Six Metrics Per Path. Maximum.

KU-First — 6 Metrics

• Page visits (Amazon product page)
  • Tells you if visibility is working
• Conversion proxy: page visits → purchases
  • Tells you if the blurb and cover are working
• KU pages/day trend
  • Upward = word spreading; flat = promotion needed
• Ad spend + ACOS (tagged by goal: profit / visibility / read-through)
• Email signups
• Read-through proxy — KU pages per reader trend, "want the next book" mentions in reviews

Wide-First — 6 Metrics

• Sales by store (track each platform separately)
• Promo ROI by channel (which newsletters actually move units)
• Email list growth rate
• Price experiment results (A/B by platform)
• Non-Amazon % of total sales (trend over time)
• Store-specific traction patterns (what works on Kobo ≠ what works on Apple)

Direct-First — 6 Metrics

• Website traffic (source-tagged)
• Conversion rate: traffic → sales
• Average order value (AOV)
• Refund rate
• Repeat purchase rate
• Email revenue per subscriber

Universal Exit Principles

• If you can't measure it, you can't manage it — Set up tracking before you launch, not after you notice it's not working.
• Fix fundamentals before switching paths — If it's not working after fixing the product page, cover, and blurb, then consider a different path — not before.
• Follow data, not assumptions — If data contradicts your assumptions, follow the data. Commit to the loop. Reassess only at checkpoints. Switch paths when the data forces the decision — not when you're bored.