# Kindle Daily Deal today: Holy Calzones!



## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

So Zero Sight is going to be featured by Amazon as the KDD tomorrow. I'm ecstatic, but I only got the Email today. I'm stuck in the hospital till late, but I could send out some Emails on my break. Am I supposed to tell any websites? Shout from a tree? Shoot off a flare?

B.

*Edited to add:* Thanks for all the quick responses. I'll be sure to collect and report data throughout the day!


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

Breathe!

Congrats. I think you just sit back and watch the top 100 shoot past you while the sales roll in.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Try: lay back and watch the money roll in, because you just hit the jackpot.

Congratz man, that's fantastic.


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## David Wisehart (Mar 2, 2010)

That's awesome! Congrats. 

David


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## Adam Pepper (May 28, 2011)

SW-EEEEET!

Congrats.  Keep us posted on how it goes.


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## KurtCarlson (Mar 12, 2012)

Wow, congrats! How does Amazon end up picking the Kindle Daily Deal? Anyone know? I'd say you have nothing to do now!


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## cheriereich (Feb 12, 2011)

Congratulations! And I guess you wouldn't have to do anything except check your reports every five minutes.

And how do you get picked up for the Kindle Daily Deal?


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## That one girl (Apr 12, 2011)

I think we'd all like to know how it happened, if you'd be willing to share.

Congrats! And I think a shout out to your social network is in order.


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## Kay Bratt (Dec 28, 2011)

Whoa! In this case, you don't really need to advertise. Just pop a top and watch the dough roll in. Congrats, J!


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

This will be like riding a rocket Justin. Hang on.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Sweet!!!

1. Start chilling the champagne.
2. Pamper your refresh finger -- warm finger bath, lotion, maybe a cozy glove -- because it's gonna get a hard workout tomorrow.
3. Call in sick to work. 
4. Charge your phone 'cause your gonna be squealing into it like a teenage girl all day long.
5. Practice being humble.


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## ETS PRESS (Nov 4, 2011)

OMG! That's beyond awesome! You just hit the Zon jackpot. Pop some champagne and plan your trip to the Caribbean.


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## David Kazzie (Sep 16, 2010)

congrats! enjoy the ride!


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Wow, that's fabulous! No advice except to bask in the glory. 

Huge congratulations, Justin.


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## K.R. Harris (Jan 25, 2012)

Nice! Congrats, enjoy the rocket ride!


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

That is soooo cool. Major congrats.

I think Phoenix nailed the to-do list. The only item I would add is to check in at the cafe and celebrate with us!


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

You won a Jackpot - enjoy.


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## edwardgtalbot (Apr 28, 2010)

Congrats!


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## dotx (Nov 4, 2010)

Congrats! As far as I know, there's nothing you can do to help you become a KDD, right? If it happens it happens.


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

You know what you should do?

::leans in conspiratorially::

Donate 5% of your book earnings from that day to me. I promise I'll get super, super wasted put them to good use.

 More seriously, I'd take a day's leave and watch the money roll in. Grats... you earned it.


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## davidhburton (Mar 11, 2010)

Congratulations! Sit back and enjoy the ride!


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Thumb typing so must be brief...

First, thanks everyone!

Second, I have no idea how my book was selected, but I believe a book must be priced at or above 3.99 to qualify.

Third, I am presently taking your advice and celebrating with the finest in hospital puddings. And a churro.

*insert pony .jpg here*

B.


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## Scarlett_R (Sep 30, 2011)

Congratulations! You should be super proud


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2012)

That's mindblowingly awesome. Congrats! Just sit back and enjoy the ride.


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## Bryan Dunn (Mar 20, 2011)

Congrats!  You're on a gravy train with biscuit wheels!


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## melissafmiller (Feb 17, 2011)

Congrats! Well-deserved, too. 

I think the consensus is there's no heavy lifting involved . . . Except for the big sacks of money.


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## That one girl (Apr 12, 2011)

Bryan Dunn said:


> Congrats! You're on a gravy train with biscuit wheels!


You just made me so hungry.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Congratulations! It will be fun to watch you ride the rocket tomorrow. May it be a sticky one that circles in orbit.


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## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

Hah! Awesome, B! You deserve it. Your book has resonated with a lot of readers. It's about to resonate with even more !


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

Well played. I recommend you take credit for a brilliant move.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Don't worry about pushing this by tweeting, posting, or anything else, except celebrating. Amazon will let the world know all about your book. Anything you do will be small change in comparison.

I DO advise you to contact your hometown newspaper in the a.m. and let them know, by pointing them to the link. They LOVE "local boy makes good" stories. And if your current hometown is different from the town of your birth, contact them BOTH. I'll bet they do feature stories about your success as an indie author...which will only generate further sales.

Meanwhile, CONGRATULATIONS, enjoy the ride...and please call your financial adviser in about two weeks.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Incidentally, your title has one of the best damned product descriptions of any indie book I've seen. It's a model of a sales pitch for a book. Everyone here should study it and take notes.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Wife: "What does this mean?"

Me: "Magic."

Okay, I just got back from work. What a day. I even got to diagnose a case of Sjögren's! *nerd alert* 

Thanks so much for the support, folks. I guess I'll just chillax and collect some data points. Then Debora can tell us all what they mean. : )

Robert, I'll be sure to follow up on your recommendations—after a prompt infusion of Guinness.

B.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Starting values for Zero Sight:

Rank at midnight: 3,666 | Average sales volume: 30 units per day

Highest rank ever attained: 503, two weeks after the release of the sequel

The price drop was conducted by Amazon at approx. 11PM PST on the day prior to the KDD sponsorship.

I updated the blog and social network streams. Tried to dampen my own expectations. Gonna hit the sack now.

B.


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## David Wisehart (Mar 2, 2010)

A lot of blogs will pick this up and help push it along, like I just did...

http://kindle-author.com/2012/03/13/kindle-daily-deal-zero-sight-by-b-justin-shier-for-only-99-cents/

Of course it's just a small drop in the Amazon ocean.

But every little bit helps.

Good luck with it!

David


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Congratulations, B, and good luck!


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Well, B., it's 8 a.m. in the East, and you're already up to #510 after just a few hours. And that is before anyone across the country has even awakened.

Buckle your seat belt, put your tray in its upright and locked position, and prepare for takeoff.


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## ETS PRESS (Nov 4, 2011)

Just got the email! Take screen shots of your ride!


