Amazon Now Giving Authors Bookscan Numbers For Free

Of course, these statistics - once pure gold - reflect for the most part only the withering vine of brick and mortar sales. And that's worth remembering. Techcrunch: "What does this mean for authors? Well, it shows authors how few – or how many – copies they’re selling. That’s a huge deal. Second, it lifts the veil on the secretive world of publishing and book distribution. It also shows how few books really sell through the physical distribution chain any more and proves how much of a gamble the book business really is. Regardless, it’s a step in the right direction in terms of transparency – until, of course, Nielsen releases Bookscan Plus or something equally expensive."