Tag: Amazon

Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Self-Publishing

The Amazon Experience

Amazon is the single largest book retailer available, and the company model couldn’t be friendlier in helping self-publishing authors publishing through a POD publisher/distribution model. Whether you’re published or still in the writing or production process, prepare these Amazon options to maximize your books sales.

Amazon Search Inside the Book: This is the online equivalent to flipping through your book on the shelf. An optional feature, “Look Inside” provides icon over your book’s cover image, and allows readers to browse through portions of your interior content. Amazon claims that books utilizing this option see considerably higher sales over those that do not. Pretty intuitive.

Amazon Key Word Submission: One of the best user features Amazon provides comes in allowing readers to browse instantly by category or ‘key words.’ Imagine being transported instantly around a bookstore the size of football fields without having to use a map or ask an employee for directions. This is the experience Amazon customers find in typing in a simple keyword or phrase. (Few readers browse titles by author, and even less so for first-time authors.) They key is determining around 10 top keywords to tag your book with in order to provide the widest exposure possible.

Amazon Kindle: The Kindle is everywhere, and for good reason. It is a revolutionary digital reading device that allows individuals to purchase books anywhere, anytime, and instantly. One source noted that Kindle owners, on average, buy 3x more books than non-Kindle owners. Kindle editions must be submitted through special formatting, which some POD publishers offer, and will see listing everywhere books are sold throughout the Amazon site.

And finally, email, call, and knock on the doors of everyone you know who may contribute a credible review of your published book and have them post those on your book’s Amazon listing page.


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Choosing a Publisher, Self-Publishing

Higher Royalty Option Announced

On the heels of its recent release of the new, lower priced Kindle Reader, Amazon’s Digital Text Platform Team announced a new 70% royalty option for self-published authors who own the rights to their publications. It’s worth a look. Learn more here.


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Choosing a Publisher, Self-Publishing, Uncategorized

Self-publishing and Shelf Space

Perhaps one of the most extraordinary experiences for self-publishing authors comes in holding your book in hand for the first time.

Unfortunately, I see many self-published authors trying to replicate that experience for a handful of others by seeing their books stocked in a brick-and-mortar store. Physical inventory in areas where you can do book signings and readings can be a good thing, but for many finding shelf space in a physical location will be about as productive as pushing boulders up a mountain.

The book industry, while slower than others like the record business, has changed. Now, your ISBN is infinite shelf space. And shelf space where your book will be priced lower, and royalties higher. For readers, your book is just as real, and just as important. Instead of spending all that time, energy, and lost royalty revenue, peddling your books around, let those like Amazon do the work for you. They’ve already made the investment.

 


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Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Choosing a Publisher, Networking, Self-Publishing

Determining What Book Readers Want

Your book content – fiction, non-fiction, children’s, religious – naturally presumes a value to readers intending to be entertained or learn something from your work. How do they decide they want to read your book?

They don’t. You do. Sound like an incredible power? It is. It’s name: Marketing

When Thomas Edison turned 16 do you suppose he wanted a Tesla Roadster? Probably not. In order to want something you need to know it exists. One definition of marketing is convincing a a mass of people to want what you have. That puts you, the author of your book, in the cat bird’s seat. Who knows your book better than you, after-all.

How readers know about books has changed a great deal over the past decade, and my guess is that trend will continue. With Amazon, Twitter, Podcasts, Bookfinder, etc. we no longer rely on a single-minded source for telling us about books. A good CEO (the self-published author) knows how to leverage the expertise of others and delegate work. Consider the long-term. Research self-publishers with ongoing marketing support and services. Being published is rarely even enough.

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Self-Publishing

Self-publishing News: Amazon & State of Colorado

News has surfaced regarding recent legislation involving the state of Colorado and internet retailer, Amazon.com.

Amazon is no stranger to moves like this, which along with the recently thwarted attempt to monopolize the sale of on-demand books through their printers, can be of concern to the rapidly growing self-publishing industry. For all those published and currently publishing authors, self or otherwise, this will have no impact at all on your book pricing and availability.

Have fun and keep writing.


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