# Joel Merritt, Indie Publisher (solo imprint, 44 titles across 3 pen names) — read of KDP Sales Auditor, June 26 2026

> 8 years publishing on KDP, currently earning about $3,400/month from backlist, still holding a day job as a high school history teacher. I do all catalog work on a Dell laptop during my lunch break.

## How I got here

Searched "KDP catalog analysis tool 2026" on Google, clicked the third result. I was specifically looking for something that does what Publisher Rocket does not: shows me which of my *existing* titles are dying quietly because of bad categories. I have 12 books I haven't touched in two years. That's the problem I typed into the search bar.

## What I clicked first

"Backlist revenue recovery" in the features list. That is the exact phrase for the exact pain I have. Titles that were earning $200/month two years ago now earn $40. I clicked it expecting to see a product. I did not find a product.

## Where I paused

The disclosure block. "Honest disclosure: we don't have live customers on this idea yet. We shipped the strategy package; you ship the customer conversations." I read that three times. So I'm not reading about a product I can buy and use. I'm reading about an idea someone is selling me so I can go build it? That's what this is? The page never said that in the hero. The hero said "Automate your entire KDP catalog analysis." That sounds like software I log into.

## What I distrusted

The scoring system confused me more than it helped. "Financial upside: 1/10" and "pain intensity: 4/10" are listed as concerns about the idea. But the idea is supposedly for *me* to build. I came here because I have the pain. Why are they telling me the pain is a 4? That's the Wishdeal team grading whether they think *the business* is worth pursuing, not whether the tool would help me. The framing is a complete mismatch for anyone who landed here from a "KDP catalog tool" search.

Also: "Year-1 take-home (Fermi): -$11,310." That is right there on the page, public, prominently. Why would that be the thing you surface to someone you're trying to convert? If I'm a user, it's irrelevant. If I'm a builder, it's a reason not to build it. It's honest, I'll give them that, but it is deeply weird placement.

## What would convince me

If this is a product: show me a 90-second screen recording of it pulling my actual KDP dashboard data and outputting a ranked list of underperforming titles. I don't need testimonials. I need to see it not break.

If this is a business idea kit: stop leading with product language. Say clearly in the first paragraph "this is a strategy package for someone who wants to build a KDP analytics tool." Do not use "Try it" as a CTA button if there is nothing to try.

## What I'd ask in an email reply

1. Is there actually software here I can log into, or is the $5 and $99 purchasing a document/strategy pack?
2. If it's a strategy pack: have you talked to anyone who's bought it and tried to actually launch the product? What happened?
3. If there is a working tool: what does it use to pull KDP data? Amazon does not have a public API for sales. How does sync work?

## Verdict: dismissive

Not because the underlying idea is bad. Backlist optimization is real. But I came looking for a tool and found a pitch to go build a tool. That's a bait-and-switch even if it's technically disclosed, and the disclosure is buried below the fold behind six feature bullets.

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*Memo by skeptic persona, generated 2026-06-26. Studio breaks own self-grading loop.*