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Amazon Author Rank: An Author's Guide to the Bestseller List
For authors publishing on Amazon, there are two key metrics of success: the Bestseller Rank (BSR) of an individual book and the less-understood but highly coveted Amazon Author Rank. While your book’s rank tells you how a single title is performing, your Author Rank is a measure of your overall success and popularity across your entire catalog of books.
Appearing on the “Top 100 Authors” list is a major milestone for any writer. But what exactly is this ranking, and how is it calculated? This guide will demystify the Amazon Author Rank and explain what you can do to improve your standing.
Key Takeaways & Summary
- A Ranking of Overall Author Sales: The Amazon Author Rank is a list that ranks authors based on the total sales of all their books available on Amazon.
- A Holistic Metric: Unlike the BSR, which is for a single book, your Author Rank takes into account the sales of all your books in a given format (e.g., all your Kindle ebooks).
- The Goal is the Top 100 List: The most visible manifestation of this rank is the “Top 100 Authors” bestseller list in various genres.
- The Strategy is to Sell More Books: You cannot directly influence your Author Rank. The only way to improve it is to increase the overall sales of your entire catalog of books.
How is the Amazon Author Rank Calculated?
Like the individual book sales rank, the exact algorithm for the Author Rank is a closely guarded Amazon secret. However, the core principles are clear.
It’s Based on Total Sales: The primary factor is the total number of sales (and KU borrows for ebooks) across all of your books. An author with ten books that each sell five copies a day will likely have a better Author Rank than an author with one book that sells 30 copies a day.
It’s Updated Regularly: The list is updated frequently, likely on a daily or hourly basis, to reflect the most current sales data.
It’s Specific to Format and Genre: You have a separate Author Rank for Kindle ebooks, print books, and audiobooks. These ranks are also broken down by genre. You could be a Top 100 author in “Science Fiction” but not appear on the overall “Kindle eBooks” author list.
You can view the current Top 100 author lists on Amazon’s Author Rank page.
Author Rank vs. Book Sales Rank (BSR): A Crucial Difference
This is the most important distinction to understand.
Book Sales Rank (BSR): This is the rank of a single book against all other books. It is displayed on your book’s product page. You can learn more in our guide to the Amazon book sales rank.
Author Rank: This is the rank of you, the author, against all other authors. It is based on the combined sales of all your books. It is not displayed on your individual book pages but on the dedicated Author Rank bestseller lists.
How to Improve Your Amazon Author Rank
You cannot optimize your Author Rank directly. It is a result of a successful author career. The only way to improve your rank is to increase the total sales volume of your entire catalog.
The most effective strategies for this are:
Write and Publish More Books: This is the #1 strategy. The more books you have for sale, the more opportunities you have to generate sales. A reader who discovers and loves one of your books can then go on to buy your entire backlist.
Run Ads to Your Entire Series: When you run Amazon book ads, don’t just focus on your new release. Running ads for the first book in a series is a powerful way to bring new readers into your ecosystem, who will then buy the subsequent books, boosting your overall sales.
Build a Strong Author Brand: Use your Amazon Author Page to create a professional hub. A strong brand encourages readers to become fans of you, not just one of your books, making them more likely to buy everything you publish.
Promote Your Backlist: Don’t forget about your older books. Running periodic price promotions on backlist titles can generate new sales and contribute to your overall Author Rank.
A high Author Rank is a sign of a healthy and growing author business, a key principle of a professional Amazon KDP publishing career. The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) often features case studies of authors who have built a strong rank through a consistent publishing and marketing strategy.
Short FAQ
Q: Where can I see my own Author Rank?
A: You can see if you have made it onto one of the Top 100 lists by browsing the Author Rank pages on Amazon. Amazon does not currently show you your specific rank if you are outside the top 100 (e.g., “You are ranked #1,254”).
Q: Do pre-orders count towards my Author Rank?
A: Yes. All pre-order sales are counted on the day the book is released. A successful pre-order campaign can give you a significant boost in both your book’s BSR and your overall Author Rank on launch day.
Q: Does Kindle Unlimited (KU) page reads affect my Author Rank?
A: Yes. For your Kindle eBook Author Rank, borrows and page reads from the KU program are factored into the calculation alongside direct sales, as they represent reader engagement and contribute to your earnings.