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

8:54AM EST and # 299

I checked last night at 9PM and you were 4066. That's a rocket you're riding. Top 10 by 4PM.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Naw, Jack. I say Top 10 by 2 p.m. Eastern, Top 5 by 4 p.m., and "look out, Suzanne Collins" by 7 p.m.

We need to get a Writer's Cafe "office pool" going....


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## Tinker (Oct 3, 2011)

Congratulations - off to study the blurb


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Phew, just woke up to a book ranked #299. Entering DDark's territory. (Man, does she sell well!)

Thanks for the re-tweets and posts, everyone!

Sales from 12:00 - 6:30AM PST: 459 sold; Rank #299 

In the last 30 minutes, the rate of sales skyrocketed. Kind of amazing to watch, but I have a shift at the clinic today. I'll try to update the numbers on my lunch break. I'd actually be surprised if it broke into the Top 10. I've been informed by a number of industry insiders that post-adolescent (new adult) fiction does not have a market. 

B.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Hey, JackZ -- the lad says "I'd actually be surprised if it broke into the Top 10."

I hope he brings those cardiac paddles home from the clinic tonight. Around 10 p.m., he's gonna need 'em.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

10:07 a.m. in the East, and our boy is up to #138. Up 261 rankings in the past hour.


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

Congrats & good luck!  Sounds like you're doing well!


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## dotx (Nov 4, 2010)

Looking forward to the final numbers!


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Robert Bidinotto said:


> Hey, JackZ -- the lad says "I'd actually be surprised if it broke into the Top 10."
> 
> I hope he brings those cardiac paddles home from the clinic tonight. Around 10 p.m., he's gonna need 'em.


Funny Robert, just noticed he's at 99 cents which is a big boost. At 99 he could hit #1 this evening. Depends on how sales are in the Amazon ocean today. Anyway, To 10 for sure. Moneyball at 25 cents this morning could get in the way.


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## Jonas Saul (Jul 11, 2011)

I'm currently in Greece and it's 4:35pm here. Your rank is #138 right now and still rising.

Congrats and listen to Robert - the man knows his stuff.

Enjoy,

Jonas Saul


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## 31842 (Jan 11, 2011)

I've got you at #138 at 7:38AM California time!

#138 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#3 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary
#3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Fantasy > Contemporary
#7 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror > Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Good point, Jack. Hard to compete with 25 cents + the Amazon spotlight. But at 99 cents + the Amazon spotlight, I think he'll get into the Top 5, for sure.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

I was on target to sell my ten thousandth copy of Zero Sight by the end of next month, barely squeaking in under the year mark. The book covered that distance in the last hour. ZOMG. Now I _really_ have to go to work!










B.


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2012)

Robert Bidinotto said:


> Good point, Jack. Hard to compete with 25 cents + the Amazon spotlight. But at 99 cents + the Amazon spotlight, I think he'll get into the Top 5, for sure.


It's really impressive that Moneyball for 25 cents can't even take down any one of the Hunger Games books, let alone the Trilogy. I've seen Daily Deals routinely get to #1, but getting in under 7 might just be impossible today, no knock on Justin.


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## TexasGirl (Dec 21, 2011)

Got my copy and Tweeted away. Congrats, Justin, and I look forward to reading.


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## TheSFReader (Jan 20, 2011)

Justin, quick question : is it available from somewhere Not Amazon (won't buy) or B&N (won't sell) ?


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

foreverjuly said:


> It's really impressive that Moneyball for 25 cents can't even take down any one of the Hunger Games books, let alone the Trilogy. I've seen Daily Deals routinely get to #1, but getting in under 7 might just be impossible today, no knock on Justin.


Jason, my gut tells me that a nonfiction book about the business of baseball -- even a great one -- doesn't have quite the genre appeal of a fantasy title. And our B. will be competing head-to-head with Collins's titles, also from the SFF genre, and some erotica priced ten times higher. I think he has an excellent shot at the Top 5.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

foreverjuly said:


> It's really impressive that Moneyball for 25 cents can't even take down any one of the Hunger Games books, let alone the Trilogy. I've seen Daily Deals routinely get to #1, but getting in under 7 might just be impossible today, no knock on Justin.


Moneyball didn't get pricematched until 9PM last night so at 7 it's doing pretty well and consider that Amazon is not promoting it either. DD has many advantages over a pricematch.

Hunger Games? Strange on Amazon they own the Top 3, but on the NYT Ebook Bestsellers they don't even make #35? Very strange.


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## Sybil Nelson (Jun 24, 2010)

Holy hotdogs! This is amazing to watch. Congrats!


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Okay, in the past hour it just jumped to #29, and #1 in Contemporary Fantasy. My prediction of it hitting the Top 10 by 2 pm? Right on track.

I'm more confident than ever that this goes to the Top 5.

UPDATE #1, 5 minutes later: Actually, it's doing better than that: #1 in ALL Fantasy, #2 among all SFF titles.

UPDATE #2: 10 minutes later: It's also #2 on Kindle's "Movers & Shakers," right behind _Moneyball_. The exposure now on multiple lists and Amazon pages will give it a synergistic boost.


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## Consuelo Saah Baehr (Aug 27, 2010)

Go get a very big broom.  You will definitely clean up.

Congratulations.


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2012)

jackz4000 said:


> Moneyball didn't get pricematched until 9PM last night so at 7 it's doing pretty well and consider that Amazon is not promoting it either. DD has many advantages over a pricematch.
> 
> Hunger Games? Strange on Amazon they own the Top 3, but on the NYT Ebook Bestsellers they don't even make #35? Very strange.


Amazon has created an entire "Hunger Games Store" page on their site and are pushing it hard, and the movie is 10 days away. I bet those top 3 books are way out in front of the rest of the pack.


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## Jonas Saul (Jul 11, 2011)

Unbelievable!

This is amazing to watch with over a dozen hours left.

Jonas


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## 39179 (Mar 16, 2011)

Amazing, Justin! You must be flying as high as you book right now!


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## John Hamilton (May 6, 2010)

So incredibly cool!  Congratulations!


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## Pnjw (Apr 24, 2011)

I just got my copy, too. And I have all day tomorrow to read it on the plane. Congratulations, Justin!


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## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

Hah. Awesome. Fun to watch!


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

Holy moly, you are going big time!!


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## Kristine Cayne (Aug 16, 2011)

Congratulations, Justin! I just got a copy and tweeted and FBed about it. I'll be watching your book rise in the ranks through out the day. This is SO exciting!  

