[markedwards]

Killing Cupid finally cracked the Amazon.co.uk top 100 today (currently no 75) after weeks of lurking outside. Here's how we did it:
http://indieiq.com/2011/05/26/killing-cupid-finally-cracks-the-top-100/

Hope this is useful for people just starting out... The main message is how important the blurb is. One change doubled our sales.

 

[Lisa Scott]

congrats and how cool is that?  Can you share the before and after blurbs?

 

[Ryne Billings]

congrats and how cool is that? Can you share the before and after blurbs?

I'd love to hear what they were too.

 

[markedwards]

The 'after is on the book page now. This was the before:

KILLING CUPID is a scary, sexy stalker thriller with more twists and turns than a bucketful of snakes. For fans of Nicci French, Sophie Hannah, Minette Walters or Ruth Rendell, KILLING CUPID is a novel about how there's someone for everyone, no matter how crazy you are.

WE GUARANTEE YOU WON'T GUESS THE ENDING...

--"Sharply written and funny" Lexi Revellian, bestselling author of REMIX

Alex Parkinson is obsessed with his writing tutor, Siobhan. He will do anything to be with her.  Like buying her designer lingerie with her own money. Like breaking into her house and reading her diary while she's in the bath. Like threatening her ex-boyfriend and watching his love rival plummet from a rooftop. It's not stalking. It's love. 

But when Alex is finally scared off, Siobhan decides to take revenge. How dare he lose interest? As their lives unravel and the past closes in, Alex and Siobhan embark on a collision course that threatens to destroy both them and everyone around them

Filled with suspense and dark laughter, and with a unique twist at its conclusion, KILLING CUPID is written in alternating chapters, showing the male and female viewpoints, by the authors of CATCH YOUR DEATH.

--"I hadn't realised there were such great books out on Kindle. Yours is a lot better than many books I've been given through Amazon Vine... I was laughing out loud." Debbie Blackburn, Amazon Vine/Amazon Top 500 Reviewer

KILLING CUPID is available at this incredible price for a limited time only.

Be warned: KILLING CUPID could put you off the opposite sex for life.

 

[jnfr]

Mark, I notice in your blog post you mention the conversation rate for your Amazon page. Someone around here was just asking how you find that info. Could you clue us in?

ETA: Oh, and huge congrats!

 

[bnapier]

Very cool.  A big congrats.

You now have me running to my Amazon page, checking my blurbs...

 

[Guest]

Congrats!  Quick question...The bestseller status is for the UK amazon site.  Have your sales increased on the U.S. side??

 

[RebeccaKnight]

The before/after blurb comparison is extremely helpful.  Thank you for sharing, and continued success! 

 

[Decon]

I've been looking at my Survival Insrinct blurb for some time. I prefer your first one, so I have done something along those lines and I'll take it from there and see what happens. If it gets me any where near the top 100 I'd be delighted. I wish I could say mine had been optioned ... but I cant

My pitch follows more closely my promo video now and should be up in 24 hrs. Thanks for the post, it has sort of given me the push I needed. Just need a new cover and I'll start to feel more confident.

 

[Emeline Danvers]

Mark,

What was the change?  They both look the same to me.  (Don't laugh, it's hard to read with six young children running around and interrupting me!) 

 

[Larry Buttram]

Congratulations, Mark. I have one whole UK sale, so I figure (in ten years or so) I'll be right behind you.

Love London.

Larry Buttram

 

[markedwards]

Hi - the conversion rate is how many people bought your book after they viewed the item.

The big change was to write a blurb that describes the story in a straightforward way.

And no, US sales are still terrible!

 

[lacycamey]

That's great! Congrats! 2,000 is hot!

 

[Mr. RAD]

Hi - the conversion rate is how many people bought your book after they viewed the item.

How do you know exactly how many people viewed your book? How/Where do you get that information?

 

[jtshelnutt]

I just checked the amazon.co.uk site, it was kinda wierd seeing my own book for sale there, and "Killing Cupid" had climbed to #68. So it's getting better and better. My book in the UK isn't listed as to it's ranking in the top 100, but on amazon.com's paid top 100 best sellers rank it's soared to a jaw dropping rank of 161,247.  I've just dropped my kindle book's price to .99 to try and improve on those figures.