Author Marketing Experts, Inc.

Reasons Being an Indie Author Makes You a Small Business

Many Best Book Marketing Campaigns Rely on Publishing Schedules

K.M. Weiland: Helping Writers Become Authors

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How to Promote a Book on Social Media without Burning Out (or wasting a ton of time)

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 14:00:29 GMT

Reading Time: 5 minutes

We often hear how important it is to be on social media, and when considering how to promote a book, certainly a solid social media game is one of many strategies that help authors gain more visibility.

But the truth is, social media is also a huge time-suck.

We’ve all been there. We start a post but get sidetracked by our newsfeed, then we hop over to see what others are saying on their pages, and before you know it, an hour has gone by.

If you’ve ever been to a casino, you probably know that they are designed with no easy escape route and without clocks on the walls to let you know how long you’ve been sitting at that blackjack table.

You might want to go back to your room or even just step outdoors to see daylight, but the path out is deliberately plotted so that you keep getting enticed to go farther, deeper, until you’re finally lost in a maze of slot machines.

Social media has a similar design. Which is great for the folks trying to get you to spend money there, not so great for authors worried about how to promote a book while still having time to see their families and friends.

So let’s look at some ways you can maximize your time on social media without getting lost in the maze of posts and prompts.

Don’t Be Everywhere; Be Everywhere That Matters

One of the biggest challenges authors face is figuring out where they belong when it comes to social media. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn: all present their own benefits, but which should you be on?

First off, don’t be everywhere unless you have a ton of time and your message resonates across multiple platforms. Most authors don’t need to be on every single social media site; in fact, I really recommend that you start with one.

Figure out what’s popular for your market. Where are the majority of other, similar authors? You might find that many are on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but as you start to investigate their profiles, look to see where they are getting the bulk of their engagements.

Engagement really tells the story. Often authors get onto social media and decide to post across a variety of platforms, which is fine – but they probably aren’t getting the same kind of engagement on each of them. Meaning that one site is likely doing better than the others.

When you’re figuring out how to promote a book on social media, the time you spend investigating the social media profiles of similar authors is worthwhile because you’ll start to discern where readers gravitate, and that platform is where you should focus your efforts.

If you feel strongly that you need accounts on every social media platform, consider either cross-posting content or creating a placeholder image that invites readers to follow you on Instagram, Facebook, or wherever you’ve decided to spend the bulk of your book marketing hours.

Schedule Your Content Using a Management Tool

This is a great way to plan out content for the next week or more. Hootsuite and Buffer are two management tools I love, and both allow you to schedule posts as well as check engagement and responses.

A management tool is of great use for those figuring out how to promote a book on social media because it allows you to monitor your accounts through the tool, rather than the social media sites themselves, and this keeps you from entering the “casino,” never to return to life in the real world.

Bank Your Content

If you load all your posts on Monday, you’ll want to be able to find that cool image you spotted last week, so start saving content, banking it, as it were, for later use. I created a social media folder on my phone, and if I see something I want to use later, I save it to that specific folder.

You can also plan ahead for upcoming marketing events, calendar events like holidays, or giveaways you’re planning. When you have a block of time, create as much content as you can so you don’t have to do it on top of something you’re looking to promote.

How to Promote a Book on Social Media with Your Five Core Messages

It’s one thing to hop on social media, quite another to know what you’ll share. That’s why I recommend that authors stick with five tracks; you can have more, certainly, but five is a good starting number.

One track is your book, another might be research you did while writing it, and a third could be a personal track where you share small personal tidbits about your life. You get the idea.

The reason I like this approach is because it keeps you focused on a handful of core messages so you aren’t all over the place with your branding and messaging. It also helps readers better familiarize themselves with your content when you’re consistently posting about your chosen topics.

Maybe you dedicate one day of the week to inspiration, another day to your book, etc. Each day has its own track, and each week you repeat those tracks – consistently.

Pro Tip Time Saver #1: Stay off Your Newsfeed. One of the reasons I love using a social media management tool is that it keeps me off my newsfeed – which, much like a casino, is designed to keep you engaged with the app and keep you scrolling. It’s an unproductive time suck.

Pro Tip Time Saver #2: Create Lists or Groups. If you need to be in your newsfeed, create lists (you can easily do this on Twitter and Facebook) of specific groups of people you want to follow. This will save you a ton of time and scrolling. You can also create groups on Instagram so the posts you really want to see are at the top of your feed.

