I Made $3,043 Last Month on Amazon KDP by Analyzing Best Selling Books with ChatGPT
Here are the results + what I did.
As someone who is actively working to build a publishing company, one of my favorite hobbies is studying books that are selling well on Amazon.
Occasionally, I do case studies on them.
This is one of my favorites —
However, I’m looking for clues that will help me sell more copies of my existing books or create new books that can potentially become best sellers in their category.
So far, this practice has paid off.
Last month in March, I earned over $3,000 from ten titles on Amazon.
My latest book, which I published in January after using the AI research method that I’m about to share with you, brought in $1,256.41 on it’s own last month.
That’s 41% of my total earnings on Amazon.
(Note: I also sell books on other platforms like B&N, Convertkit, Audible, Google Play, etc., and have not included those royalties here.)
My top-selling book was in a very competitive niche.
I didn’t find some unicorn category with “high demand and low competition.”
I went after a category that had HIGH demand and extremely HIGH competition.
I think it’s also notable that I did not use this AI research method on the other nine titles I published previously.
Here’s the royalty breakdown for all ten of my books from March 2023.
I write all of my books under a pen name.
I’ve chosen not to share the specific titles here because, unfortunately, I learned the hard way that some people on the internet have bad intentions.
However, I’m happy to share my general strategy so that you can try it out in the book niche or genre of your choice.
AI Book Analysis Exercise
The goal of this exercise is to have AI, specifically, ChatGPT, analyze a sample of best-selling books in a category and then tell you why THESE books, in particular, are popular among readers based on the title and customer reviews.
You can also have it write a list of unique title IDEAS that have the potential to sell as well (or better) than the best-selling titles you gave it to analyze.
But that’s not all!
You can also have it create book outlines and sales page descriptions based on the data you entered.
And if you want to take this to the NEXT LEVEL, you can ask it to incorporate specific “high volume keywords” into your book title and description.
This works for both fiction and nonfiction books.
Before I walk you through my process, I want to point out the obvious —
You still need to create an attractive cover that is appropriate for the niche AND a quality interior/writing.
However, IF you can do that, this research method will give you a massive advantage over all the other writers who refuse to use AI creatively.
ChatGPT Tutorial
As I mentioned earlier, I’m using ChatGPT for this.
There’s a free version of ChatGPT that you can access by going to https://chat.openai.com/.
They also have an upgraded version called “ChatGPT Plus,” which (full disclosure) I use because it gives me access to the latest version of ChatGPT.
However, you do not need the upgraded version for this work.
The free version of ChapGPT will work fine for this.
Once you have this on your screen, open Amazon in another browser window.
Go to the “Books” section and click the search icon. (Don’t enter anything in the search box.)
Then scroll down to where it says “Department” and pick any category you want to analyze.
You could also analyze a sample of all best sellers, but doing this in a specific category will get you better results, IMO.
For this example, I’m going with the “Crafts & Hobbies” category.
Then I’ll choose “Pets & Animal Care” as my subcategory.
Finally, I will choose “Dogs” as my (sub-sub category).
Now, I’m on the page that lists the best-selling books for the subcategory “Dog Care.”
Next, I’m going to go back over to ChatGPT and enter the following prompt:
I would like you to analyze the top six best-selling book titles in the category “dog care” on Amazon. I will give you the list of titles. Please provide a report explaining why these titles are selling well. Then based on your reasoning, create a list of unique titles that could sell as well or better than the current best sellers in the category.
Press enter.
ChatGPT should respond with something like this:
Next, I will enter the titles of the top six best-selling books in this category.
You can enter more than six titles, giving ChatGPT even more data to work with. However, for the sake of this example, we’ll keep it brief.
Here’s my next prompt:
(Notice that I’ve separated each title with a semicolon.)
Here’s ChatGPT’s analysis based on the prompt above:
Thank you for providing the top six best-selling book titles in the “Dog Care” category. Here is an analysis of why these titles are selling well:
1 — Forever Home: How We Turned Our House into a Haven for Abandoned, Abused, and Misunderstood Dogs — and Each Other
Reason for success: This book appeals to the emotions of dog lovers and connects with readers who want to make a difference in the lives of rescue dogs. The personal stories and focus on creating a loving home environment resonate with a large audience.
2 — Your Dog Is Your Mirror: The Emotional Capacity of Our Dogs and Ourselves
Reason for success: The book explores the emotional connection between dogs and their owners, which is a topic that many dog owners find fascinating. It delves into the psychology of dogs, helping readers to better understand and relate to their pets on a deeper level.
3 — Paint by Sticker: Dogs: Create 12 Stunning Images One Sticker at a Time!
Reason for success: This book combines the love for dogs with a popular and relaxing activity — sticker art. It provides a unique and creative outlet for dog enthusiasts, making it a fun and appealing choice for a wide range of readers.
4 — The Forever Dog: Surprising New Science to Help Your Canine Companion Live Younger, Healthier, and Longer
Reason for success: This book’s focus on the latest scientific research to improve the health and longevity of dogs taps into the desire of dog owners to provide the best care possible for their pets. Readers are drawn to the practical and evidence-based advice on how to help their dogs live a healthier life.
