Thanks to everyone who purchased a book last week!
Many of you have expressed curiosity about the total sales of the book, and I thought it might be interesting to share some numbers. As I continue to learn about the book industry, I’ve realized that book publishing is very secretive in many ways, and it’s often difficult to find any information about how books sell, or other information that might help authors.
I’m trying to make it a point, no matter where The Phoenix Fallacy ends up – blockbuster or big flop, to provide as much valuable information as I possibly can to other authors and friends. In that vein, I thought I’d give you access to what I saw this past week:
The Phoenix Fallacy started the week at approximately #99,000 in the paid Kindle store (book loans through Amazon prime are counted in total numbers).
On the first day, 64 copies were sold, and The Phoenix Fallacy jumped to approximately #5,400 in the store. It got into the 60s (as in Top 100) for Teen Action and Adventure, as well as for a few other categories.
As of this morning, 110 copies have been sold, and The Phoenix Fallacy sits at #21,499, with 10 reviews for a total rating of 4.8 out of 5 – thanks reviewers!
This brings me to an interesting point that I’ve never seen any data on, or heard anyone mention, but have noticed as reviews increase. More reviews (and high ratings) changed the ‘you might also like’ groupings, and moved The Phoenix Fallacy into comparisons with books with more, and better, reviews. When the week started, there were plenty of poorly reviewed books in this grouping. They’ve all but disappeared.
Overall, 100 books in the first week is quite a good showing on Amazon. The Phoenix Fallacy has consistently sold a few more copies every day, thanks to all of you sharing it with friends and family. That the book is continuing to sell, and hasn’t dropped completely yet, is a good sign. Unless a book has a tremendous following and marketing push beforehand, very few books hit a high mark initially. It’s usually a slow climb, dependent on word of mouth, and stellar reviews. So far, you continue to deliver on both counts.
That said, to give you an idea about benchmarks, the top 10 books in the store usually sell 500+ books in a day. It shows how far The Phoenix Fallacy has left to go, but then again, it isn’t supposed to be easy. Your word of mouth and reviews help tremendously! And compared to the other books I’ve seen in the store so far, I think The Phoenix Fallacy has two distinct advantages: a low price, and good reviews. I’ve seen some highly rated books with price tags of $3.99 and above. I’ve seen some books priced at $0.99. You won’t find too many combinations.
My goal is that, by the time Book 2 launches later this year, The Phoenix Fallacy can have 500 fans ready to pick it up, day one. We’re not there yet. While I’m traveling across the country, I’ll be working to get there. Thanks for your help in working to get The Phoenix Fallacy there too!
Sincerely,
Jon
