How To Build Your Career on Amazon

This space is designed for all authors but especially for those who wish to see their work move out of anonymity to reach a wider audience. 

Many authors today cite a lack of visibility on Amazon as the main factor that limits their sales. In the rare case that our books are seen, the scant quantity of reviews that most authors receive makes the few readers who might be interested in our work shy away. If readers perceive a book as unpopular they are less likely to take a risk on the purchase of an unknown title. Instead most readers end up buying the books with the highest ranking on Amazon, which have a large number of reviews. 

And this is where the battle must be played out. Of course your work has to appeal to readers and your book cover must be attractive. But we all know that this alone isn't enough. We'd like to recommend four strategies that are meant to be practiced simultaneously and continuously. If you follow these tips and your work has the right stuff, your sales are sure to soar. Keep in mind that as you perfect these strategies, the popularity of your work will be multiplied by the inertia of increased reviews and massive exposition of your work. 

Get started building your career now! 

Strategy 1: 

A book with few reviews on Amazon will be perceived by readers as unpopular and uninteresting. The Books Machine is a brand new international website that aims to solve the main challenges faced by authors: lack of visibility to potential readers, and lack of reviews on Amazon. This site, through innovative technology, allows authors something unprecedented: DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF INTERESTED READERS ON AMAZON. 

The Books Machine allows you to reach this massive audience by obtaining a large quantity of honest reviews from Amazon users. The Books Machine acts as a conduit in the exchange of books for honest reviews. This service has a monthly membership fee but the site is currently offering a free six month membership to a select group of authors who have been recommended by sites such as this BLOG. Don't miss the chance to join the first wave of this service. Free membership is limited so take advantage of this chance today, before this exclusive free membership expires. Click here for more information:

www.thebooksmachine.com/special_vip.aspx 


Strategy 2: 

Be sure you have completed not only your book description but also your author information on Amazon. More than likely, the reader who is deciding whether to buy your book knows nothing about you. Even if you've never published before, the way that you express yourself can bring you closer to your readers and may mean the difference between a skip or a sale.

Strategy 3: 

Be extremely picky with the description of your work on Amazon. A major problem that many authors have is that WE LOVE OUR WORK TOO MUCH, and we assume that whole world will value it just as much as we do. But the truth is that the readers are very demanding. A potential reader's first step is to analyze whether the book is popular based on the number of reviews that it has received (see strategy 1). Then they'll check out the description of the work, not only to see what it's about, but TO SEE IF THE WAY YOU PRESENT YOUR BOOK IS INTERESTING. Even if the reader is interested in your book, they are unlikely to buy it if your writing style in the book's description is not to their liking. Display the best that your inner artist has to offer. You are not merely explaining your plot, you are seducing the reader. Amazon allows us to redraft book descriptions as many times as we want. Be demanding and creative, try as many versions necessary to get it perfect. 

Strategy 4: 

The issue of publicity on social networks gets a lot of attention these days because if done consistently, it has been proven to attract readers. One reason this works is because it adds a VISUAL aspect to your promotional efforts. The creation of a WEBSITE and if possible a short publicity trailer helps reinforce your “author brand.” This may imply a small investment but if that's beyond your means, there are free alternatives such as BLOGGER. There are hundreds of tutorials that explain how to set up your own BLOG which will add a lot of value to your promotional efforts. 

If you consistently apply these four strategies together, you will quickly have a strong framework which will help your work reach its maximum potential. You've put a lot of effort into writing your book. Don't abandon it now when it needs you most! Help readers discover the pearl inside your work!

101 Book Marketing Ideas for Authors

101 Book Marketing Ideas for Authors is my way of trying to make sure I keep on track with my marketing activities. As an independent author and publisher it’s often easy to forget or overlook some of the basic activities that could propel your book up the listings. This is going to be a work in progress, and when I complete a new idea I’ll make sure that the link is added to this page.

