moonshadow68
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Best-Seller?
Can anyone tell me what the rules are, if they exist, about calling your book a best-seller?
I have lately seen a lot of people online claiming to "best-selling" authors and it seems a lot like that term means absolutely nothing.
Anyway, I wondered.
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melinda
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I think words that come before or after it make a difference. For instance, I give more credance to "NY Times Best Seller" than I do to "Amazon's
Pygmy Marmasat Reference Manuals Best Seller list"
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moonshadow68
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Quote: Originally posted by melinda  | | I think words that come before or after it make a difference. For instance, I give more credance to "NY Times Best Seller" than I do to "Amazon's
Pygmy Marmasat Reference Manuals Best Seller list" |
Okay, that almost made me spit cottage cheese all over my computer.
What I normally hear, usually from indie publishers, is best-selling with no other modifiers. My friend who was a USA Today Bestseller, that I
respect. The generic best-selling seems like it's skirting the edge of false advertising.
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melinda
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oops, sorry. :-)
I watch a lot of Dora the Explorer. :-D
I'm not sure it's false advertising until you make a solid (false) claim. Lots of products are "Amazing", "The Best", etc. It's when you start to make
unattainable--"removes any stain, guaranteed"-- or untrue-- "1M copies sold--that you stray into the area of false advertising that can be gone after
with a lawsuit.
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moonshadow68
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Oh, I'm not thinking lawsuit worthy--just it seems like a false claim and makes me LESS LIKELY to buy the book.
There are certain labels that do that to me. Clal your book a masterpiece and I'm likely to snort in derision. Tell me it's the best thing since
sliced bread and I'll tell you I prefer biscuits 
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Michy
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Generally, people will make their books available on Kindle for free for the 3-day promo that the Kindle publishing provides, and that will pop them
up into the 'free' best sellers list, and then they turn around and say they are a best seller--when in reality, they were on the top performers list
for free books. EVERYONE who does this I guess can say they are a best seller--doesn't make it true... and yet, doesn't necessarily make it false.
I wish people would use the modifiers, but they won't... leaves ya wondering, "Best seller? Yeah? Where? On mars?".... yeah.
For me, if you ever see best seller in front of my name, it'll be modified with whatever it was--if I'm an Amazon Best Seller, it will say so--but
you'll never see me say I'm a best seller because I gave away a free book that made it to the free lists 'best selling' lists--because I didn't SELL
anything.
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moonshadow68
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Exactly, Michy. I want to know best selling by what standard. I mean I guess technically you could say that your own novel which sold best for you
among your other novels was best selling, but it feels....false.
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chrisstevenson
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Yep, give me a modifier or caveat...like "According to so and so, my title......................has moved into best-seller status in the genre or
category of......etc,.
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Jenn.W
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Because of that.... of everyone calling their books best sellers, I hate doing it. Technically mine is, but I just don't like calling myself the
author of a best selling book that is free. 
The others in the series do well but not like that one.
I agree. Its like everyone and their brother are doing it and it peeves me. Occasionally I take advantage of it, like for my new self publishing vlogs
and I was sure to say the online best selling serial novel. And I only did that because it's been downloaded well over 100,000 times. Not everyone
knows that though and I don't want to be grouped in with the people that everyone thinks are full of poo. But I agree, when I see this, it makes me
actually want to read the book less.
It's just another one of those things that we are going to have to deal with...
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sharkbytes
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Yes, that was my actual LOL for the day! I'm the second highest "selling" free short mystery with a woman sleuth on Smashwords! I don't that that gets
me too much glitter. 
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Skwerly
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Sleuth! I just learned that word yesterday, oddly. Neat word.
I seemed to be looking down from an immense height upon a twilit grotto, knee-deep with filth, where a white-bearded daemon swineherd drove about
with his staff a flock of fungous, flabby beasts whose appearance filled me with unutterable loathing.
Just keep writing and the good stuff will come.
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Michy
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Derek, you didn't know what a sleuth was? Really?... You haven't been reading enough, my boy!
Jennifer, I get you--I've even seen authors put fake 'stickers' on their ebook covers that say 'best selling' like they have won an award when it's 1)
a freaking ebook so you can't put a 'sticker' on it, and 2) giving it away for free and making a best selling 'free' list isn't an award! I've seen
it, though, gold-medal, silver ribbon looking ones, you name it, 'best selling' 'stickers' on books with sales ranks in the 400-600k range when they
are 'for sale'.
My serial novel, THREE, has consistently been in the 15k range, and I know it doesn't take very many books sold per day to make that happen... so 600k
means they aren't even selling one book per week... how does that warrant best selling?
But believe me, when I hit the NYT list--you will totally see: Michelle Devon, NYT Best Selling Author! LOL Totally.... yup.
THAT is the best sellers list I want to brag about!
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moonshadow68
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| Quote: Originally posted by Michy |
But believe me, when I hit the NYT list--you will totally see: Michelle Devon, NYT Best Selling Author! LOL Totally.... yup.
THAT is the best sellers list I want to brag about!
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No doubt! Harlequin had little gold stickers printed up for Kathie to put on her books after she hit the USAToday Best Seller list and she only did
it if the person buying the book wanted it. For me, putting a sticker on a book is like defacing it.
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Michy
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Yeah, well--I'd brag about the USA Today list too,I think.... no, I know. I would! That one isn't easy to get on either!
Jennifer, you might not say best seller--but you can totally brag like this: Over 100,000 people have downloaded TVHD, so get your copy today!
That works, it's honest, and it makes an impact! Congrats on those numbers! I've only made it to 7000 copies of Three given away... I aspire to 100k
though!
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Skwerly
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Haha, M, I don't think I've read a 'mystery' since the Hardy Boys when I was like nine years old...
I seemed to be looking down from an immense height upon a twilit grotto, knee-deep with filth, where a white-bearded daemon swineherd drove about
with his staff a flock of fungous, flabby beasts whose appearance filled me with unutterable loathing.
Just keep writing and the good stuff will come.
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Michy
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| Quote: Originally posted by Jenn.W | Because of that.... of everyone calling their books best sellers, I hate doing it. Technically mine is, but I just don't like calling myself the
author of a best selling book that is free.
The others in the series do well but not like that one.
I agree. Its like everyone and their brother are doing it and it peeves me. Occasionally I take advantage of it, like for my new self publishing vlogs
and I was sure to say the online best selling serial novel. And I only did that because it's been downloaded well over 100,000 times. Not everyone
knows that though and I don't want to be grouped in with the people that everyone thinks are full of poo. But I agree, when I see this, it makes me
actually want to read the book less.
It's just another one of those things that we are going to have to deal with... |
Actually, I don't know if this had happened before this thread or not, Jennifer, but I was re-reading this thread today and realized, not just the
free one that you give away all the time, but several of your serialized ones after that one made it into the top 100 best selling books on Amazon,
and that was for paid copies sold. I know part 2 made it there for at least a short time, because I personally saw it there myself and got all giddy
happy for you!
So not just the free one, you legitimately can say at least one of yours was an Amazon Best Seller. But I'm kinda with you on the fact that since so
many others are doing it the wrong way, not really being best sellers, it makes readers think yours might be the same way. The part really sucks about
the indie movement.
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Melanie
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I might make up some "Best Selling!" stickers.... Except the "Best Selling!" will be in gigantic, shiny gold letters and underneath in tiny print will
be, "out of all the books I've written." That way you can have a different best-selling book every month!
Melanie 
"Go forth boldly in the direction of your dreams." Thoreau
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M. Lori Motley - Fantasy & Horror
Lenora Meade - Romance
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