If you’ve been on any publishing news sites, I’m sure you’ve heard about AI (artificial intelligence) and more specifically, ChatGPT. AI  is really ramping up across all industries, including publishing.

In this episode we’re not only breaking down what AI is and how it can be used, but also sharing our predications of how it might change publishing as well as how books are written. Will an AI start writing books? You’ll have to tune in to find out!

Remember to leave a review for the podcast and email us to let us know, we’re always finding creative ways to thank followers!

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Publishing appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

With all the talk around TikTok these days, it’s easy to forget the power of Instagram for authors.

And with over one billion monthly active users, it can’t be discounted.

I really like Instagram for a variety of reasons.

First off, we also can’t talk Instagram for authors without mentioning the #Bookstagram hashtag! This is used by book reviewers, bloggers, and influencers to showcase books, and being featured by a Bookstagrammer is a fantastic boost to any author’s career.

But if we dig deeper, it’s also easier to brand your Instagram page because of how your content appears under your profile. It’s very visual, and very different from Facebook, Twitter and others that require a lot of scrolling before you get a real feel about the person or company.

In contrast, Instagram is very creative, and you can have lots of fun playing with colors, image formats, and themes.

Well-designed visual posts do so well on this platform because the brain is an image processor, not a word processor. So imagery (and video) have the ability to build a powerful message and following.

Not only does it allow writers to connect and engage with their readers, but it’s also a great way for writers to showcase their work and build an identity for themselves.

Given the highly visual nature of Instagram, it’s best to start with a well-thought-out strategy and post content that resonates with your target audience.

Part 1: Instagram for Authors Starts With Creating Content

1. Start with a Goal

Maybe this sounds silly, but it’s interesting to note how many authors get onto the various social media platforms with no real goal in mind. Maybe aside from simply selling books, but that’s not a viable goal for social media, it’s not Amazon.

Deciding on a realistic goal will depend on where you are in the publishing process and your genre.

For example, if you’ve written a non-fiction book and your goal is to push your business, sell your services or build your speaking career, then your Instagram will look vastly different from a fiction author – because your goals are different. But regardless of your genre, one goal should definitely be networking – and this is something that Instagram really excels at.

So what kind of networking makes sense for your topic or genre?

What are your other goals for using social media? How will that affect how you use the site?

2. Know Your Audience

Instagram for authors is driven by the audience, so it’s important to understand who your targets are. Knowing who your audience is and what type of content they engage with will help you create content that will be most effective in reaching your goals.

So where do you start? Well, start by following a few similar accounts and let their feeds inspire some ideas.

3. Choose Some Tracks

Once you know who your audience is, it’s time to decide your content tracks. By “tracks” I mean what will you talk about.

This is often the toughest thing about Instagram for authors – and I get it, what you’ll talk about and share isn’t always easy. That’s why I recommend finding five tracks you consistently speak to.

Obviously one of them will be your book, so sharing new reviews or good news related to your book.

Another track could be personal info you’re willing to share. Maybe posting about your pets, or a recipe you made, or a recent vacation, you get the idea. Being likable and relatable will dramatically improve your presence so don’t forget this important element of social media.

For non-fiction authors this process of finding tracks might be easier but the reason this exercise is important is because it’ll help keep you focused.

If you have five tracks you can focus on creating content to fill those five categories and I promise you, it will make managing your account much less labor-intensive.

4. Create High-Quality Content

Now that you have your goals, audience and tracks in mind, it’s time to start creating content. Make sure to create high-quality content that stands out and resonates with your target audience. This could be anything from eye-catching photos, branded imagery, and even memes and short videos. I love using Canva for image creation, it has so many templates and it’s also really easy to color match to your existing color palate.

5. Show Your Personality

This is a big one! It’s so important to showcase your personality, especially on social media.

This can be done through captions, quotes, and other forms of content that show off who you are as a writer. And the reason I love this is that it helps to build a more genuine connection with your followers.

Part 2: Instagram for Authors Also Requires Smart Promotion

1. Use Hashtags

Hashtags are a great way to increase the reach of your content and get your posts in front of a larger audience. When using hashtags, it’s important to use relevant ones that are related to your content theme. This will help ensure that your post is seen by the right people.

For authors this can get tricky, so my biggest tip is to make sure you create a bank of relevant hashtags that speaks to your position as an author, but also your personality and the interests of your audience. For example #mysteryauthor, #bookhumor and #momlife are all very much viable on the same account.

2. Collaborate with Other Writers

Collaborating with other writers is a great way to increase your reach on Instagram. You could collaborate on content creation, or you could use each other’s social networks to help promote each other’s work.

3. Network with Other Writers

A like or a comment goes a long way so don’t be stingy with these. It’s a really great way to network with other authors, bookstagrammers, bloggers, and influencers! Tagging each other and sharing each other’s content is also a simple way to show some support and encourage organic interest between your followers.

Part 3: Instagram for Authors Relies on Strong Engagement

1. Reply to Comments

One of the best ways to engage with your followers is to reply to their comments. This will show that you are actively engaging with your audience, and it will help build relationships with them. At the very least, always like comments (if you’re short on time).

2. Ask Questions

Asking questions is a great way to get your followers to engage with your content. This could be anything from asking for their opinion on a book idea or detail or asking for feedback on a recent post – or sometimes it’s best to keep it simple, and fun, like asking for tips on how to deal with daylight savings changes, or ideas for really great appetizers for an upcoming book club.

3. Host Contests

Hosting contests is a great way to increase engagement and get your followers involved. If you’re on social media you’ll have seen these before, and they’re amazingly effective. Ask for likes, ask them to comment, and to tag a friend, in exchange for a chance to win a free signed copy or a gift card. The point is, you want to give people an incentive to engage with you more.

And this is important in terms of Instagram for authors because the more you engage with an account, the more you see their content. So by encouraging engagement, and making it worth their while, you’re guaranteeing they’ll see all of your posts more consistently.

4. Share User-Generated Content

Sharing user-generated content is a great way to show your followers that you appreciate their support. This could be anything from reposting their photos or using their quotes in your captions. Don’t forget to cite them appropriately and tag their account, even encourage your followers to follow them too.

Instagram for authors is fun and rewarding, and if you haven’t experimented with it, now is a great time. If you’re social media fatigued, I think you’ll find Instagram an easy place to get some traction. Not to mention it’s a great place to build a fan base, and engage with your readers.

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right-hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much-needed levity!

The post Instagram for Authors: How to Engage More Readers & Avoid Burnout appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

We talk about book covers a lot, because they really are that important.

Your book cover alone can keep a potential buyer interested long enough to read your description – or it can send them scrolling without a second glance – and you won’t ever get that potential sale back.

So we decided to each share our number one pet peeve when we’re assessing whether or not a book cover is strong enough to compete it today’s market.

Our goal for this episode is to focus on just a couple elements of book cover design, and spend a bit more time explaining why these details are so critical to the first impression you make with potential buyers.

Do you think you’ll be surprised? Let us know!

Remember to leave a review for the podcast and email us to let us know, we’re always finding creative ways to thank followers!

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right-hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much-needed levity!

The post Book Covers: Our Biggest Book Cover Pet Peeves appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Websites for writers are necessary to showcase published work, reviews and accolades, an in-depth bio, and other pertinent information that will matter to readers and other visitors, like media and influencers.

In short, it’s essential for your success.

But websites for writers don’t often include media pages because as a new author, or even a veteran author that hasn’t hit your stride, you may not have much to showcase.

However, an author’s website is the go-to destination for readers to find out more about you and your writing, and (even if you’re brand new) a media page is the perfect way to add an extra layer of information about you and your work – and convince them to buy.

On a media page you can display anything from book covers, author photos, reviews, and more. It makes for a great one-stop destination to showcase all the highlights of your work, as well as supply reviewers or influencers with a way to easily get high-resolution covers images and author photos.

I’m going to go through the steps of creating a media page on your author website and discuss different types of content you can add to it to really bring your site to life.

Step 1: Planning Your Media Page

Before you start adding content, take some time to consider what type of information you want to display, how you want to organize it, and how you want to make it visually appealing. If you’re a new author, you may not have a lot of information, but if this is your 8^th book, you’ll probably have a lot more!

Think about the types of content you want to show off in your media page, such as book covers, author photos, reviews, and other marketing materials.

And even if you just have one book out, you should still think long-term.

Think about how you would organize this if this was your 10^th book? For example, you may want to categorize different types of content, such as creating a “Book Covers” section and a “Reviews” section.

Once you have a general plan in place, it’s time to start adding content.

Step 2: Adding Content to Your Media Page

Now that you have a plan for your media page, it’s time to start adding content.

Websites for authors are often pretty basic, which is perfectly fine, we’re fans of quality over quantity, but when it comes to your media page, the more you can pack it full of content that makes you look good, the better.

Book covers and author photos: If you’re displaying book covers, author photos, and other images, you’ll need to upload them to your website.

This can be done by uploading them directly to the website, most have enough virtual space to hold basic elements like book covers and author photos, but you can also link to them from an image hosting site such as Imgur or Flickr, or even a file storing site like Dropbox.

Reviews, reviews, reviews: For reviews, mentions, features, book spotlights, it’s always a good idea to link to them but also list them on your media page.

So grab the review copy and paste it onto your website with the proper citation, and then add a link to where the post appeared originally.

