Let’s talk about the process before getting to the steps. The job of the Amazon Kindle algorithm is to find the best products for Kindle readers looking for something and suggest other products they might like.
For the Amazon algorithm to do its job, it needs a lot of information about each product. These pieces of information are called “data inputs” (which, in your case, is a book). If an algorithm knows more about your book, it will likely suggest a product to a customer. Amazon’s algorithm looks for keywords, genres, reviews, sales, downloads, sales rank, and activity on the browse page regarding books. If you aspire to get the most out of the book on Amazon Kindle, you must ensure that all these algorithm inputs are at their best.
Now that you know how the system works, here are the steps you need to take to get your book to the top of the charts of Amazon Kindle.
1. Make Visual Assets
Do this as soon as you have the final cover, which should be long before the launch.
The cover of your book needs to be great, but you’ll also need the following:
• Graphics for social media that stand out
• A good picture of yourself for your bio as an author
• An email footer that is clear and professional
These could use all or parts of your cover.
Videos are also great for social media, but pictures are fine if they look professional and get people’s attention.
Ask the person who made your book’s cover for help. If they can’t help you, try any online services.
2. Contact Influential People
Even though your launch isn’t for another month or two, try to find at least 3–5 people in your network with a large following.
These centers of influence could be the head of a professional group, a podcast host, the administrator of a Facebook group, or an influencer, as long as their audience is the same as the audience for your book.
Send them a copy of your book before it comes out so they can review it, ask for their support, and share it with their audience when it does.
During days 3–7 of your launch week on Amazon Kindle, plan something big for the public to say about you daily. Of course, even better is more.
The goal is to keep sales high all week, which will make the Amazon Kindle algorithm happy.
3. Make Book Promotion Lists
There are book promotion sites with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of subscribers who will email your book to their list of readers.
There are different prices for these services, but good sites for advertising are worth the money. top book editors can be proven to be the best option for your book to increase its customers on Amazon Kindle.
For these promotions, you must apply ahead of time, and not every book gets in (which is another reason your book needs a great cover design and description).
Apply early to have them tell people about your book on the second day of your launch week.
4. Construct Your Email List
Start preparing for your launch by creating a free MailChimp account. Enter the email addresses of everyone you know, including friends, family, coworkers, and clients.
The point is to write down at least 500 names of people you know.
Check out a service if your list is less than 500 after adding everyone you can think of. It will look through your LinkedIn contacts and find 20–40% of their email addresses for you.
You can scrape 1,000 LinkedIn contacts and get 200 and 400 email addresses for about $100.
Once you have your list, you can make your MailChimp book launch announcement and set it out on the day your book comes out. That’s your sales boost on the first day.
Make sure to use a graphic that stands out at least once. Use still images instead of videos in your email, and put a link to your book’s page on Amazon Kindle.
Even sending short emails before the launch can get people interested. Tell your contacts a story or two about the book, or let them know about any prizes you might be giving away.
5. Pick Your Categories
Amazon’s book categories change significantly, so you’ll want to choose these as close to the launch as possible.
You can put your book into up to 10 different groups. book editing services near me gives you a few default ones based on the categories you choose in your KDP dashboard.
You can add more categories by using the tickets on your Amazon Author Page. We suggest two to three categories for paperback books and seven to eight for all ebooks.
Make sure your book fits well in the paperback and the first two ebook categories. That’s all there is to it.
For the next two ebook categories, look for ones where the best book is ranked between #3,000 and #10,000 in the whole Kindle store.
Try to find the last few ebook categories where the best book is ranked 10,000th or lower in the Kindle store. The higher that number (or rank) is, the better it is.
Even if only one or two of these categories apply to your book, that’s fine. What matters most is how the best book ranks.
If you can find a category where the top book is ranked 30,000 or lower, it’s not hard to get to number 1 during that first week. You could get that bestseller flag if you sold between 20 and 40 copies daily.
6. Connect With People You Already Know
On the first day, use that MailChimp list to let people know that your book is now on Amazon Kindle.
If your list is long enough and your categories are good, your book should move to the top (or at least come close).
Conclusion
It takes time and works to get the most out of your Amazon Kindle presence. We know it’s hard for authors to do anything else besides write. But spending money on this is a good idea. Amazon is one of the best places to sell your book, and if you do these five things, you’ll be well on selling more books there.
