What exactly makes a book a “bestseller?”
My view may ruffle some feathers. Especially among those selling ‘bestseller services’. But so be it.
My take is a book is NOT a bestseller if it only ranks in the free store.
If you get thousands of free downloads and hit #1 on the free charts, that’s a great accomplishment.
And yes, technically, Amazon calls their free chart a “Best Seller” list. So I wouldn’t blame anyone for calling a #1 free book a bestseller.
Still, “seller” to me implies sales. Which usually means an exchange of money.
So I don’t personally call any of my books a bestseller based on the free chart.
Second, some people say a book that ranks anywhere in the top 100 on any chart = bestseller.
This leads some authors to put their books in an obscure category, sell two copies, rank #97, and then call themselves “bestselling authors.”
I’m not mocking the authors who do this. They typically do this because that’s what someone told them to do.
To me though, that’s a cheesy way of attempting to game the system and terminology.
Now, my definition of a legit bestseller is a book that hits #1 in a relevant, paid category.
Some people may disagree with me on this. That’s fine. I’m not here to argue it as it’s an area where there can be multiple, technically-correct definitions.
The point, though is if you’re listening to someone who claims to help you become a bestselling author… at least know what their definition is of a bestselling author. This way, you can see if it aligns with your goals.
For some authors, their goal isn’t even to sell books. It’s to give a bunch away for free because that helps them sell other things. And that can be a smart move for some. So being a ‘bestselling author’ is irrelevant to them.
Yet if your goal is to both leverage the credibility of being a legit bestselling author AND sell a lot of books…
You need to let go of the chase for BEST SELLER sticker using a free book or low-price book (.99¢) and start building, focusing on high-quality content and targeted SEO-rich reviews.
Eric G. Reid
Founder/Coach/Consultant ~ SuccessLifeU.com
Co-Founder/Editor/Publisher ~ Skinny Brown Dog Media |Eric@EricGReid.com
