“Amazon rankings are irresistibly obsession-making, but they are not a reliable way of judging sales.”
“It’s lovely to have two books out, even though they are re-published out of print books, rather than new ones. It is NOT lovely to be obsessively compelled to check my Amazon sales rankings every day. That’s one thing about having a book out that I definitely did not miss.”
- Victoria Strauss (Facebook Posting)
NOTE: They are not reliable but they are checked “obsessively” every day. There is also aBoycott & Petition on Victoria Strauss’ Books due to the unanswered Request to Reveal Evidence of an police “Investigation” regarding a publisher. For more informationCLICK HERE. Victoria Strauss and the SFWA have remained silent and have failed to produce proofs.
If you have received a hefty advance from a “traditional” publisher, this proposition (above) is an easy one to make. In addition, if your own most recent book release (The Arm of the Stone, released January 1, 2011) is not even ranked on Amazon and not even producing data on Amazon . . . in the interest of public relations and marketing . . . this is also a desperate proposition to make to the Kool-Aid drinking minions looking for wisdom from the Grand Master. Let’s not overlook the other struggling sales. Granted royalty statements may be the best provider of actual sales, but Amazon Sales Rankings domatter and the historical data is an excellent benchmark to measure the success (or failure) of your book(s). For example, since there isn’t any traceable Amazon data on the hard copy, the e-book version of The Arm of the Stone does provide some insightful information if you do the math.
| Current Rank | 7-Day Average | 30-Day Average | 90-Day Average | Lifetime Average | Best Rank | Worst Rank |
| 188,244 | 130,578 | 154,157 | 153,794 | 153,794 | 29,518 | 232,102 |
April 4, 2011 Update (Note Publisher has launched a free download on its site) Is this resulting in cannibalization of sales?
April 5, 2011 Update
April 6, Update
April 21, 2011, Hard Copy Update
Are you starting to get the picture here now? Less than one copy, on average, every five days. Amazon Sales Rankings don’t matter? Have some more Kool-Aid. Contrary to Victoria Strauss’ opinion, there is a logical mathematical equation that proves that there is more validity in actual science (and proofs) versus mere rhetorical and salvation-based opinion. The equation can convert the Amazon Sales Rank into the actual number of sales on a weekly basis. The formula is: Sales/week = e to the power (10.526-(.87*sales rank) To put this into an Excel spreadsheet: =EXP(10.526-(0.87*LN(rank))) Contrary to Victoria Strauss’ statement that Amazon Sales Rankings “are not a reliable way of judging sales,” this data has been actually vetted by four scientific studies that reviewed 1000’s of various titles. In addition, the authors of these studies found a direct and predicable relationship between the Amazon Sales Rankings and the actual Ingram sales data. In conclusion, Amazon Sales Rankings are a valid benchmark to measure and predict your book sales. Don’t be convinced by rhetorical statements, ignorant conjecture or opinions when scientific evidence is readily available. This is science not Science Fiction. It really causes you to wonder . . . how much longer is a publisher willing to grant advances, invest in an author when there’s little return on the investment? We’ve also added Victoria Strauss‘ book, The Garden of the Stone, which was released February 21, 2011 for additional edification.
April 5, 2011 Update
April 6, 2011 Update
April 21, 2011, Hard Copy Update
References “Power Law Converting Amazon Sales Ranks to Units Sold « Nimble Books LLC.” Nimble Books LLC. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://www.nimblebooks.com/wordpress/2006/06/power-law-converting-amazon-sales-ranks-to-units-sold/>. “Why Your Self-Publishing Service Probably Didn’t Cheat You.” Writer Beware™ Blogs! Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-your-self-publishing-service.html>. “Wired Blogs.” The Long Tail. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. <http://longtail.typepad.com/the_long_tail/2005/08/amazon_methodol.html>. |
