Contests, Uncategorized

Win $109 Worth of FREE Video Marketing for your Book!

Are you planning to launch a social networking campaign for your book? If so, a video would be right on time. Right now, we are running a Facebook contest where you can enter to win $109 worth of video marketing for your book. All you have to do is “Like” our Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/selfpubadvice and fill out the entry form at http://bit.ly/SelfPublishingAdvisorContest.

The contest is running until March 29 and our official rules can be found on the contest page on our blog.

Good luck and stay tuned for the winner announcement on March 30.

Book Promotion, Kelly Speaks

Don’t Always Listen to the Experts When It Comes to Marketing

Today’s post is by book marketing industry expert, Kelly Schuknecht.

There is a lot of advice out there about how to promote your book.  Of course you should read everything you can get your hands on, try new things and challenge yourself.  However, as the author of your book, ONLY you know best what your book is about, who your target audience is and how to reach them.  Take all of the tips and advice you read from the marketing experts and tailor them for your own book marketing plan.

Marketing experts will often provide general marketing ideas – these are not meant to be “one size fits all.”  Don’t waste time on one marketing effort just because a marketing expert said it is effective.  Take it as a general suggestion and think about whether or not it is a good fit for your book and your target audience.  If you aren’t sure, try it and then evaluate whether it worked or not.  If not, move on to another tactic.  If it did produce results, do more of it.  Take what works and make it work MORE.

Book marketing is an ongoing effort.  If you want to increase your books sales, you should constantly be evaluating what you are doing, what is working and what is not.

What is your best marketing tip?
Share it with us in the comment section below and include the title and genre of your book.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT:
Kelly Schuknecht works as the Director of Author Support for Outskirts Press.  In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.
Kindle, Uncategorized

Quick Start Guide to Marketing Your Kindle eBooks Like a Pro!

Today’s blog post is by publishing industry expert, Dana Lynn Smith.

What are the differences between marketing a Kindle ebook and marketing a printed book?

The promotional methods used to drive traffic to your website and your sales page on Amazon are similar to that of printed books, but there are some differences in marketing Kindle ebooks:

  • There are fewer competing books in the Kindle store, so you may have a greater chance of your book standing out in search results. The Kindle publishing platform makes it very easy for you to enter appropriate keyword tags for your ebook.
  • Consumers expect ebook prices to be significantly lower than print books, especially for fiction. You can experiment with different price points, but for fiction books many indie authors report that they sell at lot more books at $2.99 than at higher prices. If you price your ebook between $2.99 and $9.99 (and it’s priced at least 20% less than the printed version) you can opt to receive a 70% royalty from Amazon, which is much higher than what you’d make on a printed book.
  • The audience for Kindle ebooks is smaller, because not everyone has a Kindle, but it’s growing rapidly. Remind potential customers that they don’t need a Kindle to read Kindle ebooks—they can download a free reading app to use on their PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry and other devices.

What are the best ways for an author to capitalize on Kindle edition sales?

  • Be sure to prominently state on all of your book marketing materials that your book is also available in Kindle format, and provide links directly to your Kindle page on Amazon. You can use a link shortening service to create a short, customized link to use for marketing purposes, such as http://bit.ly/AmazonEbook.

To make a customized link like this, go to http://bit.ly, paste the URL of your book’s Kindle sales page into the large blue box, click the blue “customize” button (beneath the blue box), enter a name for your link (such as AmazonEbook in the example above), and click on the “customize” button.

  • Make sure that your print book and your ebook are linked together on the Amazon website. For example, the reviews for your print book should be showing up on your Kindle page, and the sales page for your print book should indicate that the book is also available in Kindle format. If you don’t see that linkage within a couple of weeks, contact kdp-support@amazon.com.
  • Earn a little extra on each print and ebook sale on Amazon when you sign up for the Amazon Associates affiliate program at https://affiliate-program.amazon.com.

What are some common mistakes in marketing Kindle ebooks?

  • One common mistake is failing to write compelling sales copy and enter the right keywords. The great thing about the Kindle publishing platform at https://kdp.amazon.com is that it’s easy to make changes. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different sales copy, keywords and price points.
  • Other mistakes include pricing ebooks too high, failing to promote them as much as printed books, and failing to take advantage of the promotional opportunities available on the Amazon website.

DISCUSSION:What difficulties are you experiencing in marketing your Kindle book?

 

Dana Lynn Smith ABOUT DANA LYNN SMITH:
Drawing on her 16 years of publishing experience and degree in marketing, Dana Lynn Smith helps authors learn how to promote their books through her how-to guides, one-on-one coaching, blog and newsletter. Learn more about how to promote your book on Amazon in her ebook, How to Sell More Books on Amazon, available at http://bit.ly/AmazonEbook. For more tips, follow @BookMarketer on Twitter, visit Dana’s blog at www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com, and get a copy of the Top Book Marketing Tips ebook when you sign up for her free newsletter at www.BookMarketingNewsletter.com.
Contests, Uncategorized, Weekly Wednesday Podcast

Weekly Wednesday Podcast: How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Book

Today, we will cover:

  • What is a social networking site?
  • Why do you need social networking?
  • How do you interact with your “followers”?
  • Rules & tips for social networking success
  • Boost Our Blog Facebook Contest details

Be sure to enter the contest here: https://selfpublishingadvisor.com/boost-our-blog-facebook-contest/.

Cheri Speaks

Is Your Ineffective Book Title Costing You Sales?

Today’s post is by publishing industry expert, Cheri Breeding.

Did you know that a strong book title can many times translate to more sales for the author? Or that a weak (or ineffective) title can many times mean lackluster sales?

Not only do readers judge a book by its cover, but they also find books based on their title. For instance, if you’ve written a book about the battles of the Civil War, you surely want readers to find you using the term “civil war” or “civil war battles”. If your title is not reflective of the subject, you can miss out on readers. The title Love Lost, for example, would not be one I would click to if I’m looking for information about the war. Your title, while catchy and creative, just cost you a sale.

You should consider ALL of the following when choosing a book title:

  • How catchy is it (will people remember it)?
  • Is it unique/original (search bookstores for other books with the same title)?
  • Does it include the keywords/phrases you want to be found for?

Remember your title doesn’t have to stand alone. A strong subtitle can help a title that may not be descriptive enough alone. Referring to the example above, Love Lost: Short Love Stories of the Civil War is much more descriptive and would encourage a reader searching for “Civil War battles” to at least take a peek (provided you have an attention-grabbing cover).

While a subtitle is not required, you can see that many times it can make the difference by adding a few additional keywords, etc. that are related to the title.

DISCUSSION: What tips do you have for authors choosing a book title?

Cheri Breeding ABOUT CHERI BREEDING:
Since 2005 Cheri Breeding has been working as the Director of Production for Outskirts Press. In that time, she has been an instrumental component of every aspect of the Production Department, performing the roles of an Author Representative, Book Designer, Customer Service Representative, Title Production Supervisor, Production Manager and, Director of Production. She brings all that experience and knowledge, along with an unparalleled customer-service focus, to help self-publishing authors reach high-quality book publication more efficiently, professionally, and affordably.