[TexasGirl]

I noticed yesterday that I could not find the free lists nowhere, no how. The only way I could get to it was to find a book ON the free list and then click on the "see the top 100 free." I did that by going to ENT and seeing what they listed. Those are usually in the top spots.

Well, today, doing my little trick, I clicked on "see the top 100 free" and it went to the top 100 PAID. TRICKY BEAST! Above the top 100 paid was a link that said "Top 100 free."

I'm betting some of us will see that and some of us won't as they test pages.

But freebies are getting harder to find!

 

[jvin248]

.
I go Amazon>Kindle>Kindle Books>Kindle Best Sellers and instead of the two columns one of paid and the other of free I see three columns all paid with a toggle for free that shows three columns free.
.
More testing and changes...
.

 

[Mathew Reuther]

What I don't entirely get is the why of it all.

We know that free promos drive future sales in a few different ways.

So it stands to reason that since Amazon makes money off those sales, they'd not really want to cripple that.

Of course Amazon crunches all manner of numbers. I know from friends who have worked there (in home office positions) that they're never really satisfied with anything and like to money with details all day long.

It's just a shame they can't stop toying with the visibility and interface. How do they expect their customers to learn the new changes if the authors—who invest plenty of research in things—can't?

 

[Janet Michelson]

I've checked the list several times today and it's been the same format every time.

Interesting that some people get a different set up.

ETA: I just checked it and it is in the new format.

 

[Quiss]

.
I go Amazon>Kindle>Kindle Books>Kindle Best Sellers and instead of the two columns one of paid and the other of free I see three columns all paid with a toggle for free that shows three columns free.
.
More testing and changes...
.

I get as far as "kindle books" in that trail and that's about it. I've never been able to find this "kindle best sellers" list you speak of.
I simply end up on kindle ebooks with a single column topped by #1 . The phrase "best seller" doesn't even appear on that page except for a sponsored link on the bottom.

 

[Quiss]

So it stands to reason that since Amazon makes money off those sales, they'd not really want to cripple that.

It appears that these days you need to give away 10,000 books to sell 100.

In the world of commerce that makes no sense in any way, shape or form. Indies do it because it increases visibility. There is no reason for Amazon to support this. If you're not #384, someone else will be, no matter how much stuff was given away to get there.

Amazon, just like Kobo, Apple and any of the others, encourage indies to upload as many books of any size they can, because then they can say: We have 1,633,000 books. Yay! They don't care if they sell only the top 100 in each category and they certainly rather sell a $15 book than a 99-center. It just looks better to say they have 1,633,000

To encourage a continuous price drop or freeloads (and, heaven forbid, have major publishing houses slash prices) is a poor business plan.

So, yeah, makes sense to "hide" the freebies.

 

[dalya]

ANGRY PRAWN RAGE!!

 

[JRTomlin]

I get as far as "kindle books" in that trail and that's about it. I've never been able to find this "kindle best sellers" list you speak of.
I simply end up on kindle ebooks with a single column topped by #1 . The phrase "best seller" doesn't even appear on that page except for a sponsored link on the bottom.

It sounds like you are looking at the Pop list which is quite different. You find the best seller list in a link in the left hand column.

ETA: For what it's worth, I'm getting the regular 2-column best seller list, but that doesn't mean they're not doing A/B testing again.

By the way, Quiss, Amazon has been pushing for below $10 books for years so I hardly think you can say they would "rather sell a $15 book". Amazon's sales theory is not "the highest price the better". They WANT publishing houses to slash prices. That is why they fought Agency Pricing right so hard (and are winning). 99 Cent books exist because Amazon makes them possible.

 

[CJArcher]

It sounds like you are looking at the Pop list which is quite different. You find the best seller list in a link in the left hand column.

Are you saying it's in the genre list under "Kindle ebooks" on the left? I don't have it either and never have. I suspect we non-Americans see something different to you guys.

 

[jnfr]

On the main Kindle page, I'm seeing this:

Which is about one scroll down on the right-hand side of the page, if you look close.

The left-hand side of that page looks the same to me. Under the second yellow title "Popular Features" is the main link to "Kindle Best Sellers", as well as a link in the new line across the top, just above the thumbnails.

When I click the Best Sellers link, the page defaults to Top 100 Paid, with a tab right next to it for Top 100 Free. That's a change; it used to be two visual lists next to each other.

As before, clicking under "Categories" takes you to the Popular list, which some time ago was changed to "New and Popular".

So some changes, and at least a slight downgrade of freebie visibility, at least from what I'm seeing.

Edit to fix confusing typo

 

[JRTomlin]

Are you saying it's in the genre list under "Kindle ebooks" on the left? I don't have it either and never have. I suspect we non-Americans see something different to you guys.

It's at the top of Popular Features list for the Americans. Yes, for other countries, I have no idea what you see.

 

[JRTomlin]

On the main Kindle page, I'm seeing this:

Which is about one scroll down on the right-hand side of the page, if you look close.

The left-hand side of that page looks the same to me. Under the second yellow title "Popular Features" is the main link to "Kindle Best Sellers", as well as a link in the new line across the top, just about the thumbnails.

When I click the Best Sellers link, the page defaults to Top 100 Paid, with a tab right next to it for Top 100 Free. That's a change; it used to be two visual lists next to each other.

As before, clicking under "Categories" takes you to the Popular list, which some time ago was changed to "New and Popular".

So some changes, and at least a slight downgrade of freebie visibility, at least from what I'm seeing.

It is not a universal change. It's something they've tested before and it looks like they're testing some variation on it again.

 

[jnfr]

Just like the change last spring, that really lowered the number of cheaper books in the top 100 (at least of fantasy and sci-fi, which is what I mainly follow), I suspect they want to de-emphasize freebies, because there's not so much profit in it.

 

[Quiss]

On the main Kindle page, I'm seeing this:

Not seeing that at all. It just lists those books. Nothing about best sellers or free anywhere on that page.
The only way I've ever come across the free books list is when someone posts their rank here during a freebie run. I'm sure there's a way to find it if you're out of the country, but I haven't found it via the regular menu options.
There is a drop down that lets you sort backward by price, but that's not the same thing as a top 100 free list

 

[Monique]

Not seeing that at all. It just lists those books. Nothing about best sellers or free anywhere on that page.
The only way I've ever come across the free books list is when someone posts their rank here during a freebie run. I'm sure there's a way to find it if you're out of the country, but I haven't found it via the regular menu options.
There is a drop down that lets you sort backward by price, but that's not the same thing as a top 100 free list

Can you post a screen shot? I'd love to see the other options.

 

[Hugh Howey]

I'm sending this to Scalzi as a postcard.

 

[jackz4000]

Quiss, Go here save this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store-Fiction/zgbs/digital-text/157028011/ref=zg_bs_unv_kinc_3_157319011_3

 

[jnfr]

I'm sending this to Scalzi as a postcard.

Note that first line is only my personal recommendations Scalzi and Howey, you can tell what I've been browsing.

 

[Quiss]

Can you post a screen shot? I'd love to see the other options.

This is what I get when I click on kindle books or ebooks.

 

[Pnjw]

This is what I get when I click on kindle books or ebooks.

That's the pop list. Not the bestsellers list.