Amazon Publishing imprints are again dominating the Kindle best sellers, occupying 6 of the top 10 places, with 5 of those titles being pre-releases.
The Prettiest One by James Hankins is top of the table. The book is published by Amazon’s thriller imprint Thomas & Mercer and is a pre-order with a release date of October 1. Hankins has written four previous thrillers and each has been a No 1 Amazon best seller.
In third place at the start of this week is Still Waters by Viveca Sten, published by Amazon Crossing and another pre-order to be published on October 1. Signing Sten was a coup for Amazon Crossing, which specialises in publishing foreign language books, as Scandi-noir is a massively popular genre and the Swedish author has sold three million copies of her Sandhamn Murders series.
The only Amazon Publishing book in the top 10 that isn’t a pre-order is The Good Neighbour by A J Banner in fourth place. This suspense thriller is a debut novel that was published at the beginning of September by Lake Union Publishing.
Romance swoons in at No 5 with Kissing Mr Right by Michelle Major, published by Amazon’s Montlake Romance (again an October 1 pre-order). Major moved to Montlake after having seven novels published by Harlequin Romance and she’s got another title scheduled for February 2016 publication.
Non-Amazon publishers take the next three places — I Can See Clearly Now by Dr Wayne W Dyer (Hay House) in sixth, Paula Hawkins’ smash hit The Girl On The Train (Riverhead) in seventh and The Martian by Andy Weir (Ebury) taking eighth spot.
Amazon imprints are back in ninth with October 1 pre-orders for Pale Queen Rising by A R Kahler, published by 47North, which specialises in science fiction, fantasy and horror.
The top 10 is completed by another Amazon Crossing title, The Capital of Latecomers by Bulgarian science fiction writer Nina Nenova, again a pre-order scheduled for October 1 release.
Kindle First promotions
Many of the Amazon Publishing ebooks are promoted through the Kindle First scheme. This offers books in advance of their official release date at a price of $1.99 (£0.99 in the UK). A monthly email to readers features a selection of books and readers are limited to selecting one book but there is no purchase obligation. You can sign up for Kindle First emails at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.
Amazon imprints priced at under half the cost of Big 5 titles
Many people have remarked on the rising prices of ebooks from the Big 5 publishers since Amazon conceded agency deals in recent months and this is starkly illustrated with the highest-placed title from a traditional publisher.
The Girl in The Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz is second in the top 10 Kindle best sellers and is priced at $13.99, while just outside the top 10 in 12th spot, Lee Child’s new Jack Reacher book, Make Me, is priced at $14.99 from Delacorte Press.
Five of the Amazon Publishing ebooks are priced at under half those levels at $5.99, and The Good Neighbour is set at $4.99. Both The Girl On the Train and The Martian are priced at $7.99 while I Can See Clearly Now is the only book to undercut the Amazon imprints at $1.99.