Why I made this.

I write romance and fact-check the advice we all get. Receipts, not vibes. My story

BookTok · from my 325K-post deep dive
#BookTok #NB-001
BookTokEvidence: Solid receipts
788different accounts made the 1,000 most-played posts
In 325,610 BookTok posts, there's no clique you have to break into.
The top 1,000 came from 788 different accounts.
What I found
The 15 most-played accounts got 6.4% of all plays.
Top 15 accounts6.4%
Top 1% (782 accounts)46%
Share of all plays in the file, out of 78,252 accounts. Lopsided at the top, but not 15 people.
325,610 posts, January 2021 to December 2025 · NB1-D01, NB1-D13
What I found
No one account owns the top, in any year.
725 to 815different accounts behind each single year's 1,000 most-played posts
11the most of the five-year top 1,000 any one account had
62.5%of accounts posted exactly once in the whole file
The file is a sample, so some of them probably post more elsewhere.
January 2021 to December 2025 · NB1-D13, NB1-D14
So do this
Stop making a short list of people to impress.
“There's no gate.”
Keep in mind Solid in this file. A big sample, not all of BookTok.
1 / 4
The details · 30 sec
Goodreads · Things I used
Things I used · Ratings Rewind
“She has 469,000 ratings and I have 40. She must have blown up overnight.”
Her overnight success took seven years.
Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry and Game Changer on Goodreads, from saved copies
2018-10-22, , 0
2019-03-25, 0,
2020-08-12, 3,474,
2020-10-11, , 2,110
2021-02-22, 4,917,
2021-03-06, , 2,601
2021-05-16, , 2,883
2021-05-29, 5,802,
2022-05-05, , 4,835
2022-05-06, 9,685,
2023-02-14, 13,347,
2023-05-30, 15,429, 7,383
2024-02-24, 20,338,
2024-08-28, , 11,244
2025-02-25, 28,042,
2025-03-08, , 13,252
2025-05-22, 30,104,
2025-06-02, , 14,446
2025-06-27, 31,361,
2025-07-22, , 15,546
2025-09-27, 34,410,
2025-11-06, 41,006,
2025-12-01, , 22,108
2025-12-02, 55,180,
2025-12-17, 96,609,
2025-12-19, , 41,342
2026-01-04, 155,246,
2026-01-21, 206,570,
2026-02-11, 265,499,
2026-03-19, 335,049,
2026-04-11, 362,721,
2026-10-06, 469,309, 259,119
You're comparing your first chapter to her whole career.
Things I used · Ratings Rewind
Rewind Rachel Reid
A note: Her story might seem obvious, since so many people know about the show. That's why she's the example: you can watch the rewind find what you already know, then run it on an author whose story you don't.
A note: why Rachel Reid?
Her story might seem obvious, since so many people know about the show. That's why she's the example: you can watch the rewind find what you already know, then run it on an author whose story you don't.
Questions a rewind can help answer
Is the success series specific?Leans toward yes: with the show, both Game Changers books I measured gained ratings more than 80 times as fast as before it. The Shots You Take, one of her two standalones, rose too, but only about 4 times.
Did a sequel bring readers back to an earlier book?Leans toward yes: both books sped up after The Long Game, though the step shows up 6 to 9 months later.
Which book gained readers faster?Heated Rivalry, from its first saved copy.
Did one book lead?Yes: Heated Rivalry led, and book 1 followed at about half its pace.
How long were the steady years?About six years at 7 to 24 ratings a day, until the show was ordered in June 2025.
What came first: the jump, or the deal?Leans toward the sequel first: the 2023 step came about a year before Crave started developing the show (March 2024, per Playback) and more than two years before it was ordered.
See the full Ratings Rewind page
Rewind your own author
Amazon · from my Amazon algorithm deep dive
#Amazon #CS-002
Amazon
Illustration, not real sales data
Your Amazon rank can drop even when your sales don't.
Other books selling moves it too.
What Amazon says
Rank compares your book with every other book.
“Rankings are relative, so your Sales Rank can change even when your book's level of activity stays the same.”
Amazon KDP Help, "Sales Ranking"
KDP Help, "Sales Ranking," read September 28, 2026 · CS3-124
What I found
Rank and your sales report measure different things.
Sales rank
Your book's activity compared with other books', with recent sales weighted more.
Your KDP sales report
Just your book: orders, and pages read in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon says rank "is not an accurate way to track your book's activity."
KDP Help, "Sales Ranking," read September 28, 2026 · CS3-124
So do this
Before you worry about a drop, check your sales report: orders, and pages read if you're in Kindle Unlimited.