I was reading a post by a woman in a Facebook group who said that Facebook wasn’t helping her sell more books. Keep in mind that book sales are not the goal when considering how to promote a book on social media.

Platforms are only designed to help you gain exposure, not sales. So why bother with social media? Because the key to how to promote a book is about the message, not the sales.

If you get the message right, and you’re on the right platform(s), you’ll sell books. If you’re on the wrong platform, with the wrong message, you’re just spinning your wheels and, likely, burning out.

Smart social media is really about more than hopping on a platform and talking about your book. Done smartly, it can be a great way to boost your book exposure without taking a ton of your valuable book marketing time!

If you need more help strategizing how to promote a book on social media, don’t hesitate to reach out. Good luck!

Resources and Free Downloads

FREE Reader Profile Brainstorm

Book Marketing Kickstart Package

Effective Social Media for Your Best Book Marketing Campaign

How to Market a Self Published Book without Wasting So Much Time

AME Book Marketing Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Jane Friedman: Reporting and Consulting on the Publishing Industry

The post How to Promote a Book on Social Media without Burning Out (or wasting a ton of time) appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Categories Are Key for Amazon Book Promotion (Book Marketing Podcast)

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 14:00:46 GMT

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Categories are key for Amazon book promotion! Today’s post is a recap of “Amazon Insider: Why Picking the Right Amazon Categories Can Help You Sell More Books (and how to do it!),” a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

We go deep in our discussion about this timely topic for authors trying to figure out the ins and outs of Amazon book promotion, so be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations, and considerations!

Amazon Book Promotion and Categories

I love Amazon categories for a variety of reasons, including the number you can have and the way you can capitalize on how particular consumers are with their book preferences.

To understand more about categories, open up the Amazon store in a web browser and head on over to eBooks. Down the left hand side of your screen, you’ll be able to see the various categories available. When you click on one, let’s say business or mystery, more options will drop down.

This categorization system can be gold for Amazon book promotion because it lets you get much more specific about your market. Spend a little time exploring all the options that are open to you.

As you’re doing this, check out the books in niche categories where your book might fit. You’ll see some titles where the authors are obviously playing the system because they don’t belong in that category, but if most of the books in a given category would actually appeal to your same buyer market, then you’ve found a winner.

The more narrow you go – meaning the fewer books there are in a given category – the more adding yours can help your algorithm. If you hit #1 in a narrow category, it will ping the Amazon search engine that your book is relevant and selling, and Amazon will show it more – like in the also-boughts, etc.

The cautionary note here is that a lot of authors want that bestseller flag, so don’t cram your book into a category where it doesn’t belong just because it’s not a competitive category – don’t violate Amazon’s terms of service, because you could get your book pulled.

The idea, really, is to grab 10 categories, and I’d do 10 for your eBook and 10 for your print book. Once you have your 10/20 categories, you’ll work with Amazon to implement them. We give our clients very straightforward instructions on this because it’s a request Amazon pretty much expects at this point.

Following the steps to submit your category request the right way the first time will save you a lot of time and potential headaches. We developed 0ur Amazon video program (linked below in the Resources and Free Downloads) to help authors get visual and audio instructions on how to master this and other aspects of Amazon book promotion.

Keep Abreast of New Categories and Wear Your Buyer Hat

Amazon adds new categories as they see market interest: “Christmas romance,” “holiday romance,” and “small town romance,” for example, are relatively new categories, and I’ve also started seeing better representation of specific industries under the business umbrella.

An important key to Amazon book promotion is striving for objectivity. Try to approach the task of categorizing your book through the filter of reader/shopper, rather than author. If you do, you are more likely to see some lucrative categories that you might otherwise overlook.

For more tips and information on Amazon book promotion, don’t forget to give the full podcast episode – “Amazon Insider: Why Picking the Right Amazon Categories Can Help You Sell More Books (and how to do it!)” – a listen.

The beginning of the year is a great time to review your Amazon presence in your book marketing and promotion plan. We love helping authors work through the ins and outs of Amazon book promotion, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you want 2021 to be your Amazon bestselling year!

Resources and Free Downloads

Why You Must Breathe New Life into Your Amazon Book Promotion

Amazon Video Product

8 Things to Get Your Book Noticed on Amazon

ALLi: Alliance of Independent Authors

The post Categories Are Key for Amazon Book Promotion (Book Marketing Podcast) appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

How to Market a Self Published Book in 2021: Creating a Plan You Can Stick with in the New Year!