If you’re sharing a book spotlight, just a link to the spotlight is fine.

The same is true for a book excerpt.

Other reviews such as a Midwest Book Review and others, can be copied verbatim with the citation and a link.

Media mentions: Websites for authors are often short on big media mentions, but that’s entirely normal, just don’t be shortsighted!

Anything positive that’s been mentioned online – large or small, should be added, and again, with a citation and a link.

Keep in mind that sometimes links “disappear” – I’ve had stories run on me that get archived and vanish into the archival ether, so grabbing a screenshot is always a good idea. You may not want to post this on your media page from the jump, but it’s handy to have if the link should disappear.

Other marketing materials: For other marketing materials such as press releases and promotional videos, you can simply link to the relevant pages or upload the video to your website or grab the HTML code from sites like YouTube or Vimeo to showcase it there.

Speaking and events: If you’re a speaker, or even if you’re planning a book tour or even local events, be sure to showcase your speaker one sheet (if you have one), highlight your tour stops and details, or your event details.

Bonus tip: showcasing “past engagements” is a clever way to let people know you’re in demand, and everyone wants a sure thing, so keeping a list of past events or presentations you’ve given as you’re pitching for new opportunities can carry a lot of weight.

Contact information: This is always a good idea, even if you have a contact page, as are links to any social media accounts that you have.

Step 3: Organizing Your Content

Once you’ve added the content to your media page, it’s time to organize it.

This is where you can really get creative, so think about how you want to organize your content to make it visually appealing and easy to navigate.

If you’re displaying images such as book covers, author photos, and other graphics, you may want to arrange them in a grid or slideshow format. You can also use a carousel or masonry layout to display your images in an attractive way.

For reviews, you may want to create a section dedicated to reviews. You can organize the reviews by book or category, or simply list them in chronological order.

Step 4: Promoting Your Media Page

I say this a lot in our podcast: websites for authors should promote the best of the best of the brand – so your media page should be something you are proud of.

So, the last step in creating a media page on your author website is to promote it.

You want to make sure it’s easy to find and that readers know it’s there.

It should be prominent on your navigation.

You should also link to your media page from other pages on your website, such as your home page and book pages.

Promote it on social media, in newsletters, and on other websites.

You want readers, reviewers, and influencers to be able to get to it easily.

A media page isn’t something that’s often talked about, but it’s an important element of any website, especially websites for authors, and your brand.

With the right content and a little bit of creative design, you can really make your media page stand out and make a great impression on readers.

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right-hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much-needed levity!

The post Websites for Writers: Why You Need a Media Page appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

You got a great endorsement or review, or maybe you won an award, or finally set up your newsletter – so what do you do now?

A lot of authors have a checklist of things they know they should do, but most forget that each achievement can (and should) be turned into a handful of other wins or positive additions to your marketing and promotion.

Our goal for this episode is to help you develop a simple, yet strategic, approach that makes the most out of every dollar and hour you spend trying to ensure your book and author brand becomes a success!

Remember to leave a review for the podcast and email us to let us know, we’re always finding creative ways to thank followers!

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post How to Make the Most Out of Every Single Win appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

A reader magnet can pop up anywhere. We all get lots of offers to join mailing lists, right? Whether it’s a 10% off code or access to exclusive content, we’ve all been targeted, and if we’re being honest, most of us have taken advantage of an offer because of a reader magnet.

But more importantly, how does having a reader magnet benefit you as an author?

A reader magnet is a piece of content that an author offers for free to entice readers to join their email list or follow them on social media. The idea is to provide readers with something of value in exchange for their contact information and permission to communicate with them in the future.

So Why Does a Reader Magnet Matter?

We often rely on social media to help us build relationships with readers, and while that can happen, it’s not ideal for communication.

Announcements are fun, and engagement is fun, but a robust newsletter will allow you to communicate directly with your reader. As more books are published, a newsletter is no longer an option but it’s a mandatory part of your author brand.

And the idea is that you create a reader magnet that’s interesting to your readers.

Let’s dig into some of the characteristics of a reader magnet that will really pique their interest:

• It should matter to the reader: we’re going to discuss some content ideas in a minute, but the bottom line is that a good reader magnet is something your reader actually wants. Don’t use some throwaway idea because it’s easiest for you, because it absolutely won’t interest them.
• Be open to experimenting with various reader magnets: Not all of your reader magnet ideas will be a success right out of the gate. Plan to experiment with various ideas. I recommend giving a reader magnet 90 days to 6 months before swapping it out. And be mindful that this experimentation time is also based on how much effort you’re putting into pushing people to your website and encouraging sign-ups.
• Make it easy: The idea behind a reader magnet is to get an email so you can remarket to your reader or potential reader, so be mindful of the information you request. Name and email address are really all you need to start, because the more information you ask for, the higher probability of someone moving on.

Reader Magnet Ideas Your Followers Will Love

Some of these may seem exclusive to fiction but don’t let semantics limit your options, most of these options apply to all topics and genres with a little creativity.

• Short story: Offer a short story that is related to your book or series. Make sure it is engaging and stands alone, so readers who haven’t read your book can still enjoy it.
• Cutting room floor: What didn’t make it into your book? Could that be something fun that you could offer to readers? Again, it should stand alone if at all possible.
• Exclusive content: Offer exclusive content that’s not available anywhere else. This could include deleted scenes (the cutting room floor items mentioned above), character interviews, or world-building information.
• Sample chapters: Offer the first few chapters of your book as a free download. You could offer just enough to whet their appetite with a cliffhanger which could entice readers to buy the full book.
• Worksheets or checklists: Create a helpful worksheet or checklist that is related to your book’s theme. For example, if you write non-fiction, create a worksheet that helps readers apply your book’s principles to their lives. We did a book marketing planner and readers absolutely love this, it has been one of our best reader magnets to date!
• Audio version: Audio is so huge these days, why not create an audio version of your book’s first chapter or maybe a related short story? Many readers enjoy listening to books while they exercise, commute, or do chores.
• Discount code: Offer a discount code for your book or a related product. Make sure it’s only available to subscribers to encourage readers to join your email list.
• Interactive experience: Create an interactive experience that is related to your book. For example, if you write a mystery novel, create a scavenger hunt or puzzle that readers can solve. If you’ve written fantasy what about access to the “world” you created in your book? This doesn’t have to be elaborate, you could create images of the world your characters live in, or images of the characters themselves, readers even love maps and other things to help immerse them in the story. Or perhaps give subscribers access to exclusive pages with resources to further their education!
• Prizes and gift cards: These also make for a fun reader magnet. Offer a monthly drawing of a $5 gift card to Amazon, Etsy or Starbucks, whatever makes sense for your reader demographic. The idea is that they have to read the newsletter in order to know if they won. So each month you pull a name out of a virtual hat and that winner is announced in the newsletter. Give them a week or so to respond and if they don’t respond, the money goes back into the pot for next month. The reason you want to put a time limit on claiming a prize is so that you don’t get people emailing you six months from now, etc. It’s just too confusing to leave it open-ended.

Getting Sign-Ups for Your Reader Magnet

So now that you’ve created a reader magnet, you want people to sign up for your newsletter, right?

First up, make sure you have your reader magnet mentioned in the back of your book. If you’ve written a non-fiction book, you can probably sprinkle your enticing offer throughout the book.

On your website, your newsletter sign-up should be mentioned prominently.

Make sure your newsletter sign-up is above the fold, meaning: you don’t want to make readers scroll to find it. It should be clearly visible when they land on your home page.

Reader Magnet Wrap-Up

A good reader magnet can help you grow your mailing list and create a community that you can tap into any time you’d like.

Just remember, that the goal of a reader magnet is to provide value to your readers, so make sure whatever you offer is something they will genuinely enjoy and appreciate.

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post The Definitive Author Guide to Creating a Reader Magnet appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

It’s not easy trying to compete as a how-to or self-help author, and Penny knows this first hand.

Not just from the 18 books she’s written and released, but also because she and her team have worked with hundreds of books in this genre!

Our goal for this episode is to candidly tackle the challenges you’re likely facing, and offer up ways to improve both your platform and your book’s sales potential.

Honestly, anyone writing non-fiction will benefit from this episode, so don’t miss it.

Remember to leave a review for the podcast and email us to let us know, we’re always finding creative ways to thank followers!

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post How to Sell More Copies of Your How-to or Self-Help Title appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

I’m always surprised when I talk to authors who aren’t focused on getting Goodreads reviews or  using the site to build their brand.

And I get it, we often get so focused on the latest new thing (like Tiktok), we forget some of the best places to find new readers. And Goodreads is one of those places.

If you weren’t aware, Goodreads is the top social media platform where readers can connect with authors, as well as with other readers. Amazon bought Goodreads in 2013 and at that time it had 10 million members, now that number is well over 125 million.

In recent months I’ve also noticed that Goodreads rankings and reviews are being dropped into Amazon – so if you think Goodreads doesn’t matter, think again.

Breaking Down the Benefits of Goodreads

The heart of it is that it’s a great way for authors to find more readers and build relationships with them. And reviews? Yes, you can get reviews on Goodreads, too and – as I mentioned – these are now starting to show up on Amazon as well.

Define your Target Reader Audience

The first step in connecting with readers on Goodreads is to find and define the target audience. Which maybe sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed how many authors don’t start here.