The details · 30 sec
Readers · from my Heated Rivalry fan fiction count
#Readers #CS-001
Readers
Heated Rivalry fan works on AO3, before its show
71June 1, 2022
223December 17, 2023
566October 31, 2025
Heated Rivalry's fans wrote about it for years before its show.
A book doesn't need mainstream numbers to matter.
What I found
Before their shows, Heated Rivalry had a fraction of The Deal's ratings.
The Deal1,004,420November 12, 2025
Heated Rivalry41,582November 9, 2025
Goodreads ratings from saved copies, every edition counted. Ratings aren't sales.
Internet Archive, Goodreads before each show · CS1-108, CS1-110
What I found
566 fan works a month before the premiere. 45,712 on September 28, 2026.
Heated Rivalry fan works: 566 a month before the show, 45,712 on September 28, 2026
June 1, 2022, 71
December 17, 2023, 223
October 31, 2025, 566
September 28, 2026, 45,712
Public works on the AO3 Shane/Ilya tag. Dashed: eleven months with no reading in between.
AO3 and Internet Archive · CS1-114, CS1-107, CS1-19
So do this
Take a small, devoted readership seriously, even if the charts don't measure it.
Keep in mind Three books can't show that fan writing predicts an adaptation. All three were picked because they were adapted, and tag renames can add works to a count.
1 / 4
The details · 30 sec
Amazon · from my Amazon algorithm deep dive
#Amazon #CS-002
Amazon
“Amazon does not disclose information or release official documentation around search/discovery algorithms.”
Amazon community manager, Seller Forums
Every Amazon algorithm guide is an educated guess, because Amazon keeps the rules private.
Don't bet your launch on one.
What I found
The six guides I compared don't even agree with each other.
4 lean on sales velocity
2 lean on conversion
They measure different things, and none showed their data on the page I read.
Seller Forums and six guides · CS3-05, CS3-129 to CS3-135
So do this
Read guides for ideas, not rules. Nobody is holding a formula you're missing.
Keep in mind That forum thread is about product search in general. I found nothing from Amazon saying books work differently.
1 / 3
The details · 30 sec
Launch Study
Want help with your ARC launch?
I'm planning research into how ARC (advance reader copy) launches work, and I'd like to work with authors directly.
See the Launch Study
Goodreads · from Ratings Rewind
#Goodreads #RatingsRewind
Goodreads
The Friend Zone on Goodreads, from saved copies
Abby Jimenez's The Friend Zone on Goodreads: 4,611 ratings six weeks in, 495,422 on October 3, 2026
July 21, 2019, 4,611
December 15, 2019, 14,073
December 15, 2021, 63,408
April 24, 2024, 167,624
March 24, 2026, 454,009
October 3, 2026, 495,422
Ratings aren't sales.
Abby Jimenez's first book got most of its ratings years later.
Today's total hides when she grew.
What I found
The climb lines up with her later books, not her launch.
2019The Friend Zone comes out. 4,611 ratings six weeks later (July 21).
2022Part of Your World on the NYT Combined Print and E-Book Fiction list (No. 13).
2023Yours Truly new on the same list (No. 4).
2024Just for the Summer is the GMA Book Club pick. The Friend Zone: 167,624 by April 24.
These line up with the climb. They don't show what caused it.
Saved Goodreads copies and key dates · Ratings Rewind worked example
How I find it
Goodreads only remembers today. The Internet Archive remembers the rest.
Copy the author's own Goodreads link for the book, which counts every edition.
Open it on the Wayback Machine and pick a saved copy.
Read the count from just before her next book came out.
Copies are spotty: a quiet book might be saved twice.
NB-002, How I find the snapshots
So do this
Compare your start to her start, not to her total. Ask when she grew before you ask how.
Keep in mind One author. Ratings aren't sales, and saved copies are spotty.
1 / 4
The details · 30 sec
Goodreads · from Ratings Rewind
#Goodreads #RatingsRewind
Goodreads
Game Changer on Goodreads, from saved copies (launch day set at 0)
Rachel Reid's Game Changer on Goodreads: 15,546 ratings in July 2025, 259,119 in October 2026
Launch, October 22, 2018 (set at 0), 0
2020-10-11, 2,110
2021-03-06, 2,601
2021-05-16, 2,883
2022-05-05, 4,835
2023-05-30, 7,383
2024-08-28, 11,244
2025-03-08, 13,252
2025-06-02, 14,446
2025-07-22, 15,546
2025-12-01, 22,108
2025-12-19, 41,342
2026-10-06, 259,119
Ratings aren't sales.
More than 9 in 10 of Game Changer's ratings came after the show.
Today's numbers can't tell you how an author got there.
What I found
One saved copy from before the show changes the story.
