What Amazon Bestseller Lists Don’t Want You to Know: The Shocking Reality Revealed

Earlier this year, I published a book. As one does, I shared this news on Facebook and all of my other social media channels. I also shared the pre-order link.

Twenty-four hours later, I checked my Amazon page and saw a little orange flag.

I looked closer.

“#1 Bestseller.”

To say I cackled is an understatement. As a book coach and ghostwriter, I’ve had a front row seat to many of my clients’ book launches, endeavors in which they exhausted themselves pursuing bestseller status — whether on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, or any other list. I had long decided it wasn’t worth the pursuit.

I’ve always told the authors I work with: “Bestseller” doesn’t mean “good book.” It simply means a book has hit the threshold for that status. Nothing more.

And yet, here I was, now able to slap the “bestseller” title on my book and marketing materials if I wanted… all by accident.

Why Does Bestseller Status Matter?

Being a “bestseller” still holds weight. It adds credibility, boosts an author’s authority, and makes readers assume the book is valuable. For self-published and hybrid authors, it can feel like a golden ticket to more sales and legitimacy.

But here’s the truth: Bestseller lists, especially Amazon’s, can be gamed.

When you upload a book to Amazon, you pick up to three categories where it will be listed. If you want to “win” bestseller status, you choose at least one obscure category with little competition. Then, with a small but well-timed spike in sales, you hit #1.

I had no intention of doing this. But I accidentally did.

I originally chose broad, high-level categories. But when I uploaded the digital version, the same categories weren’t available, and I ended up selecting “Authorship” as a category.

A day after I shared my Facebook post, I hit the #1 bestseller list under “Authorship.”

As soon as I’d noticed I hit the list, I checked my preorders for that day alone.