~Kristine


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## 16205 (Jun 8, 2010)

Congratulations, Justin!


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

Looking good! Congrats, Justin.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

    #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Fantasy > Contemporary
    #1 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary
    #4 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror > Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic


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## David Kazzie (Sep 16, 2010)

jnfr said:


> Looking good! Congrats, Justin.
> 
> Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
> 
> ...


and don't forget -- his sequel looks like it's steadily rising too.


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## ETS PRESS (Nov 4, 2011)

Justin - Is your book older YA, or adult?


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

A more complete listing as of about 1 pm Eastern actually looks more like this:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > *Fantasy* 
#1 in Books > *Science Fiction & Fantasy*
#4 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror > Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
#8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction >*Genre Fiction* 
#14 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > *Fiction*
#15 in Kindle Store > *Kindle eBooks*

I still say he's in the Top 10 by about 2 pm Eastern.


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## Kay Bratt (Dec 28, 2011)

Why can't we have an eating popcorn button??

Go Justin!


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## Wren Emerson (Jan 15, 2011)

I'm sure this has been mentioned elsewhere and I've just missed it, but when you are picked for KDD are you only getting $.35 a sale or do they pay you based on your original price?

BTW, grats! I picked up a copy and shared the link on my Facebook so maybe that'll give you a bit of a push towards breaking into the top spots.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

foreverjuly said:


> Amazon has created an entire "Hunger Games Store" page on their site and are pushing it hard, and the movie is 10 days away. I bet those top 3 books are way out in front of the rest of the pack.


That's why and Scholastic is wholesale model and Amazon has the lowest price on Hunger Games.

I've seen some DD's crash past HG to #1 and usually they are 99 cents. Everybody jumps on the 99 DD.

He'll need to sell around 5K +/- in 24 hours to do it. Just bought a copy to boost him.

2:15PM EST and #12 lotta time to get to the Top 3 or....1

@Wren: @Wren: I am assuming it is the same as with other Amazon Promotions when they select your book--not 100% sure though. If you are DD I think you get the royalty at the price you were selling at, ie: 3.99. ka-ching.


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## NathanWrann (May 5, 2011)

So now the only question is:

*What are you going to do with all your money?*


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## Mr. RAD (Jan 4, 2011)

As of 2pm CST (or 3pm EST), here are the stats:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: *#13* Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
*#1* in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary
*#1* in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Fantasy > Contemporary
*#4* in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror > Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic

Hoping he cracks the Top 10 sometime today. That'll be a sight to see. 

Good luck, B.


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

Wow! Super congratulations to you. Enjoy every minute of it


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## Vivi_Anna (Feb 12, 2011)

Very cool to watch this happen....

Totally stoked for you!!

Hope it goes to #1 all the way!!


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## Cheryl Douglas (Dec 7, 2011)

Congratulations! All the best, can't wait to hear how it goes.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

In answer to one question: When Amazon decides unilaterally to reset a price lower, you are still compensated at the percentage rate you previously had. If Justin was getting 70% before, he'll now likely get 70% of the 99 cents, not 35%.

In my experience, FWIW, the biggest sales numbers came in the evening, especially from about 10 pm - 1 am Eastern (7 - 10 pm Pacific). Obviously, that's the time period that the most people across the time zones are simultaneously at home and checking Amazon for ebooks to read before bedtime. So, while Justin's sales may be stratospheric now, they will go supernova later tonight when lots of dedicated Kindle owners check out today's Daily Deal.


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## ETS PRESS (Nov 4, 2011)

Robert Bidinotto said:


> In answer to one question: When Amazon decides unilaterally to reset a price lower, you are still compensated at the percentage rate you previously had. If Justin was getting 70% before, he'll now likely get 70% of the 99 cents, not 35%.
> 
> In my experience, FWIW, the biggest sales numbers came in the evening, especially from about 10 pm - 1 am Eastern (7 - 10 pm Pacific). Obviously, that's the time period that the most people across the time zones are simultaneously at home and checking Amazon for ebooks to read before bedtime. So, while Justin's sales may be stratospheric now, they will go supernova later tonight when lots of dedicated Kindle owners check out today's Daily Deal.


I don't know. I could have sworn another indie who hit the jackpot said they only got 35%, but the number of sales increased exponentially, so it was worth it. P.S. Is this book an older YA or adult book? I'm not 100% sure. I'd be happy to tweet/FB it to my 2000 followers IF it's YA.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

*HE'S AT #10 -- 3:55 PM.*

Okay, Jack, I think you won the bet as to "when" he would hit the Top 10: You nailed it as 4 p.m. Eastern. (Of course, it's only 1 pm PACIFIC, so I could claim a win on a technicality.)

He's also #9 among all Fiction titles.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

...and his other title, _Zero Sum_, is now down to #624.

A rising tide lifts all boats.


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## I love books (Aug 12, 2011)

Wow, congratulations on hitting the top 10, Justin!!! That's amazing!!!


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## Jonas Saul (Jul 11, 2011)

What a ride!

Where will it stop? #1? I sure hope so...congrats!

Jonas


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

I've taken a couple of screen shots while Justin is at work. I hope others will do so during the coming hours. He'll want records of his march up the list.

_Zero Sight_ made the climb into the Top 10 in just 13 hours. It has 11 hours to go to climb even higher.


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## erikhanberg (Jul 15, 2011)

I think it's awesome how people on KB are so excited about this and are helping him out. I won't go so far as to say that I'm as excited as Justin ... cause I'm sure he's beyond the moon. But still. This is really awesome. Not my book, and it still made my day.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

The KB folks were fantastically supportive when I had my march into the Top 10. I'm thrilled whenever others here can do it. It demonstrates to the world that indie success is NOT a rare fluke.

I bought my copy of Justin's book and I hope everyone here does, too.


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## Sharebear (Sep 25, 2011)

Still number 10! So awesome for you Justin!


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## Ernie Lindsey (Jul 6, 2010)

Robert Bidinotto said:


> I bought my copy of Justin's book and I hope everyone here does, too.


Just did the same. .99 to get that boulder a little further up the hill. PUSH!


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## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Woohoo! This is awesome. I love seeing KB books sky-rocket up those charts. Congrats, B.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

#8 -- 5:06 pm Eastern.

And #7 in Kindle "Fiction."

