Bestseller or Best Seller? Awards?

Writer’s Writer’s Toolbox Toolbox

Is Your Book A Bestseller or a Best Seller?

Congratulations. You made the Amazon bestseller list. But what does that mean, and are you really a bestselling author?

The truth of the matter is you are a little of both. Being an Amazon bestselling author means your book reached the top rankings on Amazon, for as little as a few minutes.

AMAZON BESTSELLER

Amazon ranks books by the categories listed when the books are published. Generally it is difficult to reach the number one spot in a general category such as fiction. However, if you list your book in an OBSCURE category—there are many obscure categories—you might be surprised that after a few sales your book is now the #1 Bestselling book on Amazon.

The problem is that you are NOT a best selling author, and your royalty statement will show you that.

It is a feel-good, nice and easy piece of advertising you can now use to promote your books and yourself.

Want to be an International Bestselling Author? Simply get your book listed in another Amazon country, like India, with an equally obscure category listing and presto... International Bestseller!

USA TOday Bestseller?

To be a genuine bestselling author requires that you have a certain number of books sold and reported by the selling outlets. These results are tabulated and printed in such lists as The USA Today or New York Times Bestselling Books.

Even still, this criteria is skewed. The number of book sales required is quite low, as low as a few thousand. Good publicists, agents, managers and publishers can easily skew this for their clients’ prestige. Because an NYT Bestseller sells more books and holds more weight than other types, especially Amazon.

how would you know?

A simple test of a bestseller is how many people have heard about it. These authors are promoted in book stores, as well as stores like Target, Walmart, airport book stores, Costco and more. People know the names of these authors, and their books are at the supermarket, their authors interviewed on television news shows.

Our advice—focus on writing the best book you can. Great books get noticed, eventually. Write your best work.

ARE BOOK AWARDS GOOD?

Another cheat are book awards. Having said that let me clarify that there are MANY solid book awards. The problem is that you will not likely have one.

Anyone can create a book award and the Internet is replete with companies, publishers and more offering book awards.

The first hint comes if there is a fee involved in entering. These award mills seem legit, offer categories to enter, and awards in these categories come in multiple levels. Chances are, pay the fee and you will get an award. But even that is not guaranteed. Still, if you get an award there is some recognition. Is that so bad?

If you are trying to appear successful than any award is a recognition. But truthfully it is like getting a sticker for showing up at school. While the public might have no clue, professional authors will know.

Winning an award gets you a sticker that you can buy to place on book covers. You can also use the image on your website and enhance the look of your book.

What does it all mean?

Winning isn’t everything, but in a highly competitive field, it’s nice to have something to show for your efforts, even if the luster