It goes without saying that writing and publishing a book takes time, effort and an unwavering motivation to keep going despite all odds. And for most aspiring authors one of the biggest motivations is the dream of scaling up the ladder of success and publishing a book that goes on to be known as a best-seller. Everyone dreams of it, yet only a few manage to achieve it and only the really special ones manage to sustain it for a long period of time. You see with over 2 million titles on its platform, Amazon is not only the biggest platform for discovering books but also one of the most competitive spaces for any author to get their book noticed.

This is exactly what makes the achievement of first-time author Nimish Dwivedi that much more special. Nimish V. Dwivedi is a consumer marketing and financial services professional who has observed the changing and emerging landscape of marketing through living and working in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, UAE and Vietnam. But perhaps the best way to introduce him would be to show you a simple snapshot of his book – Marketing Chronicles on the best-seller charts on Amazon. 

In what can be considered a phenomenal feat for any author, let alone a first-time author, Nimish has consistently topped the charts on Amazon for over 2 years now, making his book – Marketing Chronicles one of the most read books in the marketing category! Ranking next to international best-sellers like Philip Kotler for over 2 years puts him in a league of his own quite literally.

So how did a first-time author get his book to rank in the top 5 best-sellers for more than 2 years? And more importantly, are there any common strategies that can be implemented by other authors as well? Let’s analyse. 

A well-defined Target Audience

One of the things that immediately catches your eye about the book is the fact that it has a clearly defined target audience and in fact, Nimish goes as far as explaining exactly who this book is ideal for in the blurb – For marketing professionals, students and practitioners. Defining a clear audience segment for your book is critical as it enables the author to position the book and optimize marketing efforts towards a smaller well-defined set of people who are most likely to pick up the book. 

Take a look at what his blurb says:

A clear need in the market

India currently fosters the third largest startup ecosystem in the world and with over 1300 newly registered startups in 2019 alone, there seem to be no signs of things slowing down. As emerging businesses continue to vie for the attention of the end-user, there has never been a bigger demand for skills linked to marketing and  Nimish has managed to leverage that demand perfectly with his book – Marketing Chronicles.

Perfect Positioning – with a clear USP

The Positioning of a book can help a book make it or break it in the market. One of the biggest strengths of this book is that from the title to the book cover to its pricing, the book clearly positions itself as an easy to read and insightful compendium for any student, practitioner or professional of marketing. 

Take a look at the complete title of the book for instance – Marketing Chronicles – A Compendium of Global and Local Marketing Insights From the Pre-Smartphone and Post-Smartphone ErasMarketing.  It is clear from the first look who this book is for and exactly what the reader gains from it. This direct approach works wonders when it comes to non-fiction and business books where readers browse for specific subjects and categories.

The sub-title of the book also reveals a clear USP, setting itself apart from the rest of its competitors.

Think about this: While there are thousands of books on marketing, Amazon features only the top 100 in its list of best-sellers and only this book talks specifically about deriving insights from the pre-smartphone and post-smartphone eras to optimize marketing efforts.

This is what sets the book apart in the eyes of the readers who are looking for something new to read in the subject of marketing. 

These factors coupled with a price of Rs 200 makes this book a very attractive and affordable option for all interested readers.

Optimal Marketing

The best part about having a well-defined target audience and a clear USP for a book is that when you boost the visibility of the book to your audience, you can rest assured that a significant portion of them will end up buying the book. This is exactly what happened with Nimish’s book as well.

The first couple of months after the release of the book were spent in building traction for the book through Ads on the Amazon Platform and using discounts and promo periods to increase the chances of readers buying the book. These efforts paid off massively as more than a thousand readers picked up his book on Amazon within the first few months of its release. This set the tone for the future with the rankings of the book going up on Amazon and tons of positive reviews coming in from readers who loved the book. This set off a chain reaction which led to more sales and more reviews on Amazon helping the book consistently top the charts on Amazon for more than 2 years now.

Amazon is the biggest platform for books across the world and having a good ranking on Amazon helps in building tons of visibility for a book, but it isn’t an easy process to achieve that. Nimish’s success story serves as a great case study for first-time non-fiction and business book writers on how proper research and positioning can help not only establish but also sustain a book as a best-seller. The best part is these points hold good for any other non-fiction and business genre as well and can be implemented the exact same way.