The whole, “everyone wants to read this book!” is not only a bad marketing message, but a target that’s far too broad. The same is true for picking a too-broad genre.

By understanding your specific genre, you can create content that resonates with them. A smart way to do this is by researching the interests of the readers and understanding their behaviors, beliefs, and preferences. This information can be found on Goodreads in user profiles and in the reviews of books on their shelves. Authors can also use the data provided by Goodreads to narrow down their target audience.

Engaging with Readers and Goodreads Reviews

Once you’ve identified your target audience, the next step is to engage with them.

You can do this by connecting with readers on the platform, responding to reader reviews, joining reader groups, and creating content that resonates with the readers. It sounds like a lot of extra work, but I promise you, it’s not.

Unlike most social media sites, Goodreads doesn’t require a lot of “care and feeding” – getting on there once a week to log into your group or groups and responding to reviews is an easy way to connect with readers. Connecting your blog also helps to boost what you’re putting out there to be discovered.

It’s also a great way to build relationships and show readers that you’re accessible.

In terms of reader reviews, I’m a fan of responding to both positive and negative reviews.

This demonstrates a willingness to listen to feedback and engage in a dialogue with readers.

Authors should always be respectful and non-confrontational when responding to reviews, and avoid responding to caustic reviews that aren’t helpful.

And I know, we all dislike negative reviews, and I’ve gotten them too, but often they help me produce better books.

Joining Reader Groups on Goodreads

I love reader groups and they’re a great way to build relationships with readers and learn more about their interests. You can join reader groups related to your book’s genre or topic. Not only is this a great way to connect with readers directly, but the insight you can pull from these groups is fantastic as well.

Finding out what readers are interested in and what drives them to buy is priceless information.

Creating Content Readers Will Love

I mentioned connecting your blog to your author profile page, but you could also create video content, too.

And video is just massive right now, so when you’re ready to start having fun with video, Goodreads is a great place to upload them.

Consider sharing 5 things most people don’t know about you, maybe a quick tour of your writing space, introduce your four-legged writing coach, talk about what you’re currently working on…you get the idea!

The Power of the Goodreads Giveaway

I love doing these. And I know that the price is a deterrent for many, but in my view, the benefits really outweigh the cost.

Not just for the potential of getting more Goodreads reviews, but everyone who enters your giveaway gets your book added to their “to be read” shelf on Goodreads.

And if you’re in groups, they often have a dedicated thread where authors can promote exciting things happening, so be sure you find those options as well.

Build Lasting Relationships on Goodreads

I know that a lot of authors zero in on platforms and opportunities with one thing in mind: to sell books. And I get it. But building relationships with readers has more long-term benefits than a one-and-done promotion.

And that’s the primary reason I love Goodreads and how it differs from all the other marketing strategies out there: the relationships you can build.

Connecting with readers on the Goodreads platform and building a strong reader following won’t happen overnight, or with a few visits to the site.

But if you follow the principles outlined above and stay consistent with how often you show up, I guarantee you’ll consider it a cornerstone of your brand before too long.

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post How to Get More Goodreads Reviews and Connect with Readers appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Permissions aren’t fun or sexy – but they’re necessary. Any time you’re using someone else’s words, praise, input or inspiration there are right and wrong ways to go about it.

Our goal for this episode is to share some pitfalls other authors have experienced so you can better avoid them!

Remember to leave a review for the podcast and email us to let us know, we’re always finding creative ways to thank followers!

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post Getting Permission to Use Reviews, Blurbs and Likenesses appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Publishing a book is no small feat, but once you’ve finished your masterpiece, now comes the hard part: marketing it to get noticed by readers. Thankfully, there are plenty of book marketing services that can help you reach your target audience and make your book stand out from the crowd.

#1 Evaluate Your Needs, Goals and Budget

Before you start looking at book marketing services, it’s important to evaluate your needs and set your goals for success. Think about what kind of services you need, how much time and money you can commit to the project and what results you’re expecting. Knowing this in advance will save you a lot of time and help you find the best services to meet your requirements.

#2 Research Book Marketing Services Companies

After you’ve identified your marketing requirements and expectations, the next step is to research book marketing service companies. Start by looking at those that specialize in working with authors and publishers. Look at the services they offer, their fees and customer reviews. If a book marketer offers any type of guarantee or ensures a certain level of engagement, it might be worth considering. But here’s a tip: Be cautious about such guarantees. What are they? What does it mean, specifically.

I’ve had authors come to me discouraged with other book marketing services because their “guarantees” had little to no impact on the visibility for their book. For example, if a company says “We’ll get your book out to 30,000 accounts on Twitter!” In my mind, this would prompt some questions like: What kind of accounts? How will you do this? Will these people actually care about my book?

It’s good to know these specifics going in, before you commit because guarantees need to be specific for them to actually have any value.

#3 Verify Their Reputation

Before you make the final decision on a book marketing service, verify their reputation and find out what other authors or publishers have to say about them. Check customer reviews and look for any feedback to see if the services they provide match their promise. You can also check with industry experts and other authoritative sources to get unbiased opinions. It’s important to know what kind of experiences others have had so that you can make an informed decision.

#4 Consider Their Specialties

Before you make your final decision on a book marketing service, it’s important to consider their specialties and see if they align with your goals. Some services specialize in different types of books such as fiction or non-fiction while others focus on particular genres like romance or business books. Knowing what kind of books they have experience working with is essential in selecting the right book marketing service for your needs. Also, find out how they work. While some book publicists have a monthly retainer, others don’t operate that way – we have never had monthly retainers mostly because it hasn’t made sense for our authors. So be clear on what they charge, how they charge and what’s included.

#5 Read the Contracts

I’m a big fan of this – and I’m always amazed at how many authors sign with services and never read the contracts. I get it, reading a contract isn’t fun. I mean when was the last time you read the terms of service for an iPhone? If you’re like most people, you probably never have. But contracts for book marketing services are different. If there are guarantees get that in writing, make sure they are specific. If there is a list of deliverables, make sure that list is in the contract or proposal – whatever document you’re signing should have all of the details of what they’re providing.

#6 Secure Long-Term Support Services

When you choose a book marketing service, make sure to ask them about the other types of support they can provide beyond just helping with initial promotions. This includes things like getting more Influencers to share your book, doing Amazon optimization, continuing with Amazon ads, running promotions on Goodreads or BookBub, you get the idea.

Once you find a company you like, you’ll probably want to stick with them and that’s great. Book marketing services vary widely so be prepared to spend some time on the phone with folks, ask smart questions and bottom line: get it all in writing.

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post 6 Tips for Choosing the Right Book Marketing Services appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

We know it’s tempting to want to do all the right things to get your book out there.

But in reality, it’s more important to do the right things, at the right time!

Our goal for this episode is to help you avoid getting caught up in the whirlwind of marketing and publicity, and instead, help you feel confident creating a plan that you can both manage, and get a solid return from.

Remember to leave a review for the podcast and email us to let us know, we’re always finding creative ways to thank followers!

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post How to Make the Most Out of Every Marketing Dollar appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

It’s hard to go to any publishing event, or read any news piece on the industry and not find some reference to BookTok which began its rise on TikTok in August of 2020.

Not only had BookTok become an online sensation, the recommendations in this stream have also found their way onto bookstore shelves – some of which have entire shelves recommended by “Booktokkers” a name given to decided TikTok users who use the Booktok stream or hashtag to recommend books. Their influence is so powerful, that 20 million books were sold in 2021 with the help of Tiktok.

And for this reason, lots and lots of authors want to jump into this selling stream. But before you jump into this, let’s first uncover what BookTok is, exactly as well as the demographics of the TikTok platform.

What is BookTok?

BookTok, at its most basic, is a hashtag that grew in popularity on TikTok. Users would share books, book recommendations or their colorful bookshelves using the #booktok hashtag and the rest, as they say, is history.

The #Booktok hashtag is an innovative platform that enables authors to promote their books and gain a larger readership. It is a great way to reach an engaged audience of potential readers, as well as to connect with influencers and other authors. Even if an author does not have a robust TikTok profile, they can still take advantage of BookTok’s unique features to market their book.

Understanding the Demographics of TikTok

Being a relatively new app, TikTok is primarily popular with the GenZ crowd but according to Wallaroo Media, these numbers are changing fast. In fact, while 60% of it’s users are between 16-24, 80% are between the ages of 16-34 and 26% are between the ages of 24-44 – but this number is growing as older users start to find their way onto the platform. Much like what happened to Facebook and Instagram, as social media sites grow in popularity, they start to pull in a wider variety of users.

Now, let’s explore various creative and effective ways that any author can market their book on BookTok, regardless of their TikTok presence. We will look at how authors can create engaging content, build relationships with other authors, and use analytics to track the performance of their campaigns. We will also discuss how to leverage influencers and leverage the power of trends and hashtags. By the end, you should have a better understanding of how to effectively promote your book on BookTok, even if you don’t have a large following.

Creating Engaging Content to Propel your #Booktok Success

The first step in marketing your book on BookTok is to create engaging content. This includes videos, images, captions, and more. Your content should be unique, interesting, and engaging. It should also have an element of surprise and provide value to your followers.

To make sure your content is of high quality, you should focus on the details. Look for ways to add extra elements to your content, such as text and animation. You can also experiment with different video lengths and formats and use editing tools to make your videos more visually appealing.

