Kindle Select

Ralph, I know it may be rude to ask after numbers, but when you mention percentages, do they represent hundreds of books, dozens of books, or single figures? Just to get an idea of context.
 
My own 'real world' salary is in the open domain, so I'm probably a bit easier about this kind of thing than most. I am just trying to provide lip service to those on here who do consider it vulgar or egotistical... or for that matter jinxing it.

I do bear in mind that a lot of people want the 'mystique' of sales figures clarifying though to help them make an informed decision about whether self publishing is right for them. (although I don't think kindle select isn't an exclusively SP thing)

I suppose the most diplomatic way of putting it is through open source checking of sales rank which anyone can do if so inclined:

My sales rank, as of now, is currently: 1052

Which on: http://kdpcalculator.com/index.php

Translates to as: 55 - 100 units per day. (you can make a guess on what end of that banding my sales rank is by how close that rank is to the next band)

Sorry, not trying to be obtuse... merely trying to balance providing information with etiquette.
 
Those are very good sales, and if they continue (and of course with that kind of sales word-of-mouth could spread and they might well get even better) the book will be a success even by the standards of traditional publishing.
 
I must admit to being pleasently surprised, especially as I view writing as a hobby rather than a job.

I genuinely don't believe those figures are particularly unique though - From what I've seen, merely the upper side of average.
 
For a self-published writer? I don't know how much is due to Kindle Select, but your sales are far, far beyond what the average self-published writer sells. I haven't read your books so I can't say, but it is possible that your current success owes much more to good writing, or appealing subject matter, or your own efforts at promotion, or any one of a number of other factors (or a combination of all these things, and in the long run Kindle Select may be only a negligible factor. Or it might be the most important one.

It could be a long time before you will know.
 
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It'll be interesting when book two comes out to see if performance is replicated. In relation to any kind of analysis I have a sample size of one... me. But from what I can see of my 'peers' I do maintain I'm average.

These are the books that are similar in genre and publication date:

Endeavour: June 28, Current Sales Rank: 1055 (55 - 100 per day), Reviews 46 (3.9 Star - trending upwards now thanks to Boneman!)
Fluency: June 18, Current Sales Rank: 167(300 - 550 per day!!), Reviews: 819 (4.3 Star)
Fear the Sky: August 11 (although reviews from June so presumably a re-release), Current Sales Rank: 1503 (55 - 100 per day), Reviews: 77 (4.5 Star)
Vessel: July 30, Current Sales Rank: 1558 (55 - 100 per day), Reviews: 84 (4.1 Star)
The Antaran Codex: July 9, Current Sales Rank: 1922 (55 - 100 per day), Reviews: 88 (4.5 Star)
The Lost Starship: August 27, Current Sales Rank: 62(650 - 1100 per day!!!), Reviews: 108 (4.5 Star)

(Sales figures are a snapshot, however I have been keeping a weather eye on them and seem to be holding)

Kindle select is just something new I'm trying. Even now the aggregate of my best Kindle + Select day is lower than my highest peak of Kindle alone a couple of weeks ago. I may well bin it if it can close my sales rank down enough to get me onto page one of the SF search engine (currently on page 3). But other than this I've done no promotion whatsoever.
 
But think of the hundreds of other books similar in genre and publication date that didn't even register on your radar because they've only sold a handful of books ... if any. They have to be counted, too, to find out what is really average. You are comparing yourself with other books that are doing spectacularly well, and so are under-rating how well you are doing yourself.

From what I can see, you are taking the information you have and perhaps not interpreting it as accurately as you might -- the Amazon ratings system is complex and fickle -- and I'm afraid that could lead to unrealistic expectations and eventual disappointment.

But you have your own sales figures based on your reports, and that's solid information, and something you should celebrate.
 
Sorry to be a pain. Are you finding it a true indicator of sales ie do you have that sales information to go on?

t's just, being the ex-retailer I am, I'm not sure anything other than actual, hard books sold is a true indicator?

I had a look at the five recommended against your title. Two of those had sales figures in the 2800-ish, one was well up there (163) and another close to yours. But to get the realistic average would be very hard, I think.
 
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Today is 57% Sales 44% Select. Month to date we are looking at 10% in total so far. (That total will be more informative next month when they truly fall into alignment)

From what I can see, you are taking the information you have and perhaps not interpreting it as accurately as you might -- the Amazon ratings system is complex and fickle -- and I'm afraid that could lead to unrealistic expectations and eventual disappointment.

