niche-scout

name	niche-scout
description	Evaluate Amazon KDP niche profitability using BSR analysis, keyword volume, and competition scoring. Use when researching book niches, validating publishing ideas, or comparing market opportunities.
argument-hint	[keyword phrase]

Niche Scout

Evaluate whether a keyword/topic is a profitable KDP publishing niche. Based on the 3-step validation framework from Sean Dollwet, Dale Roberts, and Dave Chesson (175 episodes distilled in Kings of Kindle).

Usage

/niche-scout beekeeping for beginners
/niche-scout "anxiety management"
/niche-scout claude code AI coding assistant

Workflow

Step 1: Amazon Keyword Volume (DataForSEO)

Run the keyword volume script to get Amazon search volume and related keywords:

python3 ~/.claude/skills/niche-scout/scripts/keyword-volume.py "$ARGUMENTS"

This returns:

• Amazon search volume for the seed keyword + 9 variations
• Related keywords with volume (up to 20)
• Use these to assess demand and identify series potential (10-keyword strategy)

Demand threshold: Seed keyword should have 200+ monthly Amazon searches. Related keywords reveal series opportunities.

Step 2: BSR Analysis (Apify Amazon Scraper)

Run the BSR scraper to get Best Seller Rank for top books:

python3 ~/.claude/skills/niche-scout/scripts/bsr-scraper.py "$ARGUMENTS"

This runs two Apify calls:

1. Search results — gets titles, prices, ratings, ASINs for top 20 books
2. Product details — gets BSR, publisher, categories for top 10

Wait for both to complete (typically 30-90 seconds each).

Step 3: Score the Niche

Apply Sean Dollwet's BSR benchmarks to the scraped data:

Metric	Target	Scoring
Books under 5,000 BSR	No more than 5 of top 20	>5 = too competitive
Books under 30,000 BSR	Most or all of top 20	Sweet spot for new publishers
Books under 100,000 BSR	At least 7 of 10	Minimum viable demand
Self-published on page 1	At least 2-3	Proves indie can compete
Search results count	Under 3,000	Lower = easier to rank

Self-published detection signals:

• Publisher = "Independently published" or "Independently Published"
• Price $2.99-$4.99 range
• Keyword-heavy title (exact match of search term)
• Stock/template cover design

Step 4: Check All Three Platforms

A keyword that's weak on Kindle might be strong on paperback or audiobook:

Platform	Good BSR	Notes
Kindle eBooks	Under 50,000	Most competitive; most publishers start here
Paperback	Under 100,000	Higher royalties; reference/cookbooks do better
Audiobook (Audible)	Under 100 search results	Least competitive; under-served in most niches

Step 5: Generate the Report

Output a structured niche report with:

1. Keyword volume table — seed + related keywords with Amazon search volume
2. BSR table — top 10 books sorted by BSR with publisher, self-pub flag
3. Benchmark scorecard — pass/fail on each Dollwet criterion
4. Estimated daily sales — using BSR-to-sales conversion (see reference/bsr-sales-table.md)
5. Competition signals — weak covers, bad titles, low reviews = beatable
6. Series potential — can you find 5-10 related keywords for a book series?
7. Verdict — VIABLE / BORDERLINE / TOO COMPETITIVE / DEAD

Step 6: Hot vs Evergreen Assessment

Classify the niche:

• Hot topic: Trending, short window, fast cash if you move quickly
• Evergreen: Steady demand year-round, compounds over time
• Seasonal: Predictable spikes (gardening in spring, etc.)

The ideal portfolio mixes both. Check Google Trends for seasonality patterns.

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Niche Selection Checklist (from Ch 2)

Before committing to a niche, ALL boxes must check:

• Demand confirmed: Multiple books in top results have BSR under 100,000
• BSR sweet spot: Most of the top 20 books fall between 10,000 and 30,000
• Competition beatable: No more than 5 books under 5,000 BSR in top 20
• Self-published proof: At least 2-3 self-published books selling well on page 1
• Weak spots visible: You can identify covers, titles, or descriptions you can beat
• Multi-platform potential: Checked Kindle, paperback, and audiobook
• Search results count: Under 3,000 (lower = better)
• Series potential: Can identify 5-10 related keyword variations
• No trademark issues: Keywords don't include trademarked terms

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Reference Files

• For BSR-to-sales conversion: see reference/bsr-sales-table.md
• For tool comparison: see reference/tools.md
• For the full keyword workflow: use /keyword-fill after niche is validated

Tool Dependencies

• DataForSEO — Amazon keyword volume + related keywords (credentials in ~/.zshrc or hardcoded)
• Apify — Amazon product scraping for BSR, publisher, categories (APIFY_TOKEN in env)
• Python 3 with requests library

Related Skills

• keyword-fill — Fill the 7 Amazon keyword boxes (run AFTER niche is validated)
• book-architect — Generate outline + title/subtitle (run AFTER niche + keywords)
• listing-optimizer — Write description + select categories
• deep-research — For deeper market analysis on borderline niches
• seomachine — For Google keyword data (complements Amazon data)