This is long overdue, but will impact authors and publishers in different ways.

Why Slow-Burn Beats Flash-Bang

I’ll keep this unusually brief and concise, to bring some clarity to observations and concerns about the “latest” Amazon algorithm change.

Reality: Amazon has never issued a press release labelled “A10”, but every agency that watches server-side tests puts the effective cut-over in Q1 2025 and the full rollout by July 2025.

In other words, the ranking behaviour we are seeing today is the finished version of the code that began circulating in early 2025, not a 2026 novelty, as is being suggested in some quarters.

But in 2026 it is, it would seem, in full force. Here’s my assessment based on multiple sources (some listed in comments for further reading).

1. Window widens

Amazon’s public A10 spec replaces A9’s 24-hour twitch with a multi-week, decay-weighted average. A spike that isn’t sustained “has negligible long-term effect”.

2. Flash = flop

The same doc lists “reliance on flash promotions” as a negative signal. Rankings fall back unless daily velocity holds for 3-4 weeks.

3. Traffic quality gate

Off-site bursts must convert at or above category median; if not, the listing is down-weighted, not boosted.

4. Books caught in the net

Book-marketing agencies confirm BSR now mirrors marketplace rules: “Steady, organic sales indicate genuine demand”.

5. AI purge side-effect

The tweak targets “low-quality titles that game short-term tactics”.

The View From The Beach

This is long overdue, but will impact authors and publishers in different ways. Many get-rich-quick schemes will be finally redundant, and just maybe it will slow down the problem with low quality AI-generated content being pumped into the system (that is not to say all AI-generated content is low quality).

Suggested actions:

Plan promos over 30-day arcs, not single-day deals.

Use on-Amazon ads (DSP, Sponsored Products) to keep daily unit flow; external clicks alone won’t stick.

Price pulse: small, frequent reductions outperform big drops.

Review velocity still lifts conversion, so stagger ARCs across weeks.

Monitor rolling 7-day units, not hourly rank screenshots.

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.