HOW BOOK MARKETERS GAME AMAZON TO PRODUCE BEST SELLING AUTHORS
The following is a conversation between
Amber Garibay and ChatGPT
on October 27, 2025
It’s easier to become an Amazon Bestseller than most readers realize—and that’s exactly the problem. Behind every ad promising a “6-step system to make your book a bestseller” is a finely tuned sales funnel designed to sell dreams, not books.
Here’s how it works: first, they hook you with empathy—“You wrote a great book, but no one’s buying it.” They walk you through your heartbreak step by step until you feel completely understood. Then comes the bait: “Or… learn my proven system.”
That “system” is rarely about writing, readership, or authentic marketing. It’s a downloadable PDF, a free webinar, or a “blueprint” built to collect your email so they can sell you something bigger.
The truth is, most of these “bestseller launches” exploit a loophole. They push a handful of sales into obscure Amazon categories—ones with so little competition that a few dozen purchases in 24 hours can land a book at #1. The marketer takes a screenshot, declares victory, and another “bestselling author” is born.
It’s not fraud—it’s finesse. But it’s also why so many indie authors end up broke, disillusioned, and wondering why their “bestseller” didn’t change their life. The game isn’t about art or readership. It’s about optics—and who can sell the illusion of success faster.
Amber said:
I saw this ad on Facebook:
Nobody buying your book?
Here's how it usually goes...
1. Write a book.
2. Figure out how to publish it.
3. Spend a month planning your launch.
4. Sell 3 copies… then nothing.
5. Beg all your friends to buy it.
6. Click “refresh” on your sales dashboard 1,627,562 times.
7. Still no sales.
8. Freak out.
9. Spend the weekend crying and eating Ben & Jerry’s.
10. Read the entire internet and sort through all the conflicting publishing advice.
11. Decide to follow the “Top 837 Ways to Market your Book.”
12. Hustle your brains out.
13. Sell five more copies.
14. Despair. Or… Learn the exact 6-step system that I use to make my clients’ books bestsellers. (Even a no-name first-time author with no email list, no PR, and no connections.) Hint: it’s only 6 steps. And they don’t include starting a podcast, spending the rest of your life on social media, or wearing a sandwich board on Main Street.
See, I'm kinda lazy. I don’t like doing things that don’t work. If someone had told me in the first place how to sell a book, I could have saved a lot of time, a lot of hustle, and a lot of Ben & Jerry’s. (Who am I kidding? Celebratory Ben & Jerry’s beats crying Ben & Jerry’s any day!) That’s what I’m offering you. Click the button below to grab your Bestseller Launch Blueprint now.
What do you think she is doing?
ChatGPT said:
She’s running a classic lead-generation funnel disguised as a pain-relief post for authors.
Here’s the breakdown of what she’s doing:
🧩 1. Problem-Agitation-Solution Copywriting
She’s walking you through the emotional arc every struggling author recognizes:
Hope → Effort → Failure → Shame → Overwhelm.
That list of 14 steps is intentionally exaggerated but relatable — it creates pain empathy.
Then she flips it with “Or… learn my 6-step system.”
That’s the solution hook.
💰 2. Lead Magnet Offer
The “Bestseller Launch Blueprint” is almost certainly a free download (a PDF, checklist, or mini-course).
The real goal is to collect your email and then upsell you on something like:
A paid masterclass or course
A “done-for-you” launch package
A one-on-one coaching program
So the ad’s job isn’t to sell directly — it’s to get you in her funnel.
🎯 3. Authority Framing
She positions herself as someone who’s “lazy” but successful, implying she’s found shortcuts that work.
That phrasing makes her feel approachable — not a “guru,” but a “real person who cracked the code.”
This softens resistance and boosts conversion.
🧠 4. Emotional Anchors
She uses humor (“Ben & Jerry’s,” “837 ways”) to lower defenses and make you like her.
It’s disarming — the reader laughs, then thinks “That’s so me,” which builds trust fast.
When you trust, you click.
📈 5. Call to Action Funnel
“Click the button below to grab your Blueprint” →
→ Opt-in page → Email nurture sequence → Pitch for her paid offer (likely between $297–$2,000 depending on the tier).
Amber said:
She hasn’t proven she is actually a best selling author.
ChatGPT said:
Exactly. 👏
That’s the quiet flaw in her entire pitch — and you caught it immediately.
Here’s what’s really happening behind the scenes:
🧾 1. Borrowed Credibility
She never says she is a bestselling author — only that she “makes her clients’ books bestsellers.”
That’s a subtle linguistic trick called implied authority.
It sounds like she’s proven, but unless she names actual clients, shows screenshots, or links to verified bestseller rankings, it’s just marketing theater.
🎭 2. Manufactured “Bestseller” Status
Many book marketers game Amazon’s micro-categories.
They’ll:
Publish a book in a nearly empty category (like “Christian Time Management for Teens”),
Push 50–100 sales in a single day,
Then screenshot the #1 badge — voilà, “Amazon Bestseller.”
So when someone claims “bestseller” without specifying which list or for how long, it’s usually smoke and mirrors.
💸 3. The Real Business Model
She probably makes far more money selling courses to authors than from selling books.
Her ad is engineered to:
Capture frustrated authors (the emotional hook),
Funnel them into her paid programs,
Deliver “general advice” that doesn’t require her to actually prove results.
🔍 4. How to Spot the Genuine Experts
Legitimate book marketers will:
Name specific client titles that hit lists (and you can verify it).
Show screenshots of rankings and dates.
Offer case studies instead of vague “I have a system.”
Often have media features (Forbes, Publishers Weekly, etc.).
If none of that’s visible — you’re looking at a funnel-first business, not a results-first professional.
How the “Amazon Bestseller” Badge Is Manufactured
Choose an ultra-niche category (e.g., “Christian Time Management for Teens”).
Rally 50–100 sales in 24 hours.
Screenshot the temporary #1 tag.
Market yourself forever as an “Amazon Bestseller.”
The badge looks impressive to the uninitiated, but Amazon resets ranks hourly — it’s a micro-moment, not a milestone.
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