Once you have created your content, you should post it regularly. This will help you stay top of mind with your followers and increase the chances that they will engage with your content. You can also try to repurpose content from other platforms, such as Instagram and Twitter, to maximize your reach.

Building Relationships with Other Authors on TikTok

In addition to creating engaging content, you should also focus on building relationships with other authors. This is an important part of marketing your book on BookTok, as authors can support each other and help promote each other’s work.

There are several ways to do this. You can start by commenting on other authors’ posts and engaging with them on their videos. You can also join groups and communities on BookTok and take part in conversations there. You can also reach out to other authors directly to see if they would like to collaborate on a project.

Using Analytics to Track Performance on TikTok

Once you have created content and started building relationships with other authors, you should track the performance of your campaigns. This is important, as it will allow you to identify what is working and what isn’t.

BookTok has an analytics feature that allows you to track the engagement, reach, and performance of your campaigns. You can also view the demographics of your followers and the performance of individual posts. This information can help you refine your campaigns and ensure that you are targeting the right audience.

Leveraging Influencers on TikTok

Influencers can be a great way to reach a larger audience and increase the visibility of your book. By partnering with influencers, you can get your book in front of their followers and potentially increase your sales.

To find influencers to work with, you can search for hashtags related to your book or look for authors in your genre. You can also look for influencers who have a large following and are active on BookTok. Once you have identified potential influencers, you can reach out to them and see if they would be interested in partnering with you. Keep in mind though that some influencers charge for this service – meaning to share your book on their platform. Not all do, but for some it’s become a very lucrative business!

Leveraging Trends and Hashtags on TikTok

Trends and hashtags can be a great way to increase the visibility of your book. By leveraging popular trends and hashtags, you can increase your reach and potentially get more people to discover your book.

When using trends and hashtags, you should make sure that they are relevant to your book. For example, if you are promoting a fantasy novel, you might use the hashtag #fantasybooks. You should also make sure to use trending hashtags, as this will help you reach a larger audience.

Ready, Set, Go BookTok Promotion

With the right strategies and tools, any author can market their book on BookTok, even if they don’t have a robust profile. By creating engaging content, building relationships with other authors, and leveraging trends and hashtags, authors can increase their visibility and reach a larger audience. They can also use analytics to track the performance of their campaigns and leverage influencers to get their book in front of more people.

By following these steps, authors can use BookTok to effectively promote their books and gain a larger readership. So, don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a large following – you can still use BookTok to market your book and reach new readers.

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Marketing plans for authors almost always include pitching influencers and media, learn more here!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post A Step-By-Step Guide to Using BookTok on TikTok for Book Marketing appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

On a recent minisode of our podcast for authors we covered permissions.

We know, permissions aren’t fun or sexy – but they’re necessary, so stick with us.

Any time you’re using someone else’s words, praise, input or inspiration there are right and wrong ways to go about it.

We had an author come to us recently that has this fantastic historical fiction title based on a well-known band from the 70s, but he neglected to factor in permissions, and some of the band members are still alive – so now he’s dealing with that – and believe me, it’s not fun.

Yes, that’s an extreme example, but a more common one that’s relevant to a lot of you is Amazon’s relatively new A+ Content feature.

A lot of authors want to use it to showcase reviews, blurbs, or awards, but we caution against that in most cases because Amazon takes these claims very seriously. Be prepared to back up your claims, and be even more prepared to not make Amazon think too hard about it – when in doubt they’ll ding you for it, they may even pull your book.

So just know reviews, blurbs and likenesses are a big element of keeping your business of being an author on the up and up. And when in doubt, consult with a literary attorney. I assure you their consulting fee is worth it in the long run.

So take a listen to the full episode just below, it’s less than 10 minutes long, and may save you some headaches in what we hope will be a long career in publishing!

Full-length episodes from our podcast for authors go live every other Thursday. You can stream episodes from our website, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Plus, you’ll want to follow us on your preferred podcast platform in order to catch our helpful (and often comical) minisodes that go live every other Friday.

The minisodes are a grab bag of topics that include industry rants, publishing predictions and breaking news, basic (yet critical) business advice for authors, and more!

Do you have suggestions for future episodes?

We would love to hear from you in the comments section!

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Marketing plans for authors almost always include pitching influencers and media, learn more here!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post Getting Permission to Use Reviews, Blurbs and Likenesses appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have probably heard a lot about AI in publishing in recent months.

More specifically, AI (artificial intelligence) actually writing books, narrating audio books, and the like.

If not, AI is here! And 2023 is poised to become a year of major disruption when it comes to using AI in publishing content, and even writing books.

In November of 2022, ChatGPT jumped into the fray with multiple ways to create content, not just books but blog posts, press releases and book descriptions on Amazon.

My take: AI is a great disruptor and I’m experimenting with one right now that’s designed to help fiction authors write faster, but most of the ones I’ve tested still need a human component, the author’s unique voice, those nuances that can’t be replicated.

But what about non-fiction writing? Writing that relies on facts, statistics, and black and white concepts? The human component factor becomes either less important or more important depending on type of content you’re writing (and reading), so that will remain a factor, even if AI in publishing becomes more intelligent, which I fully expect it will.

Years ago, long before AI was on the horizon, there were content experts that would use automated writing tools to create books on trending subjects.

Amazon quickly shot this down but as AI becomes smarter, knowing what’s computer generated as opposed to human generated will be harder and harder to figure out.

I found the below links through an article by the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute, and I strongly urge you to read the article and check out a few links, just to familirize yourself with what’s going on.

Even if you’re thinking, “AI in publishing is blasphemous!” you can’t avoid what’s going on in the industry, because whether you plan to use it or not, competitors will be, and it’s better to understand what you’re up against.

Or if you’re into it, just know that before you jump headlong into AI, or working with one of these applications, you’ll need plenty of time to do your due diligence since each comes with its own parameters and restrictions, it’s not one size fits all.

AI in Publishing: Featured Tools

1. Jasper

Jasper uses AI to generate short-form blog, email, landing page, and social media content. Give Jasper a prompt, and it’ll spit out dozens of pieces of short-form content to get you started on your next piece. Jasper will even help you adjust the tone and rewrite or rephrase your copy for the best results possible.

2. MarketMuse

MarketMuse helps you create predictably better content using AI. The platform analyzes huge amounts of web data to identify and write articles that drive search traffic.

3. Persado

Persado is the AI content generation and decisioning platform that delivers personalized content at scale. The platform uses the world’s largest database of words and phrases tagged and scored for consumer marketing.

4. Writer

Writer is an AI writing assistant that keeps writers across the company consistent. It provides real-time suggestions for writers to stay within brand guidelines and brand compliance rules.

5. Aiseo.ai

AISEO uses AI to generate articles that are SEO friendly. It can also paraphrase text and improve readability.

6. Anyword

Anyword is an AI language optimization platform for marketing and sales teams. Using proprietary data and multiple language models, Anyword generates marketing copy that sounds like it was written by a human at the click of a button.

7. Cohere

Cohere offers a range of AI tools and capabilities that help brands write text and classify it.

8. Copy.AI

Copy.AI is an AI-powered copywriting tool. Using it, you can generate social media posts, link descriptions, and blog ideas in seconds.

9. Frase

Frase uses AI to help you research, write, and optimize content. It also gives you deep analytics into how your content is performing.

10. Friday AI

Give Friday AI a prompt and it will automatically create blog posts, letters, and marketing copy. It will even rephrase existing content for you.

11. GoCharlie.AI

GoCharlie is an AI-powered content writing tool. It writes high-quality copy, captions, and hashtags from an image you upload or keywords you provide.

12. Grammarly

Grammarly uses AI to provide real-time writing assistance. It’ll help you correct errors, rephrase writing for tone and style, and stay clear and consistent in your language.

13. HyperWrite

HyperWrite uses the world’s most advanced natural language processing technology to generate completely original content suggestions for users. It uses a variety of AI models that help users write faster and express themselves more clearly.

14. INK for All

INK for All is an AI-powered all-in-one text solution. It writes for you, paraphrases existing language, and optimizes your writing for search.

15. Lavender

Lavender is an AI-powered sales assistant. It helps you write and personalize sales emails more effectively.

16. Lex

Lex uses AI to assist with your writing process, so you can unlock your best writing possible.

17. Lightkey

LightKey is an AI typing assistant. It learns your typing patterns and predicts up to 18 words in advance, which helps you write faster.

18. LongShot AI

LongShot uses AI to create longer-form content. It also does keyword research for you and generates blog post ideas automatically.

19. Lyne.ai

Lyne.ai uses AI to personalize the introduction line of your cold emails. It can write more than 500 intros per hours.

Lyne-ai is your personalized intro line writer for your cold emails. Our AI model can write more than 500 intros per hour, helping you scale your outbound campaigns. By using Lyne introductions for your e-mailing campaigns, you’ll see positive response rates, open rates, and response rates like never before.

20. MikeDocuSieve

MikeDocuSieve is an AI-powered assistant from MikeLegal that offers “lawyer-grade” contract proofreading. It will automatically check any contract for accuracy and precision.

21. Narrato

Narrato is a comprehensive content creation and collaboration platform that includes AI writing capabilities. The platform’s AI automatically generates content briefs, outlines, and copy.

22. neuroflash

Neuroflash is an AI tool that creates short copy at scale.

