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Richelle Mead Takes on Amazon

We as authors have many enemies. Yeah, you heard me. Enemies. Adversaries. Nemeses. Whatever. These entities lurk out there and have the audacity to rain on our creative parades. They won’t let us live in the blissful, artistic vacuum we long for. They come in many forms, too. Sometimes they’re Bookscan numbers. Sometimes they’re eBook pirates who are “actually doing the author a favor.” Gah. Sometimes they’re blog reviewers incapable of picking up on anything subtle in a book (don’t worry, Bam–you always get subtlety, thank God) [Bam: Thank God, indeed].

But the biggest, baddest one of them all?

Amazon.

It’s true. We’re told over and over not to pay attention to Amazon, that it’s not representative of the entire market and that its ranking system is too convoluted to follow. BUT HOW CAN WE NOT PAY ATTENTION? It’s not like Bookscan, whose numbers are only updated weekly and come to us through special channels. Amazon is *right there* in front of us. Some of us could, um, I don’t know…even set her default browser page to her Amazon bibliography. Hypothetically speaking. And Amazon’s rankings change every hour, for God’s sake. Every hour.

And what does those rankings mean exactly? Hell if I know. What does it mean that Vampire Academy was #1725 an hour ago and now is #1647? What happened?? Did someone buy a copy of it? Three copies? Did someone *not* buy a copy of someone else’s book, hence making my rank go up? Why do the numbers get higher at night? Is my fanbase composed of nocturnal types? Or people from Belgium? And why do my numbers go up when Jackie Kessler releases a book? (I actually just roll with that one–best not to question).

After we recover from our own ego-fretting, we then have to deal with fretting over other author comparisons. I’d be lying if I said emails hadn’t been exchanged in my coterie of writer friends with messages akin to, “OMG. [name withheld for my safety] is at [stupid silly high number] on Amazon. How is that possible? Is there no justice in the world? Her writing sucks!” Then, there are other non-number comparisons, like, “Why do people who buy my book also buy *that* book? Mine has nothing to do with clay pigeons.”

It’s madness, I tell you. Madness.

And this isn’t just me. Most of the authors I know are boggled by this stuff too, even if some are better at hiding their Amazon-stalking than others. My obsession tends to peak during new releases, and I’m finally coming down off the Succubus on Top rush. April’s going to be an insane month, though. Hopefully in a good way–because I swear, if Frostbite doesn’t get a good number on Amazon’s Books > Children’s Books > Literature > Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror > Spine-Chilling Horror list, I’m going to be pissed. Just as soon as I figure out what exactly that list means.

Gotta run. Numbers have changed.

____________________________________

Richelle Mead is the author of 5 novels, including the Succubus series, the Vampire Academy series, and a new one coming out from Kensington in September called Storm Born. Her talent astounds me.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 10:38 pm and is filed under Guest Author. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

19 Responses to “Richelle Mead Takes on Amazon”

  1. Jackie
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 3:43 am
    1

    “And why do my numbers go up when Jackie Kessler releases a book? (I actually just roll with that one–best not to question).”

    Damn straight, woman. And now that you mention it, I want a raise. Up my weekly chocolate tithe, or someone’s gonna get hurt.

  2. katiebabs
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 6:28 am
    2

    I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon. I love writing reviews there but for some reason, some dumbass always has to give me a negative for the hell of it.
    And the amount of times I buy from them, I should seriously consider buying Amazon stock.

  3. Jaded_Bee
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 7:58 am
    3

    I adored Vamp Academy!!! I think I read it all in one sitting…stayed up all night to do so. It was amazing!!!! Sleep’s for pansies anyway. That last was a total bluff, I stay up all night and crash as soon as I get home from work the next day, but it was completely worth it!

    Anyway, I entered some thoughts for titles for Vampire Academy 3 on your page. Hope they suffice.

  4. Chantal
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 8:33 am
    4

    I hate amazon. I never pay attention to the reviews there.
    Once they get rid of Harriet Klausner, maybe I’ll start paying attention to them.

    She is joke, and so is Amazon.

  5. Emma Petersen
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 8:36 am
    5

    Some of us could, um, I don’t know…even set her default browser page to her Amazon bibliography. Hypothetically speaking.
    Hehe. I check Amazon out of curiousity. And if I see a friend at number one or even number 100 I do instant message them. But sometimes I kinda hesitate because I’m like what if I’m wrong and then got so and so all excited for nothing? But then I’m like what if I don’t tell and they really wanted to know? Wow. I’m not even on there yet and get ansty about it. Dear jebus what am I gonna be like when I am on there?

