Updated: March, 2019 Book reviews are important for all books, but especially so for self-published books because most sales are online. And when it comes to selling books online, it's Amazon reviews that can make or break interest in a book. As authors (and readers) we need to stay abreast of changes in Amazon review policies and community guidelines. This post has been updated to reflect recent changes; in particular the $50 Amazon spending requirement. Let's start by defining the … [Read more...]
How to Use IngramSpark to Personalize the First Page of Your POD Book
Should I use CreateSpace or IngramSpark? is a question I often hear. They both have their advantages and drawbacks. But IngramSpark just added a new feature that I suspect will take some time for Amazon’s CreateSpace to match (if they even care): the ability to personalize individual copies of a book. There are all sorts of reasons and opportunities to personalize books: Thank you gifts to people that helped you. Like those you thanked in the acknowledgment section, or who wrote a … [Read more...]
Case Study: Tips for Updating a First Book to Market Your Second
Anyone who has published one book knows how hard it is to build an audience. Everyone starts here. For those that persevere, a second book is a way to leverage all that hard work of audience building. It gives your fans something else to buy from you. At the same time, launching a second book always attracts new readers. Some may buy that new book. Some may decide to start with book 1. Either way, one of the best investments you can make is to ensure the two books cross-market each other. As … [Read more...]
10 Things Author-Publishers Should Know About Amazon Advantage
As more and more books are sold online, it becomes increasingly important to find a way to sell books that are *not* printed by CreateSpace, IngramSpark, Lightning Source, Lulu and the like. Amazon Advantage is a book and media consignment program that allows publishers to sell new books printed by any printer. In May of 2016 Amazon made changes to its program and increased the annual membership fee—$29.95—to $99 per publisher, per year, billable annually. Like the old fee, this is deducted … [Read more...]
How to Get the Same Book Release Date When Using CreateSpace and IngramSpark
You’ve heard that you should offer your print book for pre-order, but CreateSpace does not support pre-order so you need to use IngramSpark. Assuming you want the same release date to show for all stores (and you should), how then to coordinate the two, and what happens with orders? Here is a typical process that we follow. It takes advantage of the faster and lower cost proofing you can do with CreateSpace, and maximizes the benefits of IngramSpark. CreateSpace publishing date. The … [Read more...]
Create and Manage the Perfect Amazon US and UK AuthorCentral Page
Amazon’s AuthorCentral is the gold standard when it comes to creating and managing an author presence on a third-party website. In fact, some budget-conscious authors could even use it as their primary author presence on the Internet (although not recommended as an author website substitute). Consider... Branded website link to take someone to your page: Check. Display bio and contact information: Check. Display photos and videos: Check. Promote appearances and events: Check. … [Read more...]
An Interview with Book Publicist Julia Drake
One of the most popular blog posts on AuthorImprints is this interview with book publicist Julia Drake of Wildbound PR. The questions Julia answers were asked by attendees at a book marketing panel discussion I moderated for the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC). Even though the event took place in 2012, the questions are timeless and Julia’s responses have been updated and contemporized for the 2017 book marketing landscape. More about Julia follows the interview. Q: Should … [Read more...]
Advertising Kindle eBooks On Amazon
One of the more interesting KDP Select benefits Amazon offers is the ability to advertise a Kindle eBook on Amazon.com. Like the other KDP Select benefits, notably Free Book Promotion and Kindle Countdown Deal—for that matter any book marketing benefit—this won’t by itself guarantee sales. But it is marketing tool that is relatively cheap to use. To repeat: you must participate in the 90-day exclusive KDP Select program to use it. What is advertising for KDP Select? It is similar to those … [Read more...]
2016 BISAC Subject Codes and Amazon Book and Kindle Browse Categories
We all know by now that Amazon browse categories are fundamentally important to selling books, and to attaining coveted best-seller status for our books. However, these browse categories can and do change each year, and we need to be aware that there are multiple category lists. This article will help you understand the recent major changes and provide guidance for monitoring and changing categories. Summary advice: visit each store or distributor that sells your books and make sure they are in … [Read more...]
A Simple Author Metadata Audit in Less Than 30 Minutes
Earlier this month I conducted an author metadata audit workshop and the homework was a 30-minute audit. The objective was to help authors understand the role of metadata in selling books by showing how their online public information is used by search engines. This posts explains the importance of metadata and outlines the steps you can follow to do a simple 30-minute audit. It concludes with meeting notes that share additional insights about how you can build a stronger online presence by … [Read more...]
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