Mythbusting | Self-Publishing Review

Mythbusting – The Truth About Paid Book Reviews in 2021

Authors worry relentlessly about ‘paying for reviews.’ What are the concerns, and are they founded? What are the differences between the services offered online? Cate Baum, resident Amazon mythbuster steps in to calm your concerns.

When should I pay for a book review?

MYTH: NEVER! OR YOU AND YOUR BOOK WILL BURN!!

TRUTH: You should pay for a professional book review when you need a respected opinion to use as copy for promotional purposes. This is exactly what any author, from Stephen King to JK Rowling does when they hire a publicist. You then own the copy and can use […]

Cate Baum2021-08-03T07:25:11+02:00August 3rd, 2021|Categories: Features|Tags: Amazon, Book Reviews, Mythbusting|

Mythbusting The Amazon Algorithm Part V: Amazon Categories and Keywords

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Cate Baum2019-12-16T08:36:19+02:00October 2nd, 2018|Categories: Features|Tags: Amazon, Amazon Algorithm, Book Promotion, Mythbusting|

Mythbusting The Amazon Algorithm Part IV – Is Amazon Ranking Broken?

Cate Baum examines the latest author outrage that Amazon is Broken.

Many blogs have been shouting about how Amazon has a loophole that means authors are scamming the system and stealing mountains of cash from the KDP Global Fund. Some authors are being strung up and called out. These shady goings-on must be examined! Welcome to the notorious Mythbusting, Part IV.

MYTH: Amazon’s Ranking is Broken.

Truth: Amazon Ranking is not ‘broken’, but there’s a front-facing issue with how ranking is displayed when switching from Free to Paid that is confusing people.

After reading about several authors that seem to […]

Cate Baum2019-12-16T08:36:28+02:00October 16th, 2017|Categories: Features|Tags: Amazon, Amazon Algorithm, Book Promotion, Mythbusting|

An Interview with Kayl Karadjian, Author of Dragonsoul

Fantasy author Kayl was subject to internet outrage because his book made it to #1 in all of Amazon using promotion methods flagged against Amazon Guidelines. Kayl’s book Dragonsoul received many fake one-star reviews from other angry authors calling him a “scammer.”

Kayl agreed to a ‘transparency interview’ with Cate Baum at SPR, with never-before-revealed analytics, and his conclusions on the pitfalls with choosing book promotion services.

So Kayl, why don’t we start with why you decided to write? What were your motivations?

I was, and still am, a huge nerd. I grew up reading fiction, particularly fantasy and sci-fi, […]

Cate Baum2017-10-16T11:27:25+02:00October 16th, 2017|Categories: Interviews|Tags: Amazon Algorithm, Mythbusting|

Mythbusting The Amazon Algorithm Part II: Amazon Lists, Products, and Sales

There has been a fair outrage from certain authors and bloggers who claim that my last piece about the Amazon Algorithm did not consider the way lists (often referred to by the author community as “poplists” although this is not an Amazon term) work. There has also been some whispering about BookBub’s sales being left out of Amazon results, and a high misunderstanding perpetuated by crowd mentality and myth online.

I called myself a “search expert” in the last post. Clarification: my entire adult working life has been spent in publishing, marketing, and search for multinational banks, automobiles, telecommunications […]

Cate Baum2019-12-16T08:35:48+02:00May 7th, 2016|Categories: Features|Tags: Amazon, Book Promotion, Mythbusting|

Mythbusting The Amazon Algorithm – Reviews and Ranking For Authors

How to get the best out of your reviews and sales to rank high on Amazon without the myths from former search expert and COO of SPR, Cate Baum.

Despite many educated guesses that seem to have passed into urban legend in self-publishing communities online, there are no secrets to the Amazon ranking system.

I have spent the last few months tracking down programmers, algorithm experts, and reading technical documentation about Amazon’s algorithm, and the documentation that is provided online by Amazon at Amazon Seller Central and KDP. What I didn’t do was talk to any authors or bloggers, because […]