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 14:00:01 GMT

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Here we are at the start of a brand new year, and if you’re already asking how to market a self published book and ready to get serious about your book promotion, you aren’t alone.

Reinvention is a common theme this time of year, and book marketing is no exception. We’re all about revamping and restarting our lives in new and fresh ways, and the best way to accomplish this is to create new habits.

Getting into the habit of marketing your book isn’t hard, though it feels less creative to say it that way. Establishing a routine where you complete one book marketing task a day feels, well, dull.

But let’s look at it another way: every single one of those small tasks can add up to big results.

If you’re like most authors I’ve worked with, your initial push of book promotion was probably pretty solid. You had a checklist of things you did – some worked great, while others worked less well. But you got it done.

When it comes to how to market a self published book in 2021, however, the question is really what will you do to keep moving in the right direction?

Unless they have promotions on the horizon, like an eBook deal or an event, I find that authors often get caught in this in-between phase where the seeds have been planted, but nothing has quite come up yet. It’s tempting to sit and wait for something to grow.

But that’s not how a successful book promotion campaign should be run. Here are some practical tips on how to market a self published book in 2021 and beyond!

Pick Two (or Three) Book Marketing Strategies for the Long-Term

Because it’s early in 2021, I’ve talked a lot about goal setting and establishing a solid foundation for the new year. The same is true for your book marketing strategies.

Ideally you know what your focus is – maybe you want more reviews or more engagement on social media. Maybe you want more speaking.

Remember that every big goal needs to get chunked down into pieces that are more bite-sized and manageable. In an earlier blog post, I talked about creating smart book marketing goals (link below), and now is the time to really dig in and figure out what yours are.

Create a Simple, Repeatable Process for Success

Your daily book marketing should be easily repeatable; you don’t want to spend each morning figuring out what the day will bring. By repeatable, I don’t mean boring.

Remember, you’re personalizing an approach for how to market a self published book by creating steps you can take each day to get closer to your goal.

Let’s say your goal is to get more reviews for your book. Your daily list might resemble the one below.

Find 1-2 new bloggers to pitch my book to this week.
Dig through a hashtag appropriate to my topic and find folks who might be interested in reviewing my book (offer them a free copy).
Ping my email list (once a month) and ask for reviews!
Research other books in my genre to see where they’ve appeared on blogs; those outlets might be good ones to add to my pitch list!

Now you may say: if this is a daily list, why is my newsletter on there? Because you might send your newsletter more frequently, maybe even once a week.

And even if you don’t, newsletters take time. Adding this to a daily list will remind you to find and save interesting tidbits for your next/future issues.

You’ll be glad you added this task to your To Do list when newsletter day arrives and you already have some content to work with!

How to Market a Self Published Book – Smartly: Variety is Key

As you begin to execute your plan for how to market a self published book, you may exhaust reader reviews or feel like you want to move on to something else; that’s fine. You could, in fact, change up your list every week to focus on a new aspect of your marketing.

One week you might focus on reviews, the next on getting more engagement on social media. The week after that, maybe your focus is on media or pitching yourself to podcasts.

The idea behind this approach is that variety will help you push into several different areas – by assigning a week to each focus – without overwhelming yourself with too many To Dos at once.

Setting up small but repeatable strategies that help push your book promotion along is a great way to generate more buzz and start moving the needle on your book.

Most authors come in hot on book launch day but cool off as the days tick by. Not because they aren’t sure what to do, but because they feel overwhelmed.

Chunking your long-term goals into bite-sized, repeatable pieces will not only get you to where you’re going, but it’ll also help you feel less overwhelmed and like you’ve got the secret sauce for how to market a self published book.

Good luck!

Resources and Free Downloads

How to Promote a Book in 2021: Smart Ways to Plan Your Book Marketing Goals in the New Year

21 Awesome Book Marketing Promotions and Predictions for 2021

AME Book Marketing Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Independent Book Publishers Association

The post How to Market a Self Published Book in 2021: Creating a Plan You Can Stick with in the New Year! appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

10 Smart Book Promotion Services & Strategies That Work (Infographic)

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 19:41:06 GMT

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Book promotion has changed a lot over the years, as have the book promotion services companies offer.

