Tag: Amazon

Kelly Speaks, Self-Publishing Week in Review

Self-Publishing Week in Review: 8/19/14

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry. This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Tuesday to find out the hottest news.

Writer’s Digest Inks Deal With BookBaby on New Self-Publishing Imprint

Writer’s Digest recently announced that the Company has entered a partnership with BookBaby to launch a new self-publishing division named Blue Ash Publishing. This new venture is grounded in what Writer’s Digest does best: educating writers. As more companies such as Writer’s Digest join the self-publishing industry, authors will reap countless benefits and the industry will continue to grow and flourish.

Yacht Captain Turned Bestselling Self-Published Author Tells All

This interview with NY Times bestselling self-published author Hugh Howey shares his writing journey and advice. He discusses his views on traditional publishing, his secrets to success, the film based on his book, and more.

Kindle Direct Publishing Unveils Pre-Orders for eBooks

Amazon has finally rolled out their pre-order program for all authors who distribute through the Kindle Direct Publishing. Self-published authors will be able to start selling their title before its officially ready, giving them the ability to hype the book in advance and start capturing sales. All self-publishing authors should check out this opportunity.

If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive Vice President of 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.
Uncategorized

3 Ways to Maximize Your Book Sales Potential on Amazon

Amazon is the single largest book retailer. By taking advantage of all of the tools and services Amazon has to offer, self-publishing authors can enjoy higher sales, increased revenue, and more satisfied readers. Here are three easy ways you can maximize your book sales potential on Amazon.

1) Adding an Amazon Kindle edition

Kindles are a popular e-reader. Offering an Amazon Kindle edition of your book increases your potential buyer market and offers readers an easy, quick way to purchase your book. Be sure to market your Kindle edition as well as your print edition.

2) Adding the Amazon Search Inside the Book feature

This is the online equivalent to readers picking your book up off the shelf and flipping through the pages. The “Look Inside” option provides an icon over your book’s cover image and allows readers to browse through portions of your interior content. Amazon states that books utilizing this option see considerably higher sales over those that do not.

3) Maximizing your book description for search engine optimization

You need to make sure your book description is well-written for two reasons: one, readers don’t want to buy a book with a boring or unprofessional description. Two, readers won’t be able to find your book if you don’t use strong keywords in your description. In the world of the internet, keywords are essential. They help readers find books on the topics they are searching for. When writing your book’s description, spend time considering the appropriate keywords and be sure to proofread the final copy.

I’d love to know, what is your favorite Amazon feature?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of 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.
Kelly Speaks, Self-Publishing Week in Review

Self-Publishing Week in Review: 4/15/14

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry. This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Tuesday to find out the hottest news.

Amazon’s Vision for the Future of Self-Publishing

This article discusses Jon Fine’s, director of author and publishing relations at Amazon, vision of the future of self-publishing. Predictions include a name change, more options, and discoverability problems. This is a must read for self-publishing authors.

Why Audiobooks Are the Next Big Thing in Self-Publishing

This article looks at traditional and self-published audiobooks and shares the writer’s first hand experience with publishing paper books as well as audiobooks. The writer is the author of more than 14 books, so she has a lot of experience in the traditional and self-publishing industry. This is an interesting read for all writers.

 UK Paper The Guardian Launches Monthly Self-Publishing Award

The Guardian and Legend Times have announced a new monthly writing prize, highlighting the best self-published novels. The winning novel will be selected by a panel of industry judges each month and reviewed in the Guardian. Awards are a great way for self-published authors to gain credibility and publicity. The article discusses all the submission details.

If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of 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.
Kelly Speaks, Self-Publishing Week in Review

Self-Publishing Week in Review: 12/17/13

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry. This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Tuesday to find out the hottest news.

5 Lessons From a Proud Self-Published Author

One of the best ways to improve your chance of success as a self-published author is learning from the mistakes and triumphs of other self-published authors. In this article, self-published author Jessica Smock shares five lessons that will help you improve your book. Every writer should read her advice.

10 Tips For Self-Publishing A Multi-Contributor Anthology

If you are planning to self-publish a multi-contributor anthology, this is a must read. The author shares 10 tips that will help the project go smoothly and make working with writers easier.

Self-published Seattle Author Tops Amazon Book Category List for Memoirs During Prime Holiday Shopping Season

Being on top of one of Amazon’s book lists is always a huge accomplishment, but to do it during the prime holiday shopping season is even more astounding. This article shares the success story of self-published memoir author  Molly McCord, who reached #2 on Amazon’s Memoirs: Adventurers and Explorers category.

If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of 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.
Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

Online Retailers Gained, While Brick-and-Mortar Lost In Wake of Borders Exit

Bowker recently released a study detailing the sales of online and brick-and-mortar retailers after Borders’ exit from the market. Here is a summary of the results:

  • Online retailers — led by Amazon —  earned 44 percent of America’s book dollars. This is up from 39 percent in 2011.
  • Barnes & Noble, including BN.com, remains the second largest bookselling outlet.
  • Women increased their lead over men in book buying, accounting for 58 percent of overall book spending in 2012, up from 55 percent in 2011.
  • Men are bigger hardcover buyers.
  • Ebooks continue their steady upward trend, with an 11 percent share of spending in 2012, compared to seven percent in 2011.
  • Despite the growth of ebooks, traditional print book output grew three percent in 2012.

This information is important for authors who have already self-published or who are considering self-publishing. It is essential that authors are aware of industry trends, so they can use the information to make the best publishing and marketing decisions for their books.

These results show the importance of offering an ebook version of your self-published book. Despite the popularity of ebooks, there is still a demand for print books. For many authors, the best option is to offer both a print and ebook version in an attempt to reach the largest market. However, this varies greatly from author to author and depends on the target market as well as the author’s personal goals.

To learn more about the Bowker report, visit http://www.bowker.com/en-US/aboutus/press_room/2013/pr_08062013.shtml.

I’d love to know, how do the results in this report impact your self-publishing decisions?

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of 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.