23. NovelAI

NovelAI uses artificial intelligence to generate fiction stories, and it’s trained on real literature!

24. Nyle AI Content Generation Platform

Nyle AI is an AI-powered content generation platform for ecommerce. Using it, you can automatically create product descriptions, sales emails, and ad copy.

25. Outranking

Outranking uses AI to provide writing assistance. It also does search analysis and offers automated writing workflows.

26. Outwrite

Outwrite is an AI-powered writing assistant. The tool checks your grammar, rates readability, and offers style suggestions.

27. Peppertype.ai

Peppertype.ai generates copy in seconds using AI. It can write everything from blog posts to Facebook ads to Amazon product descriptions.

28. ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is an intelligent writing mentor. It improves your writing by checking and optimizing your text.

29. Rasa.io

Rasa.io uses AI to automatically curate email newsletter content and write newsletter subject lines for you.

30. Rytr

Rytr is an AI writing assistant that creates content for you. It creates over 30 different types of content in 30+ languages.

31. Scalenut

Scalenut uses AI to help companies scale content. The platform generates unique content and automates content planning and production.

32. Sembly

Sembly uses AI to write meeting summaries, along with transcriptions of what was said during the meeting.

33. Simplified

Simplified is an all-in-one design platform that has a built-in AI writing assistant. Using it, you can create blogs, ad copy, and text for videos.

34. Text Blaze

Text Blaze is an intelligent writing productivity tool. It eliminates repetitive typing and mistakes through automated templates.

35. Text Cortex AI

Text Cortex AI is an AI writing solution that dramatically reduces writing time. It does that by automating marketing, website, and sales copy generation.

36. Textmetrics

Textmetrics is an AI-powered augmented writing platform. It reads your text in 12 languages and provides real-time suggestions to improve it.

37. WebSpellChecker

WebSpellChecker is an AI-powered spelling correction and grammar correction platform.

38. WordAi

WordAi uses AI to restructure sentences, paraphrase ideas, and improve content quality so you produce engaging content that search engines love.

39. Wordtune

Wordtune from AI21 Labs uses AI to help you write clearer and more authentically not only in documents, but across social media, in Slack, and in WhatsApp.

40. Writerly

Writerly is an AI copywriting tool that automatically generates over 50 types of writing.

41. Writesonic

Writesonic uses AI to create articles, landing pages, and product descriptions.

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Check out the social media section on our blog.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post AI in Publishing: What’s Really Going On? appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

• What the author is bringing to the table (do they have a platform yet)
• What the author’s future plans are
• How motivated are they to self-promote
• What the reader expectations are for the genre.

Full-length episodes from our book promotion podcast go live every other Thursday. You can stream episodes from our website, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Plus, you’ll want to follow us on your preferred podcast platform in order to catch our helpful (and often comical) minisodes that go live every other Friday.

The minisodes are a grab bag of topics that include industry rants, publishing predictions and breaking news, basic (yet critical) business advice for authors, and more!

Do you have suggestions for future episodes?

We would love to hear from you in the comments section!

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Marketing plans for authors almost always include pitching influencers and media, learn more here!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post The Best Marketing Plans Don’t Waste Any Money appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

I often talk about author websites being a must, anyone who is serious about succeeding and building a solid fan base needs one.

But what gets overdramatized is that author websites must be flashy or expensive. They don’t.

We tend to overcomplicate things when the best thing you can do is simplify.

So I want to break down some of the biggest issues I see on author websites when I do these evaluations, and some quick fixes for each of them.

#1 The Home Page Doesn’t Have a Goal

First and foremost, you need to determine the goals for your homepage – not just your website.

Yes, you want to sell books, but is that all?

Speaking events, media attention, online courses you’ve created, an upcoming second book, are all things you might wish to promote on a website.

Where do you begin? First, be careful how much you cram onto your homepage.

Consider the toothpaste aisle at your local grocery store. Lots of options, lots of different tubes of toothpaste and you know what? It’s overwhelming. The confused mind either doesn’t choose or goes for the familiar.

If you’ve written non-fiction that’s tethered to you or your business, then your primary goal for the homepage likely won’t be selling your book. The goal is probably to get people to use your company, sign up for your consulting, or book you for speaking.

If your book is fiction, then yes you want to have your book on the homepage, but selling your book from the homepage isn’t the top priority either. Honestly, when was the last time you bought a book off an author website? Probably not recently unless you personally knew the author or are an extremely avid fan. For this reason, I’m going to suggest having a mailing list sign up front and center on your website.

Deciding what your #1 goal is for your website will help you simplify the end-user experience, too.

You’ll convert more consumers into fans, followers, and newsletter subscribers and yes, this will also help convert buyers.

#2 The Home Page is Too Wordy

Now that we know the importance of your homepage goal, let’s talk about the words consumers will read on your site, i.e. your website copy.

This is critically important and often overlooked.

Authors and business owners will write their own copy with little idea about how to create compelling verbiage or how to weave calls to action onto the page or to simply keep readers engaged.

I’ve evaluated hundreds of sites and in almost 90% of the cases the reason a site isn’t converting a visitor to a customer is because of the copy.

How do you know if your copy isn’t working? Well, let’s look at some of the biggest issues.

Too much copy: We all fall into this trap, I know I certainly did when I launched my very first website 22 years ago. I had so much copy on the homepage it was astounding. How much is too much? Well, if your copy is more than 250 words, consider cutting it down.

That’s right, I said 250 words. And even then, if you can keep it to 100 words and say what you need to say, great. There’s no hard and fast rule that says you have to hit the 250 mark, but that should be your upper limit in terms of words on your homepage.

Unfocused copy: This harks back to the goal of your homepage, and you may know what your goal is and say, “My goal is to get newsletter sign ups!” or “My goal is to entice readers to want to know more about my book!” If your homepage copy doesn’t mirror that goal, you’re in trouble. Maybe your homepage tells potential readers about your dog, or your recent ski vacation, or something else you’re proud of in your non-author career.

But does that make sense as a first impression? Usually not. Stay focused on the core message of your book. Save the other tidbits about your personality for social media, or your blog, don’t throw everything at people at once.

Requiring the consumer to scroll: Consumers need a really good reason to scroll and even then, it’s pretty iffy. Maybe you have a big banner at the top of your website, and all the books you’ve written scroll along that banner – it’s so pretty, right? Well, sure it is, but now you’re asking potential readers to scroll to get to the good stuff. Sadly, most won’t.

And I’m not telling you to burn that banner off of your website, but consider how consumers surf, which is next up on our list.

#3 Author Websites Don’t Mimic Retail Sites 

There is nothing accidental about Amazon and this includes their product pages.

When was the last time you looked at your book page and I mean, really looked at it? Notice how your eye scans the page.

If you’re like 99.9% of consumers, you scan websites in a Z fashion. This means that your eye starts in the upper left-hand quadrant (so where your book cover is) then scans the book title and finally lands on the price, before the eye wanders down the page.

So what does this mean for your website?

Well, consider what’s in your upper left-hand quadrant, what’s across the top and what’s on the right side. If there are no calls to action and nothing incentivizing your consumer to stay longer, learn more or sign up for something that benefits them in some way, then you’ve wasted a very valuable opportunity.

#4 Author Websites Aren’t Mobile Ready

More consumers are searching on their phones than ever before, it’s really amazed me how much our mobile hits have gone up in the last five years.

And that’s about the time that Google put into place a new SEO trigger (SEO = search engine optimization), which essentially means if you don’t have a mobile version of your website, you likely won’t come up in search – and keep in mind that even if you don’t care about being found on Google, non-mobile websites are much harder to read and navigate on a small screen, so while it’s important to appease Google, it’s also important to make sure your consumer isn’t sent to something they can’t read or navigate through.

So I always pull up author websites on my phone when I’m doing evaluations, and I encourage you to do the same.

If anything seems even slightly “off” then get it fixed, because it’s likely affecting your sales.

#5 There Are Too Many Options

Whenever I do website evaluations, one of the biggest offenders is the navigation.

Ideally, you should have only 4-5 choices, and then drop downs under each if you really have a lot to offer people.

Author websites that give consumers too many options at the jump drive away sales. Because visitors don’t want options, they want answers.

If you want them to spend time on your site, make your navigation easy, clear, and prioritize their time in smart ways.

No, we don’t need to see your gardening pictures unless it relates to your book. And I love that you are also a painter but deciding on the real goal of the website will also help you focus your navigation more. If you are a painter and an author, do you want to sell both paintings and books? Does that really make sense for your long-term goals?

Again, there are other ways to help people get to know you, smart ways, that DO help build fans. Check out the social media section on our blog!

#6 There Isn’t a Newsletter  

Even if you just opt for a basic site, you should still have a mailing list.

Why? Because readers turn into fans and fans love hearing about your next release and – in some cases – fans can also help you spread the word about your book!

So make signing up for your mailing list easy and worthwhile. Consider giving them something in exchange for signing up.

And don’t bury your sign up, don’t make a reader scroll – because most won’t.

Make sure your sign up and your reader magnet are up top, ideally on the right-hand side of your website.

#7 They Promote the Wrong Things

Maybe this sounds silly, I mean why would you promote something that doesn’t put you and your work in the best light?

