An interesting piece appeared in paidContent.org recently about how hard it’s always been to get real numbers of books sold from conventional publishers, but that is changing.  In her article, How Many Copies is My Book Selling?  Now Authors Have More Answers, Laura Hazard Owen writes:

It is surprisingly hard for an author to know how many copies his or her book is selling. Now Simon & Schuster (NYSE: CBS) is giving its authors real-time access to their sales information for the first time, and Random House and Hachette Book Group just announced they will do the same.

Did you know Kindle Nation readers and authors can use our new free eBookTracker to keep track of book sales? Here’s more info.

Power Readers: follow your favorite authors and books, see the impact of your reviews and book blog posts, and be among the first to know when that Kindle book you’ve been wanting is discounted!

Authors & Publishers: see the impact of marketing efforts and price changes on your books’ sales ranks and pricing, know right away when sales start to flag on one of your titles, and see how your books’ rank and pricing data compare to those of your competitors!