For authors selling their books on Amazon’s Kindle platform, marketing is bit of a hit and miss kind of situation.

Most of them focus their energies on obtaining reviews and being active on social media.

Without the backing of large publishing houses, self-published authors on Kindle often struggle to market their books effectively with their limited budgets.

This is where competitor analysis comes in as a godsend for authors. If you are selling on Kindle, this should be your number one priority.

What is competitor analysis for authors?

Competitor analysis for authors on Kindle means using tools and other methods to find certain key data of other successful authors on the platform.

Some of the data includes:

1) Finding out the exact keywords being used by top sellers to get their books discoverable by readers.

2) Understanding the categories within your niche that would help you position your books for quick sale. This is particularly useful for marketing on Amazon Kindle as there are hundreds of bestselling categories within each niche. If you find a top selling but relatively underutilized category, then your book can hit the bestseller list within a short period of time.

3) Discovering other self-published authors, the number of sales for each of their books, sales per category etc. You can simply replicate the book pages of successful authors with your own unique content and see a jump in views of your own books.

4) Getting an idea of how to use descriptions, keywords and other content to help Kindle algorithms promote your books automatically.

Best Competitor Analysis Tools for Kindle Authors and Publishers

Out of all the tools that we have used or tested in the past, we would recommend the two given below.

Note: We are both affiliate marketers and customers of these two products.

The best thing about these tools is that they come with a one-time purchase price and are regularly updated to keep up with changes with Amazon’s Kindle platform.

Publisher Rocket

Publisher Rocket is a comprehensive author marketing tool that self-published authors can use to promote their books on Amazon.

You get a solid 30 day money-back guarantee and typically the tool is priced at US $97.

This is a one-time cost and there are no recurring costs to deal with which makes Publisher Rocket worth the investment.

The main sections of the tool are:

  • Keyword Research
  • Competitor Analyzer
  • Category Search
  • AMS Keyword Search

Out of the above, keyword research, competitor analyzer and category search are meant for organic book sales on Amazon’s Kindle.

Keyword Research: The main focus of this feature is to find exactly which keywords customers are using to search for books. You can then use these keywords in your book page title and description to attract more readers.

Competitor Analyzer: This is a complete competitor analysis tool that provides key data of all book authors in your niche. From bestselling authors to the ones trending. All of the data can be then implemented in your own books on Amazon.

Category Search: This is a must use feature to find the ideal categories to list on Amazon. Just choosing the basic categories provided would result in your book getting lost amongst the hundreds of thousands of books in each category. Using category search, you can find untapped gems that can catapult your book sales to the top-sellers list.

AMS Keyword Search: This section is meant for paid advertisements on Amazon. This is something that is unique to Publisher Rocket. If you want to advertise on Amazon to promote your book, you can use AMS keyword search to get the exact keywords and its metrics you need to use in your advertising campaign.

This results in higher visibility, ideal keyword lists, potentially increase in sales and low cost to click ratio.

Check here for the latest features and promotions on Publisher Rocket.

KD Spy

As the name suggests, KD Spy is an all-out competitor analysis tool for Kindle authors. This can be used by self-published authors or even publishers to spy on all book authors on Amazon.

Usually KD Spy retails for US $97 for a lifetime license. However, at the time of writing this post, there was a special offer of US $59 only. That price makes KD Spy absolutely a steal for what it offers.

On top of that, KD Spy offers a 60 day money-back guarantee.

Keep in mind though that KD Spy has a few upsell features which you can purchase if you have the budget. If not, the standard version for US $97 (or $59 during deals) is good enough.

KD Spy provides data from 12 countries and is designed to be a plugin that you install on your browser. This makes it light and fast to both install and use.

In fact, you can use KD Spy for your research while browsing on Amazon itself thanks to it being a plugin.

Being a dedicated competitor analysis tool, KD Spy provides a 360 degree view of all books, authors and niches on Amazon Kindle. You get all features such as keyword research, competitor analysis, category research, niche finder, author tracking, revenue tracking etc.

Many Kindle authors actually use KD Spy even before writing a book. This is because with KD Spy, you can decide on what genre to write and how to list your book on Amazon for maximum exposure.

Check here for the latest features and promotions on KD Spy.

Final thoughts

As far as I am concerned, competitor analysis is the first and perhaps most important step in Kindle book promotions.

The two listed tools both offer a lifetime license with a one-time purchase fee.

You can even use these tools if you are confused about what genre or sub-genre to focus on with your upcoming books.

Understanding Amazon’s Kindle platform, customer search patterns and more importantly what bestselling authors in each niche are doing would greatly help in your own book sales.

All data that you find using competitor analysis tools can be easily replicated in your own book promotions.