Amazon: Improve Your Ranking - article

Amazon is such a powerhouse in the publishing and retailing of books, it’s only natural to be curious about how to factor them into your success plans. Let’s take a look at some commonly asked questions.

How does Amazon rank its books? Amazon currently does not release the details of their sales rank calculation algorithm. In addition, Amazon states: “Please keep in mind that our sales rank figures are simply meant to be a guide of general interest for the customer and not definitive sales information for publishers - we assume you have this information regularly from your distribution sources.” In reality, the Amazon sales rank is a popularity contest. Every time someone buys a book, the purchase counts as a vote for that title. Plus, with the constant fluctuation of sales on Amazon, the ranking is updated every hour. So your rank today or even a couple of hours ago will not be the same in a few hours.

How do Amazon reviews and reviewer ranking work? Amazon reviews are a simple way for those that buy your book to relay back to you and other consumers how they liked your product. One way to express this opinion is in a written review. A reviewer can tell the world how great your story is or whether you needed to do more editing in their opinion. It’s something that can influence future purchases. The second way Amazon displays reviews is through a star system that ranks 1-5 stars and is averaged based on the number of votes. Amazon’s reviewer rankings are different in that they are based more on ratio than raw quantity of sales. The ranking comes from a combination of the number of reviews and the number of consumers who find those reviews helpful. Plus, each review has to come from a verified purchaser of the product. For example: A reviewer with 10 reviews and 1 helpful vote will be ranked lower than a reviewer with 1 review and 10 helpful votes.

How can I as the author improve my position in the Amazon listings? First, since you now understand their ranking system is just a popularity contest, what you need to do is sell more books and get those buyers to contribute positive reviews and ratings. This goes back to marketing, social media, press coverage, and all those other aspects that are used to push your books. Amazon also suggests some things you can do right from your Amazon product page to increase your chances of making increased sales. Tips include:

1. “Cover Art: People do judge a book by its cover and showing a picture of a book's cover on its detail page is its most influential selling point.”
2.  “Search Inside: This feature provides customers the opportunity to sample your book just as they might when shopping at a physical bookstore.”
3. “Your Description: This is your chance to hook them with a compelling description.”
4. “Review Excerpts: Readers want to know what others are saying about your book. If the critics are raving, let potential customers know!”

What we suggest in addition to this is to ask people to read and then review your book. There is nothing wrong with directly asking for what you want. Just be polite and professional… and don’t nag. Of course, ask your friends and family, but also ask other writers, repeat customers, local book reviewers, and yes… new buyers. You can ask for reviews through social media or in person at book events. You can even do it by placing book marks or other inserts in the physical book that you hand out at events. Design the insert as a thank you and a request for a review. Then remember to track the reviews and use them in your future promotional efforts.