Part of the reason for that is due to the surge of books that we see everyday in the marketplace. We know from experience that not only does it change how various programs work, but it can also impact strategies that we’ve come to trust, like Facebook ads, which don’t have the same impact they did two years ago, or automated keyword generators, which don’t take buyer psychology into consideration.

So what’s working in book promotion now?

The book promotion services that work these days are less about what you’re marketing in the moment, and more about the foundation you’re creating for your brand and platform.

Let’s have a look!

Resources and Free Downloads

AME Podcast in Apple Podcasts

Book Marketing Predictions and Promotions For 2021

How To Promote A Book 101: Promote Your Brand

The post 10 Smart Book Promotion Services & Strategies That Work (Infographic) appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

How to Promote a Book in 2021: Smart Ways to Plan Your Book Marketing Goals in the New Year

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 14:00:09 GMT

Reading Time: 7 minutes

A couple of weeks ago I talked about how to promote a book based on a well-planned publishing schedule (see link in resources at the bottom if you missed it). But book promotion also relies on planning – because book marketing is essential.

And though authors realize it’s essential, it’s rarely included in any kind of long-range planning. Yet there are huge benefits to mapping out your entire year.

For one thing, planning drives purpose and grounds you in a way that no free-floating marketing ideas ever will. I love brainstorming and letting the creativity fly, but if you don’t pave the runway, you won’t stay on track.

Why do I refer to it as a runway and not a road? I have a friend in the industry who refers to marketing as the long runway – how long that runway is depends on your goals and much like a jet, the bigger and more heftier the plane, the longer the engines need to ramp up and take off.

You should approach the question of how to promote a book in the same way. If you don’t have a book coming out this year, for example, your runway may be shorter, while if you do, your runway will be much longer.

Book marketing is often driven by your publishing schedule and will vary depending on genre, goals, market, etc. So for this post I’ll get as narrow as I can, in terms of plotting out ideas and paving the runway, so your book promotion can take off in the new year!

Start with Long-Range Book Marketing Goals

Step one in how to promote a book is identifying your goals. Regardless of where you are, you should them. If you don’t, now is a great time to narrow your focus.

First, get away from big, flashy goals: I want to sell 10,000 books, I want a Netflix movie, I want to be on national television.

There’s nothing wrong with goals like this, but often authors put these goals out there with no roadmap (or runway) to actually make them happen. It’s a bit like saying: I want to go from a size 14 to a size 6 with no real plan to get there.

This is the number one reason why goals fail (whether it’s book or life related). There’s nothing wrong with starting with the end in mind, but remember you’ll have to set up the steps to get there.

Let’s say you’re releasing a book this year and you want to get 100 new reviews on it within the first 90-days. What will you do to get there?

If this is your first book, you might start by creating a great website and a newsletter to start building your fan base. Why? Because most reviews don’t just “appear” – they’re left by fans. Sure, you can “buy” reviews, but most review-only services will only get you up to 10, maybe 20 reviews.

So your end goal of 100 reviews, now has its first steps: build a website, add a newsletter. Within each of those steps are micro-steps that you’ll need to implement.

Like, for example, actually sending out your newsletter and maybe getting on social media to start building your reader/fan base.

But what about that movie deal and the TV appearances – can you make goals for that?

Absolutely, but these types of goals should be very, very long term goals – unless you have an existing platform that will help drive these. Like you’ve done a ton of national television and you’re a known expert in the field you’re writing about, or you work in the TV industry as a writer and know how to make deals.

Otherwise, you’ll need to plan out all of your micro goals between getting published and getting famous. As you can see, thinking about how to promote a book asks you to dig deep.

How to Promote a Book in 2021: Let’s look at some individual publishing situations and their accompanying plans.

Not yet published, but probably publishing in 2022:

Now is a great time to lay the foundation for your success. While you’re finishing that book, start to look at your branding. How will you show up in the world? What’s your reader promise?

Setting up your website is next – it’s never a bad idea to start this part of the process early. While you’re researching looks and covers, get a sense of what your readers look for in a book.

If you’re written a historical book, for example, readers are accustomed to websites with lots of content. If you’re a non-fiction author, let’s say self-help – you’re going to need a blog for sure as well as some time to update it.

Setting up a basic infrastructure is an important foundational component of how to promote a book, and planning early gives you time to pace your goals in such a way that they don’t interfere with finishing your book – while also taking into account the investments you’ll want to make in good web design, etc.

And here’s another thought: take some classes. Start attending writing events whether virtually or in-person. You should be doing this anyway (even if you have 11 books out) but I always recommend starting early. Get in the habit of learning.