And his second book, _Zero Sum_, is now down to #582. Fascinating to see how the KDD title is boosting the second one.

Also: #1 in Kindle Fantasy, and #1 in Amazon/Books/Science Fiction & Fantasy.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

erikhanberg said:


> I think it's awesome how people on KB are so excited about this and are helping him out. I won't go so far as to say that I'm as excited as Justin ... cause I'm sure he's beyond the moon. But still. This is really awesome. Not my book, and it still made my day.


That's how I feel. I love seeing KBers find success and it has been wonderful _how many times_ that has happened in the last year.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Robert Bidinotto said:


> #8 -- 5:06 pm Eastern.


Just saw that Robert, lookin' good, but this will be a horse race. EL James Romantic Erotic just hit # 1 and another at #7 and it has had BIG PRESS recently since RH gave her a Million. Tough company in the Top 5 today with the HG at 2,3,4 & 6. This is one tough day.

Moneyball is at #5 but don't expect much more since the pricematch ended at 3PM. EST. At most it will move 1 place and begin to recede.

Now the climb is a real grind and each digit up requires alotta heavy lifting and the peak sales period soon begins. His book does have the Amazon DD muscle machine behind it and the 99 cent price, so hitting #1 is not impossible. You know the #'s Robert.


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

Yeah, pushing into some very tough competition now. Go, book, go!


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Jack, I agree: Hitting #1 today will be VERY difficult. But I think _Moneyball_ is due to head downward over the next few hours, so B. will pick up a place there. Given his 99-cent pricing, and with the #1 book priced at $9.99 yet still beating the "Hunger" books, I think B. has a real shot at overtaking some or all of the Collins titles. I do believe he'll get into the Top 5, perhaps the Top 3 or 2, before this is over, though you're right -- it will be a slog to overtake the #1 spot.

It'll probably come down to how many avid fantasy readers are looking for a FRESH, high-rated title today.


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## ZombieEater (Nov 2, 2010)

This is just amazing to watch. I remember reading along when Robert went through this and was elated to see a regular joe (with a great book) shooting up the charts like a torpedo. I'm living vicariously through you guys and enjoying your success.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Thumb typing my thanks. Will try to respond to all after my shift. 

Cheers,

B.


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## ETS PRESS (Nov 4, 2011)

I would love to help Justin out by tweeting & posting on FB, but my followers will most likely only respond to YA. I read his blurb which said 16 and up. So is this book considered older YA? Can I call it older YA?


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

I think "older teens" would work.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

ETS PRESS said:


> I would love to help Justin out by tweeting & posting on FB, but my followers will most likely only respond to YA. I read his blurb which said 16 and up. So is this book considered older YA? Can I call it older YA?


Sure. I've read YA is 10-20.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

I just bought it.  Right now you're at #8. Congratulations!

Between working as a doc, and writing fantasy, you must be having a ball. Enjoy it.


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## NS (Jul 8, 2011)

That's amazing. Congratulations!


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## ETS PRESS (Nov 4, 2011)

Robert Bidinotto said:


> I think "older teens" would work.


Okay...I'll plug it.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

jackz4000 said:


> He'll need to sell around 5K +/- in 24 hours to do it. Just bought a copy to boost him.


I think you are underestimating the amount of sales needed to get to number one. All though because sales have fallen off maybe it is back down to 5k. I do think it takes over 10K+ from those I know who came close.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

As of 6:30 pm Eastern, Justin's book is #3 on the "Movers & Shakers" list, having increased in sales ranking 51,112% (to #8 now, up from #4,097 at midnight Pacific time).

Meanwhile, his second book, _Zero Sum_, is down to #534 overall.


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## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

Plugged it on Twitter. Congrats, again!

P.S. Look at the 50 shades series go... Wow.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

LisaGraceBooks said:


> I think you are underestimating the amount of sales needed to get to number one. All though because sales have fallen off maybe it is back down to 5k. I do think it takes over 10K+ from those I know who came close.


It varies by the day. I used 5K+/- as a very low conservative ballpark number. Today could be 8K or 4K or 12K...only Amazon really knows. Even authors only know by their specific days up there.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

jackz4000 said:


> It varies by the day. I used 5K+/- as a very low conservative ballpark number. Today could be 8K or 4K or 12K...only Amazon really knows. Even authors only know by their specific days up there.


The top 5 is more variable than any other ranking. Think about what it would have taken to dislodge George RR Martin on the day of his release. Didn't they say he sold 150,000 ebooks on the first day of the release?


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## ETS PRESS (Nov 4, 2011)

Just plugged it to 2000+ twitter /FB followers. I hope it makes all the way. It's fun to watch.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

MichaelWallace said:


> The top 5 is more variable than any other ranking. Think about what it would have taken to dislodge George RR Martin on the day of his release. Didn't they say he sold 150,000 ebooks on the first day of the release?


Yeah. I guess it is very subjective to the day and other releases. It's one of the things no one knows (except Amazon) until it's past.


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## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

This is flippin' AWESOME to behold!!!


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## TadVezner (Mar 23, 2011)

Not usually my type of book, but I've been infected by all the enthusiasm. Just bought it. 

Congrats -- that's just amazing.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Last December 3, 4,897 Kindle U.S. ebook sales got me only as high as #4. Enough to bypass the latest Suzanne Collins HG title, but not her other two. As you say, what it takes to hit a particular ranking fluctuates daily.


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

Thanks for that info, Robert. And when Justin gets a chance to check in with his numbers at the end, we'll have another data point. I love data points!


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Jennifer, somewhere on here during the past couple of months, I posted an almost-daily record comparing my sales to my rankings during the big post-Thanksgiving promotion. One thing it showed was that different numbers of sales were required to achieve a certain ranking "on the way up" the chart, than "on the way down." So, there is no direct relationship between a specific number of sales and specific rankings. All the rankings tell you is how you're selling _in comparison with others_ -- and even then, _only at a given time_.

What the experience taught me is that I'd much rather focus on sales than rankings; the latter are only a means of helping to generate more of the former!


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## erikhanberg (Jul 15, 2011)

I've come to the same conclusion Robert: sales are way more important than ranking.

My book about nonprofits is on a subgenre bestseller list of Amazon for almost 3 months straight, but it rarely cracks a rank above 10,000. It's all about the sales.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

MichaelWallace said:


> The top 5 is more variable than any other ranking. Think about what it would have taken to dislodge George RR Martin on the day of his release. Didn't they say he sold 150,000 ebooks on the first day of the release?