But it’s amazing how many times I see an author with social media icons that don’t link anywhere, or a bio that’s outdated, or copy that talks about your “upcoming book” that released 6 months ago. If you haven’t updated your blog in months, don’t showcase it.

Just like anything else, when it comes to author websites, details matter.

It makes you look like you don’t take yourself seriously, which isn’t a good sales strategy either.

#8 They Don’t Have a Blog

I get it. You already struggle to write your books, do the marketing, and stay current on the industry, and now I want you to blog, too.

Keep in mind that a blog isn’t just a great tool to get Google to love you, or a great way to get ranked higher in search engines.

A good blog is a communication tool between you and your reader.

It’s a chance for the reader to get to know you – because we tend to buy things from people we like, especially when it comes to books.

I’m not suggesting that you write a blog post a week. Once a month will be fine and I’ve done a lot of posts on blogging and ideas for topics and such so I won’t spend time in this blog post discussing specific ideas, but a blog on your website helps to get the conversation going with readers, and a great author blog can help keep readers engaged and coming back for more!

Your Website Isn’t Set It and Forget It

Author websites should be reviewed once a quarter, no exceptions.

I’m always surprised at things I find, or don’t find even, on my own site. And why is that? Because I’ve been doing this a long time, and my company has evolved, and the industry has evolved, and the reader experience has evolved – you get the idea.

Your website should be an accurate reflection of what you have to offer right now.

It’s all a part of your first impression and your chance to sell your book.

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Check out the social media section on our blog.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post Author Websites: 8 Mistakes That Are Costing You Book Sales appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Coming up with clever book promotions and marketing ideas feels like a full time job on most days.

And I appreciate that so many authors are getting savvy to the fact that that’s the reality, and I’ve been consulting with a lot of you this year already on how to make the most of your efforts.

Yes, I encourage you to download our monthly book marketing planner, and I preach constantly about consistency, but I think there are still a lot of missed opportunities because it’s easy to forget to maximize every single effort – to turn one good thing into three or even 5 good things.

So Amy and I kicked off our podcast this year with an episode on making the most of every single win.

We want you to get more out of your book promotions and marketing efforts, especially if that means you’ll have more time to write!

So please check out this episode, we think it’s a fantastic way to kick off 2023 and promote the “work smarter not harder” vibe!

Hopefully you’re intrigued enough to listen to the whole episode, and we look forward to your feedback on the show!

Full-length episodes from our book promotion podcast go live every other Thursday. You can stream episodes from our website, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Plus, you’ll want to follow us on your preferred podcast platform in order to catch our helpful (and often comical) minisodes that go live every other Friday.

The minisodes are a grab bag of topics to include industry rants, publishing predictions and breaking news, basic (yet critical) business advice for authors, and more!

Do you have suggestions for future episodes?

We would love to hear from you in the comments section!

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Check out the media section on our blog.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

The post Get More From Your Book Promotions and Marketing Efforts appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Are you ready to learn how to sell more books from your author website?

Maybe Amazon is proving to be too competitive, or perhaps you just want more freedom to do discounts and promotions, either way, there’s definitely a right way, and wrong way, to go about it.

Fortunately, our friends over at the Alliance of Independent Authors are always committed to putting out great content, and creating a better publishing industry overall, and I was really thrilled to come across this detailed piece. Read on for all their recommendations and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter, and tune into their podcast!

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Books on your Author Website

When cosy mystery bestseller Morgana Best was interviewed by ALLi in 2018, alongside the great advice she offered to indie authors she asked an important question: “Why build your empire on rented land?”

“Own and develop your own real estate,” Morgana said. “Send readers to your own website or your own app – to anything you own.” Excellent advice.

“Direct selling” as it is known, selling books to readers on your own author website, is one of the seven pillars of Self-Publishing 3.0. and we are seeing more and more of our most successful members doing this. It’s easy to see why. Direct sales not only bring higher revenue, they allow us to learn more about our readers, create a direct relationship with them, and strengthen our author platform in numerous ways.

When you adopt a direct-selling mindset, your website becomes your central hub online. It’s the first thing that readers find in search engines when they google your name. It’s where you establish your author brand. It’s where you begin the job of captivating and engaging them, offering them reader magnets that encourage them to sign up for your list, as well as the opportunity to buy your books.

Readers are immersed in what you are about as soon as they arrive on your site. Its look, feel and content encompass everything you do, who you are, and your promise to them.

Your aim over time is to build a sustainable business on your own terms and not put all your publishing eggs in somebody else’s basket. But it’s important to say that the recommendation to make your own website your primary sales tool is not a recommendation to take your books off other retailers. Online retailers like Amazon, Apple, Kobo and others make amazing things happen for authors, every day.

It is, however, about recognizing the difference between two kinds of readers who buy oyur books from Amazon, Apple, Kobo or other online-bookstore. The first are those who go there looking for your kind of book and find yours. The second are those who go to that store specifically to buy your book, because they read a review, or heard you on a podcast, or were pulled in by your book launch, or they saw your ad or other promotion.

In the first case, the retailer introduces the reader to your book. Your score! In the second, your book brought the reader to the retailer. Their score!

Of course, most authors are delighted to have a reader make a purchase any which way that suits them. As we are delighted to see our books borrowed from a library or downloaded as part of a subscription. Generally speaking, authors want to be read more than we want to sell.

And none of us wants to be in the business of dictating what our readers should do, or what format they should read in, or where they should buy their books.

But where the reader is agnostic about where they purchase, or where they’d actively like to purchase in the way that’s most advantageous for you, it makes sense to have the second kind of reader buy directly from you.

And to use the online retail stores like Amazon and the rest strategically, to grow your readership.

It’s not either-or but both.

Like everything in self-publishing, this gets easier the more books you have.

Selling direct is not the easy option, or the quickest way to build your author business but having your own transactional website at the core of your booksales strategy is highly recommended by  ALLi and one of the seven pillars of the Self-publishing 3.0 campaign.

Advantages of Selling Books on your Author Website

There are a few immediate and obvious advantages to selling books directly on your own site.

Better Income

Instead of moving through a chain ofdistribution and retail intermediaries, all of whom take a cut from the profit on the sale, you skip over the middlemen and net the full profit on the book, minus a small transactional fee.

For example, through a basic Paypal gateway, that fee is currently 2.9 percent of the payment plus 30 cents per transaction. Woo Commerce (an open-source payment solution developed alongside WordPress) allows you to use PayPal Powered by Braintree on a WordPress website. The first $50,000 in transactions are free: after that, you pay 2.9% + 30 cents per successful credit card or digital wallet transaction. It also allows you to take Stripe: credit card payments at 2.9% + 30 cents per successful credit card transaction, as long as your yearly charges are below $1 million.

Even premium solutions like Payhip charge only 5% per transaction, a far sight less than the minimum 30% charged by retailers like Amazon, Kobo and others. (See more on payment solutions below).

Paid Immediately

Owning your own transactional site allows you to cut out payment lag, as well as the middleman fees. If you publish through a rights buyer like a traditional publisher, royalties can take many months, even years, to arrive. If you publish through online platforms like Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Google, and others you will get paid sooner, 30 to 90 days after the sale. But selling directly to readers on your own author website, you receive your money immediately.

Reader Connection

When you publish your books through a traditional publisher, not only do you have no control over payments but you don’t get any information about your readers. It’s the same with the self-publishing platforms. The reader details and data is their asset, not yours. None of them share reader emails or information with their authors.

However, when you’re selling direct, you can create an integration and collect email addresses and import straight to your mailing list.

Commercial Control

At ALLi we have seen authors who’ve been selling well (some as many as six figures) on Amazon or another outlet (usually having spent a fortune on ads to take readers to those stores) suddenly finding their sales plummet. They don’t know why.

They cannot know why. They have no control, no data, no asset, and no way to leverage years of work and investment. The only way to avoid this fate is to build your own piece of publishing real estate on the Internet. Then, if things go wrong, you have some understanding as to why and you take steps to rectify.

Similarly, if you are experiencing success, it’s not a mystery. You’ll be able to assess what made it happen–and do more of that.

Creative Freedom

Direct selling delivers the highest possible level of independence and flexibility.

The wonderful thing about selling direct is that how you publish, promote and sell your books is limited only by your own creativity, the quality of your offerings and your ability to attract readers.

You are free to experiment and explore, communicate directly with your readers and ask for feedback, and realize all the creative advantages of being truly indie.

Selling Books on your Author Website: The Challenges

There are also some disadvantages to selling directly from your website.

• The biggest one is that your sales won’t count towards any kind of ranking (whether that’s on Amazon or a media bestseller list). A lot of authors leverage their success in online retailers, as algorithms make them more visible to new readers.
• If you sell in the EU there are tax issues as VAT is due in the country where the purchaser, rather than seller, is located .
• Many of the digital sales software like Payhip (see below) will deal with the taxation issues on your behalf but some fail to deal with it adequately so, as ever, it’s important to check  terms and conditions first.
• If you’re not technically minded, then you may find some of the initial set up takes time and thought. You will have to set up your sales pages on your website including using website plugins and software to host files, sync with mailing lists using BookFunnel integrations and take payments in order to make the customer journey simple.
• You have a lot of freedom and control if you run sales directly from your website. But this also means you have an array of choices and opportunities. Too much abundance can be overwhelming.