5 — Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution: The Complete Guide to Raising the Perfect Pet with Love
Reason for success: Zak George is a well-known dog trainer with a strong following, lending credibility to the book. His focus on positive reinforcement and relationship-based training methods resonates with modern dog owners who want to train their pets using humane and effective techniques.
6 — How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond
Reason for success: This book covers the essential aspects of raising a puppy, a topic that is always in demand among new dog owners. The comprehensive guide offers practical advice on training, socialization, and care, making it a valuable resource for readers.
Based on the analysis, here is a list of unique titles that could potentially sell as well or better than the current best sellers in the category:
• The Canine Mind: Unlocking the Secrets of Your Dog’s Behavior
• Nurturing Your Rescue Dog: A Guide to Healing, Training, and Building Trust
• Pawsitive Reinforcement: Training Your Dog with Love and Understanding
• The Dog Aging Project: Groundbreaking Research and Tips to Extend Your Dog’s Life
• Dog Fitness and Enrichment: Fun Activities to Boost Your Dog’s Physical and Mental Health
• Holistic Dog Care: Integrating Nutrition, Exercise, and Mindfulness for a Happier, Healthier Pet
Not too bad, right?
But we can do EVEN better than this.
Next, I want ChatGPT to consider a few customer reviews in its analysis, so I gave this the following prompt:
Can I give you a sample of customer reviews to add to your analysis?
It responded with:
Here is my response:
Okay, here are a few customer reviews to consider when doing your analysis. Remember, the goal is to come up with new book ideas that fill a gap in the market and have the potential to perform better and make even more sales than the current best sellers in this category: (paste in customer reviews from books in the sample).
For this example, I copied five customer reviews and pasted them into my prompt.
You could add as many reviews as you like, but you may need to do it in several different prompts, as ChatGPT has a 3,000-word limit for each message.
Here’s ChatGPT’s response:
Thank you for providing the customer reviews. Based on these reviews and the analysis of the top six best-selling book titles in the “Dog Care” category, I can identify some gaps and interests that may not be fully addressed by the current best sellers. Here are some new book ideas that could potentially fill these gaps and perform even better in the market:
Rescue Tales: Heartwarming Stories and Practical Advice for Adopting and Caring for Rescue Dogs
This book would combine the emotional and heartwarming stories that readers love with practical advice on adopting and caring for rescue dogs, addressing the needs of a growing number of people who are interested in giving rescue dogs a loving home.
Canine Communication: Understanding and Improving the Bond Between You and Your Dog
This book would focus on helping dog owners better understand their pets’ body language, vocalizations, and behavior, enabling them to strengthen the bond with their dogs and address issues more effectively.
Dog Care Essentials: A Concise Guide to Raising a Happy, Healthy Dog
Some readers found the current best sellers to be lengthy and repetitive. This book would provide a concise, easy-to-read guide covering essential aspects of dog care, from training and socialization to nutrition and health, without excessive filler content.
The Mindful Dog Owner: Cultivating a Deeper Connection with Your Canine Companion
Inspired by the more philosophical aspects of the reviews, this book would explore the emotional and mental aspects of dog ownership, offering insights and exercises to help dog owners cultivate a deeper, more meaningful connection with their pets.
Canine Enrichment and Play: Creative Activities to Engage Your Dog’s Mind and Strengthen Your Bond
This book would focus on providing a wide range of fun and engaging activities for dogs and their owners, addressing the need for mental stimulation and bonding through play.
The Compassionate Trainer: A Guide to Positive, Relationship-Based Dog Training
With a focus on positive reinforcement and relationship-based training methods, this book would provide clear, step-by-step instructions for addressing common behavioral issues and training a well-behaved, happy dog.
These new book ideas are designed to cater to the interests and needs of dog owners, addressing gaps in the market and providing valuable information in a more engaging and concise format.
As you can see, ChatGPT took the small amount of data that I fed it from Amazon and came up with new, related book ideas and explanations of why those books would sell well in this category.
And if you just can’t decide which specific title to go for, you can ask ChaptGPT for advice on that too.
Here was my next prompt:
If you had to pick just one of these titles that you think has the potential to sell the most copies, which one would you choose and why?
This was ChatGPT’s response:
If I had to pick just one title with the potential to sell the most copies, I would choose:
Title: The Compassionate Trainer: A Guide to Positive, Relationship-Based Dog Training
Reason: This book is likely to appeal to a wide audience as it focuses on positive reinforcement and relationship-based training methods, which are becoming increasingly popular among modern dog owners.
By providing clear, step-by-step instructions for addressing common behavioral issues and training a well-behaved, happy dog, this book can cater to the needs of new dog owners and experienced trainers alike.
Additionally, with the increasing awareness of animal welfare and the importance of humane training methods, a book that emphasizes compassion and understanding in dog training is likely to resonate with readers who want to build a strong, healthy bond with their pets.
From here, you could prompt ChatGPT to create a sample outline for this title and work from there.
What do you think?
Would you try this method?
Do you see any potential flaws with it?
Would you like to learn more about how I’m using AI in my publishing business? (there’s so much more!)
Let’s chat in the comments.
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