Yeah, it varies like crazy and only Amazon knows their full picture. What will it take today--I have no real knowledge, they don't tell me, only that selling 5K+/- may get you to the Top 5 this week "May." What HG and EL James with their big media pushes are actually selling during this 24 hour period I could only guess at and I wouldn't trust my guess.

I only get a rough idea when authors disclose how many they sold to hit a specific ranking. But it is always changing depending on many factors so what holds true on one day, won't be accurate on another. I look at the rankings like a churning ocean and you just never know. But I would guess that on 50% of the days selling 5K+/- in one day would put you in the Top 10. But that's just for this week. I think in the future one will need even more sales to hit a specific rank, so whatever was true 2 months ago will become archaic.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

All very true.

So, FWIW, B.'s second book, _Zero Sum_, has now been pulled along to crack the #500 threshold, hitting #478 as of 8:15 pm Eastern. It's a relative gauge of the power of a hot-selling title to spill over into sales of an author's other works. And since _Zero Sum_ is priced at $3.99, a ranking like that means that B. would have a very nice payday from sales of that second book alone.


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

Robert Bidinotto said:


> All very true.
> 
> So, FWIW, B.'s second book, _Zero Sum_, has now been pulled along to crack the #500 threshold, hitting #478 as of 8:15 pm Eastern. It's a relative gauge of the power of a hot-selling title to spill over into sales of an author's other works. And since _Zero Sum_ is priced at $3.99, a ranking like that means that B. would have a very nice payday from sales of that second book alone.


That's probably the best news of the day then, even though hitting the top ten is awfully fun.

I remember the thread when your book rocketed up, Robert, though I don't have the link at hand. But that thread was really fun too


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## Kenosha Kid (Jun 23, 2011)

Man oh man... _this_ is why I love KBs!

Just bought and FB'd.

Way to go, B. Justin!


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Just got off work at the clinic (thank goodness I'm not on inpatient this month).

I'm kinda numb right now. It is very weird seeing a single digit for a Kindle rank. Thanks to everyone for all the amazing support. Reading through all these posts has made me proud and honored to be a member of such a cool online community. And I'm really excited to see the screen caps!

To answer a few questions:

_1) What age group is ZS targeting?_

The series is targeted at 17-25 year-olds. Some call that age range YA+. Some call it New Adult. Some call it post-adolescent. But the age range of my actual readers has been quite varied. I put the 16 and over tags on it to keep parents informed that there is foul language and much violence. (If the bloody hands weren't a big enough hint.)

_2) What royalty did you get?_

Amazon offered me 70% on each 99 cent sale. The deal was totally voluntary, and I agreed to via Email. There have been other promotions where Amazon paid based on MSRP, so I can understand the confusion.

_3) What did you do to get this deal?_

Nothing. One of the KDP folks Emailed me out of the blue. I believe your title needs to be 3.99 or above to qualify. Otherwise, I have no idea what parameters they use.

I'm going to start figuring out some numbers for you now. Be back soon!

B.


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## sarracannon (Apr 19, 2011)

So excited for you, congrats! I just bought and shared on FB. Here's to hitting #1 before the day is over!


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Justin, those were exactly the same terms I was offered to participate in the "Big Deal" promo last year: The book had to be priced at $3.99 or more, to allow for discounting; but you'd still continue to get 70% royalties, though on the discounted price.

You mentioned the "parameters" they may use for selecting books for promotions like this. Well, some other things that our books have in common may explain their selection by the Kindle editors. 

At the time of their selections, both our titles had garnered scores of effusive 5-star reader reviews, plus an average customer rating in the high 4's -- about 4.8 in both our cases. I have good reason to believe that those famous Algorithms cull through numbers like that and then call particularly high-rated books to the attention of the editors, who then follow up either by reading the books, or at least reading the reviews to determine the books' merits for spotlight treatment.

In addition, I've commented on this thread concerning the compelling product description you've crafted, a truly fine sales pitch for your book. A sales pitch that well crafted can't help but intrigue any reader, including an Amazon editor. 

Finally, I noticed one of your customer reviewers praising your book for its careful editing, proofreading, and formatting.

If anyone here is looking for the "secrets" to having their books selected for promotions like this, I believe the clues are obvious.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Okay, total ZS sales from 12:00 midnight to 6:30 PM PST were 5,070...and the pace of sales is picking up (Robert was correct about the sundown effect).

I'm gonna go get a beer.

B.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

WOW. With numbers like that, and sales accelerating, you may yet have a shot at the top, Justin. Fingers crossed here. We'll know in about 2-3 more hours, I think.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Some readers are on fire. I've noticed that whenever a KDD comes out, reviews start pouring in just a few hours later. A few people must literally sit down and start reading the moment the book is on their kindles.

Anyway, I'm watching this thread with a lot of interest. Thanks for posting the numbers and letting us share vicariously in your success.


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## Pavel Kravchenko (Mar 2, 2012)

This is just great. A HUGE congrats from a newbie.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Great bragging rights and advertising potential here, B.:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > *Fantasy* 
#1 in Books > *Science Fiction & Fantasy*
#3 in Books > *Literature & Fiction*

EDIT:

Also, _Zero Sum_ is now down to #417; it also has wonderful category rankings:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #417 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

#8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > *Fantasy > Contemporary*
#9 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > *Fantasy > Contemporary*
#10 in Books > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > *Fantasy & Magic*

Justin simultaneously has TWO titles in the "Contemporary Fantasy" Top Ten!


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Wow, what a day. And wow, what an odd Kindle Top 10.

Literature students testing the S&M waters, kiddie battle royales with lasers, baseball statistics made sexy, a non-sparkly vampire who likes show tunes, and a burned heroine seducing menfolk in the dark. The United States—what a country!

New Report:

Total ZS sales from 12:00 midnight to 8:30 PM PST were 6,134

So, for the past two hours at rank #8, sales have been 357/hr

B.


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## David Kazzie (Sep 16, 2010)

B. Justin Shier said:


> Wow, what a day. And wow, what an odd Kindle Top 10.
> 
> Literature students testing the S&M waters, kiddie battle royales with lasers, baseball statistics made sexy, a non-sparkly vampire who likes show tunes, and a burned heroine seducing menfolk in the dark. The United States-what a country!


And that's just from the description of 50 Shades of Grey!


