Amazon has launched new Charts designed to reveal the most popular books available to read. The online retailer has always offered a list of bestsellers, but these new charts draw in data from a number of sources to give a more accurate picture of what books people are actually reading.
Amazon started life as an online bookseller. So it isn't surprising that the company loves selling books. This is why Amazon has acquired both Audible and Goodreads over the years, and created the Kindle ecosystem. And now it's using new charts to fuel our addiction to reading books.
Amazon Knows What Books You're Reading
Amazon has launched two new charts it calls simply Amazon Charts. These charts track what books people are buying, reading, and listening to across all of Amazon's various properties. They then offer interesting notes on each title, plus links to customer reviews and reading samples.
The Most Read chart refers to "what customers are reading". It orders titles according to "the average number of daily Kindle readers and Audible listeners each week". However, "dictionaries, encyclopedias, religious texts, daily devotionals, and calendars" are all excluded from charting.
The Most Sold chart refers to "what customers are buying and borrowing". It orders titles according to "the number of copies sold and pre-ordered through Amazon.com, Audible.com, Amazon Books stores, and books read through digital subscription programs".
The new Amazon Charts will change every week as new data is processed, giving us all an accurate snapshot of the books everyone else is reading. Crucially, it no longer matters whether people are buying books, listening to audiobooks, or reading books included in subscriptions.
Reflecting the Way We Consume Content
This is a positive move from Amazon, with the online retailer reflecting the way people are actually consuming content these days. Amazon's aim is, rather obviously, to get us all buying more books, but that's something all of us who see the value in reading should get behind.
Do you buy your books from Amazon? If so, why? Is it all about the pricing? Do you own a Kindle and buy eBooks? Do you listen to audiobooks? Can you see yourself using these new Amazon Charts to make purchasing decisions? Please let us know in the comments below!