The Amazon A10 Whoopla

Amazon is not your business partner. It’s your landlord.

The Amazon Algorithm Didn’t “Change Everything.” It Just Made the Game Harsher.

Last week, an author sent me the latest think piece making the rounds: “Amazon’s A10 algorithm has arrived, and if you play it right, you can ‘win’ the new game.” I wish I could share the optimism — but after seeing A10 in action, here’s what authors really need to know.

The Myth of the Meritocracy

The upbeat message goes like this: Amazon’s overhauling their system to “reward” organic engagement, reader traffic, and long-term author-audience relationships. The implication? Write good books, build an email list, run smart Facebook ads, and your audience will find you.

What’s really happening? Amazon isn’t content with its current 80% share of the book market. Amazon is no longer content with earning more than $1.3 million per minute. 310 million active users and 200 million prime members are not enough.

If you want a good book sales ranking on Amazon, you need to send it more eyeballs. This is less about rewarding authors and more about squeezing them. Worse, A10 puts more distance between good books and bookstore visibility — unless you’re prepared to keep feeding the Amazon-Meta advertising machine.

Who’s Actually in Control Here?

Amazon’s new rules take control away from real people — authors, KDP staff, even savvy marketers — and deliver it to AI algorithms and opaque data hoops. Your “Sales Rank” now has less to do with sales, and more to do with how much Amazon can milk from you.

If you’re a debut with momentum, you’ll still get crushed by a legacy name that isn’t selling much that week. The Bestseller badge has become a “good old boys’ club” symbol — a sad joke for those trying to break in.

Keywords and Categories — Or Algorithmic Arrogance

Once, you could precisely target your readers by picking your own categories and keywords. Not anymore. Amazon’s treating your metadata as little more than a suggestion, because now the algorithm “knows better.” They scrape your reviews and sales history to “auto-classify” your book.

I’ve seen this firsthand: a client wrote a literary novel featuring a transgender pope — a slow, thoughtful LGBTQ+ character study. Amazon classified it under “Conspiracy Thrillers.” Arguing this with KDP was like talking to my cat, but without the warm cuddles. It’s not just a miss — it’s lost sales, incorrect readers, wasted marketing.

The Cost of Discovery and the Illusion of Empowerment

External traffic now matters more than ever, and where does that come from? Facebook, BookBub, email lists — channels that cost money to build and sustain. This isn’t a new “opportunity” — it’s the same treadmill, only faster and more expensive.

You’re not being “empowered.” You’re working for Amazon. For free.

What Actually Works (and Doesn’t)

Control what’s truly yours:

• Build your mailing list. It’s immune to Amazon’s whims, and no algorithm can take it away.
• Focus on engaging real readers, not chasing phantom rankings. Engagement is more than just an algorithmic signal.
• Treat visibility as an outcome, not a goal — the real business is reader relationships.
• Diversify your platforms as soon as you are able. KU is still important for ebooks, but start planning for direct sales and expanded distribution.
• Get political. Monopoly power will eventually be the death of us all. Demand your elected officials enforce anti-trust laws.

Bottom Line

Amazon is not your business partner. It’s your landlord. And every time the rent goes up, you lose a little more leverage. The latest algorithmic update is just another reminder of who is in charge. But you can survive — and even thrive — by building an audience and a business that isn’t algorithm-dependent.

What’s your take? Have you noticed A10 changing your results? Drop your experiences or questions in the comments below.