Let me clarify, you can drill down into sub-genre so these books ARE a cross section of my peers that has been released around about mine. BUT they are a little more specific than SF in its entirety. There are ones that are doing badly outside. I would say that one can see at a glance as to why. No decent cover art, a blurb that is 3000 words long that sounds dull etc. I would like to think that anyone on the chrons, if going down the SP route, wouldn't fall into some of the traps that they seem to have done. I am far more interested in what I consider the pack of 'serious' writers on there (Ha! who would've thought!!!).

The sub genres that my book lies in is: Sci Fi/Hard Sci Fi and Sci Fi/Space exploration. This has eliminated SF books outside of them, but that works both ways. For example Wool and Wayward Pines fall under SF in its entirety but wouldn't feature on my list. Also things that are clear Alien invasion stories etc wouldn't feature on that list which would make up a large chunk. To me that's like comparing (at the most extreme) 2001 and Independence Day. Both feature spaceships, both feature space, both are entertaining (hey, I do like a spot of mindless fun at times!) but I would definitely put them in different sub-genres. (The Lost Starship looks to me to be more the Independence Day style but is marketed on those sub-genres)

Also... another point is that this list does not distinguish between SP and Trad. They are in the same pot, as long as they use Kindle.

That's good to know, and cheers for the info. It sounds like Kindle Select is definitely a good way to get some exclusive attention - and an opportunity for some of the wheat and chaff to separate.

And there lies the clinch... it is exclusive attention. Unfortunately it does eliminate you from utilizing other e-book providers. What I have found is that sales using others are so vanishingly small though to trend to the trivial numbers - a couple here, one or two there etc. I'm still yet to hit my absolute peak of daily sales using the combined though, and I definitely think that my pure sales have taken a hit after a few days of watching. Now the combination of sales and select is trending back upwards again so there is the potential for the gains to be greater due to increasing visibility.

Sorry to be a pain. Are you finding it a true indicator of sales ie do you have that sales information to go on?

t's just, being the ex-retailer I am, I'm not sure anything other than actual, hard books sold is a true indicator?


I had a look at the five recommended against your title. Two of those had sales figures in the 2800-ish, one was well up there (163) and another close to yours. But to get the realistic average would be very hard, I think.

Agreed re: average. That statement is not really quantitative, merely an observation from the fact I am still running with the pack so to speak (of what I would consider 'serious' SP'ers) rather than shooting ahead.

I have found with me that those sales ranks hold true but they are still a band - and a wide band at that. One can still make some assumptions based on the raw number of roughly where someone lies in that band though. So a sales rank of 1001 shows you are selling 55 - 100 books but a sales rank of 2000 also shows you are selling 55 -100. But from a glance someone at 1001 will be towards the 100 mark and someone at 2000 will be at the 55 mark. If so inclined you can play around with the calculator to figure out the bandings themselves. As I say... they hold true for me, if there is a way to 'game' your sales rank down without actually selling, I don't know it (beyond expanding into other mediums such as select or POD - and it wouldn't be ethical). The sales figures can change through the day. On a week day I can wake up and look and I'm down towards the 1000 mark as the US provides the overwhelming majority of sales (I can see which market place it has sold in eg .com, .co.uk). Through the day that will rise to around the 1100 mark as sales slow down (the US is asleep and European markets are at work/school) before kicking in again at around mid afternoon. That obviously suggest that Sales rank is worked out on a hourly (or less) basis. To comfortably get to a 1000 you would have to sell just over 4 an hour all day but that's not the case. In the space of an hour I can see that I've sold 10 and yet another hour in a day it might be zero.

A metaphor is that its like its a clock constantly running down and needs sales to keep winding it up.

I don't have access to anyone elses sales reports though, which is an in-depth breakdown of how they have sold it and to who. I understand now that free promotions no longer effect sales rank though so my initial thoughts that the Lost Starship may have driven its sales rank higher through shooting out thousands of free copies is not the case.

I hope this is informative. I'll keep the first weeks reports going on a daily basis. Then move to a weekly update for a month then (assuming I remember - so prod me!) go to a monthly update. When book 2 comes out I'll reset and follow that model for both? It won't truly be like for like as although it will be Sci Fi/Hard Sci Fi the other category I am considering carefully as its more a 'cops in space' thriller than a pure exploration book.
 

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