Morning Session (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM): Free Market Research
Step 1: Amazon Bestseller Analysis (30 minutes)
What You'll Do: Identify hot niches with real buyer demand
Action Steps:
- Go to Amazon.com
- Navigate to Books > Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks
- Click on "Best Sellers" in the left sidebar
- Examine the top 100 books across these categories:
- Self-Help
- Business & Money
- Health, Fitness & Dieting
- Relationships
- Parenting & Relationships
Real Example Analysis: Let's analyze the "Anxiety Management" sub-niche I discovered in December 2024:
- Book #1: "The Anxiety Toolkit" - Rank #15 in Self-Help
- Book #2: "Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety" - Rank #23 in Self-Help
- Book #3: "Mind Over Mood" - Rank #34 in Self-Help
Key Observations:
- Average price range: $9.99-$14.99
- Review counts: 1,500-4,000+ reviews
- Publication dates: Mix of recent (2023-2024) and older titles
- Common keywords: "anxiety," "worry," "stress," "calm," "mindfulness"
Target: Find niches that are "just right" - not too competitive, not too small
Criteria for Perfect Niches:
- Top books have 100-1,500 reviews (not 10,000+)
- At least 10 books in top 100 with similar themes
- Average price $7.99 or higher
- Mix of indie and traditional publishers
Real Example Process: I'll walk you through finding the "Minimalist Parenting" niche:
- Search: "parenting" in Kindle store
- Filter: Best sellers, last 30 days
- Analyze Top 20:
- "Simplicity Parenting" - 892 reviews, $12.99
- "The Minimalist Mom" - 234 reviews, $9.99
- "Clutterfree with Kids" - 567 reviews, $11.99
Validation Signals: ✅ Multiple books with 200-1,000 reviews ✅ Consistent pricing $9.99-$12.99 ✅ Recent publication dates (2022-2024) ✅ Variety of authors (not dominated by 1-2 big names)
Step 3: Keyword Demand Research (45 minutes)
Free Tools You'll Use:
- Google Trends
- Amazon Search Suggestions
- Ubersuggest (free version)
Step-by-Step Process:
- Google Trends Analysis:
- Go to trends.google.com
- Enter "minimalist parenting"
- Check 12-month trend
- Compare with related terms: "simple parenting," "intentional parenting"
- Amazon Search Suggestions:
- Type "minimalist parent" in Amazon search
- Note auto-complete suggestions:
- minimalist parenting books
- minimalist parenting tips
- minimalist parenting style
- minimalist parenting toys
- Search Volume Estimation:
- Use Ubersuggest free version
- "minimalist parenting": 1,900 monthly searches
- "simple parenting": 8,100 monthly searches
- Competition level: Medium (perfect!)
Afternoon Session (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM): Deep Competitor Analysis
Step 4: The "Top 10 Deep Dive" (90 minutes)
Goal: Understand what's working and find gaps
Analysis Framework for Each Top 10 Book:
Book Analysis Template:
Title: [Exact title]
Author: [Name + brief background if findable]
Price: $X.XX
Reviews: X,XXX (average rating)
Page count: XXX pages
Publication date: Month/Year
Publisher: [Self-published or traditional]
Real Example - Complete Analysis:
Book #1: "The Minimalist Mom: How to Live with Less and Love More"
- Author: Rachel Jonat (lifestyle blogger, 15K Instagram followers)
- Price: $9.99
- Reviews: 234 (4.2 stars)
- Pages: 156
- Published: March 2024
- Publisher: Self-published via KDP
- Cover style: Clean, white background, simple font
- Description hooks: "busy mom," "overwhelmed," "simple solutions"
Key Success Factors Identified:
- Author has existing platform (blog + social media)
- Practical, actionable content (not theory)
- Targets specific pain point (overwhelmed moms)
- Professional cover design
- Optimized keywords in title and description
Step 5: Review Mining for Content Ideas (60 minutes)
The "3-Star Review Strategy"
Why 3-Star Reviews Are Gold:
- Show what readers wanted but didn't get
- Reveal content gaps you can fill
- Indicate improvement opportunities
Process:
- Find top 5 books in your chosen niche
- Read 20-30 three-star reviews for each
- Note common complaints/suggestions
- Create content ideas list
Real Example from "Minimalist Parenting" Reviews:
Common 3-Star Review Complaints:
- "Good ideas but not practical for working parents"
- "Too focused on toddlers, needed teen advice"
- "Wanted more specific decluttering steps"
- "Missing digital minimalism for kids"
- "No meal planning suggestions"
Content Opportunities Identified:
- "Minimalist Parenting for Working Parents"
- "Digital Minimalism for Modern Families"
- "The 30-Day Family Declutter Challenge"
- "Simple Meal Planning for Minimalist Families"
Step 6: Pricing Analysis & Profit Projection (30 minutes)
Price Point Analysis:
- Entry level (50-100 pages): $7.99-$9.99
- Standard (100-200 pages): $9.99-$12.99
- Premium (200+ pages): $12.99-$16.99
Revenue Calculation Example:
Book: "The Working Parent's Guide to Minimalist Living"
Price: $11.99
Amazon royalty (70%): $8.39 per sale
Target: 10 sales/day average
Monthly revenue projection:
