That’s right. 7:05 on a Saturday morning.

I wasn’t the only one there consuming caffeine and taking notes – there were many others who thought the topic was important enough to set the alarm for an early session.

The topic?

Understanding Amazon so you sell more books on that powerful platform.

Becoming a best seller isn’t the hard part

Presenter Amy Collins of book distributor New Shelves pointed out that becoming an Amazon best seller in your category isn’t as hard as you might think.

Noting that you don’t need to sell a lot of books to see your ranking improve dramatically, she told attendees that to become a best seller for one day, you just need to:

• Make sure your book is in the right category.
• Give 12 friends an Amazon gift card.
• Tell them to use it to buy your book on a specific day.
• Remind them the day before that they’re supposed to buy your book the next day.
• Remind them on the designated day to buy your book.
• Watch your ranking climb to the top.

“Ranking feels good, but doesn’t mean much,” Collins says.

That’s because you don’t need to sell a lot of books to reach the top. Does it give you something to brag about? Oh, sure. Does it generate large deposits of Amazon cash in your checking account? Not necessarily.

Getting found in searches is more important.

You want searchability

Strategies for showing up in Amazon searches include:

• Knowing the right keywords to select and how to find and use them.
• Figuring out the right category for your book (there are more than 60 for just “Antiques & Collectibles”).
• Presenting readers with a thorough Author Central profile.
• Getting lots of reviews (“You get no love from Amazon until you hit 35 reviews,” she says).

Collins also recommended using the Listmania function to create lists that include your books (learn now to do that in the May 13, 2015 issue of the free Build Book Buzz newsletter – get the issue by subscribing) and creating wishlists that include your books.

Webinar shows you how to do it

Want to learn how to do all these things — and more? The upcoming Build Book Buzz webinar, “How to Sell More Books on Amazon,” will show you how (visit the “How to Sell More Books on Amazon”  registration page for  details.) Amazon expert Shelley Hitz will demonstrate the must-dos and must-knows in a presentation that will include answers to your real time questions.

How are your Amazon sales? Do you think you’re selling as many books as you should be?