You’re publishing your first novel this year:

Hopefully you have your website and brand focused on your market, and you’re ready to go. Your goal should be to hit the ground running as soon as your book comes out, so if you’re hiring a book promotion company to help you, start interviewing them early.

Make a plan that includes what you want to do on your own and what you’d like to hire out. Get more creative than “I’ll just run some Facebook ads” because believe me, I hear that a lot from authors. It works for some, but not for all.

Be mindful of what works in your industry. Not sure? Then it’s time to start researching your marketplace for best practices in your genre regarding how to promote a book.

Follow other authors in your market and see what’s working for them. Sign up for their mailing lists, follow them on social and share their stuff. Comment on their posts, get to know your marketplace, and learn from the pros.

This will also help you to strategize out your goals better. And what about reviews?

Yes, reviews are great but often that’s the only thing authors focus on. There are a lot more pieces to the book sales pie – reviews are a good slice, but not the only way to sell more books.

Here are some other things you might to think about as you consider how to promote a book:

Are you going to do a pre-order? If so, for how long?
Are you going to do an eBook promo?
Will you pitch bloggers? Do you have a list? If not, you’ll need to create one or hire this piece out to a book marketing company.
Are you going to do any local media? I love local media for authors. Grab some local newspapers and magazines (even the free ones at your grocery store) and see whether these outlets might be good places to pitch yourself.
Local events? They’ll be coming back soon enough, so if you want to do some in-person stuff, this will also require planning.

I could go on about how to promote a book, but you get the idea. All of these smaller steps lead you to bigger pieces and bigger goals. So that movie deal you want with Netflix? Guess what? It’ll require the list above times 20. I’m not trying to discourage you, but there are no shortcuts to this level of success.

You have a book out (or a few) but nothing new coming out this year:

This is no time to ride on your success. If you have some books out and want to keep writing and driving attention to your work, then you’ll want to plan out things that keep your books top of mind.

Maybe creating smaller books – novellas if you’re a fiction author – or other forms of content. Not into creating more content? Maybe some eBook promotions, discounted deals, Amazon ads – and for sure keep your social media humming.

You have a second, third, or fourth book coming out this year:

Now is the time to make all of your other books work for the new one. I love doing promotions with authors who have multiple titles because you can use the prior books to pivot attention to the new one and the new one always helps to drive attention to your prior books, too.

But even for multi-book authors, you still have to do the legwork mentioned above – though your goals might look different this time around. As you consider how to promote a book, think about the tools you might already have in your toolbox.

You may have a mailing list you can call upon to get early cover feedback; you may want to plan some events with your fan base or street team. Maybe you want to involve them more in the process of your book launch in other ways like a contest or early reader access (in exchange for a review).

Consider your options because they’re really endless when you have multiple titles out. You’ve probably done the reviews, you have relationships with bloggers, your plan is set there.

But now is the time to take all of this up to a new level. You’re established, your groundwork is done, your foundation is set.

The Benefits of Planning out How to Promote a Book

One of the biggest reasons you want to create this level of detail in your plan for how to promote a book is because it takes the pressure off of staring at your computer wondering: “how will I promote my book today?” It also helps you to plan financially where you’ll invest and how you’ll spend your book marketing dollars.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, the bigger your book marketing goals, the more time you’ll need to ramp up. Here’s a tip: allocate more time than you think you’ll need. You’ll be glad you did.

Track your success: I can’t emphasize this enough. Keep track of everything you’re doing. We have a book marketing planner you’ll love (link below); it’ll help you stay on track by planning out what you are going to do as well as keeping track of what you’ve already done.

Readers matter: In every example above, I mentioned readers, either engaging with them or growing their numbers. One of your main goals, regardless of what your publishing plans are for this year, should be to build your reader base.

A lot of authors like to keep pumping out books and that’s great, but focusing on building your reader list will give you much more traction and will help you get to your goals even faster.

So as you consider how to promote a book in 2021, remember: PLANNING is key. If you need some help, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Resources and Free Downloads

Are You Ready for Big Media Coverage?

