KDP Select Archives

SPQ 035: Amazon Best Sellers Rank: Does the “#30,000 Rule” Apply to Categories?

October 17, 2017January 28, 2015 by Steve Scott

The Question…

Nigel asks, “When determining if a niche is profitable, does the 20,000/30,000 rule apply to the “Amazon Best Selling” rank in its entirety, or does it apply to any of the subcategories?”

Biggest Takeway…

[Tweet “Check a book’s Amazon ranking to help find out if there’s a demand for a topic.”]

Steve’s Answer…

In his question, Nigel referred to the “30,000 Rule.” Any book that has an Amazon ranking of 30,000 or below has at least five sales per day, which equates to 150 sales per month (or $300). In Steve’s early books, he recommended looking for a ranking of 20,000 or below, but Amazon is more competitive, so now he recommends a ranking of 30,000 as a benchmark.

SPQ 032: Can You Build a Book Business and Generate $10,000 Per Month?

October 17, 2017January 25, 2015 by Steve Scott

The Question…

Sherese asks, “What advice do you have for someone who wants to get into the Kindle business and has a dream of making $10,000 per month in residual income, but without an established platform?” She has always been attracted to Kindle and the idea of producing content for the Web.

Steve’s Answer…

A lot of people ask Steve how to make a certain amount of money per month. He says it’s very hard to make $10,000 per month. Even if you do everything right, it doesn’t always happen. Many full-time authors still haven’t reached their income goals. It’s not something you can do in a couple of months.

SPQ 006: Perma-Free vs. KDP Select – What’s the Best Way to Market a Book Series?

October 17, 2017December 31, 2014 by Steve Scott

Perma-Free vs. KDP Select – What’s the Best Way to Market a Book Series?

Is it better to sign up with KDP Select or make a Kindle book permanently free? Find out in this episode of Self-Publishing Questions.

The Question…

Antara wants to know Steve’s opinion on whether it is better to make a Kindle book permanently free or sign up for KDP Select and run free promos every 90 days. Steve has only used the “perma-free” strategy once, but a lot of fiction authors do it successfully. There is a way to get Amazon to list a book for free, but it does take a little bit of work. When publishing the book on Amazon, do not sign up for KDP Select. Set the price to 99 cents on Amazon; then publish it on Smashwords and other platforms.

Biggest Takeaway…

[Tweet “Fiction authors should use the perma-free strategy to promote a series of books. “]

Steve’s Answer…

Here’s the process for creating a perma-free book…Set the book’s price to free on other platforms. Once your book is live, tell Amazon the book is free on another website. When Amazon sees that your book is free elsewhere, it will match the price for Kindle readers. It will take a few weeks before the price match goes into effect. KDP Select allows authors to give their books away for free for five days during every 90-day period.

SPQ 005: What’s Better – KDP Select or Going Direct to Your Audience?

November 18, 2019December 31, 2014 by Steve Scott

What’s Better – KDP Select or Going Direct to Your Audience?

There are many advantages to publishing on the Kindle platform, but is it better for some authors to sell directly on their own websites? In this episode, Steve discusses the advantages and disadvantages of selling on Amazon versus selling directly.

The Question…

T Alan is a traditionally published author who is interested in turning his paperback books into ebooks. He has no Web presence or online following and wants to know if he should sell books on Amazon or sell them directly, as recommended by Pat Flynn.

Biggest Takeaway…

[Tweet “Authors need to leverage existing platforms (Amazon) while building their own. “]

Steve’s Answer…

Kindle does have some major advantages. It is a mass-market platform, so authors have access to a bigger audience there than they would if they sold via their own blogs or other platforms. People trust Amazon, so they are more likely to buy books and other items there than on unknown websites. The Kindle platform also gives authors the opportunity to run free promotions and Countdown Deals. All of these things make it easier to build an email list for marketing.