Amazon rankings

Garpy · May 4, 2006

I'm curious to know what a good ranking is on Amazon. I wonder if anyone knows approximately what sort of units you'd be shifting if your book was in the top 1000, 100....10?

It's a live update as well, isn't it? I think it's atleast updated three or four times a day to reflect the sales figures.

If anyone has any info on how the rankings are done, what's a respectable rank etc etc...I'd be very interested.

jchines · May 4, 2006

Garpy -- check out this article.

http://www.fonerbooks.com/surfing.htm

maestrowork · May 4, 2006

The way I understand it, the ranking doesn't mean much unless you're in the four-digit range (sustained... not just a spike. People do things like that -- order 100 books and voila, their ranking's at 2450 today). There really is no point checking the ranking three times a day. I don't even check it once a week. I do, however, check the Ingram sales report.

p.s. I think they update the rankings every hour.

Maryn · May 4, 2006

After the tenth or fifteenth time I had to listen to a self-published author brag about amazon sales, I copied the words of our own illustrious Uncle Jim: An Amazon ranking in the 2.5 million range means that one person bought a copy of the book. An Amazon rating in the 1.5 million range means that four or five bought it.

Of course, there are other points of sale whose numbers I don't know. And of course, I never say it to the blowhard author. I just like knowing it.

Maryn, petty and spiteful, but admirably silent

Christine N. · May 4, 2006

It's all relative, anyway; it's not how many books you've sold, it's about how many you've sold compared to everyone else. So if JK Rowling has a bad day, and you sold three copies, it looks better than it is. (ok that's extreme, but you get the idea.)

icerose · May 4, 2006

Mine was in the 3 million range, one sale put it at 500K...one sale that was never supposed to happen as the book has been released.

Maryn · May 5, 2006

Ow, icerose. A painful lesson there. Here, have a cupcake to lighten the sting...

Maryn, who made cupcakes (but most are going straight into the freezer)

icerose · May 5, 2006

Thanks Maryn,

And I've been told there is nothing I can do other than contact the vendors and tell them not to continue selling my book.

Sara

Amazon rankings

Garpy

keyboard monkey

jchines

Got the hang of it, here

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Maryn

At Sea

Christine N.

haz a shiny new book cover

icerose

Lost in School Work

Maryn

At Sea

icerose

Lost in School Work