Before the show15,546Saved copy, July 22, 2025
Today's page259,119October 6, 2026
The Heated Rivalry show premiered November 28, 2025. Ratings aren't sales.
Saved Goodreads copies · Ratings Rewind worked example
What I found
Today's page and the old record tell different stories.
Today's page
259,119 ratings. It looks like it was always a hit.
The old record
Years of steady readers came before the jump.
Saved Goodreads copies · Ratings Rewind worked example
So do this
Before you measure your book against someone else's, look up her old Goodreads pages on the Wayback Machine.
Keep in mind This example was picked because the cause is obvious. For most authors it won't be, and that's when the record matters most.
1 / 4
The details · 30 sec
BookTok · from my 325K-post deep dive
#BookTok #NB-001
BookTokEvidence: Outside receipts
Share of posts in the file carrying each kind of hashtag
Gifted or PR0.58%
Paid ad (#ad, #sponsored)0.25%
Hashtags only, almost certainly an undercount. January 2021 to December 2025.
BookTok creators say free books are far more common than paid posts.
Your budget is probably your time and review copies.
Outside the file
Creators say free and early copies are far more common than payment.
£500 or lowerUK creators' usual prices, about $674 at the time
That's one UK trade article, so I'm treating it as a hint, not a measure.
The Bookseller, June 20, 2025 · NB1-W04a, NB1-W04b, NB1-01
What I found
Paid posts are almost certainly undercounted.
0.25%of posts in the file carried #ad or #sponsored
TikTok's own paid partnership label isn't in my file. The UK's ad regulator estimated only about 57% of influencer ads on Instagram and TikTok were likely adequately disclosed.
ASA report, May 2025 · NB1-D16, NB1-W11a, NB1-W11b
So do this
Plan on your time and free review copies, not paid posts. A gifted post says nothing against the creator.
Keep in mind Outside sources. One UK trade article: "a hint, not a measure."
1 / 4
The details · 30 sec
Amazon · from my Amazon algorithm deep dive
#Amazon #CS-002
Amazon
How long a change takes to show up, in hours
List price24 h
Keywords, title, description72 h
Categories72 h
Cover72 h
Rank after a category changeUp to a week
Published eBooks. Amazon calls these estimates.
Don't judge Monday's Amazon keyword change on Wednesday.
It can take 72 hours to go live.
What Amazon says
Amazon's own Timelines page, which it calls "estimates only."
72 hmost changes: keywords, categories, cover
24 hlist price
Up to a weekfor rank to update after a category change
KDP Help, "Timelines," read September 28, 2026 · CS3-127, CS3-144, CS3-147
So do this
Give a change 72 hours before you judge it, and a week for rank after a category change.
1 / 3
The details · 30 sec
Readers · from my Heated Rivalry fan fiction count
#Readers #CS-001
ReadersTheory, not a finding
An illustration of a theory, not data
What keeps readers from letting go of a story?
A theory: it leaves them room to imagine more.
What sent me looking
The book with the fewest ratings had the most fan writing for its size.
The Deal0.02
Red, White & Royal Blue3.8
Heated Rivalry13.6
AO3 fan works per 1,000 Goodreads ratings, each counted before its own show (2023 for Red, White & Royal Blue, 2025 for the other two). Ratings aren't sales. Three books can't test the theory.
Internet Archive, AO3 and Goodreads · CS1-107 to CS1-112
What I found
Fans have names for the room a story leaves.
Canon divergence
Asks what if one thing had gone differently.
Alternate universe
Drops the characters into a new setting.
Fix-it
Rewrites an ending readers couldn't accept.
None of this makes open better. Closed stories clearly work: The Deal has well over a million ratings.
CS-001, My theory
So do this
Look at the books your readers can't let go of, and ask what they left open: a question never answered, a world bigger than the page, an ending readers want to rewrite.
“Which doors would I leave ajar for the readers who can't let go?”
Keep in mind "a theory, not a finding." Nothing in the counts tests it yet.
1 / 4
The details · 30 sec
Amazon · from my Amazon algorithm deep dive
#Amazon #CS-002
Amazon
How many books did it look at?
Were they books, or mixing bowls?
Did it see the books that sank?
Before you pay for an Amazon ranking guide, ask these 3 questions.
Every Amazon formula is a guess from the outside.
Question 1
"Millions of data points" can come from just 500 books.
26facts on one Kindle page
500books
365days
4,745,000data points. "It's still 500 books."
The 500-book example is my own arithmetic, not any guide's data.
