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Guide: Topic Finder

Lear how to use the Topic Finder feature

landon.mccaig avatar
Written by landon.mccaig
Updated this week

Overview

Topic Finder enables you to discover profitable topic ideas and analyze competitor books with unmatched speed and precision.

This guide will teach you how to use the Topic Finder feature effectively to research book topics and analyze competitor performance.

Key Features

In this Beta version of Topic Finder, you can:

  • Conduct competitor research on other books to see:

  • Monthly sales estimates

  • Estimated monthly royalties

  • Estimated BSR30 (30-day Best Sellers Rank average)

  • Run keyword searches on ideas or topics you're interested in to:

  • Find similar books for inspiration

  • Explore potential topics for Amazon and KDSpy

  • Watch the video tutorial for visual guidance:

How to Search for Books and Topics

When you first open Topic Finder, you'll see a search bar and filters at the top of the page. You can search using two different methods.

Method 1: Search Using Keywords and Filters

  1. Enter your keyword in the search bar

    • Type only one idea at a time

    • Click the magnifying glass icon to apply the search

    • Keyword Examples:

      • ✅ Correct Examples:

        • container gardening

        • cognitive behavioral therapy

      • ❌ Incorrect Examples:

        • container gardening, cognitive behavioral therapy

        • container gardening and cognitive behavioral therapy

  2. Review the results - A list of relevant book results will appear

  3. Refine your search using filters:

    • Adjust the filters at the top of the page

    • Use the slider or type amounts in the text fields

    • Click "Apply" to update the results

      An example of how the Estimated monthly royalties filter looks where there's a slider and text fields to input the filter ranges.

Method 2: Search Using Filters Only

If you don't have a specific keyword or idea:

  1. Apply filters only without entering a search term

  2. Review results - This applies filters to all books in the database

  3. Analyze the book list that meets your filter requirements

Understanding Search Filters

Available Filters:

**Estimated Monthly Royalties**

  • Definition: The estimated monthly earnings of a book in USD

  • Note: This filter is mutually exclusive with BSR30

**BSR30**

  • Definition: The Amazon Best Sellers Rank averaged over 30 days

  • Type: Rolling average that updates daily

  • Note: This filter is mutually exclusive with Estimated Monthly Royalties

**Number of Reviews**

  • Definition: Total customer reviews the book has on Amazon.com

**Book Age**

  • Definition: How long the book has been published (in months)

  • Default: Starts at 1 month minimum

  • Reason: Only books published for at least 30 days are relevant for profitability analysis

**Price**

  • Definition: The list price of the book on Amazon.com in USD

  • Default Maximum: $40

  • Reason: More expensive books are less relevant to self-publishing

Note: Estimated monthly royalties and BSR30 are mutually exclusive filters. This means you can only apply one or the other, not both at once.

For example, if you apply estimated monthly royalties, the BSR30 filter will be disabled and vice versa.

Understanding Search Results

Results Table Overview

The search results display as a table with individual books that match your search parameters. Each row contains detailed information about a specific book.

Purpose: These results serve as an alternative to using Amazon.com and tools like KDSpy for topic research.

Additional Resource: For detailed analysis guidance, refer to Publishing Accelerator's Module 2 - Choosing a Topic.

Result Columns Explained:

**Topic and Book**

  • Content: Book cover image and book title

  • Functionality: Clicking the book title opens the Amazon.com listing in a new browser tab

**Estimated Monthly Royalty**

  • Definition: Projected monthly earnings in USD

  • Calculation: Based on 30-day rolling average

**Reviews**

  • Definition: Total number of customer reviews on Amazon.com

**Estimated Monthly Sales**

  • Definition: Number of purchases made for this book

  • Calculation: Based on 30-day rolling average

**BSR30**

  • Definition: Best Sellers Rank averaged over 30 days

**Price**

  • Definition: List price on Amazon.com in USD

  • Note: This is the original seller price, not sale or promotional pricing

**Format**

  • Options: Paperback, hardcover, or Kindle (e-book)

**Book Age**

  • Definition: Time since book publication

**Publisher**

  • Content: Publisher name

  • Important Note:

    • "Independently published" = self-published

    • Books with publisher names can still be self-published

Sorting Results

Sortable Columns

You can sort results by these columns:

  • Estimated monthly royalties

  • Reviews

  • Estimated monthly sales

  • BSR30

  • Price

  • Age

How to Sort

  1. Hover your mouse to the right of any sortable column header

  2. Click the arrow that appears

  3. Sorting options cycle through:

  • First click: Lowest to highest

  • Second click: Highest to lowest

  • Third click: Remove sorting

Data Sources and Accuracy

Direct Amazon Data

The following data is pulled directly from Amazon.com book listings:

  • Number of lifetime reviews

  • BSR30

  • Price

  • Format

  • Publisher

Proprietary Calculations

These figures are calculated using our proprietary formulas. When compared against real publisher data, our figures outperform competitors:

  • Estimated monthly royalties

  • Estimated monthly sales

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