Selling Books on your Author Website: Getting Transactional 

To sell books on your author website, you need your website to be transactional. It’s fine for authors who are traditionally published to have a brochure site that shows off their books and leads them to a retail link elsewhere to buy. They are only receiving a single-figure percentage of each sale. Indie authors, for whom selling direct can make a significant difference, need a transactional website.

It is one of the biggest advantages of digital bookselling over physical sales: that the reader encounters a buy button just when they are reading all about your book and deciding they like the sound of it. They don’t have to hike to the bookstore, they can buy it there and then. Make sure they can.

For an indie author, your own transactional website can also:

• host your author blog, vlog, or podcast
• offer reader magnets to encourage sign-ups and sales
• generate coupons and other incentives for targeted book promotions
• host crowd funders, patronage, and other special projects
• integrate your other sales outlets and streamline sales across multiple channels: allowing you to have one point of purchase which shows readers all their buying options.
• display your social media accounts: allowing you to connect your overall web presence, and all that you do, in one central place
• encourage traffic that makes you attractive to other influencer indies in your genre for collaborations

With a transactional website in place, many authors move beyond the book to incorporate premium products and services on their website. ALLi has identified ten business models for authors who have embraced self-publishing 3.0 (see below).

A single book can lead to foreign language and media rights, teaching and services, appearances and speaking gigs, and patronage as well as book sales.

Many authors can’t rely exclusively on high-volume book sales alone to build a profitable business from their words, perhaps because they don’t write and publish books frequently enough, or they are in a low-selling genre. Other authors choose to expand beyond the book because sales margins are more profitable with other products and services. Others like how a variety of products allows them to expand their writing mission and approach it in different ways.

Such authors have websites that offer some of the following, in addition to books in print, e-book, audiobook, large-print, and workbook editions: a teaching platform for courses; a coaching or consultancy hub; a place to attract clients for freelance work; a place to offer, and take payment for, other services, tools, or products that have nothing to do with your books; a membership website that offers a premium product or experience to close readers; a place to recommend other services, tools, or products that can bring in affiliate income; a donate button and encouragement for readers to express appreciation through donation; any other creative offerings you can think of that further your influence and impact, mission and passion, that your readers would love.

Recommendations:

• Use PR to build buzz (and links) that point directly to your online store.
• Have prominent links in your emails and newsletters that lead directly to your books and other products and services
• Make it as quick and easy as possible for readers to buy ebooks,  audiobooks and other digital products from your site. e.g. Don’t ask for street addresses or other details that are unnecessary to your author business.

Guiding Readers

As authors, we often underestimate the influence we can have with readers. Help your readers to understand the changes that are happening in publishing, why they are positive for you, and how they can become part of your success.

Few readers understand publishing so they are surprised to be told that when they spend £10 in a bookshop, an author is lucky to receive £1 of that. They think all writers are rich, that if they’ve heard of you, you must be famous. They are truly shocked to hear that most authors earn less than the minimum wage.

They mostly have no idea about what difference it makes to us when they buy directly or how much a direct purchase (or donation) means to us. For many, these are behavior-changing facts.

Yes, there are those readers who will never buy anywhere but Amazon or Apple Books or Kobo, or whichever online retailer store they most love. They are set up to buy there and that convenience outweighs all else for them. That’s fine and understandable and utterly their prerogative. But many other readers, especially those who most love your work, are not put off by that at all, if they know that’s what you’d prefer.

They want to do what you want them to do. So tell them.

Let them know buying direct is your preferred method for their online purchase, that you do best if the purchase is made that way, and at no extra cost to them.

Recommendations:

• Take time to spread the word among readers that the world has changed and ask for their help in letting their reading friends know that a revolution is happening.
• You can have a page on your website that explains the maths to readers.
• You can include direct purchase in a list of other ways they can support you, e.g. reviews, pre-orders and word of mouth, as Tim Clare has done in this great post.
• You might also want to have a donation button or Patreon page where they can offer further support if they wish.
• As part of ALLi’s Self-Publishing 3.0 campaign we provide Buy Direct badges which say: “Support indie authors, buy direct, browse my bookstore”. You can use these badges to link to your bookstore on each page. (Scroll to the bottom of the campaign page to see and download your badge).

The Email List

Your email list works in conjunction with your author bookstore. When a reader makes a purchase, you now have their email, and thus a direct, inexpensive line to them. That open line of communication with your readers also allows you to get their unfiltered feedback.

Set up a list for your purchasers with a nice autoresponder, where you thank them for buying, give them some fun facts or behind-the-books information, ask them how they are enjoying the book, invite them to review it and generally cultivate a good relationship with them.

Very often, our books require a little education so readers understand what you want them to know and value. With this direct line of communication with your customers, you can ensure they know enough about your books to appreciate their value.

It’s also always easier to sell to somebody who has bought something of yours already than a cold customer. A reader who has enjoyed one of your books and some email communication with you is very open to buying new books, other products, seasonal promotions and so on.

Recommendation:

• Take every opportunity to build your email database and use it for more than just selling.
• Pursue reviews. Funnel feedback from reviews into writing and publishing decisions in your next book.
• Educate readers about your books so they enjoy their full value. The happier they are, the more likely they are to recommend your book to reader friends and buy from you again.
• Let shoppers know when you have a new book out and direct them to your sales page. 

Selling Books on your Author Website: The Platforms

Payhip

Payhip is an e-commerce platform that enables anyone to sell digital products and memberships directly to their fans and followers. They take care of VATMOSS and also have added benefits such as: an affiliate system, PDF stamping to discourage illegal sharing of your books, coupons and various discounting methods. You can also customize the design of your checkout system for customers to include your own branding. Last, you can be paid direct to your PayPal or Stripe account in seconds.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce helps you sell products, services and books from a WordPress site. It’s a free WordPress plugin but has options for additional features available as extensions. WooCommerce enables you to keep 100% control over your data, and there’s also support for mobile devices. WooCommerce themselves say that it’s easy to use especially for beginners as you don’t need to know any code. You can also add an unlimited number of product images, add reviews and product ratings, and they have an easy customer management system for refunds and client accounts.

Selz

Selz helps you sell eBooks direct to your customers, fans and followers. Selz provides all the tools you need and they handle payment processing, digital fulfillment and customer relationship management. Selz also PDF stamp to prevent illegal downloading

Shopify

Shopify is a commerce platform that allows you to set up an online store and sell your products. You can also sell your products in person with Shopify POS. You can sell physical and digital products as well as services, consultations, ticketed events, classes and more. Another benefit of Shopify is the number of integrations it has.

For a great article comparing commerce options, read this.

Selling Books on your Author Website: A Note about Blockchain for Books

Authors who are set up for direct sales are well prepared for a technology that many feel has the potential to revolutionize how books are bought and sold: the blockchain.  Some authors are already actively preparing for when that technology becomes significant in the books’ world.

The blockchain is a simple way of storing information in a distributed manner, a concept known as “decentralization,” as there is no single central server or distributor responsible. Understanding the potential of this new technology means understanding the features of blockchain, how it connects to new kinds of currency, and how transactions operate in a  trading environment that is decentralized.

A blockchain allows one person to transfer a unique piece of digital property to another in a way that is:

• guaranteed safe and secure
• open, visible, and agreed by all
• unable to be subsequently modified.

Until now, any exchange of assets required an intermediary, such as a bank or credit card company, to complete the transaction. Blockchain allows instant value exchange without such intermediaries. It also allows income to be seamlessly split between the author and anyone else involved in the making of the book e.g editors, translators, narrators, retailers, at the point of transaction. Micropayments can be collected in any digital currency added to an author’s wallet.

For blockchain to fulfill its potential, two more key conditions must shift, both of which are in authors’ hands to a greater or lesser degree: more empowered authors, more informed readers.

The Future: Self-Publishing 3.0

Most authors set up for direct sales find it is only a small proportion of their income to date but very few are making it a central plank of their author-business. How many authors, for example, take their social media advertising to their own website for digital file download? How many of us take ourselves seriously as publishers and business owners, able to use self-publishing retailers like Amazon to deliver sales while simultaneously recognizing that we are in competition with them for those sales?

How many of us take time to educate their readers about what it means to the author to have a direct purchase from them—how we gain in that transition?

How many of us are set up for bulk sales through special-sales outlets? For crowdsourced subscription, or patronage?

Five centuries of conditioning and a mass consumer culture are not overturned in a decade, but the economic tide is turning in favor of the smaller, more personal outlet. The rise in the maker movement, in personal branding, in mindful consumption, in mobile phone sales, are all favorable consumer trends for authors.

We can not only benefit from these positive trends ourselves. With our influential community, we can be part of deepening and expanding their societal impact.

Selling Books on your Author Website: Case Study Joseph Alexander

“We sell PDF editions of our music books on our website www.fundamental-changers.com. We sell all of our books except for the ones that we have enrolled in KU.

We use Fastspring to host the PDFs because they take care of the VATMOSS issues and also allow us to imprint any PDF with the customer’s email address to deter file sharing. All our product pages have links to both the Amazon store (localised via genius link) and a “buy the PDF” option. For example: https://www.fundamental-changes.com/book/100-classic-blues-licks-for-guitar/“

“Unless your books are in KU, then there’s no excuse for not selling your books via your site. Non-fiction authors can easily sell PDFs to the whole world, and fiction authors too can deliver other digital versions through Bookfunnel. This means you can sell to the whole world rather than just the Amazon territories.