Many Best Book Marketing Campaigns Rely on Publishing Schedules

K.M. Weiland: Helping Writers Become Authors

The post How to Promote a Book in 2021: Smart Ways to Plan Your Book Marketing Goals in the New Year appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Marketing Self-Published Books on Amazon with Amazon Ads (Book Marketing Podcast)

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 14:00:34 GMT

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Marketing Self-Published Books on Amazon with Amazon Ads is a recap of “Amazon Insider: Why You’re Wasting Money on Amazon Ads,” a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

We go deep in our discussion about this timely topic for authors trying to figure out the ins and outs of marketing self-published books on Amazon, so be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations, and considerations!

Marketing Self-Published Books on Amazon with Ads

I’m a big fan of Amazon ads, but I so often find that they’re used incorrectly and inefficiently because they aren’t serving the right audience – and frankly it’s a waste of time and money to do them without some specific focus.

A lot of authors get confused about how many keywords you need and what kinds of keywords to choose. To begin, you’ll need a lot, or more specifically, a number of unique keyword strings.

In fact, you should have enough that you don’t have to use all of them at once. A deep pocket of unique keyword strings allows you to test which work best and to consider which are best for return on investment (ROI).

Moving beyond keywords, when marketing self-published books on Amazon, you also need to also consider the ads – and your books – themselves. The platform has its terms of service available to the public, and it is not shy about rejecting ads that it deems inappropriate.

We’ve seen ads rejected for being too racy or because the books they were promoting were classified as erotic. Amazon has also rejected ads it feels capitalize on something sensational – for example, political or covid books/ads.

This doesn’t mean you should shy away from writing the book you want to write, but this is where consulting with a team skilled in marketing self-published books on Amazon, like Author Marketing Experts, can help you before you commit to a particular cover or book title if you’re in one of these “hot button” categories.

Marketing Self-Published Books on Amazon with Amazon Ads

Marketing Self-Published Books on Amazon with Ad Optimization

Ads have optimization value, too – you can build momentum when your ads are working in tandem with good information and material on your product page. And again, the strategic use of keywords plays a huge role in successfully marketing a self-published book on Amazon.

You want to work in keywords whenever you can, to enhance your page, but you have to be careful that you’re not using keywords you simply plucked out of thin air because you figure, “this is what my book is about.”

Most of the time authors are too close to their own work to be objective about keywords unless they’ve really studied the kinds of strategies we outline in our Amazon video course – because if you’re not using keywords that mimic buyer behavior, you’re wasting your time and likely wondering what you’re doing wrong.

Your Amazon presence should operate like a well-oiled machine, and like maintaining an expensive car, if one part of the system is failing, you’re going to see the whole thing go downhill eventually – and sadly for some authors – their beautiful car won’t even make it out of the driveway.

For more tips and information on marketing self-published books on Amazon, don’t forget to give the full episode (“Amazon Insider: Why You’re Wasting Money on Amazon Ads”) a listen.

The end of the year is a great time to include a review of your Amazon presence in your book marketing and promotion plan. We love helping authors work through the ins and outs of marketing self-published books on Amazon, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you want 2021 to be your Amazon bestselling year!

Resources and Free Downloads

How to Get Your Book Noticed on Amazon: Your Relevancy Score (Book Marketing Podcast)

Amazon Video Product

6 Tips for Marketing Self Published Books on Amazon with Author Central

Jane Friedman: Reporting and Consulting on the Publishing Industry

The post Marketing Self-Published Books on Amazon with Amazon Ads (Book Marketing Podcast) appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

January Is National What Month? Unique Content Ideas for Authors

Tue, 29 Dec 2020 14:00:10 GMT

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Hello 2021! We will be so glad to make your acquaintance this year.

An even bigger hello to all of AME’s followers and friends. Welcome to our list of January observances and unique content ideas for your monthly author marketing plan.

Without regular connection to readers, you’re just another book on the shelf. Take the time to make yourself stand out by using our monthly observances and tips to create interesting content with your own unique twist.

This is part of building your brand!

Timely content that uses popular and trending search terms and hashtags is a great way to enhance your visibility and improve SEO in a very simple way.

And what’s really key: content ideas don’t always have to stem from your genre or topic.

When it comes to author marketing and building a brand, ensuring that your fans and followers have ways to connect with you on a more personal level is as powerful as speaking about your genre and topic.

How to Use My Content Ideas

Below are holidays and just plain wacky and fun January Observances for 2021.

I’ve also included a few content ideas and angles to help spark your creativity!

Not all of these are worth an entire blog post or article, but nearly all of them can be turned into a fun or thought-provoking social media post or blurb in your newsletter – so it’s like getting triple the ideas!

