I previously shared a successful book launch that generated $1700 per month. This time, I want to analyze the opposite: a failed book launch. I applied a similar launch strategy, starting with free promotions for 5 days, gathering reviews, then gradually increasing the sales price. The slow sales period lasted longer than expected, but I eventually raised the price to the mid and high range. Overall, the launch process went okay, except perhaps extending the promotional period by a few more days.
The book cover was professionally designed, and the content was handled by Epic Write – a high-quality book writing service. The content quality was excellent, a 10/10. However, the problem lay in Epic Write’s completion time. The writing process took about 4-5 months longer than anticipated due to revisions and writer changes. The book description was decent, but the title was somewhat rambling and didn’t clearly define the target audience.
The main reason for the failure was keyword selection. The chosen keyword had over 10,000 search results on Amazon, indicating very high competition. Although Publisher Rocket showed low search volume, books ranking on Amazon’s first page had significant profits. My mistake was reusing a keyword from 3 years ago when there were only around 4,000 competing books. The Amazon algorithm has changed, and the competition is much fiercer. I didn’t re-evaluate the keyword’s viability after 3 years, nor did I apply the current keyword profitability criteria.
Having already invested in the content, I still attempted the book launch. However, with a high number of search results and intense competition, reaching the first page was nearly impossible. The highest ranking achieved was only page 3. Instead of continuing to invest in competing for this keyword, I should have focused on niche keywords with less competition. For example, instead of “ketogenic diet,” I could have chosen “ketogenic diet for beginners” or “ketogenic diet for women over 50.”
Currently, I’m experimenting with AMS ads using niche keywords, hoping to generate some revenue. If AMS proves ineffective, I can still rely on my personal brand and previously published book series to generate income from existing customers. Additionally, releasing the book on other platforms like Draft2Digital or IngramSpark could provide a passive income stream. Although this launch didn’t go as planned, I believe the book will still generate revenue over time. The key takeaway is that keyword selection is crucial and requires thorough consideration before publishing a book.