How My Book Became an Amazon #1 Release

Seven lessons from the launch of my indie tech book

My book, “Quantum Computing 101,” was released April 1, 2026, and for over a week now, it’s been carrying the Amazon “Top Release” badge, a coveted prize. Even more coveted if you’re an indie author, someone who has self-published her own book.

So how did it happen? Here are seven lessons from the success of “Quantum Computing 101.”

1. Blue Ocean

For those not familiar with the book “Blue Ocean Strategy,” here’s a recap: It was published in 2014, sold 4+ million copies, and laid out the idea of blue-ocean versus red-ocean strategy.

A red ocean is what you want to avoid. That’s where all the sharks are competing for the same hunk of seal meat, turning the ocean red with all the blood in the water. A blue ocean is where there are no other sharks.

An example of a blue ocean strategy is the way early Netflix offered people the opportunity to get DVDs by mail instead of going to Blockbuster. At the time, there were no other major players in the video-by-mail space.

Swimming into a blue ocean is an excellent strategy for authors. In my case, quantum computing is a very new space. Based on my analysis, the vast majority of quantum…