Most authors would love nothing more than to have their books appear on the NY Times Bestseller list.
This list is the Holy Grail for authors—the ultimate sign of success. But the long-standing challenge for self-published authors has been that the list is compiled based on brick and mortar bookstore sales, and most self-published authors aren’t featured in bookstores unless they are working with a distributor. Without bookstore distribution (combined with a heck of a lot of promotion), it’s impossible for a book to make it to the list.
But don’t give up hope just yet! The New York Times also features a bestseller list for ebooks, which is compiled based on sales reported from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and Google. If you distribute your ebook through these channels and achieve exceptional sales, you can absolutely make this list.
Still don’t believe it’s possible? In August 2012, independent ebook distributor Smashwords announced that four of its authors were featured on the NY Times bestseller list that week! This was BIG news for all self-published authors because it provided evidence of what is possible when you produce your book and then market the heck out of it!
I’m sure we’ll be seeing more stories about how these authors achieved such tremendous sales success. In the meantime, consider how you can ramp up your marketing efforts to really kick those ebook sales into gear.
By the way, we have used and recommended Smashwords for ebook distribution for several years. If your titles aren’t listed there, they should be!
If you like this blog post, you’ll love our publishing courses! Learn more about our courses for authors here.
Very informative, thnx, but how has this changed in the past couple of months? I hear it’s become even more difficult for selfpubbed authors to make the list.
Thnx, Tanya Freedman WA Gloria Silk