Funny Story Kindle page, counted September 28, 2026 · CS3-146
Question 2
Half the guides I compared were written for people selling products.
3 for product sellers
3 for authors
One worked example is a set of mixing bowls. Amazon hasn't said books rank differently from products; the guides' examples and data just weren't about books.
CS3-130, CS3-132, CS3-133
Question 3
Studying only today's bestsellers limits what a model can say about why they worked.
Snapshot model
Looks at the books ranking today, then asks what they have in common.
Sees Books still listed today, usually the ones doing well.
Misses Books that did the same things and sank.
From outside, nobody can tell if reviews lift rank or rank brings reviews.
CS3-131, CS3-145
So do this
Ask how many books, which books, and whether it saw the ones that sank. Then read it for ideas, not rules.
“I might get close, but I'd never know for sure.”
Keep in mind Amazon keeps its rules private, so people work backward. That's real work, and it's fair to keep data private. It also means nobody outside can check it.
1 / 5
The details · 30 sec
BookTok · from my 325K-post deep dive
#BookTok #NB-001
BookTokEvidence: Solid receipts
Who made the most-played 1% of posts
1 in 5came from accounts under 10,000 followers
Halfcame from accounts with 100,000+ followers
Top posts ranked within each year, 2021 to 2025
In my file, one in five top BookTok posts came from accounts under 10,000 followers.
Big accounts get an outsized share, but small ones still make the top.
What I found
Attention is still lopsided at the top.
46%of all plays went to the top 1% of accounts (782 of them)
About 20%of all posts came from accounts with 100K+ followers, yet they made half the top 1%
Follower counts were taken when the file was made.
325,610 posts, 2021 to 2025 · NB1-D13, NB1-D14, NB1-D15
So do this
The small accounts are the ones you can realistically reach. Start there.
“They aren't a dead end.”
Keep in mind Solid in this file. Follower counts were taken when the file was made.
The details · 30 sec
Goodreads · from Ratings Rewind
#Goodreads #RatingsRewind
Goodreads
Her first four books, just before the next one came out
14,073Book 1
31,895Book 2
29,773Book 3
97,786Book 4
Goodreads ratings, saved copies. Ratings aren't sales.
Abby Jimenez's ratings took off with her fourth book, not her first.
Her debut looks like a hit today. The record says otherwise.
What I found
The Friend Zone, the same book seven years apart.
Six months in14,073Saved copy, December 15, 2019
Today's page495,422October 3, 2026
Goodreads only shows today's total. Ratings aren't sales.
Saved Goodreads copies · Ratings Rewind worked example
What I found
Book by book, just before the next one came out.
The Friend Zone (2019)14,073Saved copy, December 15, 2019
The Happy Ever After Playlist (2020)31,895Saved copy, March 6, 2021
Life's Too Short (2021)29,773Saved copy, December 21, 2021
Part of Your World (2022)97,786Saved copy, March 29, 2023
Yours Truly (2023)244,727Saved copy, April 1, 2024
Just for the Summer (2024)722,958Saved copy, March 30, 2025
Say You'll Remember Me (2025)524,616Saved copy, March 4, 2026
Nearest saved copy before each next book; about four months before for books 1 and 3. Ratings aren't sales.
Saved Goodreads copies · Ratings Rewind
So do this
If you're comparing your debut to hers, compare it to 14,073, not 495,422.
Keep in mind One author. Ratings aren't sales.
1 / 4
The details · 30 sec
Amazon · from my Amazon algorithm deep dive
#Amazon #CS-002
Amazon
Illustration, not real sales data
On a quiet book, one sale can move your rank a long way.
So one jump, up or down, tells you very little.
What Amazon says
Amazon says so itself.
“One sale of a very popular book may not influence its rank much at all, but one sale of a lower volume book may significantly improve that book's rank.”
Amazon KDP Help, "Sales Ranking"
KDP Help, "Sales Ranking," read September 28, 2026 · CS3-124
So do this
Don't celebrate or spiral over a single jump. Judge your book by your KDP sales reports, not one rank move.
The details · 30 sec
Readers · from my Heated Rivalry fan fiction count
#Readers #CS-001
Readers
AO3 fan works per 1,000 Goodreads ratings, before each show
The Deal (M/F)0.02
Red, White & Royal Blue (M/M)3.8
Heated Rivalry (M/M)13.6
Each counted before its own show. Ratings aren't sales.
M/M alone doesn't explain Heated Rivalry's fan writing.
Red, White & Royal Blue is two men too, and its rate was under a third of Heated Rivalry's.
What I found
M/M is huge on AO3, but that's true for both books.
