I Published a Book in a HYPER Competitive Niche - This is What Happened

About this video

Sean reports an experiment publishing a book in a hyper-competitive, generic keyword on his second KDP account, to test whether saturation prevents ranking. He says the keyword had over 10000 results, and 50000 depending on whether it was searched in All or Books. He says the book still ranked on page one, in the bottom half, and that it reached page one after launch with only 10 to 15 reviews because, he argues, Amazon favors new books when a launch generates sales and reviews. At the time of filming he reports the book had 132 reviews at a 4.6 average. On earnings, Sean reports $5434 from the book in KDP, plus the ACX audiobook version: 86 sales of a 3 hour book at around $3.5 per sale, about $300 extra, for around $5700 lifetime total. He reports ad spend of $1300 on the US side and around $2000 across all markets including UK and Canada, leaving the book profitable by his accounting, though he notes he may be missing some spend. His conclusion is that competition makes ranking harder but not impossible, and publishers should pick a profitable keyword and stand out with a better cover, title, launch, and reviews rather than hunting a mystical untapped keyword. He also repeats his claim that his first business went from zero to $35000 per month in 2021 before he sold it for $820000.

Key takeaways

• Sean deliberately published into a keyword with over 10000 results, up to 50000 depending on category, to test saturation
• He reports ranking on page one with only 10 to 15 reviews after launch, and later reaching 132 reviews at a 4.6 average
• Sean reports $5434 in KDP earnings plus about $300 from 86 ACX audiobook sales, for around $5700 total
• He reports about $2000 in total ad spend across markets against that revenue and calls the book profitable
• His conclusion is saturation makes ranking harder but not impossible; win with a better cover, title, launch strategy, and more reviews

Episode details: published December 16, 2022 · 8:23 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Sean Dollwet’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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