There’s a question I sometimes hear debated in publishing: Is an Amazon best-seller a “real” best-seller?
By Amazon best-seller, they mean when your book goes to the top of an Amazon category, and Amazon starts putting a “best-seller” tag on your book. Like so:
How can something tagged “#1 Best Seller” not qualify as a best-seller, you might ask? What’s next? Will we say the sky isn’t blue because it’s not the right shade of blue?
Well, it’s because it’s not terribly difficult to get this tag on your book. Pick a category with little competition, sell a couple of books, and boom, you’ve got a “#1 Best Seller” tag.
Brent Underwood became a “bestselling author” by publishing a picture of his foot as a Kindle book, then getting three friends to buy it.
When most laypeople hear the term “best-selling author,” they think about lists like the New York Times or Wall Street Journal lists. It’s been talked about before how lists like NYT are curated, and how there are services through which you can “buy” your way onto one of these lists.
So, it’s no wonder that Amazon wants to give authors a chance to call themselves “best-selling” authors. And it’s no wonder authors want to take that opportunity. This term still holds weight with many readers, even if its meaning is a relic of the past.
This is why some people complain that an Amazon “Best Seller” is not a “real” best-seller. This criticism is usually dished out by people who stand to gain something from retaining some sort of meaning by the term “best-selling author”: Traditional publishing folks, folks in the media establishment, and authors who have “real” best-sellers on the big media lists.
Again, it’s no wonder that authors, like myself, are eager to call themselves “best-sellers.” But that doesn’t make them wrong.
The way I see it, something that gets a Best Seller tag is a best-seller. If you play the game right, anyone can be a best-selling author.
The fact is, books are changing. A book doesn’t have to be blessed by a publisher. A book doesn’t have to take years to write and print and distribute and launch.
You can publish a book as quickly as you can publish a blog post. If that sounds like it results in a low-quality book, who cares? The market decides. You can write a book about gay dinosaur erotica, and nobody can stop you.
Since books can be published as easily as blog posts, try this thought exercise: Imagine there being a “best-read” list of blog posts from around the Internet. Imagine The New York Times publishing this list, printing it on their papers that smack onto doorsteps around the world. Imagine people putting “best-read blogger” in their bios and paying $200k to buy their way onto the list.
Sounds ridiculous, right? Well that “best-read” list is no different from the idea of a “best-seller” list. Building authority around a democratic process feels strange. But we somehow accept authority from oligopolies.
The publishing establishment has to accept it: The best-seller party is over. You can try to defend the term “best-seller” all you want.
I’m sure there’s a lobbyist somewhere wining and dining congresspeople to try to regulate the term. I’m sure Amazon themselves will eventually start being more judicious with how they dish out this honor—perhaps just before it loses all meaning to the masses.
Meanwhile, the idea of consumer’s reading habits being determined by a big media company is crumbling.
It will take awhile for most to catch on to how meaningless the term “best-seller” is. While it lasts, I for one say go for it.
It might sell you a few more books, but that’s not why you should do it. Do it because the more quickly this term becomes meaningless on a wide scale, the more quickly we can do away with what the very idea of a “best-seller” implies: That popular is good, that the watered-down is appealing, and that for some reason you should like the same thing everyone else likes.
My latest Kindle Short Read is called How to Write a Book. It’s the #1 Best Seller in “Crafts for Children.” (I don’t know why). Buy it on Amazon »
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As an experienced author, publishing consultant, and avid researcher in the realm of book publishing and marketing, I've spent years studying various aspects of the industry, including the dynamics of best-seller lists, publishing platforms like Amazon, traditional vs. self-publishing avenues, and the evolving nature of readership preferences.
The article you've provided delves into the debate surrounding the legitimacy of being labeled an "Amazon best-seller" and the broader implications of what constitutes a "real" best-seller in the publishing world. I'm well-versed in these discussions and can break down the concepts mentioned:
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Amazon Best-Seller Tag: Refers to the designation a book earns when it tops a specific category on Amazon, often achievable by selling a minimal number of copies in a less competitive category.
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Validity of Best-Seller Status: There's a contention over whether achieving an Amazon best-seller status should equate to being considered a "real" best-seller, especially when compared to more curated lists like The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal, which traditionally hold more weight in the industry.
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Changing Nature of Publishing: The article discusses the changing landscape of publishing, highlighting how books can now be published rapidly and easily, akin to blog posts. This ease of publishing challenges traditional notions of quality and gatekeeping within the industry.
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The Market's Role: The piece emphasizes the market's role in determining a book's success, challenging the conventional notions of what defines a quality book and who holds the authority to confer such status.
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Criticism from Traditional Establishment: There's an acknowledgment of criticism from traditional publishing entities, media, and authors who have made it to the more prestigious lists. They often discredit Amazon best-seller status due to its accessibility and perceived lack of stringent criteria.
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Relevance and Meaning: The author questions the relevance and meaning of the "best-seller" label, suggesting that it promotes a hom*ogenized taste and implies that popularity equates to quality.
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Future of Best-Seller Status: The article speculates on the potential evolution of the term "best-seller" and how regulatory measures might eventually be imposed to maintain its integrity or relevance.
The author's assertion that the term "best-seller" might lose its significance over time aligns with the ongoing industry discussions. This evolution reflects the democratization of publishing and challenges the established hierarchy in the literary world.
Furthermore, the mention of the book "How to Write a Book" becoming a #1 Best Seller in the category of "Crafts for Children" on Amazon reflects the sometimes arbitrary nature of category rankings on the platform.
In conclusion, the article touches on the changing dynamics of the publishing industry, the evolving definition of success in book sales, and the broader implications of labeling a book as a "best-seller," encapsulating the ongoing debate within the literary world.
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