There are always a lot of holidays around food, drink, and cooking, so get ready to share recipes or tag local fave establishments and ask followers to share theirs. The same goes for activities: this is a great chance to take selfies and/or share a bit about yourself outside of being a writer.

These also open up opportunities for you to make recommendations for products – no, not official ads, but again, people love to follow someone who’s a great resource. Think outside the box to come up with ways you can help people out and make their lives easier or more exciting.

Keep in mind: ALL of your posts should encourage your fans and followers to respond, chime in, share their feedback, insight, stories, etc. Don’t forget to work that angle: let them know you want to hear from them.

Also remember: your goal is to encourage engagement – never post flat content; be creative with how you pull others into the conversation and offer ways for them to easily engage.

If you feel a little guilty about the lack of promotion planning you did in 2020, use this list as a productive kick in the rear. Commit to writing some form of content every day and use it on social, for your blog, in your newsletter – get creative!

Giving yourself a bar to reach is the first step to upping your game.

Kick-off a great year of book marketing and promotion by grabbing our Monthly Book Marketing Planner from the Free Resources and Downloads section at the end of this post.

Do polls, giveaways, fan art contests: remember to make it about your readers – not about you – and you’re guaranteed to see better engagement.

If you need some additional support on how to translate these ideas into actual content and posts, consider signing up for email coaching with me and we’ll get personal!

Getting Started with Content Ideas

Check out these month-long observances. Several offer opportunities to support a cause close to your heart by sharing stories, raising awareness, and/or giving your followers ways to donate money, time, and love to your favorite issues.

International Creativity Month You could probably do this one in your sleep, so think outside the box and brainstorm ways for your fans to show their creativity. Put a call out for favorite quotations about creativity, ask your visual artist followers to upload fan art featuring their favorite scenes or locations in your books and then vote on their favorites (prizes are always nice), or let your people know that you’re looking for a new creative hobby and ask for their advice or recommendations.

National Bath Safety Month

National Blood Donor Month If this is a cause close to your heart, offer a discount for every photo uploaded to your account after giving blood. If you can afford it, finish out the month by donating $1 (or $5 or $10) in honor of each blood donor to the American Red Cross.

National Braille Literacy Month

National Hobby Month

Hot Tea Month

National Oatmeal Month

National Soup Month

Multi-Day Celebrations

2nd Week Letter Writing Week Break out the stationary and encourage good old-fashioned letters to the friends far and near that we’ve been missing over the last year. Or maybe go cyber for a favorite cause and ask others to join you in a letter-writing campaign in support of a cause you care about.

Unique Content Ideas for Authors

Daily Observations for January

January 1

National Hangover Day

New Year’s Day – Baby New Year, we have high hopes for you! Here’s to 2021!

January 2

National Science Fiction Day (also Isaac Asimov’s Birthday) – Where my SF friends at? This one has your name literally written all over it!

January 3

Feast of the Epiphany; Three Kings

Festival of Sleep Day

Fruitcake Toss Day

Humiliation Day

January 4

National Spaghetti Day

Trivia Day – A great opportunity for an author trivia contest with questions released throughout the day and maybe a prize or two for participants who prove they know you inside and out.

January 5

National Bird Day

January 6

Bean Day

Cuddle Up Day

January 7

Old Rock Day

January 8

Bubble Bath Day – This one is practically made for Romance authors who want to put together a little self-care recipe card for their readers: favorite bath soak, favorite wine, favorite candle scent, and your best book title for a truly wonderful idyll in the bathtub!

Male Watcher’s Day

January 9

Play God Day – As authors, we kind of get to do this anyway. Why not flip the tables and ask readers to play God by suggesting one thing they’d like to see in your upcoming releases? In addition to great engagement, you might get a handful of truly terrific ideas and some fans for life if you decide to use them.

January 10

Common Sense Day – Thomas Paine’s rabble-rousing broadside Common Sense was published on 1/10/1776. A good day to create some PSAs on the topic of common sense or rabble-rousing – or both!

Bittersweet Chocolate Day

Houseplant Appreciation Day

Peculiar People Day

January 11

Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day

Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend’s Day

January 12

Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day – I have no idea who came up with this one, but if you’re a Romance author, this is a perfect opp for a poll on our readers’ favorite book boyfriend! Which of your heroes is the swooniest?

