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The main method of tracking actual point-of-sale book sales is through Nielsen. Obtaining electronic sales data through this service is prohibitively expensive for an individual, but is a key metric used by major publishing houses to track the success of a volume.
How long does it take for sales to show up on KDP?
Updates to sales rank appear? Rankings are updated hourly but may take 24–48 hours to appear after the first completed sale. *When browse categories are changed, sales rank updates can take up to 96 hours to show up on the website.
How many books do first time authors sell?
There are all kinds of statistics bouncing around out there, but generally speaking, most self-published authors will likely sell around 250 books or less. A few years ago, the industry was buzzing when statistics revealed that the average self-published author earns less than $500 from her books.
How much does Amazon take from book sales?
Here’s what happens to your money when you buy a book through Amazon but from a third-party seller: Amazon gets 15 percent of the total sales price, including shipping, plus a flat rate of $1.85 per item. The rest goes to the third-party seller.
Why should you track your sales as a self-published author?
As a self-published author, you and you alone are responsible for promoting your book and helping it find its audience. By tracking your sales, you see whether your promotion efforts are working and how to channel them for best results.
How do self-published books sell on Amazon?
Most self-published books fit into that category. Amazon will stock only as many books as it anticipates selling in a short period, based on previous sales of the title, and will reorder when the inventory goes down. To encourage browsers to buy, Amazon posts an enticement on the web page of a book with limited inventory.
How can I track sales of my book on Amazon?
In addition with Amazon, any author can indirectly track sales in real time and check recent sales history. Amazon offers two useful programs to self-published authors, depending on the format of your book. Authors of self-published e-books can join the Kindle Direct Publishing program.
How can I find out how many books my book has sold?
To learn more about sales of your book, set up an Author Central account. It’s easy to do, and you’ll see sales information that is available only to you. Nielsen BookScan, part of the Amazon Author Central tools, provides sales data for print books over the past four or eight weeks.