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## GUTMAN (Dec 22, 2011)

Congrats to you!  Just added the book to my Kindle to help you fly the flag of pride.

Well done!

G


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## LilianaHart (Jun 20, 2011)

B. Justin Shier said:


> Wow, what a day. And wow, what an odd Kindle Top 10.
> 
> Literature students testing the S&M waters, kiddie battle royales with lasers, baseball statistics made sexy, a non-sparkly vampire who likes show tunes, and a burned heroine seducing menfolk in the dark. The United States-what a country!
> 
> ...


Holy moly! That's fantastic. Have you been able to do anything but check numbers all day?


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

LilianaHart said:


> Holy moly! That's fantastic. Have you been able to do anything but check numbers all day?


A few things. 

So ZS is now up to 6494 at 9:30PM PST. That makes for a pretty consistent 360/hr at the #8 slot.

Conclusion: Amazon appears to know how to sell eBooks.

I'll post up a more complete set of data tomorrow on this thread.

B.


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## Lefty (Apr 7, 2011)

Great job.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Congratulations again .

I think some people read and race to review so they have a chance of getting more "agree with this review" tags. That's important for vine voice reviewers (determines their rank, and what other products they get to review) and for those hoping to be selected as vine voice reviewers. 
It's very smart on Amazon's part to get customers so emotionally involved with their purchases.


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

Justin, if you have the time, and you're willing, I'd love to see some numbers on how your second book performed while the first one soared.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

*#7!!!!!* 1:50 am Eastern time

As anticipated, _Moneyball_ has fallen and allowed ZS to move up a rank.


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

Justin, wow. You really earned that "Awesome" under your name. 

Drinks are on you!  This is like a mega-successful "Free Day"... except those are PAID sales. Wow.


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## Lyndawrites (Aug 7, 2011)

Congrats, Justin, from Right-Pondia  

It's been thrilling to watch your rise. Well done, sir.


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## dotx (Nov 4, 2010)

Looking forward to the final numbers. I'm curious to see how many sales this translates into. Good luck!


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

I don't know what happened overnight, but Zero Sight is #4 and back to $3.99. Ka-ching!


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## NoCat (Aug 5, 2010)

Ha. Micheal beat me to it, but recording here in case the author is getting some probably needed sleep:
Zero Sight-
#4 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
    #1 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary
    #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction
    #1 in Books > Literature & Fiction


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## Caddy (Sep 13, 2011)

Very, very cool.  Congrats!


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## isaacsweeney (Jan 1, 2011)

This has been a fun thread to follow. Congrats to your success.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Wow! So it hit #4 a couple hours ago? Is that what I just read? More coffee. At 8:56AM EST it's at #7 with a green arrow. Great showing. Great sales numbers. Amazon can move books. Now we'll see how sticky it is, but it should start dropping like Moneyball did.


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## ETS PRESS (Nov 4, 2011)

I'm betting you will stay in the top 100 for weeks to come.


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## cblewgolf (Jan 3, 2011)

Fantastic results.  Congrats!
I bet you can't wait until the royalty check comes in May....


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

TOP 5

WOOT!!!!!!

Okay, Jack -- I win the Cafe pool!


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

So I don't know what happened last night, but I woke up to a sales total of over 7,500 at 6AM PST. As ya'll know, determining if those sales occurred before or after the sales deadline will be difficult. Never saw the break into the top #5. Thanks for spotting it Mike and Muse. Guess Robert gets all the beans today. I didn't even think it would break into the top ten!

Someone asked about ZSum. It sold about 300 copies yesterday. (About what it normally sells in 10 days.)

B.


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## Colin Taber (Apr 4, 2011)

I've just read through all 7 pages of the thread and have to say that it's all quite a rush!

 Well done, B! 

And thanks to everyone else who has helped to update rankings and offer their wisdom.

Like someone else said earlier (Lisa?), I hope ZS gets to be sticky!


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## Bryan Dunn (Mar 20, 2011)

Fantastic!  Congrats again.  Thanks for sharing results.  Being selected for the KDD is better than dropping a tab of
NZT-48 (arcane reference to the excellent movie LIMITLESS).


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

B, I took a series of screen shots for you throughout the day while you were at work. I wish I'd been awake to get the ones of your book hitting #4, but alas.... Still, if you'd like me to send you copies of what images I have, as email attachments, just send me a message with your email address, to: RobertTheWriter [at] gmail [dot] com

Again, congratulations! I was pulling for you to hit #1. But given your mind-blowing numbers yesterday, I am astonished at what sales the books ahead of yours on the list must be racking up.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Robert Bidinotto said:


> TOP 5
> 
> WOOT!!!!!!
> 
> Okay, Jack -- I win the Cafe pool!


Notice the difference between your hit at #4 back in Dec and his? He needed 2500 more sales to hit that number.

With those books ahead I did not think he would crack the Top 3 or Top 5, but he surged at dawn.

Anybody get a screenshot for Justin? I think the numbers for the Top are pretty staggering, but I'll never know.

I think you won Robert, you never wavered. Cash or bouillon?


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Yes, Jack, I realized that last night when B reported that he'd passed 6,000 sales...yet was still only at #8. Incredible. I hit #4 in December with only 4900 sales, and for a few hours even passed the latest "Hunger Games" novel. Which just underscores how these rankings, and the sales needed to hit them, change constantly.

For that reason, about midnight Eastern time I figured that my cocky prediction of B hitting the Top 5 had been overly ambitious. I just couldn't _imagine_ that with the Daily Deal attention and the bargain-basement price, he couldn't get at least that high. Nothing we (or even the Big 6) do to promote our own books begins to rival the selling power of that Amazon spotlight.

Congratulations again, B!

(BTW, Jack, you can just pay off that bet in gold bars.)


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## Romi (Apr 4, 2011)

Just took a break from work to read this entire thread and my mind is blown.    This is amazing, and it’s the best vicarious drug for other self-published authors, with no side-effects beyond bumping into someone and spilling your coffee on them, because you were too busy daydreaming about how high self-pubbed authors can go (I haven’t spilled my coffee on anyone yet, but given this current mind-“screw” (if we were talking in person I would’ve used a different word, haha) it’s imminent).