7,605,276M/M works on AO3
3,893,175F/M works on AO3
All of AO3, not just these books. Works can carry more than one category.
AO3 work search, read October 4, 2026 · CS1-140
So do this
Don't credit (or blame) the pairing alone. Compare your book with others like it, not just others in its category.
“M/M probably helps, but it doesn't explain the whole gap.”
Keep in mind Three books can't settle it, and The Deal's rate rests on 21 works.
1 / 3
The details · 30 sec
BookTok · from my 325K-post deep dive
#BookTok #NB-001
BookTokEvidence: Solid receipts
Posts on two of the biggest trope tags in the file
#darkromance9,031
#enemiestolovers4,185
January 2021 to December 2025
On romance BookTok, your tropes do the talking.
Know exactly which ones your book delivers.
What I found
And no one account owns a trope tag.
3,280accounts post in #darkromance
1,783accounts post in #enemiestolovers
15%no one account made more than this share of any trope tag's posts, across the sixteen I checked
325,610 posts, 2021 to 2025 · NB1-D06, NB1-D07
So do this
Write down the tropes your book truly delivers before you plan any BookTok.
“A writing question, not a marketing one.”
Keep in mind Solid in this file, for the tags I checked.
1 / 3
The details · 30 sec
Amazon · from my Amazon algorithm deep dive
#Amazon #CS-002
Amazon
How rank could look after a one-day sales spike, other books held constant
A one-day spike in sales, as rank could look after it
An illustration drawn from Amazon's description of rank, not real sales data.
Illustration, not real sales data
A fading launch-week rank probably isn't a failing book.
Amazon weights recent sales more heavily.
What Amazon says
Rank leans on what sold lately.
“Rankings reflect recent and historical activity, with recent activity weighted more heavily.”
Amazon KDP Help, "Sales Ranking"
KDP Help, "Sales Ranking," read September 28, 2026 · CS3-124
What I found
Steady sales could hold rank better than one big day.
Steady sales, as rank could look with them
An illustration drawn from Amazon's description of rank, not real sales data.
Illustration, not real sales data, drawn from Amazon's description of rank.
CS3-124, CS3-139
So do this
Expect the fade. Judge launch week by sales, not by where the rank lands after.
Keep in mind Amazon doesn't say this is why. It's my reading of how it weights recent sales.
1 / 4
The details · 30 sec
Goodreads · from how I map an author's journey
#Goodreads #NB-002
Goodreads
When
Saved Goodreads copies can narrow her growth to one window.
Why
A sequel, a sale, a newsletter, a moment on TikTok? The record can't say.
The numbers can show when an author grew, never why.
That part you have to go find.
What the archive can't see
Some of what an author does never shows up in the record.
No:Kindle Unlimited reads
No:Ad spend
No:Her mailing list
Yes:Goodreads ratings, at dated copies
Ratings aren't sales.
NB-002, What this can't tell me
So do this
Use the 'when' to ask better questions: check what she released, ran or announced then, before you copy one move.
“A release that lines up with growth is worth a look, nothing more.”
1 / 3
The details · 30 sec
BookTok · from my 325K-post deep dive
#BookTok #NB-001
BookTokEvidence: Solid receipts
49 of 819tags in the file with 300 or more posts are half or more one account
That huge BookTok hashtag might be mostly one account.
Don't pick tags by size alone.
What I found
A big tag can also be a real crowd.
9,031posts on #darkromance
3,280different accounts posting them
"A tag's size tells me how many videos there are, not how many people are talking."
325,610 posts, 2021 to 2025 · NB1-D06, NB1-D07
So do this
Before you chase a tag, look at how many different people are posting in it.
Keep in mind Solid in this file. A big sample, not all of BookTok.
The details · 30 sec
Amazon · from my Amazon algorithm deep dive
#Amazon #CS-002
Amazon
“Newer reviews carry more weight than older ones.”
Amazon, on how star ratings work
Amazon's star rating isn't a simple average, and newer reviews count more.
Verified-purchase reviews count for more too.
What I found
What you might assume, and what Amazon says it does.
A simple average
Every review counts the same, old or new.
What Amazon says
Advanced models. Newer reviews and verified-purchase reviews weigh more.
About Amazon, "How Amazon customer reviews and star ratings work," July 24, 2025 · CS3-125, CS3-128
So do this
Read your star rating as weighted, not averaged: Amazon counts newer reviews and verified-purchase reviews for more.
Keep in mind Amazon says newer reviews count more than older ones. It doesn't say old ones disappear.
