I think, but now it's only 2. I picked thriller, and then political for my first book, and then thriller and psychological suspense for my second. Getting in the top 100 of political wasn't too difficult. I think as long as I kept my overall ranking below 10,000, I was in the top 100 of the sub-genre. Psychological suspense is a bit harder, but I can't recall the numbers.

I see you are with Samhain--do they upload to Kindle for you? If they do, see if they can just edit the catagories for you. It's a two minute process.

Nah, don't want to bother them with that - I'm not that obsessed with checking sub-sub-sub catagory rankings.

Thanks for the info!

ios · Jun 13, 2011

MMcDonald64 said:
It depends on the catagories you pick when uploading them.

As someone who is seeking self-publishing in the future, this is good information to know. Thanks for sharing this information.

Jodi

If You Land on a Kindle Bestseller List

practical experience, FTW

queen of wandering

Purveyor of Prose

Your Genial Uncle

Such a nasty woman

practical experience, FTW

New kid, be gentle!

queen of wandering

The force is strong in this one.

Simple gal, complex mind

queen of wandering

volitare nequeo

practical experience, FTW

Holding out for a Superhero...

Holding out for a Superhero...

Weirdo.