Amazon’s a funny thing.
Well, some would say something worse than funny, but I’ll stick with it for now.
I’m not too ashamed to confess that since The Return of the Mullet Hunter‘s release, I’ve been watching its Amazon pages like a 3G-enabled hawk to see how sales have been doing.
The highlight has been this rather delightful achievement yesterday:
Yes, as you can see from the bottom there, my book was – and still is at the time of writing – the bestselling title in the Australia and Oceania sub-category of the Travel category for Kindle eBooks in the amazon.com.au Kindle store. And number three in the Essays and Travelogues sub-category.
What’s even better is that it was number eight in the Travel category as a whole last night, ahead of titles by Jeremy Clarkson and Bill Bryson.
That means I can, with Amazon approval, describe myself as a bestselling travel author. The proof is on the right (click to biggify).
Now, before you all bow down before me, let me do something that is probably unwise and tell you how many sales on amazon.com.au got me to that lofty position.
You’ll laugh at the number.
It’s one.
One book.
Not one book a day, not one more than the others. One book. In total.
How on earth did I get ahead of the other books with only one sale? Well presumably the more recent the sale the better, and my one was very recent. Obviously Amazon’s main markets are in the USA and UK, and it is only just expanding into the Australian and NZ market. No doubt more titles will be added to amazon.com.au over time.
But the thought occurs that if I can sell one book to get to this position, what stratospheric levels will two sales propel me to? Or three? I’m giddy at the thought. Though I’d better start hoping for it, because – as a result of the big part New Zealand plays in The Return of the Mullet Hunter – I’ve been focusing my energies in the last few days on publicity to NZ outlets. So who knows where this unstoppable one-book sales craze might end.
I’m quite entertained by the idea that I’m a bestselling travel author.
And I don’t care that it only took me one sale to get there.
