So, you have your Amazon Author Central Page set up and all the books displayed on your author profile.
But, you may be missing out on some unique features that are easily overlooked if you don’t take the time to browse Amazon Author Central.
That’s why today, I’m going to share a few unique features that will help increase book sales while tracking and boosting your Amazon author rank.
And, if you’re new to this website and you want to learn how to publish and profit the right way, then subscribe to my YouTube channel at this link and ring that bell icon next to it to get notifications on all my latest videos.
In my previous post “Amazon Author Central Page & Multiple Pen Names on Amazon,” I showed you how to setup an Amazon Author Profile.
What I failed to mention was Amazon Author Central is for more than just showcasing your catalog under one author name.
How to Access Your Amazon Author Rank & Nielsen Bookscan
- First, log into your Amazon Author Central Account.
- Click on the “Books” tab at the top.
- Be sure to add all books relevant to your Amazon Author Profile.
- If you published a book through all media types such as Kindle, paperback, and audiobook, then confirm that all products are on one page.
- If the various product types are on different pages, then contact Amazon through your KDP Dashboard in the “Contact Us” link.
- Let them know you want your Kindle, paperback and audiobook versions of one publication all on one page.
- Once that is settled then add the book to your Amazon Author Central Page. When you have all your data collected in one spot, THEN all you have to do is add it one time to your Amazon Author Central Page.
Tracking Amazon Book Sales
Once a publication has been added, it takes about a week or so for Amazon to your profile.
Here’s the cool part… You can now easily track your book sales rank without having to check in product details fifty times per day.
You can now easily track your book sales rank without having to check in product details fifty times per day.
Yep, this means you don’t need to camp out on the Amazon site and hit refresh every two minutes to see your book sales ranking.
In fact, the Amazon Best Seller Rank updates hourly.
This feature may not seem like a big deal to newbie self-publishers…
However, once you have about a dozen or more publications, Amazon Author Central makes it WAY easier for you to track book ranking in one spot.
- Just click on the “Sales Info” tab and then select “Sales Rank” in the drop-down menu.
- Now, click on the “All Books” drop-down menu and select the book you want to see.
- Once the book sales rank comes up, simply click the “Format” drop-down menu and select the publication type to see its Amazon sales rank.
Using the Amazon Author Central Data for Ads
Take note if you are running ads through Google Adwords, Facebook or anywhere else you can target by geography.
It’s easy to find out where your customers buy your eBooks through your KDP account and then set your marketplace filters to a specific region.
However, you get a vague understanding at best and don’t have targeted areas of the world where your paperbacks are sold.
- Click the “Sales Info” tab at the top of the page and select the “Nielson Bookscan.”
- NOTE: Nielsen Bookscan tracks how your print books are selling. This is approximately 85% of all trade retail print book sales in the U.S. including most Amazon print book sales. This means if your physical book sells on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart or in most any other online retailer, then Nielsen Bookscan will track it.
- Once again, click the drop-down menu for “All Books” and select the book you’d like to investigate. We could easily track sales in our Createspace or KDP dashboard for physical books. What we’re concerned about is where people are buying your book.
- On the left, click on the “Sales by geography” link. And then, you get an idea of WHERE people are purchasing your book.
This is especially helpful for targeting your audience when driving traffic for ads.
Amazon Author Rank & Book Sales Conclusion
Take a little time to look around your Amazon Author Central page when you spare the time.
You may learn how you’re doing and where you should be focusing your attention next.
Now that you know how to setup an Amazon Author Central page and how to decipher the collected data….
What the hell are you supposed to do with that pesky “Reviews” tab?!
Well, I’m gonna save that for another day. Stay tuned to this website for how to use the reviews tab in your Amazon Author Central Page.
Till later,
Dale L. Roberts
I was wondering if you might be able to explain why over time, Nielsen ranks show hundreds of book selling, at times 25+ on a single day, but Createspace and Amazon only show one tenth of those sales. They consistently say they will get back and explain but never do. They say it is because of re-sale, for which I cannot collect royalties. I will never accept that I get ten re-sales for every individual sale of my books. This is so far out of whack, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe that NOBODY at Createspace or Amazon can explain it.
CJ, that’s an excellent question, and I believe you may have stumped me too. That’s Amazon for ya! I’m assuming they sent you a canned response that leaves more questions than answers.
That’s a ridiculous amount of re-selling of a book. They’re essentially telling you that you sold 1 book, and it resold over 5 times?! Come on, Amazon, we call horse crap on that answer!
Sadly, I haven’t had that issue with my Nielsen ranks. If anything, I have Nielsen ranking showing a lower amount than what I sell. I think that’s why they say that Nielsen only accounts for 85% of the marketplace.
Have you tried to get Createspace’s customer service reps on the phone? I’ve found I get a lot more answers when I talk directly to them. Don’t accept “no” or “I don’t know” for an answer. Be firm yet gentle – they’ll be more accommodating.