KDP categories · Top KDP authors
Essays & Commentary (Science & Math, Books): Amazon KDP category data
Amazon Books Best Sellers data for Essays & Commentary (Science & Math, Books), updated Nov 3, 2026: median price $14.56, median 562 reviews, average rating 4.5 and a KDPTop opportunity score of 26/100 (highly competitive).
| Price range (middle 50%) | $12.16 – $18.36 |
|---|---|
| Average rating | 4.5 |
| New releases (90 days) | 8% |
| Books on the list | 100 |
| Store | Books |
What stands out
- Its median reviews are 12% of the parent category Science & Math (4,833), one of the easier corners under it.
- Its review barrier is higher than in 78% of Books categories: the median best seller has 562 reviews, so new books need time to build up.
Top 10 Essays & Commentary best sellers
-
Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality
- List rank#1
- Price$2.99
- Rating4.4
- Reviews1,472
-
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
- List rank#2
- Price$1.99
- Rating4.6
- Reviews1,017
-
A Short History of Nearly Everything: 2.0
by Bill Bryson
- List rank#3
- Price$21.59
- Rating4.6
- Reviews19,878
-
Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization
- List rank#4
- Price$11.99
- Rating4.7
- Reviews4,993
-
The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth ― A NYT Bestselling Popular Science Book
by Zoë Schlanger
- List rank#5
- Price$15.99
- Rating4.5
- Reviews1,870
-
What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
- List rank#6
- Price$14.38
- Rating4.8
- Reviews5,286
-
The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm
by Lewis Dartnell
- List rank#7
- Price$18.92
- Rating4.4
- Reviews1,712
-
“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”: Adventures of a Curious Character
- List rank#8
- Price$15.83
- Rating4.6
- Reviews13,404
-
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
- List rank#9
- Price$12.24
- Rating4.5
- Reviews38,184
-
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems
- List rank#10
- Price$14.85
- Rating4.8
- Reviews7,606
Same niche in Kindle eBooks: Essays & Commentary
FAQ
Is Essays & Commentary a good niche for Amazon KDP?
Its KDPTop opportunity score is 26/100, which makes it highly competitive. The median best seller has 562 reviews and sells for $14.56.
How many reviews do you need to rank in Essays & Commentary?
The median best seller has 562 reviews, and 22% of them have fewer than 100.
What do Essays & Commentary best sellers cost?
The median price is $14.56; half of the best sellers are priced between $12.16 and $18.36.
Can new books break into Essays & Commentary?
8% of the current best sellers were released in the last 90 days.
About this data
Data comes from KDPTop's daily crawl of Amazon's public Best Sellers pages; medians use the latest list. The opportunity score (0–100, higher is easier to enter) combines the review barrier, the share of low-review books, list turnover, new-release share and price.