How To Become A #1 Bestseller on Amazon KDP
It is easier than you think, but it requires some work
Anyone can become a #1 bestseller on Amazon. But the conditions have to be right to make it happen.
The problem is that many writers refuse to do the work to make it happen. They leave it up to chance, being too cheap to help their books soar to the top.
When I wrote my first book, I had dreams. I thought I would hit that #1 New Release badge and then the Bestseller badge. I thought I would sell thousands of books like many stories I read.
Those stories are not typical, though. If you look through the landscape of books on Amazon, you will find many books that don't sell a thing.
This is more common than becoming a bestseller. Most books that are self-published only sell 250 copies in a lifetime. And most don't sell more than ten books on their launch.
However, there is a solution. After all, you might as well take advantage of those initial 250 copies.
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The Reality of #1 Bestseller
Before we go any further, I want to set the record straight about becoming a #1 Bestseller. It is a funny thing. You see, becoming a #1 Bestseller on Amazon can be straightforward.
Some people think it doesn't mean anything because of how easy it is. But the truth is, it greatly benefits your future success.
Other people think it means everything but don't realize what it means. They believe that a #1 Bestseller implies a lot of money. But it doesn't. Not right away.
#1 Bestselling Status is a milestone to help you in the future.
When you can reach that status, it helps you sell books immediately. Amazon sees you hit the #1 spot and will share your book.
It also gives you an established base for your following books. You have the title. The achievement is in the books. And Amazon doesn't forget it. Neither do your readers.
The key to being a #1 Bestseller is less about that book and more about the future of your writing.
How to Become a #1 Bestseller on Amazon
You need to do three main things to become a #1 Bestseller. If you nail these three things, you can make every one of your books a bestseller.
Below is exactly what I have done to make every one of my books a bestseller. And remember, that status has helped me sell books consistently ever since.
#1 - Keywords and Categories
I cannot stress this enough. You won't hit the mark if you don't have solid keywords and categories. The great thing is there are great resources available.
First, a word about your keywords: you want to hit keywords with high search volume but a low to moderate competitor volume. You want keywords that people are looking for but with minimal competition.
Second, you want categories with low sales volume. There are programs available that help you see how many sales to #1. These are hugely valuable to help you hit the bestseller list.
Third, you need to do the research. I use KDP Rocket for all of my keyword and category research. You can purchase it here. It has been an essential part of research and bestselling success.
If you can nail these three things, you will be well on your way to success.
#2 - Launch Team
I used to think of my launch team as a critical place to get book orders. But it is less about the charges as much as it is about sharing and leaving reviews.
Yes, if you recruit a launch team of 10 to 30 people, you can get them to download your Kindle book and help with book sales. But that isn't the main thing for them.
Your launch team will help cast a wider net. When you get your team to like and share your post, that will put it in front of many more people if they share your post and a post of their own, even better.
Reviews from your launch team will be essential. If you can get a few initial reviews right off the bat, that will help Amazon share your book more. If you can get five to ten studies in the first week, that is huge!
Your launch team can help get the ball rolling on bestseller status as they download your book, share it with others, and leave reviews. But there is one more thing to help.
#3 - Paid Book Promotion
This is a line item that needs to be in your budget. You need to be willing to spend a little bit on paid book promotions in the first week of your book launch.
I love using the Fussy Librarian for mine. But you can find cheaper ones on Fiverr or by searching for them. I tend to do two or three promotions in the first two weeks.
If you can have consistent book sales over a few weeks, Amazon will see that and make it a higher priority in search. The higher the priority, the better your chance of becoming a #1 Bestseller.
Lastly, these promotions will help share and review, much like your launch team. Except they won't be made up of friends and family. It will be people looking for books like yours.
Paid promotions have made an enormous difference in my bestselling efforts.
Bonus #1: Free Book Promotion
I want to share this, too, because it is super helpful for first-time authors or people with no audience. This might be for you if you have fewer than 100 people on your email list.
All four of my books have been launched as free for at least 48 hours. This helps with downloads which lead to more reviews. When it stopped being free, I continued to have book orders.
You can also hit #1 Bestseller in free and paid categories, which helps with moving books.
Final Thoughts on Becoming a #1 Bestseller
Learning how to sell your books effectively is the key to becoming a #1 bestseller.
When you can do this, you can achieve this goal. And this achievement can help you with your future books.
I followed these steps with my last book launch and had over 2,000 orders. On top of that, I had another 200 orders for my other books.
As I get ready to launch my next book, I plan to follow these steps again to see a lot of orders, become a #1 Bestseller, and move my other books.
That's the goal. You write a book so it gets into the hands of others so they can read it. And, if you can make a few bucks, you can make more books.
Is there anything I am missing? Share in the comments below.
J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who loves helping people grow in their faith and help writers become authors. You can connect with him on Medium, his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack!
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Is it possible to do the launch team stuff just before release. Send a pdf and have them write reviews when book is launched? Or, getting them to read and pay for ebook is preferred?
Also, I’ve requests for signed copies. Should a purchase author copies and send those out on my own?
Thanks for the great article!
Curious how you define a launch team. I'm hoping that many of my current Substack subscribers will become part of a launch team of sorts.