Today, for instance, my "Write Ways To Win Writing Contests" is number 17 at Amazon's Kindle store in the Authorship category of Publishing and Books.

To research my book, I entered 80 writing contests over an 18-month period, winning a string of prizes and awards, including three First Prizes. In all, I achieved better than a one-in-three success rate, even though I entered a dozen contests in which I knew I'd have no chance of success.

In some cases, I entered merely to obtain Judges' Reports. Most entrants don't bother to read these Reports, but they often contain illuminating details. In one well-known competition, for instance, the judges took a set against short stories that carried too much dialogue. In yet another contest, however, the judges claimed that many submissions were cluttered with too many descriptive passages and not enough fast-moving dialogue exchanges!

However, to get back to the topic, obviously, my book is currently achieving sales at Amazon's Kindle store. Yet, last week, the book ranked nowhere. Is it likely that current sales will attract more sales?

Do shoppers buy bestselling books simply because they are bestsellers? I don't! I buy a book because it interests me or because it contains information I need. 

Therefore I hope that people buy "Write Ways..." simply because they expect to find it a useful and valuable aid in their writing careers.