[00:00:00] If you ask any author, if they want to be a bestseller, chances are, they will say yes. Now, whether they aspire for that status through their actions is another conversation. Being a bestseller is often seen as some type of benchmarker signal that an author has achieved some level of success. But it is worth noting that the kind of bestseller status you aim for does matter.
[00:00:25] I'm Zach Kristensen, and this is Beyond the book presented by Juxta book.
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[00:00:39] As an author coach, I often caution authors against becoming too fixated on being a best seller as it can distract from the bigger picture. Which is actually selling the book consistently over time with steady growth to achieve an organic selling book.
[00:00:59] So [00:01:00] what makes the bestseller. In the past, there were two main bestseller lists that everyone watched, and do still watch, and that is the wall street journal and the New York times bestseller list. But with Amazon's entry into the book world, the definition of what a bestseller is, has expanded.
[00:01:20] Amazon's bestseller status comes in various forms. You can be in the top 100, a bestseller in a specific category or a new release bestseller, which means your book has gained traction during the pre-order process and six weeks after launch to reach that category. And this can apply to hardcover, paperback, Kindle books, or audio books.
[00:01:42] The most noteworthy bestseller achievement on Amazon is becoming the number one bestselling book out of all the books on Amazon.
[00:01:52] It means that you've sold thousands of books in a short period, outperforming all of the other books at that time. [00:02:00] However Amazon's list is dynamic. So you could be dethroned off of that list or any of the specific category lists within the next day or even the next hour. This applies to all the categories and formats on Amazon.
[00:02:15] Now, while these multiple categories may seem to dilute the significance of being a bestseller. It's important to remember that most readers aren't aware of all of these intricacies. So as an author, you can leverage your bestseller status to signal that you've achieved some type of best-selling status to gain further interest in your book. However it is crucial to reflect on why you want a best-selling book.
[00:02:41] One reason is it could be a signal that you have some type of credibility as an author that's going to help you book additional business or sell other type of coaching or consulting services. The ultimate goal should be to create an impact because that creates longevity in sales.
[00:02:58] Looking long [00:03:00] term. Think about how many books you'd like to sell on 1, 3, 5, or even 10 years from its launch. Each book sold represents a potential influence on someone's life. And furthermore, a potential word of mouth sell for your book.
[00:03:16] Now statistically, most books sell less than 10,000 copies in their lifetime. Which is an achievement in itself, but if you're aiming higher focus on the impact that you want to make. This will naturally drive more sales through word of mouth, which is the most powerful marketing tool.
[00:03:33] Something that's often quoted in the book industry to illustrate a point is that it's your job as the author to sell the first 10,000 books and then if you've crafted an engaging and memorable book, your book will take on a life of its own and begin to sell organically.
[00:03:51] Any additional marketing efforts will only boost this momentum.
[00:03:56] Today your job is to take two minutes. Reflect [00:04:00] and write on the following question.
[00:04:02] Why do I want to be a best-selling author?
[00:04:06] Thanks for joining.
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[00:04:11] To get help on determining what kind of best-selling author you want to be
[00:04:15] visit juxta book.com. To set up your author coaching session today.
[00:04:22] If you have any questions about a recent episode, I'd love to hear from you. Visit juxtabook.com/beyondthebook and click the appropriate button to leave your question and we will include it in our weekly Q&A episode.
[00:04:38] Your book is just one chapter in your author journey. Think beyond the book as you craft your path. Thank you for your questions and thank you for listening.
