• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Jared Dees

Author. Speaker. Teacher.

  • About
    • Now
    • Projects
    • Speaking
    • Contact
  • Books
    • Beatitales
    • Tales of the Ten Commandments
    • Take and Eat
    • Do Not Be Afraid
    • Pray without Ceasing
    • Prepare the Way
    • Advent with the Angels
    • Take Up Your Cross
    • 15-Minute Stations of the Cross for Kids
  • Articles
  • Worksheets
  • Children’s Stories
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter

The Rule of 30,000: How to Evaluate the Market for Your Book Idea (Steve Scott)

By Jared Dees

How do you know if there is an audience for a book about a topic that you want to write about? After you spend months writing a book, how will you know that there will be readers to buy it?

Steve Scott, whose series of habit books consistently put him at the top of the Amazon author rankings among business authors, suggests something he calls The Rule of 30,000.

Here is how it works:

  1. Pick a topic that you want to write about.
  2. Search for books about that topic on Amazon and check their Amazon Best Sellers Rank.
  3. If you can find a couple books about this topic that rank below 30,000 overall on Amazon, which is roughly 5-10 sales per day, then you have picked a topic in which there will be potential readers.

Next, narrow the topic of the book you are writing to be as granular as possible. You don’t want to write a giant tome of everything readers need to know. You want to write a book that solves a very specific problem.

Let’s say, for example, I wanted to write a book about promoting good family dinner-table conversations. After some searching on Amazon today, I would find the following books:

  • One Year of Dinner Table Devotions and Discussion Starters (Best Sellers Rank: #9,895)
  • Dinner: The Playbook (Rank: #25,903)
  • Dinner: A Love Story (Rank: #45,529)
  • Dinner Talk: 365 engaging conversations starters to help you and your family connect (Rank: #1,631,000)
  • Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids (Rank: #1,163,608)

I was able to quickly find one book under #10,000 on Amazon, one under #30,000 and on at #45,000. The results aren’t great. Following Steve’s Scott’s Rule of 30,000 I would probably question the viability of a book on this topic.

Then again, if you as an author feel passionately about writing a book about a certain topic, a best seller rank shouldn’t stop you. It should, however, inform the positioning of the book you want to write.

Here is an article on Steve Scott’s website about the rule: How to Use the Rule of 30,000 to Make a Profit on Amazon.

Here is an interview in which he shares this strategy with James Altucher: How to Make $40K a Month Writing from Your Couch.

February 28, 2018 Filed Under: Author Tips, On Writing, Playbook

About Jared Dees

Jared Dees is passionate about sharing practical resources to teach faith. He is best known for his website The Religion Teacher and is the author of many books including 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach, Praying the Angelus, Christ in the Classroom, and Beatitales: 80 Fables about the Beatitudes for Children.

Previous Post: « 3 Lessons from How We Learn by Benedict Carey
Next Post: Why I Quit Social Media for Email »

Primary Sidebar

Jared Dees

Author, Speaker, Teacher

📬 Tools to Teach Faith 📬

I send many weekly email newsletters every week with tools to pass on faith:

👨‍🏫 The Religion Teacher’s Sunday Planner 👨‍🏫

Lessons, activities, videos, and worksheets for religious educators.

Get teaching resources here >

📖 God’s Word Wednesday 📖

Bible stories for kids.

Get Bible stories for kids here >

🏰 Formative Fiction Friday 🏰

Short stories to help kids find confidence, character, and a relationship with Christ.

Get stories for kids here >

Jared’s Newest Books

  
    
 
 
   
 
 

Jared’s Popular Website for Religious Educators

Search the Site:

Footer

Connect with Jared Dees

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Jared Dees is passionate about sharing practical resources to teach faith. He is best known for his website The Religion Teacher and is the author of many books including 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach, Praying the Angelus, Christ in the Classroom, and Beatitales: 80 Fables about the Beatitudes for Children. See all of Jared's Books →

Stories for Children

Copyright © 2023 · Jared Dees