How My Debut Novel Was Ranked The #ⅼ New Release on Amazon
My debut book, Unclutter: A Survivor’s Story, has ranked the #1 new release in young adult fiction about self-harm on Amazon. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this for the first time because my book has been on preorder since June and will be released in October. Experts in the self-publishing industry recommend against long preorder times as it could harm your book rankings. I still decided to do this because of a personal sentimental reason: my loved ones’ birthdays fall in June and October! Hence, I had no expectations about my Amazon rank and focused on my promotion strategies.
Though Lady Luck was on my side, that was not the only reason for the rank. I did the following six things to make it happen. I will elaborate on the strategies below in future weekly blog posts (I post every weekend.) So, stay tuned and subscribe now if you haven’t already.
1. Got my book metadata right
I can’t stress enough how important this is for any book on Amazon. The title, the subtitle, the book summary, the keywords, and the categories matter the most when you publish your book. I spent a ton of time on these because these are the first things readers see on your book page, and it must resonate with them immediately. That’s why I didn’t do these on my own (other than the title) and got help from experts.
2. Got the right cover
People will judge your book by its cover. It’s the first thing they see. Hence, it needs to catch their eye and draw them in. There are many things to consider while designing a cover—the genre, the mood, and reader demographics. Hence, the cover must be created by a professional with ample experience in the publishing industry.
3. Got many reviews
Unclutter is a book with a content warning tag for sexual abuse and self-harm. Most people shy away from these topics. Thus, getting reviews for my book was (still is) extremely challenging. And when I did, my first three NetGalley reviews were all negative—a one-star and two two-stars. For the first month, my book was rated 2.5 on Goodreads. I was extremely disheartened and wanted to pull my book down, but I coped with it and kept going. Soon, I had many positive reviews. My biggest learning from this is never to give up and accept all feedback: praise and criticism with open arms.
4. Used my reviews to get more reviews
If you look at my editorial reviews section on Amazon or Bookshop, you’ll see all the quotes I’ve used. Since Unclutter is a YA novel that tackles mental health, I’ve showcased reviews from an abuse counselor and an educator. Their recommendations have increased the credibility of my book, and more people are interested in reading it.
5. Listed my novel in multiple giveaways
Everyone has heard of Goodreads giveaways, but many other book sites do these. I listed my book on StoryGraph, and I have over 3,000 entries in the first two weeks! I did another one on Voracious Readers Only last week and have already received a review.
6. Never gave up and kept going
As I mentioned, Unclutter was rated 2.5 on Goodreads for its first month. I was embarrassed to promote it or send ARCs, but I kept going. As an author, developing a thick skin to negative feedback is important—even if it crushes you. I’m so glad I didn’t give up because the book has 18 ratings and 16 ARC reviews on Goodreads today. And most of them are positive! I’m sure these have resulted in the Unclutter preorders (and orders*) on Amazon and bumped up my New Release rank to #1.
This is just my first win. I have a long way to go in my author journey. And I know it will be a bumpy ride. But I’m here for it.
If you’re a new author reading this, you’ve got this! Stay motivated, and don’t give up. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have in the comments below, or feel free to contact me.
Note: *Amazon does not allow authors to order author copies of paperbacks or hardcovers unless the book is published on the site. So, the print versions of the book are technically available to purchase right now. Two readers bought it and rated it. That’s why I have two verified purchasers’ feedback even before the launch.