The details · 30 sec
Readers · from my Heated Rivalry fan fiction count
#Readers #CS-001
Readers
Heated Rivalry's lead over The Deal, September 28, 2026
316xon AO3
About 7xon Wattpad
Fan writing per 1,000 Goodreads ratings
Fan fiction isn't one audience.
AO3 and Wattpad agreed on the order of the same three books, but not on the size of the gap.
What I found
Same order on both sites, very different gaps.
97.9Heated Rivalry on AO3
0.31The Deal on AO3
0.74Heated Rivalry on Wattpad
0.10The Deal on Wattpad
Fan writing per 1,000 Goodreads ratings. Ratings aren't sales.
September 28, 2026 · CS1-14 to CS1-19, CS1-125
What I found
Part of the reason "may be" how each site tags.
AO3
Volunteers link writers' tags to one shared couple tag.
Wattpad
A tag stays exactly as typed.
CS-001, AO3 vs Wattpad · CS1-124, CS1-125
So do this
Publishing isn't one world, and neither is fandom. Don't judge a fandom, or yours, by one site.
Keep in mind Part of the gap "may be" how each site's tags work.
The details · 30 sec
Amazon · from my Amazon algorithm deep dive
#Amazon #CS-002
Amazon
What KDP gives you for each book
Up to 7keywords or short phrases
3categories, "like digital shelves"
Amazon's one keyword tip: search it like a reader first.
Before you set it, not after.
What Amazon says
Test a keyword before you publish with it.
“Before publishing, search using keywords you're considering on Amazon. If you get irrelevant or unsatisfying results, make some changes.”
Amazon KDP Help, on keywords
KDP Help, keywords and "KDP Categories," read September 28, 2026 · CS3-122, CS3-123
How to do it
Think like a reader.
Type the keyword into Amazon's search.
Look at the books that come up.
Not books like yours? Pick a different keyword.
CS3-122
So do this
Type each keyword into Amazon. If the results aren't books like yours, pick a different one.
1 / 4
The details · 30 sec
BookTok · from my 325K-post deep dive
#BookTok #NB-001
BookTokEvidence: Suggestive, not proof
Posts per 1,000 BookTok posts in the file
#booktropes, four months in (2021)128
#booktropes, a year later15
#booktropes, 20252.6
#romantasy, February 20221.5
#romantasy, 202524.8
Don't rewrite your book for one loud BookTok month.
A spike and a slow climb look nothing alike.
What I found
One tag spiked and faded. One climbed slowly.
128 → 2.6#booktropes per 1,000 posts, peak to 2025
1.5 → 24.8#romantasy per 1,000 posts, 2022 to 2025
2025 values are the average for the year. Two tags aren't enough to say what lasts.
325,610 posts, 2021 to 2025 · NB1-D10, NB1-D11
So do this
Don't reshape a manuscript around one loud month.
“A viral month tells me what was loud that month.”
Keep in mind Suggestive. The #booktropes spike is more likely the vendor's collection than BookTok itself.
1 / 3
The details · 30 sec
Amazon · from my Amazon algorithm deep dive
#Amazon #CS-002
Amazon
The test loop I'm building
Pick one thing: keyword, category, cover, description or price.
Write down the date and where sales stood.
Let it land: 72 h for most changes.
Judge by sales reports, not rank.
Change the next one.
Test one Amazon change at a time, and keep a dated log.
What Amazon does tell you is enough to start.
What I found
The loop only uses what Amazon publishes.
How long changes take
Up to 72 hours for keywords, categories and cover; 24 for price; a week for rank after a category change.
Your KDP reports
Orders, and pages read in Kindle Unlimited. Each format on its own.
KDP Help, "Timelines," read September 28, 2026 · CS3-127
So do this
Change one thing at a time and keep a dated log of what you changed and your sales before and after.
Keep in mind I'm still building this. No results yet.
1 / 3
The details · 30 sec
Readers · from my Heated Rivalry fan fiction count
#Readers #CS-001
Readers
“Fan writing is made by fans, for fans. Should anyone be counting it?”
Before I counted anything
Looking for signals in fan fiction raises a fair question about who should be counting it.
I counted totals only, never who wrote what.
How I counted
What I counted, and what I didn't.
Yes:The total on each public AO3 tag page, by hand
Yes:Story cards on the Wattpad heatedrivalry tag, and publish dates of 22 stories
No:Opened stories on AO3
No:Recorded anyone's name
CS-001, How I counted · CS1-135, CS1-137
So do this
If you write fic: nobody here recorded your name, and on AO3 nobody opened your work. If you're an author looking at fandom data: count totals, not people.
“And I never will.”
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The details · 30 sec

