How to play the book algorithm game

get the ePub on 10/10 at 10am (for $10!)

Two exciting things!

First off, I was THRILLED to see the Kirkus review for Think in 4D:

“[A]n erudite, savvy book that communicates difficult, technical ideas with accessible, largely jargon-free prose. For both the seasoned veteran of interactive design and the unpolished newcomer, this is an invaluable resource. An impressively thorough and clear introduction to a still-new discipline.”

I seriously could not hope for a better review.

Second off, please mark your calendars for launch day: Tuesday 10/10 at 10am. 🥳 (The hardcover launches 10/24.) You’ll get the early adopter price of $10 on the ePub, that’s 50% off.

Calendar invites: Google • Outlook • Office 365 • Yahoo

Why 10/10 at 10? For the algorithms, of course. Chris Brandt, a book marketing consultant specializing in entrepreneurial nonfiction authors, gave me these insights:

• The first circle of buyers (at launch day) will all be people I already know. The goal is to get the book to ripple out further.

• To do that, I want to get into the “bestseller” and “people also liked” and other algorithmically-generated features on Amazon. It’s the most influential site in the world for book buyers.

• So I should build up preorders, right? Nope; Amazon tallies preorder sales on the day of order, not launch day, so they actually weaken your launch day spike. (Some other sites do log them on launch day.) Unless you’re someone with a huge following generating consistent sales throughout preorder, they hurt you in the algorithm.

• Amazon calculates bestseller status hourly, so as an indie author, the best thing I can do is get my friends to buy it at the same time so I can win the “bestseller” badge in my category for that hour (if I manage to beat out all the $0.99 ePubs), which gives strangers more confidence to buy a book from an unknown author. So if you’re buying on Amazon, please buy on launch day. (The ePub will also be available on Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo Books, Baker & Taylor, and more)

• The other part of rippling outward is reviews. Amazon boosts books with more reviews, especially in the first 30 days, and they require reviewers to have purchased there (or state they received an advance copy for review). Goodreads reviews are also really helpful; it’s the most influential site for book readers. So if you can leave a sentence or two after you buy it, it’s extremely appreciated!

• Reviews for the various formats are shared, but sales data is separate. The hardcover will launch 10/24 (print production delays continue), so the ePub reviews will also help people have more confidence to drop $50 on the hardcover.

I hope you enjoy the book. Here’s are those calendar reminders again:

Google • Outlook • Office 365 • Yahoo

Also please note that because of the complex page designs, this is a fixed-layout / print-replica ePub (the text will not reflow). They match the hardcover (out 10/24).

PS thanks everyone who came to the book talk! And closed the club down with me :)