This guide is aimed specifically at authors whose book is already published on Amazon and whose sales have levelled off or disappointed, rather than authors asking about Amazon sales in general for the first time. If you are starting from scratch, our broader guide on [how to market a book](/resources/book-marketing/how-do-i-market-my-book) covers foundational strategy; this one assumes the book already has a live listing and is treating the current situation as something to troubleshoot.
The structure below moves through the checks in a sensible order, because tackling them out of sequence, for example driving more traffic to a page that does not convert, tends to produce discouraging results without clarifying what is actually wrong.
Step 1: Check whether enough people are seeing it
Before assuming a conversion problem, it is worth confirming the book is genuinely visible: that it appears in relevant searches, sits in categories that match its actual readership, and is not affected by a listing issue. Our guide on getting more people to see a book on Amazon covers this in detail.
Step 2: Check whether the page converts
If the book is being seen but not bought, the product page itself, cover, description, sample and overall presentation, is the more likely area to examine. This is covered fully in our Amazon book page guide.
Step 3: Check pricing and formats
Pricing that is noticeably out of step with comparable books in the same genre and format, whether too high or suspiciously low, can affect a reader’s decision. Similarly, missing formats, for example no paperback for readers who prefer print, or no audiobook where that market is strong for the genre, can quietly cap sales regardless of how good the listing otherwise is.
Step 4: Check reviews and trust signals
Very few or no reviews can make a reader hesitate, particularly for a new or unfamiliar author, because reviews are one of the few independent signals available on a retail page. There is no published review threshold that "unlocks" sales; the honest goal is a reasonable, genuine base of reviews, gathered ethically, not a specific number.
Step 5: Check metadata and discoverability
Even a strong, converting page will underperform if it is not being found for the searches genuine readers actually use. Our guide on making a book more discoverable on Amazon sets out the specific checks for categories and keywords.
Step 6: Check ongoing audience generation
A book that relies entirely on launch-week attention tends to see sales fade once that attention passes. Ongoing activity, an author website, a mailing list, continued content and engagement, supports steadier, longer-term sales far more than a single burst. Author Growth work, where this is built and maintained over time, may be relevant here.
Step 7: Consider ads only once the page is commercially credible
Amazon Ads and similar paid options can be genuinely useful once a page converts reasonably well on its own; used earlier, they mostly demonstrate that the underlying page still needs work, at a cost. Where an author wants ongoing execution of ads and campaigns handled for them, Managed Author support may be a relevant next step, but only where that clearly fits what is actually needed.
Working through it: an example
Example
Imagine a self-published business book, six months after launch, with sales that dropped off sharply after the first few weeks. Working through the steps above, the author finds the page gets a reasonable number of views from a relevant category, but very few converert into sales; the description is generic and does not explain who the book is for, and there are only two reviews. Rather than buying ads to send more traffic to the same page, rewriting the description and continuing genuine review requests addresses the actual gap first.
Amazon sales improvement plan
Use this plan to record where things currently stand across each step, in your own words. There is no scoring; it is a private working document to help decide what to check or change next.
Private worksheet
Amazon sales improvement plan
Work through each step in order and note what you find. Change one meaningful thing at a time before moving on.
Your answers stay in this browser tab only. Nothing is scored, sent or saved to an account.
Common mistakes
- Advertising a page that does not yet convert. More traffic to a weak page produces more disappointing data, not more sales.
- Skipping straight to price changes. Price is one factor among several; changing it without checking the rest can mask or confuse the real issue.
- Judging reviews by a specific target number. There is no published review threshold; a reasonable, genuine base matters more than hitting a round number.
- Treating launch week as the only chance to sell. Ongoing audience-building tends to matter more for sustained sales than a single early push.
- Changing several things at once. Adjusting price, description and keywords together makes it impossible to tell what actually helped.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first thing to check if Amazon sales have stalled?
Whether the book is genuinely being seen (visibility) before assuming the problem is the page itself (conversion).
Should I lower my price to increase sales?
It can help in some cases, but price is one factor among several; check pricing against comparable books rather than assuming a lower price alone will fix things.
Is advertising the fastest way to increase Amazon sales?
Only if the product page already converts reasonably well; otherwise ads tend to highlight, rather than fix, an underlying weakness.
How many reviews do I need before advertising?
There is no published number. A reasonable, genuine base of reviews supports trust; chasing a specific count is not the goal.
Does this guide apply to a book that launched recently?
It is aimed at books already live and past the initial launch window; a very new book may simply need more time before some of these signals are meaningful.