When I started in self publishing, I was taught to find topics & niches in high demand using the Google Keyword tool…
By identifying highly searched keywords, and then creating a book based on that demand. (Assuming I could contribute some value, of course).
Makes sense, right?
Well … sadly it doesn’t.
Now, Google’s keyword tool is great for finding highly searched keywords, identifying trends, and getting a feel for the size of a market.
But, creating products and services based on search volume alone, is a surefire way to lose time, money, and your hair.
The truth is – search volume does NOT correlate with sales.
I’m pretty sure the search term:
How to tie a tie
… has a pretty large volume of monthly searches.
Does that mean you’ll sell any books or products around this keyword?
Of course not.
The “intent” behind the search has no commercial value at all, considering the abundance of step by step videos available on YouTube about this very subject. In addition, people searching for this, are likely frustrated as hell – in the moment – and looking for an “immediate” solution. As in, a step by step video they can consume and follow along with in 60 seconds.
So how do we decide what topics and niches are worth entering as a self published author?
You go right to the source – the 800lb gorilla of book sales…
AMAZON.
Finding profitable niches and book topics, is as simple as finding out what is already selling on Amazon. (No need to overthink this…)
Forget about Google or what your friends think is popular right now – that is a recipe for disaster.
Amazon has a wealth of information for indie authors. The great thing is, OTHERS have already tested the market – so you don’t have too.
You just want to ‘ride on the wave’ of what other self published authors have discovered…
By looking at ALL the best sellers in multiple categories and sub-categories and look for patters in the top 20 books.
That “in a nutshell” is how you find the profitable niches on Kindle.
Imagine this:
You’re looking to start a business in your local area as you’re fed up working for someone else and wasting your life away. As you flick through the Yellow pages in your area to get some inspiration, EVERY business has revealed their revenue and profit for the last month RIGHT IN THE AD.
That would be a dream scenario, right?
That would surely enable you to start a business in an area where many other “similar” businesses are doing well, right?
Well, did you know you can get this data with Amazon books?
Yup.
If you know how to decipher the “Best Seller Rank” assigned to each book in the Kindle store, that is. Well, I’ve deciphered it for you. With a simple kindle book research software that sits right in your browser.
It’s called: KDSPY – formerly KindleSpy.
You just browse a Kindle category, click on the software, and you’ll instantly have their estimated sales figures for the month.
PLUS, you get to see the patterns in ONE click, allowing you to find the profitable books – discarding the rest.
Search volume is a useless metric where sales are concerned. KDSPY gives you the essential data to make the right decisions…
Sales volume and revenue.
