If your Amazon ranking drops below 100,000 are you a bestseller? (part 1 of 2)

I came across an interesting blog post a few days ago. I won't be so mean as to give away who the blogger/author is, but I must share my thoughts about what was written. The blogger announced the following (paraphrased):

I'm really excited that my book is about to be a best seller.

I would have had my doubts anyway, but the blogger included the proof. The book's sales rank on Amazon.com was 186,000 (and some change) at the time. According to the blogger, the best rank for the book had been a little over 100,000. It's not stated, but I assume the author thinks the book will be a bestseller once it goes under 100,000 in rank.

As a book marketer, I've done some research on Amazon rankings, so I saw right through the blog post without doing any extra research. But then I remembered Diantha's rant on free books not counting as best sellers. It's been reposted on this site. Check it out HERE.

Having had a conversation with Diantha on the phone when she was formulating that rant, I know what really bugged her was the free part of the bestseller status of a book.

The second bullet point of her post, though, goes hand-in-hand with what I'm trying to point out in this post. To be a bestseller, Diantha wrote that "some sort of list was formed. What list? Where can I obtain a copy, good sir and/or mam?"



At least with a popular free book, you've made a listing alongside other popular free books. It is a noteworthy accomplishment, but like Diantha, I agree that you shouldn't call yourself a bestseller. Though to play both sides of the coin, Amazon does list free books under a bestseller heading. That's Amazon's misstep, and we think authors shouldn't step into it.

So, I can see where the jury might still be out on the free bestseller status. However, you are not instantly a bestseller if your rank drops below 100,000. Shoot, you aren't even necessarily a bestseller if your rank hovers comfortably at the same spot under the 100,000 mark.

WHY?

Because you just aren't selling that many books.

According to kdpcalculator.com, a sales rank of 100,000 means you are selling about 1 book per day. Would you call that a best seller?

I don't think so, and I'll tell you why and a lot more in part two of this series. Check it out HERE.