Mega, MEGA congrats to you, B! And thanks for sharing this all, it’s been the ‘cause of big smiles for many of us


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Robert Bidinotto said:


> Yes, Jack, I realized that last night when B reported that he'd passed 6,000 sales...yet was still only at #8. Incredible. I hit #4 in December with only 4900 sales, and for a few hours even passed the latest "Hunger Games" novel. Which just underscores how these rankings, and the sales needed to hit them, change constantly.
> 
> For that reason, about midnight Eastern time I figured that my cocky prediction of B hitting the Top 5 had been overly ambitious. I just couldn't _imagine_ that with the Daily Deal attention and the bargain-basement price, he couldn't get at least that high. Nothing we (or even the Big 6) do to promote our own books begins to rival the selling power of that Amazon spotlight.
> 
> ...


I think it means many more ebooks are being sold on a daily basis as more ereaders have entered the market. It's an expanding universe.

Gold bars? Cash is gone. I have boullion--beef or chicken in little cubes? Not bars.


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## K.R. Harris (Jan 25, 2012)

Great numbers, B. Major congrats!


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Fantastic! You are an inspiration sir, along with Robert. 

Way to go, both of you.


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

Outstanding, B!!!

Uncle Jeff can sure work some magic but he has to start with a worthy book. Congrats.


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## eBooksHabit (Mar 5, 2012)

Do you only get the smaller commission % because the book was 99cents, or do u still get the % based on your true price?


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## AnneMarie Novark (Aug 15, 2010)

Wow!!! What an awesome thread!!!

Woohoo!!!  B!!!

*throws confetti*

*blows tootie horns*

Major Congratulations!!!


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

This has been awesome to watch.

Question - I'd love to hear what happens next? By that I mean, for those after a KDD rocket into the Top 10, how did the sales look hourly, daily, etc. as you float back down.


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## bellaandre (Dec 10, 2010)

So awesome, B! Huge congrats!!!
 Bella


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

In answer to Brian:

I can't speak for a KDD promotion -- the post-Thanksgiving "Big Deal" in which I participated was different, a week-long event -- but the pattern of sales and rankings afterward is undoubtedly quite similar. It's something like a Shuttle launch: It goes up really fast, but glides back to earth slowly. Since the launch propels your book up to the top of a bunch of highly visible bestseller lists, that alone guarantees a lot of continuing sales when the promotion ends.

In my case, within 12 hours of the Kindle sales promotion closing at the end of December 3rd, my highest ranking fell from #4 to #6; in six more hours, it had fallen to #8; but for the next three days, I was still selling over 2,000 copies per day -- and it took about 4 days, till December 7, to fall out of the Top 10.

_HUNTER_ continued to sell over a thousand copies per day for TEN DAYS after the sale ended (till Dec. 14). The book remained in the Top 50 for nine MORE days (late Dec. 23), and it continued to sell over 500 copies per day for two more days after that (through Christmas). In sum, three solid weeks of 500+ ebook sales AFTER the promotion ended.

Sales exceeded 100 copies per day, and the book stayed in the Kindle Top 500, for about an additional three weeks, until Jan. 14. That was more than five weeks after the sale ended.

And sales of _HUNTER_ did not fall back to their pre-promotion daily average until the end of February -- almost THREE MONTHS after the end of the promotion. And of course during that entire three months, I was being compensated at the higher retail price -- not the sale price.

That gives you an idea of what kind of incredible marketing punch that a focused Amazon promotion can give your books.

Now, I won't say that every book promoted by Amazon during a "Daily Deal" has a sales "tail" that long, but even if it's half or one-third that long, the author is going to make a hell of a lot of money and move a hell of a lot of books. So, in my humble opinion, any author who refuses to participate in an Amazon promotion needs to consult a shrink: It's simply crazy to say "no" to this kind of free exposure and income.

P.S. Let me add that, in B's case, he was selling a LOT more books per hour at #4 ranking than I was. So, he is probably going to continue to sell a lot more books than I did at comparable, or even lower, sales rankings. At the moment, for example, his book is #11 in the Kindle Store; but in terms of the number of books he is selling per hour, that ranking may very well correspond to what I was selling with a ranking of #8 or so. In addition, he has a second book out there that is doing very well. Bottom line: The next sixty days are going to do wonders for his bank statement.


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## Vera R. (Jun 13, 2011)

That's very, very cool! Congrats!!


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## Danielle Kazemi (Apr 2, 2011)

Incredibly green with envy. I look like Kermit. Lol Congrats though. You made out like a bandit.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Congratulations! What a deal.


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

Robert Bidinotto said:


> In answer to Brian:
> 
> I can't speak for a KDD promotion -- the post-Thanksgiving "Big Deal" in which I participated was different, a week-long event -- but the pattern of sales and rankings afterward is undoubtedly quite similar. It's something like a Shuttle launch: It goes up really fast, but glides back to earth slowly. Since the launch propels your book up to the top of a bunch of highly visible bestseller lists, that alone guarantees a lot of continuing sales when the promotion ends.
> 
> In my case, within 12 hours of the Kindle sales promotion closing at the end of December 3rd, my highest ranking fell from #4 to #6; in six more hours, it had fallen to #8; but for the next three days, I was still selling over 2,000 copies per day -- and it took about 4 days, till December 7, to fall out of the Top 10.


Wow - just Wow!!


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## Wyatt North (Jan 2, 2012)

Incredible. Quite the story!


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

At the moment (8 pm Eastern, 3/14), B's two books occupy #1 and #10 on the Kindle/Amazon "Contemporary Fantasy" list. Two books on a category Top 10 list simultaneously...fabulous!


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Robert, I have noticed that many of the post DD books do hang in within the Top 50 for some weeks before receding below 100, like Hunter did. Some sink faster than others. That stickiness is nice since you are selling at your regular price and earning higher $ per sale over multiple days. I think many buyers do just look at the Bestseller's list and select from there. Of course the alsobots provide great visibility too. 

I think the numbers Justin provided demonstrate a good percentage of new readers adopting ebooks and I think this will only accelerate over the next few years.


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## 25803 (Oct 24, 2010)

This is so exciting, B.  I hope the wave you're riding never fades.


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## John Daulton (Feb 28, 2012)

jackz4000 said:


> I think the numbers Justin provided demonstrate a good percentage of new readers adopting ebooks and I think this will only accelerate over the next few years.


Every time I see a Kindle Fire commercial on TV I think, "Buy it, people!" And I've made a point of telling people that "You don't need a Kindle to read Kindle books. iPad and most other readers have a FREE Kindle app."


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Amazon reporting appears to have locked up on ZSight. Either that or ZSum (#560) is outselling ZSight (# today. I'll check again in an hour or so.