10 sales × $8.39 × 30 days = $2,517/month
Evening Session (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM): Niche Validation & Decision
Step 7: The "Traffic Light System" (30 minutes)
Scoring Your Niche (1-10 scale):
Market Size (Weight: 30%)
- 1-3: Very small niche, few competing books
- 4-6: Medium market with steady demand
- 7-10: Large market with consistent bestsellers
Competition Level (Weight: 25%)
- 1-3: Dominated by major publishers/famous authors
- 4-6: Mix of indie and traditional, moderate competition
- 7-10: Mostly indie authors, achievable rankings
Profit Potential (Weight: 25%)
- 1-3: Average book price under $7.99
- 4-6: Average price $7.99-$11.99
- 7-10: Average price $11.99+
Your Expertise/Interest (Weight: 20%)
- 1-3: No knowledge or interest
- 4-6: Some knowledge, moderate interest
- 7-10: High knowledge and genuine interest
Minimalist Parenting Example Score:
- Market Size: 7/10 (consistent demand, multiple successful books)
- Competition: 8/10 (mostly indie authors, achievable)
- Profit Potential: 7/10 (average price $10.99)
- Your Expertise: 6/10 (assuming you're a parent with some experience)
- Total Score: 7.1/10 ✅ GREEN LIGHT
Step 8: Final Validation Checks (30 minutes)
The "Reality Check" Questions:
- Are there at least 20 books in this niche with 50+ reviews?
- Have books been published in this niche within the last 6 months?
- Can you identify 3-5 specific content gaps you could fill?
- Does the average book price support your income goals?
- Are you genuinely interested in this topic?
If you answered YES to 4+ questions: Proceed to content planning If you answered YES to 2-3 questions: Consider alternatives If you answered YES to 0-1 questions: Choose different niche
Step 9: Document Your Research (60 minutes)
Create Your "Niche Research Report":
NICHE: Minimalist Parenting for Working Parents
DATE: [Today's date]
MARKET ANALYSIS:
- Top 10 competing books identified
- Average price range: $9.99-$12.99
- Average review count: 150-800
- Publication frequency: 2-3 new books/month
CONTENT GAPS IDENTIFIED:
1. Digital minimalism for families
2. Quick decluttering for busy parents
3. Minimalist meal planning
4. Teaching kids minimalist values
BOOK CONCEPT:
"The 15-Minute Minimalist Parent: Simple Strategies for Overwhelmed Working Families"
TARGET READER:
- Working parents (ages 28-45)
- Feeling overwhelmed by stuff/schedules
- Want simpler family life
- Limited time for major changes
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE:
- Focus on time-constrained solutions
- Include digital/tech minimalism
- Practical 15-minute daily strategies
- Working parent perspective
Success Story: Real Results
Case Study: Sarah Chen's Journey
Sarah, a marketing manager and mom of two, followed this exact Day 2 process in January 2024:
Her Niche Discovery:
- Chosen niche: "Gentle Sleep Training for Working Parents"
- Market validation score: 7.8/10
- Identified gap: sleep solutions for daycare-attending babies
Results After Following This System:
- Book title: "The Working Parent's Sleep Solution"
- Published: April 2024
- First month sales: 847 copies
- Revenue month 1: $6,776
- Current monthly average: $4,200-$5,800
- Total earnings (8 months): $38,400
Key Success Factors Sarah Credits to Day 2:
- Found underserved sub-niche through review mining
- Priced competitively based on research ($11.99)
- Used competitor gaps to create unique angle
- Validated demand before writing single word
Sarah's Quote: "Day 2 changed everything. Instead of guessing what to write, I had a roadmap based on real market data. The review mining alone gave me my entire book outline."
Tomorrow's Preparation
Before Day 3, ensure you have:
- [ ] Chosen your validated niche (score 7+ recommended)
- [ ] Completed niche research report
- [ ] Identified 3-5 content gaps to exploit
- [ ] Bookmarked top 10 competitor books
- [ ] Calculated realistic revenue projections
Day 3 Preview: You'll transform this research into a concrete business plan with financial goals, timeline, and your unique positioning strategy.
Quick Reference: Free Tools Used Today
- Amazon Kindle Store - Market research
- Google Trends - Demand validation
- Ubersuggest (free) - Keyword volume
- Amazon customer reviews - Content gap analysis
- Basic calculator - Profit projections
Time Investment: 8 hours Financial Investment: $0 Expected ROI: Research that could generate $3,000-$8,000+ monthly within 6 months
Remember: The authors who skip thorough market research are the ones who spend months writing books that don't sell. The 8 hours you invest today could save you 100+ hours of wasted effort later.
Dannesya is the author of emotionally intense, darkly romantic fiction—where love is laced with danger, secrets, and undeniable chemistry.
When she's not writing, she's dreaming up new ways to break her readers' hearts… and slowly put them back together.
📚 Explore more of her books on [linktr.ee/dannesya]
📸 Follow her writing journey on Instagram/Twitter: @[dannesya]