However, as with any online business, you’ll still need to drive people to your website to get the sale. One downside is that any sale from your website doesn’t count towards helping your book rank on Amazon. Generally we are set up to push people to Amazon because even though we make less money per unit on Amazon, the organic visibility we get there will generally lead to higher rankings and more sales in the long term.  However, having PDF editions that are available for people in (for example) Russia allows them to buy our books if they are not able to access Amazon.

One big lesson is that you are responsible for collecting and paying VAT when a PDF is purchased in Europe. Make sure your digital delivery service will account for this and ideally supply the data directly to the individual country’s tax dept.”

• Have an easy use sales page with a clear call to action.
• Build your mailing list. I sound like a broken record, but you can of course collect the email addresses of every digital customer and send those direct to your email service provider. If you have your lead magnet set up in your Amazon books you should be building a mailing list anyway.
• When you have PDF editions you can run discounts and whatever type of promotion you think of. Anyone who buys a PDF edition from us gets an email with a 20% off voucher for their next purchase.
• Normally we’ll do some sort of Christmas sale. Simply by offering a discount and sending an email to a list we earned 5 figures in three days, just from PDFs in December.
• Pricing and a smooth customer experience should be your highest concerns. Selling $2.99 eBooks might not be worth it after advertising costs are taken into account, but a compilation edition could go for more. At a low price, it’ll be difficult to send people to your site from (say) Facebook and make a profit.
• But… could you afford to break even if it meant that you were building your mailing list?”

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out our Book Cover Collaboration service.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Check out my Author Central page on Amazon.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

And contact us if you’ve been considering hiring a team, it doesn’t cost anything to find out more, but it may make all the difference in how much progress you make in 2023!

The post The Ultimate Guide to Selling Books on your Author Website appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

We talk a lot about the Amazon book page, when I teach at events, in this blog, on our podcast, and it’s not because we run out of things to say – anyone who follows the podcast knows that’s not an affliction we suffer from – but we do it because we still see so many authors missing simple, yet critical opportunities.

Amazon book pages are the online version of your retail display, and I don’t expect many of you can say your shopping isn’t at all swayed to some degree by how products are presented to you.

And your Amazon book page is your first impression with potential buyers.

And with over 4,500 books being published every single day, it’s not good enough to nail just one or two elements of your Amazon book page, you have to nail all of them!

That may sound daunting, but I assure you it’s all quite simple.

So take this quiz to get an honest idea of what you might be able to improve on!

Then commit to getting your Amazon book page in order, and then hold yourself to it by adding a “review and update” task to your book marketing planner once a quarter. The planner sheet can be downloaded from the Resources section below.

What did you learn about your Amazon book page?

Was it a lot?

What were you most surprised by?

What’s the first change you’re going to make to your Amazon book page after taking this quiz? Please mention it in the comments!

And don’t forget, if you’re unsure if you’re doing things correctly, or if every aspect is entirely up to snuff, then sign up for email coaching – it could end up being the best, budget-friendly thing you do for your sales this year!

We also have a book cover collaboration service, it’s designed to help authors ensure their book covers are really prepared to compete in today’s market – because it’s really an art, and there’s a lot of psychology involved in why readers gravitate to certain covers and not others. Again, don’t risk it! Link below.

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out our Book Cover Collaboration service.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Check out my Author Central page on Amazon.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

And contact us if you’ve been considering hiring a team, it doesn’t cost anything to find out more, but it may make all the difference in how much progress you make in 2023!

The post Quiz: Is Your Amazon Book Page Selling Your Book? appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

In case you haven’t noticed, Amazon Author Central went through a huge overhaul in late December of 2022.

Gone are the blog updates (which I really loved), gone are the images you could add, or video. Though I believe these still show up on your international pages.

Given that, I thought it was a good time to dig into some of these changes to see how it impacts your book and author brand.

If you haven’t already done so, head on over to your Author Central page and check out what it looks like now.

Here is what mine looked like before:

Here is what it looks like now:

Amazon Author Central pages get upwards of two million hits per year, so when Amazon makes changes to their author-related benefits it can be great – but other times it’s not so great.

I expect that Amazon got rid of the option to add your blog because too few authors actually. used it, which is unfortunate since it’s essentially free promotion. Or perhaps authors were adding it but not keeping their blogs up to date, which reflects poorly on the author, but also on the user experience, and Amazon wants things to add to their bottom line.

The other piece Amazon got rid of was the ability to add images, which I really liked because it was a great way to set yourself apart and create a unique presence for potential buyers.

But there’s a lot of vetting with both blog feeds and images, and I expect that Amazon just found that vetting got too challenging.

Because we live in an age where anyone can say anything, the Internet is like the Wild West, and perhaps Amazon just got tired of trying to prevent issues that caused on their site.

Still, I wish they would have kept these and kept up the vetting effort.

I think it really added a lot of “flavor” to Amazon Author Central page, and it gave readers a more options to get to know you, which I know for a fact contributes to whether or not they decide to buy.

Maybe at some point Amazon will add these options back (and like I said, they’re still on the Amazon international author pages) but for now, let’s explore one of the newest features that’s been added to Amazon Author Central.

Book Recommendations are a Worthwhile Addition to Author Central

Book recommendations popped up the first week of January I believe, at least from what my team was able to track. It’s a cool idea, too – being able to push your own books as well as recommend someone else’s.

Here’s what it looks like on the backend of Amazon Author Central:

And once it’s filled in, here’s what it looks like

This is a good opportunity to highlight a book that’s not getting enough play, but keep in mind how it shows up on your Amazon Author Central page, because that could influence which of your own books you decide to recommend.

Here is how it shows up on your Amazon Author Central page:

The first book on this list is someone else’s title. You must scroll to get to my other recommendations.

This is what you see when you scroll:

I love the idea of recommending other authors’ books.

To start, it’s an effective way to align yourself with a particular topic or sub-genre, just keep in mind that your book recommendations do reflect on your brand, so be mindful that you’re recommending books that will benefit your reader market.

In short, this isn’t a diary or personal TBR list, this is a sales strategy, even when you’re listing titles that aren’t yours.

The other benefit is that it’s a nice networking opportunity, too.

If you’re in a group with other/similar authors, or if you have authors you’re already networking with, swapping out recommendations and keeping the list updated consistently is a nice way to give each other a little extra clout.

It’s also a nice way to thank someone or show them support. Here are some examples of reasons you may want to thank or show support:

• They provided you with a forward
• They provided you with an advance review or blurb
• They inspired you in your industry or in your chosen area of expertise
• They write on a complimentary topic that would be useful to your buyer market

I think at some point more features will be added to Amazon Author Central, I hope so in any case, because as is, they’re kind of bleak compared to the prior format.

In the meantime, keep in mind that you can always add video to your individual book pages via the Amazon upload feature. You can do this from your desktop or phone. And you’ll have to manage each retail page separately, you can’t upload a single video to every book page.

You Should Customize your Sharable URL

This isn’t a new feature but something you’ll want to check out if you haven’t already done so.

Head on over to author.amazon.com and click on “edit profile” which takes you to the page where you can upload your author photo and bio. It’s also the place where you can customize your sharable URL. Just click “edit” and create it.

It’s a really smart way to create something that looks better on your website, on social, in your newsletter, etc.

What the Latest Author Central Changes Mean

With the changes, when you first land on the page it puts the author bio front and center, which wasn’t the case on the older pages.

This means that your bio (and your author photo) are more important than ever.

If you haven’t spent time refining your author bio or added a strategic author photo, now is a good time to do that.

And by strategic, I mean your photo should be appropriate for your topic or genre. A professional headshot is often best for anything non-fiction. If you write fiction you can have a bit more fun with it, in terms of setting or styling, but please don’t make it a cropped photo from social media, just because your hair looks good. Any corners you cut, will be felt by potential buyers in some way.

The other element of this is how the books are staged on Amazon Author Central, leading with your most popular book right up front, other titles can be sorted by number of reviews, price, release dates and several other parameters.

Don’t Forget Your International Sales Potential

Be sure to grab your international pages as well. you can do so by heading over to these links. The login is the same across all Amazon platforms so this makes it easy to get on and grab your profile. Your Author Central details will get migrated over, so you don’t have to keep adding this information each time you grab an author page, which makes it easy.

Here are the links:

• United Kingdom: https://author.amazon.co.uk
• Germany: https://author.amazon.de
• Japan: https://author.amazon.co.jp
• France: https://author.amazon.fr

Author pages are created by default for the following countries if your books are available there:

• Brazil
• India
• Italy
• Spain
• Australia
• Canada
• Mexico

And while you can’t customize the above pages, they will automatically reflect whatever you have on Amazon.com, so that’s another reason to stay on top of things

Whatever free tools Amazon offers authors, you need to use them.

And I encourage you to stay on top of new features and opportunities, so if you’re already following this blog you’re set!

Resources and Free Downloads

Download our free monthly book marketing planner.

Check out all the episodes of our book promotion podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts!

Check out my Author Central page on Amazon.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of our blog homepage. If you haven’t opened a recent one your registration may have lapsed.

Definitely follow us on Instagram for book marketing tips and some much needed levity!

And contact us if you’ve been considering hiring a team, it doesn’t cost anything to find out more, but it may make all the difference in how much progress you make in 2023!

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