Amazon Best-selling Paid Kindle E-Books..(What Does it Really Mean?)

I've been watching with great interest as my book has hit a sort of tipping point into success. It had already hit the CBA best seller once, but then it seemed like sales were levelling off into the 'pretty good' category.

Now, after a free book promotion courtesy of my publisher, Tyndale, my book has skyrocketed again. It has been sitting the last ten days in Amazon's Kindle book store's top 40. It also showed up in the "movers and shakers" list and remains among the top-rated of fiction.

All of this is very good. Okay, very, very, good, but I'm not saying this to brag or pat myself on the back. I'm truly one of those freaks that finds anything publishing to be absolutely fascinating. Particularly what makes one book rise to best-sellordom and an equally good book sink into oblivion.

For a really great read on this subject, check out Tipping Point by Gladwell. I LOVED that book.

So, I have to wonder with my paperback sales doing very well, but my e-book sales doing phenomenally, what does this really mean for me in the way of numbers?

Amazon is notorious for keeping their sales numbers a great big secret. So, until I actually get a royalty check from  my publisher with actual data, I'll have to keep on wondering. In the meantime, I can read what Amazon chooses to disclose in press releases. And so can you:

New Generation Kindle Device Sales Already Surpass Fourth Quarter 2009 - The Peak Holiday Shopping Season and Busiest Time of Year on Amazon



Amazon.com Customers Now Buying More Bestsellers on Kindle Than Paperbacks and Hardcovers Combined--At a Rate of 2 to 1

SEATTLE, Oct 25, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE)—NASDAQ:AMZN)--


The new generation Kindle devices are the fastest-selling Kindles of all time and the bestselling products on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Today, Amazon.com announced that sales of the new generation Kindle devices since their introduction have already surpassed total Kindle device sales from October through December 2009.


“It’s still October and we’ve already sold more Kindle devices since launch than we did during the entire fourth quarter of last year--astonishing because the fourth quarter is the busiest time of year on Amazon,” said Steve Kessel, Senior Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “Readers continue to choose Kindle for its all-new electronic ink screen with 50 percent higher contrast, readability in bright sunlight, long battery life of up to one month, light 8.5 ounce form, flexibility to read their books across all major LCD devices and platforms, and low $139 price. It’s clear that this is going to be the biggest holiday for Kindle yet--by far.”


In addition, Kindle book unit sales continue to overtake print on Amazon.com, even while print book sales continue to grow. During the past 30 days, Amazon.com customers purchased more Kindle books than print books--hardcover and paperback combined--for the top 10, 25, 100, and 1,000 bestselling books on Amazon.com.

“For the top 10 bestselling books on Amazon.com, customers are choosing Kindle books over hardcover and paperback books combined at a rate of greater than 2 to 1. Kindle books are also outselling print books for the top 25, 100, and 1,000 bestsellers--it’s across the board,” said Kessel.

“This is remarkable when you consider that we’ve been selling hardcover and paperback books for 15 years, and Kindle books for just 36 months.”

Other recent milestones for Kindle include:

* In the 12 weeks following the introduction of the new generation Kindles, Kindle devices or Kindle-related items such as Kindle books and covers represented 15 of the top 15 bestselling items on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk combined.


* Amazon sold more than 3 times as many Kindle books in the first nine months of 2010 as in the first nine months of 2009.


* The Association of American Publishers’ latest data reports that e-book sales grew 193 percent between January and August 2010. Kindle book sales growth during the same period exceeded this rate.

Learn more about Kindle at http://www.amazon.com/kindle.


Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management’s expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com’s financial results is included in Amazon.com’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

SOURCE: Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline, 206-266-7180
http://www.amazon.com/pr