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October · Things I used

Ratings Rewind

Goodreads only shows today's number. Rewind an author's books to plot their journey, book by book.

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Launch Study

What actually works when you use ARC readers to give a book a strong start?

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Why I made this.

In 325,610 BookTok posts, there's no clique you have to break into.

The 15 most-played accounts got 6.4% of all plays.

No one account owns the top, in any year.

Her overnight success took seven years.

Your Amazon rank can drop even when your sales don't.

Rank compares your book with every other book.

Rank and your sales report measure different things.

Heated Rivalry's fans wrote about it for years before its show.

Before their shows, Heated Rivalry had a fraction of The Deal's ratings.

566 fan works a month before the premiere. 45,712 on September 28, 2026.

Every Amazon algorithm guide is an educated guess, because Amazon keeps the rules private.

The six guides I compared don't even agree with each other.

Want help with your ARC launch?

Abby Jimenez's first book got most of its ratings years later.

The climb lines up with her later books, not her launch.

Goodreads only remembers today. The Internet Archive remembers the rest.

More than 9 in 10 of Game Changer's ratings came after the show.

One saved copy from before the show changes the story.

Today's page and the old record tell different stories.

BookTok creators say free books are far more common than paid posts.

Creators say free and early copies are far more common than payment.

Paid posts are almost certainly undercounted.

Don't judge Monday's Amazon keyword change on Wednesday.

Amazon's own Timelines page, which it calls "estimates only."

What keeps readers from letting go of a story?

The book with the fewest ratings had the most fan writing for its size.

Fans have names for the room a story leaves.

Before you pay for an Amazon ranking guide, ask these 3 questions.

"Millions of data points" can come from just 500 books.

Half the guides I compared were written for people selling products.

Studying only today's bestsellers limits what a model can say about why they worked.

In my file, one in five top BookTok posts came from accounts under 10,000 followers.

Attention is still lopsided at the top.

Abby Jimenez's ratings took off with her fourth book, not her first.

The Friend Zone, the same book seven years apart.

Book by book, just before the next one came out.

On a quiet book, one sale can move your rank a long way.

Amazon says so itself.

M/M alone doesn't explain Heated Rivalry's fan writing.

M/M is huge on AO3, but that's true for both books.

On romance BookTok, your tropes do the talking.

And no one account owns a trope tag.

A fading launch-week rank probably isn't a failing book.

Rank leans on what sold lately.

Steady sales could hold rank better than one big day.

The numbers can show when an author grew, never why.

Some of what an author does never shows up in the record.

That huge BookTok hashtag might be mostly one account.

A big tag can also be a real crowd.

Amazon's star rating isn't a simple average, and newer reviews count more.

What you might assume, and what Amazon says it does.

Fan fiction isn't one audience.

Same order on both sites, very different gaps.

Part of the reason "may be" how each site tags.

Amazon's one keyword tip: search it like a reader first.

Test a keyword before you publish with it.

Think like a reader.

Don't rewrite your book for one loud BookTok month.

One tag spiked and faded. One climbed slowly.

Test one Amazon change at a time, and keep a dated log.

The loop only uses what Amazon publishes.

Looking for signals in fan fiction raises a fair question about who should be counting it.

What I counted, and what I didn't.

One email when something new is checked.