Your book might be ranked better on Amazon than you realize!

[Joseph Rhea]

I was just browsing around for new SF books to read, and I found my own book, Cyberdrome, showing up as #6 in Kindle Store › Kindle eBooks › Science Fiction › High Tech.

That's great, especially because my book's Amazon page shows it as: #53 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > High Tech

I'm not sure why there is such a discrepancy between the two listing (since they are both "high tech science fiction") but I'll accept it.

So I guess the lesson here is, don't be too depressed if your book's "official" ranking on Amazon isn't as high as you had hoped. It might be much higher in some other place, and people will find you.

[Susanne OLeary]

I was just browsing around for new SF books to read, and I found my own book, Cyberdrome, showing up as #6 in Kindle Store › Kindle eBooks › Science Fiction › High Tech.

That's great, especially because my book's Amazon page shows it as: #53 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > High Tech

I'm not sure why there is such a discrepancy between the two listing (since they are both "high tech science fiction") but I'll accept it.

So I guess the lesson here is, don't be too depressed if your book's "official" ranking on Amazon isn't as high as you had hoped. It might be much higher in some other place, and people will find you.

That's very reassuring.

[Joseph Rhea]

That's very reassuring.

It's also reassuring that the path I took to find my book is how most people look for genre books, I imagine.

I simply went to Amazon.com, clicked on "Kindle ebooks" in the top nav buttons, then on "science fiction and fantasy" then under science fiction, I click on "high tech". Why that "direct" route shows my book at #6 and my official page shows it as #53 in this same genre is anyone's guess.

[valeriec80]

Yeah....

I'm not convinced anyone ever sees those little genre bestseller lists except us. I've never been able to navigate to one from Amazon's homepage myself.

[Joseph Rhea]

Yeah....

I'm not convinced anyone ever sees those little genre bestseller lists except us. I've never been able to navigate to one from Amazon's homepage myself.

Well, what's odd to me is that it would be beneficial to both the author AND Amazon to show the "correct" genre rankings. I just checked again, and any path I take from Amazon's own menu, shows my book at #6, even going the long route through Fiction, then Genre Fiction, then SF, then High Tech (see below).

#6 in Kindle Store › Kindle eBooks › Science Fiction › High Tech
#6 in Kindle Store › Kindle eBooks › Fiction › Science Fiction › High Tech
#6 in Kindle Store › Kindle eBooks › Fiction › Genre Fiction › Science Fiction › High Tech

If it is #6 then why is Amazon listing it in the mid 50's? Who is that benefiting?

[ToniD]

Just tried that path, Joseph. You're right--going in via the Kindle ebooks page leads to a higher ranking in my category.

[Joseph Rhea]

Apparently it's the same with paperbacks. My amazon page shows that the paperback version of Cyberdrome has no genre rank at all, but looking for it manually, I found it sitting in the #14 position in "Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Science Fiction › High Tech"

It's odd, but, at least it's good news for some of us "mid-listers".

[EthanRussellErway]

I've noticed this works the other way around too, thinking you still have a better ranking than you actually do.  It seems like it can take up to a few hours to catch up to the proper ranking sometimes, that's why I always take a screen shot when I have a really good ranking, so I can convince myself that it actually happened.

[ChristinePope]

Holy moly! I just tried this and found out my book No Return is #2 in Fiction>Romance>Fantasy, Futuristic & Ghost and #3 in Fiction>Romance>Romantic Suspense!

Running off to get those screen shots now...

[Joseph Rhea]

I've noticed this works the other way around too, thinking you still have a better ranking than you actually do.  It seems like it can take up to a few hours to catch up to the proper ranking sometimes, that's why I always take a screen shot when I have a really good ranking, so I can convince myself that it actually happened.

You know there are always delays in ranking between what shows up on your book's page and what you find when you click on the rank itself, but that is usually just a position or two, and corrected within the hour. This seems to be two different ways of measuring "popularity" in both ebooks and regular books.

Just had a thought. Now I wonder if this is part of the "February problem" that Amazon has admitted to in another thread (regarding missing sales this past week). Maybe the direct path I mention above shows ranking based on actual sales, while the ranking shown on our pages relates to the missing sales. Maybe I've uncovered something important here. (cue some "Sherlock Holmes" music!)  

[jumbojohnny]

Not sure on who can navigate to / through what, but it may also be one ranking gizmo is behind another, ie, takes time to update behind the main one. If not, then an odd thing to be happening.

[cidneyswanson]

(cue some "Sherlock Holmes" music!)  

I'm all ears! Love me some Hans Zimmer score of the latest Sherlock. . .
Cidney

[Beatriz]

I was just browsing around for new SF books to read, and I found my own book, Cyberdrome, showing up as #6 in Kindle Store › Kindle eBooks › Science Fiction › High Tech.

That's great, especially because my book's Amazon page shows it as: #53 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > High Tech

I'm not sure why there is such a discrepancy between the two listing (since they are both "high tech science fiction") but I'll accept it.

So I guess the lesson here is, don't be too depressed if your book's "official" ranking on Amazon isn't as high as you had hoped. It might be much higher in some other place, and people will find you.

I must be the only author in the bunch who pays no attention whatsoever to rankings.  Why do they mean anyhow?  I'm really ignorant when it comes to this.  Can someone enlighten me?

[J. Tanner]

I don't think sorting by "Popularity" is intended to be equivalent to sorting by bestseller rank. I think other factors apply.

[jumbojohnny]

They are simply an indication of current (but not all time - that's an important difference) sales levels. It's all about who sold how many in a given space of time, with the time period in question rolling along, dropping off a day for each new day. The Top of the Pops approach has to be, really, otherwise The Bible and Scouting for Boys would forever hog 1 and 2 spot in the book sales charts / rankings. The same way Bing, Elvis, the Beatles and Michael Jackson would hog the top spots in the music charts.

[Beatriz]

They are simply an indication of current (but not all time - that's an important difference) sales levels. It's all about who sold how many in a given space of time, with the time period in question rolling along, dropping off a day for each new day. The Top of the Pops approach has to be, really, otherwise The Bible and Scouting for Boys would forever hog 1 and 2 spot in the book sales charts / rankings. The same way Bing, Elvis, the Beatles and Michael Jackson would hog the top spots in the music charts.

Thank you.  Now I understand it.  Obviously I have a long way to go to get into this category.

[Pamela]

Thanks Joseph,

My ranking has not shown on my page.  All during the give-away for Midnight Reflections there was no rating.

What's confusing is that at the bottom of the book page under
"Look for Items in a Similar Category"
Under Books I found it in these categories
     #8 in Romantic Suspense,
      #10 in Action Adventure,
      #20 in Romantic Thriller
      #39 in Genre Fiction.

Yet I have no ranking in the kindle books list.  You would think that the Books category would be a wider list, because it includes free and even audio books.  There I have ranking, not in Kindle books.

I think they are still having problems with sales and rankings.  I sold 30 Midnight Reflections yesterday, and my rank went way up.  Today I haven't sold one book.  Same rank. 

Go Figure!

[Beth Dolgner]

I'd be happy to get into the top 100 of my genre...unfortunately, neither navigation route gets me there!