B.


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## TexasGirl (Dec 21, 2011)

You blew the servers!!


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## John Daulton (Feb 28, 2012)

It doesn't matter. You are rocking it X2.  Totally stoked for you. It's exciting for all of us. My wife is even excited for you after I told her what is happening, and she doesn't follow any of this. (Well, outside mine, obviously lol).


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Danielle Kazemi said:


> Incredibly green with envy. I look like Kermit. Lol Congrats though. You made out like a bandit.


You don't look like Kermit, you look like Elphaba Thropp


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## Danielle Kazemi (Apr 2, 2011)

Haha! Had to look up who that was. Now I will be on the lookout for a little girl with water.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

So, according to the current KDP figures, from 10:30PM yesterday to 10:30PM today, 1,114 books sold, with the majority of those occurring in the morning. (Only about 330 books sold from 9:00AM to 10:30PM.) I don't know whether to believe this figure or not. We know that the Top 10 zone is extremely variable, but we also know that KDP lags occasionally. I guess we'll just have to see if there is a spike of catch-up sales tomorrow. I'm happy either way.

Also, I think we need to consider that in a KDD, the also-boughts do not have time to repopulate. Robert and Deborah's promotions lasted a week+, so their also-boughts had time to repopulate mid-promo. That may be _the_ significant factor in whether a book stays sticky. We shall see...

B.


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## erikhanberg (Jul 15, 2011)

Justin, you're right about the Also Boughts. They seem to take a couple days to kick in. At least they do after a free promotion--it's often not the immediate day after a free promotion ends but the next day that sales really take off. Will be interesting to see how that affects your sales and rank!

Great post KDD day though! And all those at full price no less!


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Still hanging in there pretty well Justin. Congrats. Earlier you were #16, now #23 as the subsequent DD's and other Promo books rise ZS gets squished down in rank, but suspect your sales at full price are more than making up for it in $. Some DD's stay in the Top 100 for weeks.

Everyday there will be one or two more rockets rising from DD or MD, so you're never safe and the effect is cumulative. Keeps it interesting.


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## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

Pretty flipping sweet!


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## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

I just read this thread for the first time. What a ride! Totally cool. Justin, thanks for sharing this with the rest of us.


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Unfortunately my sales dashboard went all wonky mid-week messing up my totals—but fear not! I went to math camp. Using one of those 2-variable matrix thingies, I was able to calculate how many books sold before and after the sale. The KDD happened this Tuesday, so this data set is based on the two days prior to the sale when ZSight sold at $3.99, the one day of KDD sales at $0.99, and the four post-KDD sales back at $3.99.

ZSight's weekly sales prior to the KDD        70 (35/day)
ZSight's sales during the KDD              7186 (7186/day)
Zsight's weekly sales after the KDD          798 (200/day)

ZSum (the sequel) did not go on sale, but the magic spread to it like a raging case of HSV-2...

ZSum's weekly sales prior to the KDD          56 (28/day)
ZSum's weekly sales after the KDD          828 (207/day)

So, no, I'm not going to be retiring on the proceeds, but I'm very pleased with the results so far.

B.


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## John Daulton (Feb 28, 2012)

That's awesome. Couldn't be happier for you. Hope you stay up in the lists for a long time too.


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

Outstanding, Justin.

I'm going to tell my math-teacher hubby to use this example in class.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Thanks for posting your DD numbers and pre and post for both titles. I'm sure you are still getting very good results, just not as dramatic.


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## Robert Bidinotto (Mar 3, 2011)

Those results are excellent for only one day in the spotlight! Three-digit sales per day after the promo are excellent, and from the collateral sales of _Zero Sum_, it's obvious that you've found a lot of devoted new fans of your whole series.

Congratulations!


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## RuthNestvold (Jan 4, 2012)

I'm seeing three top tens for you right now: 

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

    #3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Fantasy > Contemporary
    #4 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary
    #9 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children's eBooks > Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror > Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic

Congrats!


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## montereywriter (Mar 17, 2012)

It's always great to see someone do so well. Nice work!


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## Kristine Cayne (Aug 16, 2011)

B. Justin Shier said:


> Unfortunately my sales dashboard went all wonky mid-week messing up my totals-but fear not! I went to math camp. Using one of those 2-variable matrix thingies, I was able to calculate how many books sold before and after the sale. The KDD happened this Tuesday, so this data set is based on the two days prior to the sale when ZSight sold at $3.99, the one day of KDD sales at $0.99, and the four post-KDD sales back at $3.99.
> 
> ZSight's weekly sales prior to the KDD 70 (35/day)
> ZSight's sales during the KDD 7186 (7186/day)
> ...


These are great results! Thank you for sharing the data with us 

~Kristine


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

B.  Belated congratulations. Another KBer very kindly alerted me to this thread and it has made inspirational reading, much helped by your openness and regular posts.

It would be interesting to know how things went after the dust settled?

Best wishes
Joe


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## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

Steeplechasing said:


> B. Belated congratulations. Another KBer very kindly alerted me to this thread and it has made inspirational reading, much helped by your openness and regular posts.
> 
> It would be interesting to know how things went after the dust settled?
> 
> ...


Thanks, Joe. The end result was about 15K new readers. (And that was for a mid-week KDD!)

Things have calmed down now. My books are back to my usual sales ranks, I've had about a 65% sale-through for the second novel in the series, and I'm under a good deal extreme amount of pressure to get the next book in the series out. The KDD also brought another wave of publishing offers. At the moment, I'm still 'happily indie', and hard at work on book 3. 
B.


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## AmberC (Mar 28, 2012)

I just bought your book because of this thread. Why hadn't I bought it before?


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

B. Justin Shier said:


> Thanks, Joe. The end result was about 15K new readers. (And that was for a mid-week KDD!)
> 
> Things have calmed down now. My books are back to my usual sales ranks, I've had about a 65% sale-through for the second novel in the series, and I'm under a good deal extreme amount of pressure to get the next book in the series out. The KDD also brought another wave of publishing offers. At the moment, I'm still 'happily indie', and hard at work on book 3.
> B.


Many thanks for the update B. I wish you continued success. Fwiw, I think staying on the indie track is the right move. We had a call (I write with a co-author) from Harper Collins about three months back. They'd let our last two books go out of print and the rights reverted to us. They wanted them back to publish both as ebooks. We didn't hesitate for a second in saying no.

Good luck
Joe


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