Amazon helps create demand for niche books — books that have a widely dispersed audience that can’t be targeted effectively through traditional advertising. These are the books readers can’t find in their local bookstore, or even the library—but they’re right there on Amazon.
Twenty-five percent of Amazon’s sales come from obscure titles that aren’t even carried in a Barnes & Noble superstore stocking 100,000 titles. And the percentage of these “long tail” sales grows every year.
You might assume that Amazon’s appeal for book buyers is its discount pricing or the free shipping deals. But the real value for book buyers is being able to find exactly what they want.
For 50 years, publishers have been chasing blockbusters, the best-seller hits. They had to, because with limited shelf space, retailers had to focus on merchandise that moved the fastest. Today, chasing blockbusters is obsolete. Authors and publishers have a wide-open field of opportunity in serving niches.
These are the books people really care about, the ones they haven’t been able to discover yet. Amazon’s Web site is designed to help customers find books they didn’t know existed. No matter how obscure your book, readers today can find it using Amazon’s search and recommendations.
Free exposure for your book on Amazon
Amazon helps create demand for niche books — books that have a widely dispersed audience that can’t be targeted effectively through traditional advertising. These are the books readers can’t find in their local bookstore, or even the library—but they’re right there on Amazon.
Twenty-five percent of Amazon’s sales come from obscure titles that aren’t even carried in a Barnes & Noble superstore stocking 100,000 titles. And the percentage of these “long tail” sales grows every year.
You might assume that Amazon’s appeal for book buyers is its discount pricing or the free shipping deals. But the real value for book buyers is being able to find exactly what they want.
For 50 years, publishers have been chasing blockbusters, the best-seller hits. They had to, because with limited shelf space, retailers had to focus on merchandise that moved the fastest. Today, chasing blockbusters is obsolete. Authors and publishers have a wide-open field of opportunity in serving niches.
These are the books people really care about, the ones they haven’t been able to discover yet. Amazon’s Web site is designed to help customers find books they didn’t know existed. No matter how obscure your book, readers today can find it using Amazon’s search and recommendations.
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