In the first and second installments of this three-part series, I talked about why book positioning is one of the most crucial steps in the publishing process and explored the necessary steps to properly position a book.
In this third and final installment of the series, I’ll share some useful tools and resources that can help you position your book like a pro. Since my company created one of the tools, I’ve put them in alphabetical order for you to review.
Amazon
If you want a true DIY experience positioning your book, Amazon has most of the information you need to explore your genre and learn about your audience as well as research categories, competitive titles, and authors. You can learn a lot by looking up top books in your genre and studying how they are positioned.
You can study their titles, book covers, descriptions, reviews, the “look inside” feature, and product details—including the book’s categories and bestseller rank. Read the second article in this series for all the steps in the positioning process. It will help you get the most out of your positioning research on Amazon. Price: Free to browse books
Bublish’s AI Positioning Report
After positioning books for years—and seeing how dramatically it improved author outcomes—me and my team decided to use artificial intelligence to automate the positioning process. Our goal was to bring down the cost and time needed to effectively position a book.
Now, with our new AI Positioning Report, our technology can analyze your entire manuscript (or ebook) in about five minutes and provide a detailed report that includes title and subtitle suggestions, Amazon categories, BISAC codes, a keyword cloud, a professional book description, a list of comparable titles, target reader demographics, and an overview of the book’s top selling points.
Check out what Matt Briel and Lauren Vassallo of Lulu Press’s “Publish & Prosper” podcast had to say. They called the report “game-changing.” Price: With discount code independentpub24 only $49.
KDSPY Pro
A Google Chrome extension released by Book Bolt in 2022, KDSPY Pro helps authors analyze the performance of competing books on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. This nifty tool enables tracking of keywords, rankings, and pricing strategies used by successful authors and publishers. Price: $197
K-lytics
I’ve known Alex Newton, the founder of K-lytics, for years. He’s very knowledgeable and his technology is really cool! His tool monitors and analyzes the Amazon Kindle market, then distills hundreds of data points into actionable, genre-specific insights that authors can use to make better and faster publishing decisions. For example, if you’re a romance writer, K-lytics can spot the latest sub-genre trends to guide you toward what’s hot in the romance market. Price: Subscriptions start at $37/month
Publisher Rocket
Formerly called KDP Rocket, Publisher Rocket created by Kindlepreneur’s David Chesson, helps authors identify Amazon keywords and discover effective book categories. It also provides insights into how competitive certain niches and categories are, which means it’s a useful tool for optimizing some of your Amazon metadata. Price: $97
Conclusion
As I said at the beginning of this series, every successful publishing journey starts with a great book. No amount of positioning or marketing can boost a bad book for very long. The bad reviews will come in. Effective positioning ensures that good books are visible to and engage the right readers.
As a result, the positioning process creates a strong foundation for optimal discoverability, more book sales, and stronger reviews. The findings of your positioning work should guide and inform all the important decisions you make throughout your publishing journey—from manuscript to book design to marketing, and so much more.
Positioning is the secret sauce that empowers self-publishers with the information they need to be successful in today’s competitive book market. It is quickly becoming an essential skill for every independent author.