• Make sure you ask for reviews in your Kindle and eBook copies
• Add an About the Author page to your book
• Add a list of other books you have written or contributed to at the end of each book – with links in eBooks
• Create an account on Shelfari and link it to your Amazon account
• Create your authors blog
• Create an account on Twitter
• Create an authors page on Facebook
• Create your profile on Goodreads and link your blog up
• If you are writing Non-Fiction for business – don’t forget to sign up for LinkedIn
• Create your book trailer
• Register yourself as an Amazon Author to add valuable information and gain statistical trends knowledge
• Connect your blog to Google Webmaster Tools (if it’s wordpress.com)
• Connect up Google Analytics to your self hosted blog
• Sort out your privacy settings on all the social networks
• Don’t forget to sign up for Google +
• Have your book reviewed by book bloggers
• Create your authors business card
• Have a set of postcards about your book printed
• Offer advance copies for review to fans of your previous work
• Create a monthly newsletter about your work and online activities
• Organise a competition to gather support from those that already know you
• Use the Amazon KDP select programme to offer your book free of charge for five days
• Start your online book tour
• Offer bloggers free copies and/or interviews
• Host some guest bloggers yourself
• Comment on other authors blogs – especially those you particularly enjoy
• Use keyword analysis to create focused blog posts that you know people want to read
• Set up a series of speaking engagements at local events about your topic
• Sell your book in multiple outlets
• Create and sell your eBook in multiple online stores
• Put together a set of local contacts for the press
• Write a regular press release about events you are taking part in
• Send an interview and photograph to your local paper/s
• Send a press release and photograph to your local radio station
• Link your book up to a cause
• Ask your local coffee shop, bar, pub if you can do a book reading
• Offer a free copy of your book to your local libraries
• Offer to host a book reading in your local library
• Rent a stall at the next relevant fair in your local area
• Create videos and presentations about themes you cover in your book
• Donate your book to relevant organisations or charities
• Sell your book on your own website
• Join BookCrossing.com
• Create an account on LibraryThing
• Use the KindleDirect forums to engage with readers
• Search for active forums to take part in
• Create a book excerpt
• Create an A5 book information flyer for booksellers
• Create a set of greeting cards
• Offer free copies to local and relevant journalists
• Create a free download that introduces your style to a new set of readers
• Write flash fiction if you are a novelist
• Take part in writing competitions
• Make sure people can contact you
• Keep a calendar of events that you can use to promote your book
• Ask your readers for feedback
• Use LinkedIn Groups to get feedback and create interest
• Make use of LinkedIn Answers to gather expertise
• Record a podcast of your opening chapters
• Add your book to Google Books
• Ensure your book is enrolled in any preview systems that booksellers use
• Create QR codes for your Facebook Page, Twitter Account, Book on Amazon
• Make sure your Amazon listings are correct
• Don’t forget to tag your book correctly
• Say thank you regularly
• Network extensively on Facebook
• Use the customers also bought facility to ensure your book is placed correctly
• Add your book to The Book Marketing Network
• Create a listopia list on Goodreads
• Host a giveaway on Goodreads
• Create an Amazon list for your topic/subject matter
• Reach out to the top reviewers on Amazon and Goodreads
• Become a top reviewer on Amazon and Goodreads
• Send your news to Writing Magazine
• Create a set of book club notes
• Work on your personal brand
• Understand who your reader is and why they will want to read your book
• Set up a Slideshare account
• Set up a docstoc account
• Add your book to eBay
• Don’t forget to sell your book through the Amazon MarketPlace too
• Use webinars and hangouts to speak with a broader audience
• Adapt chapters or small sections of your book for alternative audiences
• Provide free copies to your local doctors surgery or dentist waiting room
• Don’t just use one Print On Demand provider
• Investigate WattPad
• Add your free books to Project Guttenberg
• In the UK? Use We Buy Books
• Investigate and use Scribd
• Join Issuu
• Add your video trailers to Vimeo
• Use Facebook Ads
• Create an Adwords Campaign
• Investigate the LinkedIn Advertising Platform
• Create a marketing plan for your book
• Connect with other Authors online (they are often readers too)
• Offer free e-copies of your book for specified time periods
• Have some merchandise made up that you can give away
• Create an audio version of your book
• Think about adding pictures of your events and book to Pinterest
• Contact tourist information resources if your book has a local interest.

That’s it folks – that’s what I could come up with. If you have any other suggestions to add then why not share them below.

Marketing Strategies for Amazon Authors

There are a lot of strategies to marketing our books published on Amazon. Surely any writer who plans to profit from their publishing needs to treat it as a business.

Your marketing possibilities for your book contain both the reason you wrote it and the potential readers who stand to benefit from it. Understanding these two points, it’s a lot easier to figure out how to start the communication that will become your marketing effort.

Because promoting information is essentially a form of communication in which both parties are benefited from the process, here in this blog Marketing of Authors, we are going to share with new authors a lot of marketing tips and tactics.

As with everything else in this field, each successful self-publisher have different ways to market their book, and often with surprising ingenuity.

Some people drive online traffic with keyword strategies. Others sell books in the back of the room during presentations and workshops. Some authors become social media “celebrities” amassing huge followings; others become experts and spokespeople for their cause.

So don’t be the publisher who ends up with a garage full of books and suddenly realizes she has no idea what to do with them. Think through your plan as early in the process as you can. Identify your ideal readers and how you can reach them. That is the beginning of marketing your self-published book.

You’re now a self-published author with a book out in the world. Next and last is let us help you to be a successful author!
Enjoy every week our Amazon marketing tips!