The Long Tail in Publishing

Today, Stephen Woodfin talks about the new paradigm for writers, onewoodfin-2 we should all be aware of.  Stephen is a multi-published author (and a lawyer) whose novels have been well-received.  But for some of us, what he has to say today is new and important.  Take it away, Stephen.

Amazon’s Long Tail 

One of the most interesting components of bookselling in the new digital age is the long tail.

“Long tail” is a term made popular by the publication of Chris Anderson’s book, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More.

gorillaIn essence the long tail refers to the infinite shelf-life of books on Internet marketplaces.  As anyone in the book business knows, Amazon is the 500 pound gorilla in the long tail business.

If we look back a few years, we can see the revolutionary power of the long tail in the book business.  For many years, when brick and mortar stores dominated book selling, publishers fueled the retail book market with the returns system.  The returns system is a mechanism whereby book stores can return unsold copies of books they purchase from publishers and receive full credit for the price they paid for the books.

This means that if a book does not sell quickly, a bookstore returns it, and the book vanishes from sight of the public, usually never to be seen again.

Now, however, a reader can find books on Amazon that are not in physical stores. Those books do not disappear, but rather continue to populate digital shelves, waiting for readers to find them.

And readers do find them.  It may take a while for a book to sell from an online site, but it will sell if it is a book of interest to readers of a niche genre.

The niches are endless, too. Virtually any topic has a group of people who want to learn more about it, and it is those readers who search Amazon for books in the category.

Another factor that comes into play with the long tail is Amazon sales rankings.calendar Most people don’t understand what those rankings mean. They are not a reflection of the popularity of the book vis a vis all books for sale on Amazon.  Rather, they are an indication of the amount of time which has elapsed since the book’s last sale.

For instance, a book ranked 100,000 is selling about a copy per day, while one ranked 1,000,000 is selling probably about one copy per month. Also, the rankings reset every hour, so that a book ranked 1,000,000 in the morning may be ranked 100,000 or 1,500,000 by nightfall.

If a reader develops a curiosity about sales rankings, she will soon understand the significance of the long tail.

tailWhat does the long tail mean for authors?

Simply put, it means most authors, save for the infinitesimally few who are lucky enough to have a break out bestseller, will benefit for the most part from the long tail.

In other words, they will sell a few copies of their books day to day, but those sales may continue for many years. This is why authors should keep writing and increase the number of titles they have.  The more titles, the greater the chance those niche readers will find them as the days, months, and years go by.

Jim, thanks for the chance to blog on your site again.  It’s always a pleasure and a privilege.

You can find Stephen’s books on the big Gorilla with the long tail, Amazon, by clicking here.

Please Share or Like, and give us your thoughts on this new look at publishing, the gorilla with the long tail.  Thanks.

 

 

13 thoughts on “The Long Tail in Publishing

  1. Interesting insight, Stephen. I’ve seen this component come into play with my first book, a memoir about my life on Catalina Island. It is the type of niche market that you refer to, and I have seen a slow but steady stream of sales, even though I am now focusing my promoting efforts onto my new book, a novel.
    A niche market for a novel might be a bit different, but I’m hoping that gradual exposure in the marketplace will continue to grow.
    Thanks for sharing this concept.
    Doug Oudin

    • Doug,

      Thanks. Promotion and the long tail go hand in hand because a book that gets a boost from a promotion in its early days is more likely to see the steady trickle over time. I think the best approach is to due periodic promotions to kick the ranking up from time to time and keep the word out there about the title.
      On the novel, I would say that the niches are still important and the more you can target your book in a specific genre or sub-genre the more likely those long tail buyers will find it.

  2. Thanks for the information about Amazon’s ranking. I hear people talking about it but haven’t really understood what they were talking about. Thanks for helping me understand a little more about the system.

    • Marja,

      I am glad you enjoyed the post. The sales ranking thing is something that mystifies most authors. However, I take some comfort in knowing they can rise and fall in a hurry (especially when the rising occurs, lol.)

  3. Indeed, I’m always disappointed that I don’t sell 50 copies of my books a day, but your post helps make me a little more patient. I spend so much time trying to sell my books by promoting online. I need to spend more time writing my next book!! Thank you for the post, Stephen.

    • Joyce,

      I agree. It does little good for an author to fret about the rankings. Write books, promote them as best you can and hope for a steady trickle of sales as new fans find your work. The other thing about the long tail is that in some sense a book is always new because readers find them for the first time perhaps years after they hit the shelves. We never know when a book might get hot.
      Thanks for the comment.

  4. Thanks, Stephen, for an enlightening post. We all know the importance of Amazon, but few of us know much about the giant, how it works, or how to deal with it. You’ve shed a little light on the mystery of Amazon.

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