  6. Chantal
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 8:43 am
    6

    Richelle, why don’t you just ask Amazon?
    Get a little pro active instead of just complaining about it.

  7. Richelle Mead
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 10:19 am
    7

    Thanks, JB!

    And Emma…#1? Wow. You must mean on the genre lists, right? I mean, you aren’t BFF with JK Rowling and holding back on us, are you? ;-)

    Chantal–are you kidding? With as long as it took me to find the right contact to tell them I got overcharged on an order? I can only imagine asking about this–and they’d just give me a form response anyway that didn’t answer the question. :) Besides, this makes much better material for over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek posts.

  8. Chantal
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 11:20 am
    8

    I was serious. You could take this opportunity to find out what the hell is going on over there. With so many authors having the same problem I bet you could get a few of you together and demand answers. They can’t ignore you forever, right?

  9. Nadja
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
    9

    I once saw the mathematical formula they use to figure out your ranking. In order to understand the math, you need to have an advanced degree in a related field (and lack common sense whatsoever). On a very happy side note (warning: shameless self-promotion about to happen): my gay romantic suspense novel has been holding on no 1 (in its genre). I’m excited and thrilled and somewhat suspicious; I think it’s like Richelle said, my numbers are up, because no one is buying the other books :-)

    Heading over to amazon right now to check out Vampire Academy …

  10. kate r
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
    10

    I got over Amazon once one of my books hit the hundred thousands. Who needs to see that more than once? Every few months I look and my two Kensington books have been as low as 15,000 and as high as 1,500,000

    Of course your numbers might never get so pitiful, so maybe you’ll be addicted forever, clicking and clicking. An unexplored price of success.

  11. Meljean
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
    11

    Mine are regularly six digits. I pretend that’s how much money they will make, someday. Not that I check every day or every hour or anything.

    *whistles and clicks away…not to Amazon, because I was just there.*

  12. Mark Henry
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
    12

    Me, too. I could check those numbers every hour. Every G-D hour, I tell you. And my book hasn’t even been released. I’m obsessing over pre-release fluctuations can you imagine what it’ll be like after the 26th of February?

    I asked someone who worked there what it meant and they just shrugged that it was an algorithm of blah blah blah. Once talk turns to numbers, I just nod.

    I gotta call the doctor, now, and get some Xanax.

  13. Emma Petersen
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
    13

    LMAO. Definitely the genre lists. I haven’t met JK Rowling. Heck I havent even read anything she’s written. Yes, I can admit I have never read any of the Harry Potter books.

    Yeah and Amazon is notorious for the form letter responses.

  14. SweetNSourGirl
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
    14

    That’s insane! And we wonder why authors get whacky.

  15. Page_burner
    Posted: Jan 24th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
    15

    Richelle Mead rocks! And her books are pretty cool too.

  16. Richelle Mead
    Posted: Jan 25th, 2008 at 2:56 am
    16

    PB, is there nothing you won’t do for an ARC?

  17. Page-burner
    Posted: Jan 25th, 2008 at 7:25 am
    17

    Depends on the author. For you? Absolutely nothing! I am so shameless…

  18. Shiloh Walker
    Posted: Jan 25th, 2008 at 7:42 am
    18

    I check on the rankings on Amazon when I have a new release, yeah, but other than that, I rarely pay attention to them.

    ;) I’d rather write my next book and see if I can’t make that hit #1. Or at least pretend it could.

  19. Cathie
    Posted: Jan 27th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
    19

    As a reader, I go some places to find out new books, I rarely read the reviews because to me its just one person’s mind on it. Doesn’t mean I have the same mind and feelings that person does. I read the blurbs there or mostly at the authors site and then shop. I know what you mean about the ratings. I ought to check if the ratings change after I buy a book. Wonder if that would answer a question. I’ll have to check the next time I go, but who knows! I buy for what I want to read, and many of my reader friends recommend me books. If I don’t like a book, its me, not the writer. Maybe it wasn’t my subject or theme. But that is the story! But I can tell you that I’ve rarely finish a book and not like because I have alot of appreciation for anyone that writes and brings so much joy in my life to read.

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