If you ask anybody who has written their own novel what their goals include, the majority of writers will agree that entering the Amazon bestseller list is up there with their top goals. 

Amazon is now a giant, not only in the literary world but across multiple different industries too. That is why entering the bestseller list on Amazon is now just as recognized as entering the New York Times bestseller list.

So, if you are an author, it is understandable that you might make this your goal. 

If you have set your sights on the Amazon bestseller list, then you might be wondering how to achieve this. It’s all good and well to set goals, but if you don’t know how to achieve those goals, setting them is pretty meaningless. 

With that in mind, in this guide, we’re taking a look at how to make it onto Amazon’s number 1 bestseller list. So, if you want to find out all you need to know about how to get yourself onto the Amazon number 1 bestseller list, read on! 

What Is The Amazon Bestseller List?

First things first, let’s take a look at what the Amazon bestseller list is. The Amazon Bestseller list is essentially just a list on Amazon that ranks the products that are listed on Amazon. 

Amazon has an incredibly advanced algorithm that categorizes products into different categories and subcategories. Books, for example, will be widely categorized as books.

Within that category, they will then be sub-categorized by different genres, formats, etc. Within each category, Amazon will rank the books depending on sales.

This ranked list is the bestseller list, with the book that has sold the most copies at the top spot. 

The Amazon bestseller list not only exists for books but for pretty much all the different products listed on Amazon. However, the best seller list for books on Amazon really is one of the most popular lists on the site.

A lot of readers base their next reads and TBR (to be read) lists on the Amazon best-seller list. So, if you are a new author, getting your novel onto that list is a great way to increase the chances of your book really making it. 

Is It Easy To Become An Amazon Bestseller?

A lot of the time, the goals that you set yourself are goals because they are not easy to achieve. Goals are something that you have to work toward, and typically things that require a lot of effort and hard work.

That is why it shouldn’t be a surprise that entering the Amazon bestseller list isn’t the easiest thing to do. 

As we said earlier, the Amazon bestseller list is defined by the number of sales that your product achieves on Amazon. The bestseller list not only takes into account current sales but also historic sales, which is why sometimes books will pop up on the bestseller list again years after they first entered the list. 

Entering the Amazon bestseller list isn’t the easiest thing to do. In order to do this you will need to sell a large number of copies across multiple different formats.

In today’s climate, selling a large number of copies is difficult, especially for authors who self-publish their works. That is why hitting the bestseller list can sometimes seem unachievable. But, if you trust the process, it is absolutely something that you can do.

What Are The Benefits Of Being An Amazon Bestseller?

As we have established, in order to enter the Amazon bestseller list, your novel will need to sell a certain number of copies. Both current and historic sales are taken into account when Amazon puts together the bestseller list, but what are the benefits of entering this list?

Well, there are tons of benefits. However, the biggest benefit is by far the fact that this is a huge achievement. Entering this list will give your novel more publicity and it will allow you to target readers that you hadn’t before been able to access.

Your book will essentially get free advertising simply by being on the list and that is incredible. 

The other big benefit of entering the bestseller list is that you can then use this as a selling point for your novel.

If you rank high in the bestseller list, this might make your novel more attractive to potential readers, and this could further increase your sales. 

While the bestseller list constantly changes this means you can re-enter the list again in the future. So getting your foot on the ladder is a really good starting point if you want to enter the list again later down the line. 

How Many Sales Do You Need to Be an Amazon Number 1 Bestseller?

It is difficult to say exactly how many sales you will need in order to be an Amazon number 1 bestseller. This will constantly change depending on how well other novels are selling within your Amazon category. 

Looking at sales generally, most people who have entered the best seller list have sold more than 300 physical copies. In order to rank toward the top of this list, you will need to sell significantly more. 

Alternatively, if your novel is available in a number of different formats, you might need to sell more than 2000 copies across different formats.

These numbers are just to enter the bestseller list, let alone reach the top. So to reach those top spots, you will need to sell significantly more copies. 

Summary

In short, if you are an author with your own published novel, it is understandable that you might want to make it onto the Amazon bestseller list. You might even want to make it to the top spot on that list!

While it is a big goal, reaching the top spot on the Amazon bestseller list is totally achievable if you know what you need to do to get there. Generally, the best way to hit that position is to sell a certain number of novels. 

These numbers are generally 300+ hard copies to enter the top 10, or around 2,000 copies across multiple styles of print. However, it will differ depending on the circumstances when you are attempting to enter the bestseller list. 

We have covered absolutely everything you need to know about how to make it onto the Amazon bestseller list in this guide. 

Thanks for reading! 

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