NovelRank, R.I.P.

All this site did was track how many actual copies of books were sold on Amazon. Someone at Amazon murdered it.

It’s been a lollapalooza of a summer in a year of changes and adjustments. Post-Labor Day Weekend, the changes keep coming. Yes, it’s feeling very much like that old Smashmouth song here. (No, I won’t embed or link to that. I love my readers.)

The biggest news for me, other than surviving a radical prostatectomy and coming out the other end cancer-free, was that, as of the end of August, NovelRank.com was kaput. The website I’d used to track my books since I was first published in 2013 met death by misadventure courtesy of a site it supported with links to purchase pages. The following is a cropped screenshot of the last message:

Click on this caption to donate to Mr. Lurig’s PayPal.

For those who can’t see the image, I’ve transcribed the text with emphasis from the original:

On August 21st Amazon decided that after 9 years, without warning, NovelRank violated their Terms of Use. On August 31st they followed up all appeals by closing the final domain: Amazon.com, effectively killing NovelRank.

Please export any data you want to keep as soon as possible.

If any publisher or other entity is interested in purchasing the valuable NovelRank doman please email me a reasonable offer: mlurig@novelrank.com.

I was NovelRank’s biggest fan. I made it for authors like me who barely sold any books, but it still felt good to know that someone found your writing valuable. It grew to be valuable to so many others. I’m sorry this has happened and I have to now focus on my new wife (married for the 1st time Aug. 3) and what my future can be now that my income is gone.

Regretfully,

Mario LurigFounder, Developer, Advocate: NovelRank.com

PS
If you found this free service useful in the last 9 years, please consider supporting me directly: [Donate button.]

No explanation. None. They said, “You violated our Terms of Service” and killed it. Whatcha gonna do?

Aside from the fact that this was an all-numbers, no opinions kind of site, NovelRank did nothing to take away from Amazon. It linked to their pages, and helped people understand the ratings system a little better. It did so much for the authors whose books were exclusive to Amazon’s CreateSpace and Kindle services.

Perhaps Amazon is coming up with its own service. One that can be utilized for a nominal fee. It’s the only explanation that makes any sense.

Still, what happened to Mr. Lurig is a disgrace. His income depended on this. A ratings and sales count site. No opinions, only numbers. That’s all. 

I don’t know what else to say. Here’s a nice picture. 

Sunshine slipping beneath the storm clouds, for what it’s worth.

Enjoy all of this while it lasts.