Monday, May 9, 2011

What is a bestseller?

Lately I've been visiting the Amazon product pages of books that were indie bestsellers six months and a year ago. I'm talking about those 99 cent wonders that hit the Kindle top 100, had two hundred glowing reviews, and sent the authors to blogosphere paradise.

I'll admit it -- I was envious whenever I saw one. My books (the Easton series) sell at a steady pace in the high mid list range, and I've been very happy, in fact elated, with those sales. Yet, every writer has the dream of making it to the bestseller major leagues. Who doesn't think about the fifteen minutes of fame, the reporters calling, the shout out in the local papers? It takes a lot of blood and sweat to write a book, and recognition for your hard work is a great thing.

Anyhoo, of those indie books that were bestsellers a year ago, some are still selling well, but many have fallen completely off the wagon, and some are languishing in their sales rankings to the point where I can see they sell just a few copies a week. Their rankings vs. mine show that I'm selling three or four or ten times as many books at the same or a higher price.

What gives? These were extremely popular books, but it is now apparent: They were the season fad. These darlings were often hyped by a few popular bloggers and opinion leading voices. They experienced a bump, but they lacked the classic lines to make them timeless fashions.

So . . . I'm rethinking what makes a "bestseller". I think the book to write is one that has "legs", one that continues to sell well over a longer time frame. While some bestsellers go on to respectable perennial sales, many others do not. The steady selling mid list book can, and often does, outsell the designated bestseller.

What's more, this concept of steady, long tail sales is more important now than ever, as a digital book never goes off the sales shelf.

The traditional "bestseller" is really a fast out-of-the-gate seller. Bestseller status today does not mean that good, steady sales will be sustained one, two, or five years beyond initial publication. It's the old tortoise and hare scenario; the steady sales will add up to more significant income over the lifecycle of the book.

9 comments:

  1. Anna,

    Saw your comment about this post on Konrath's blog.

    I think the book to write is one that has "legs", one that continues to sell well over a longer time frame.

    QFT. This is Dean Wesley Smith's contention, that the old model of a book being BIG right out of the gate, no longer applies. Each book has to find its audience, and that will take some time. We're such an instant gratification society, that we want SALES. RIGHT. NOW.

    BTW, I'd like to look at a couple of those books that were hot a year ago but have fallen off. Care to share one or two titles? Just call me Curious George, er, Nancy. ;-)

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  2. Whoops, forgot to mention that if, for some reason, you don't want the titles out in public, just email me: ncbeck[at]yahoo[dot]com.

    Ciao,
    Nancy

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  3. Nancy, here's one that was really hot, and it was even picked up by Amazon Encore (which means MORE marketing push):

    http://www.amazon.com/Faking-It-ebook/dp/B0042FZWZ2/

    Now it sells in the 10-20,000 range. That's ok, probably 4-5 a day (check the ranking), but nowhere near where it was just a few months ago. It fell off quickly.

    Another one that was hyped on many blogs and made bestseller status for a few weeks:

    http://www.amazon.com/Amsterdam-2012-ebook/dp/B0034KYZWW/

    It has a ranking around 60,000 as I write this, which means it is selling at the rate of around 5 copies a week.

    The other one I tracked was Stacey Cochran. His sales spiked but are now low.

    Perhaps you (or someone else commenting here) have other examples of this phenomenon.

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  4. Thanks for a fresh perspective and an encouraging reminder. I'm completely re-inspired!

    I follow Dean's blog, but I hadn't seen him specifically address the "best seller" angle.

    Bestseller status today does not mean that good, steady sales will be sustained one, two, or five years beyond initial publication. It's the old tortoise and hare scenario; the steady sales will add up to more significant income over the lifecycle of the book.

    When I think of all my favorite novels, 95% of them fall into this category. Very few were on "bestseller" lists.

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  5. I agree. Try to write a book that is timeless; all the best ones are.

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  6. Having recently published my debut novel, I am most pleased to read this post. I made lots of sales in the first 4 weeks and then it starts to tail off. Sales are being made through Kindle and I'm still selling a few paperbacks but the self-published author has the harder nut to crack, in my humble opinion. I'd love to see sales rocket, but I'd also like sales to continue for a long time yet!

    Came here from Kindle Boards,
    Crystal Jigsaw

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  7. Faking It, which you said was at #60,000, is #153 paid overall right now in the Amazon store. Hmm.

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  8. It was at 60,000 when I checked for my blog comment. It's possible Amazon did a huge marketing push on it (mass email recommend?). Who knows, but I wouldn't lie about what I saw on the product page. There are plenty of other examples, all were bestsellers back in 2009:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003LSTK7C/

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ODIZLG/

    http://www.amazon.com/Stalker-ebook/dp/B0026RHM24/

    http://www.amazon.com/Skeeter-A-Cat-Tale-ebook/dp/B004I1KRUU/

    http://www.amazon.com/The-Caliphate-ebook/dp/B004IARZ7O/

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  9. I agree with you that steady sales are ideal. That's why I find this depressing...steady sales are even more elusive than bestseller status, and not just for best bestsellers.

    It does show that even if your book temporarily makes it into the bestseller list, you can't count on that revenue stream to last.

    I would still happily grab the "bestselling author" moniker, though. You only have to hit the list once to earn the title for life. ;)

    Tara Maya
    The Unfinished Song: Initiate

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