![\"graph](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Books-Sales-Over-Time-graph.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nAs someone who\u2019s worked closely with Amazon\u2019s algorithm, and recorded book sales data over the years, I\u2019ve found that there are phenomena that cause this, and that there are methods authors can take to correct it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, I want to show you how and why this happens, but more importantly, how to correct it and revive your book sales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Why Amazon drops your book after a certain time<\/li>\n
- The effects of what I call the \u201choneymoon\u201d period<\/li>\n
- How to identify the problem with your book and fix it<\/li>\n
- How to kickstart sales and revive a book<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Table of contents<\/h2>
- Step 1: Identify the Original Problem<\/a><\/li>
- Step 2: Fix the Problem<\/a><\/li>
- Step 3: Make the Decision to Update or Republish As New<\/a><\/li>
- Step 4: Prepare for Keywords and Growth Discoverability<\/a><\/li>
- Step 5: Commence a New Launch Strategy<\/a><\/li>
- Case Studies of Authors Turning It Around<\/a><\/li>
- Let\u2019s Revive Those Sales!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n
So, with that, let\u2019s get started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 1<\/mark>: Identify the Original Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In order to fix a problem, we first need to figure out what went wrong. Below are most of the culprits that can cause a great book to fail in the market, however, if you\u2019d like to go into full detail on how to identify these better, and fix them, then be sure to read my full article on Finding and Fixing Book Problems<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Ghost Categories: <\/strong>Make sure your book isn't listed in a ‘Ghost' Category, meaning a category that you can select in KDP, but doesn't actually exist on Amazon's store. Learn more here<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cover Problem<\/strong>: A cheap looking cover, or a cover that doesn\u2019t match the correct genre, is easily the biggest culprit for most book sales problems.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Bad Keywords<\/strong>: If you don\u2019t have keywords with low competition and high demand, you are unlikely to come up in search results. You can learn more about choosing the right keywords here<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Amazon Honeymoon Period<\/strong>: Amazon gives preferential treatment to books in their first few months, and there are ways to take advantage of this. If you don\u2019t, you could lose out on book sales. Learn more here<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Poor Launch Tactics<\/strong>: While a good book launch is not required to eventually have a profitable book, it doesn\u2019t hurt either, and a bad book launch can kill your momentum. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Poor Reviews<\/strong>: If you book has poor reviews, people might not buy it. This is not only a red flag for poor book sales, but also a potential reason to republish the book (see below). And learn how to get editorial reviews here<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- No Reviews<\/strong>: If you have no reviews, that can be an issue as well. A lot of people won\u2019t take a chance on a book with no reviews. Learn how to assemble an all-star team of ARC readers to help you leave those reviews here<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A Bad Book Description<\/strong>: Besides the book cover, a book description is your biggest sales tool on your book landing page. Write a poor description, or one that doesn\u2019t match the genre, and you will have a problem. Learn how to write a good book description here<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Publisher Failed You<\/strong>: If your book was published via a publisher, they don\u2019t always do things the right way. While publishers can be a huge help for some, they do make mistakes. Fixing those mistakes as the author can be difficult, but it also can be an opportunity if the rights revert back to you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Like I said, the above is a quick overview, but if you really want to get into details on how to identify problems and fix them, read my full article on that here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>Have you had a book that failed to make sales? Or, perhaps a book that was doing great and then all of a sudden the sales just dropped? <\/span>Click To Tweet<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\nStep 2<\/mark>: Fix the Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Depending on what the problem is, there are many things that could be the issue. But here is a list of resources to fix some of the most common problems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cover Problem<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Step 1:<\/strong> Come up with book cover ideas<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: <\/strong>Hire someone to create your book covers<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 3:<\/strong> Design an awesome book cover!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Bad Keywords<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Step 1:<\/strong> Do keyword research and make sure you're not in any ‘ghost' categories<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2:<\/strong> Select niche vs broad keywords<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 3:<\/strong> Have a keyword strategy for either fiction<\/a> or nonfiction<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 4: <\/strong>Select your 7 Kindle Keywords<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Check out Publisher Rocket for the quickest and easiest way to find the right keywords for your book. Get it now<\/a> at the lifetime price!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amazon Honeymoon Period<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Step 1: <\/strong>Understand how the honeymoon period works on Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: <\/strong>Use social media<\/a>, promotions<\/a>, Facebook Ads<\/a>, and Amazon Ads<\/a> to optimize your honeymoon period<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Poor Launch Tactics<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Step 1:<\/strong> Make sure your book cover <\/a>and book descriptions<\/a> are ready to go well in advance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: <\/strong>Set up an email list well in advance<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 3:<\/strong> Review these sales tactics for ideas to incorporate into your launch<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 4<\/strong>: Share your book with your email list<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 5: <\/strong>Use Facebook Ads<\/a> and Amazon Ads<\/a> to make sure the algorithm is targeting the correct readers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 6: <\/strong>Use book promotions<\/a> and social media<\/a> to enhance your launch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Poor or No Reviews<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Step 1:<\/strong> Assemble a great beta and ARC team<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: <\/strong>Plan a launch plan around reviews<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 3: <\/strong>Get an editorial review<\/a> (optional)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 4:<\/strong> Get those reviews!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
A Bad Book Description:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Step 1: <\/strong>Look at descriptions written for bestselling books in your genre<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: <\/strong>Write a great book description<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 3:<\/strong> Format your book description correctly<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
These are just some of the big ones, but there is a good chance that your problem falls under one of these categories. You can visit the links to learn more about how to fix those issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 3<\/mark>: Make the Decision to Update or Republish As New<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The next step on your book-revival journey is to either update your book or republish it entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which one you choose will depend on your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For most small mistakes, updating your book will be the best option. Even some of the slightly larger corrections, like updating your book cover or book description can be done with a simple update. And that update can be enough to turn your book sales around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, in other situations, or when your book has too many problems to be resolved simply, a republish is in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republishing means, essentially, removing your old book and creating an entirely new one with your updated manuscript. This could be a second or third edition of your book, but it could also be a complete rebrand and relaunch of a fiction series, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here's a quick look at the different reasons why you might want to update or republish:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n
\n \n\n \n \n <\/colgroup>\n \n \n\nBenefit<\/th> Update<\/th> Republish<\/th><\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n You can keep your reviews<\/td> ![\"Green](\"https:\/\/kindlepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Green-Check-Mark.png\")
<\/td>
(with steps<\/a>)<\/center><\/td> <\/tr>\n\n Changes are easy to make<\/td> <\/td><\/td> <\/tr>\n \n Sufficient for most issues<\/td> <\/td><\/td> <\/tr>\n \n Your book gets to have another honeymoon period<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/tr>\n \n It\u2019s a great way to rebrand<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/tr>\n \n Lose the bad reviews and start over<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/tr>\n \n You can change things like the title, subtitle, or trim size<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n - Step 2: <\/strong>Write a great book description<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: <\/strong>Plan a launch plan around reviews<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: <\/strong>Set up an email list well in advance<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: <\/strong>Use social media<\/a>, promotions<\/a>, Facebook Ads<\/a>, and Amazon Ads<\/a> to optimize your honeymoon period<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2:<\/strong> Select niche vs broad keywords<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: <\/strong>Hire someone to create your book covers<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cover Problem<\/strong>: A cheap looking cover, or a cover that doesn\u2019t match the correct genre, is easily the biggest culprit for most book sales problems.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Step 2: Fix the Problem<\/a><\/li>
- Step 1: Identify the Original Problem<\/a><\/li>