National Hot Tea Day

National Pharmacist Day

January 13

International Skeptics Day

Make Your Dream Come True Day

National Rubber Duckie Day – Kidlit authors, here’s one for you! Use Canva to add a rubber duckie to one of your illustrations and remind your followers that your picture book is a great bedtime read after a bath.

National Take the Stairs Day

January 14

Dress Up Your Pet Day

January 15

National Bagel Day

National Hat Day – Sherlock Holmes had his deerstalker, the Ingalls girls their sunbonnets, and Shane his Stetson. Whether your genre relies on straw boaters or sparkling tiaras, today is the day for a selfie with your favorite headgear.

January 16

Appreciate a Dragon Day – another one with loads of possibilities for Fantasy and Children’s authors. Toothless? Pete? Puff? Your own purple people eater? Showcase the best of our fire breathing friends or declare your excitement for the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie.

National Nothing Day

January 17

Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day

January 18

Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday

Thesaurus Day – a great day to play word games with friends and followers!

Winnie the Pooh Day – today is the birthday of Winne the Pooh’s author, A.A. Milne. Perhaps a little honeycake is in order?

January 19

Edgar Allen Poe’s birthday – Caw! Caw! Share your favorite Poements. I personally always get a kick out of the “A Tale of Poes and Fire” episode of Gilmore Girls and love sharing a clip or two of all the Poes who descend on Stars Hollow.

National Popcorn Day

National Tin Can Day

January 20

National Buttercrunch Day

National Cheese Lover Day

Penguin Awareness Day – A fantastic day to either celebrate your snowy environment or to showcase your desire for a flake or two. Penguins are real people pleasers – spread the black and white love!

January 21

National Hugging Day

Squirrel Appreciation Day

January 22

National Blonde Brownie Day

January 23

National Pie Day

National Handwriting Day

January 24

Beer Can Appreciation Day

Compliment Day – Offer a free quick compliment to any follower who posts a selfie on your page. You’ll all be riding high by the time the sun goes down.

Global Belly Laugh Day

January 25

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

Burn’s Night to celebrate the Scottish poet Robert Burns – If you’re into it, break out the haggis, sip on a Macallan, and do a recitation of “To a Mouse.” I’ll get you started, “Wee, sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous beastie….”

Opposite Day

January 26

Australia Day – shine a light on your favorite Aussie export: Rake, Uggs, Nicole Kidman, Foster’s lager, your didgeridoo.

Spouse’s Day – if you’re comfortable sharing about your personal relationships, consider giving your main squeeze a shout-out for all the support and solace they give you.

January 27

Chocolate Cake Day

Punch the Clock Day

January 28

Data Privacy Day

Fun at Work Day

National Kazoo Day

January 29

National Puzzle Day

National Cornchip Day

January 30

National Inane Answering Message Day

National Seed Swap Day – Super Saturday for Greenies, Vegans, and others who love the earth. This holiday gives you a platform to talk about something you care about. You might even be able to get a seed swap going amongst your followers!

January 31

Backward Day

Inspire Your Heart with the Arts Day – Give a shout out to local or national arts organizations that make your heart soar and ask people to share favorites of their own. Together, you can compile a tremendous resource that spreads a love for the arts to new audiences.

The Takeaway

Remember, being an author demands creativity, and it also demands authenticity.

Coming up with unique content ideas as part of your author marketing plan is a great way to take your success seriously, without taking yourself too seriously! And these January observances should really help.

Happy New Year to one and all!

Resources and Free Downloads

Monthly Book Marketing Planner

5 Simple Tips for Creating Video Content for Social Media

Ideas for Irresistible Bonus Content & Giveaways

The post January Is National What Month? Unique Content Ideas for Authors appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Create a Better Amazon Book Promotion with a Pre-Order (Infographic)

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 14:00:06 GMT

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Amazon book promotion that includes a pre-order strategy is a fantastic foundation for your new release’s book marketing plan!

There are a few things you want to keep in mind when exploring your options though, and how to best work a pre-order into your overall book marketing efforts, and I’ve detailed them below.

And once you understand your role, I’d love for you to contact me to discuss ways to collaborate on your release!

Sometimes that next level comes with opening your eyes up to opportunities you haven’t tapped into yet!

Create a Better Amazon Book Promotion with a Pre-Order

Resources and Free Downloads

Sell More Books on Amazon

8 Things to Get Your Book Noticed on Amazon

The post Create a Better Amazon Book Promotion with a Pre-Order (Infographic) appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Many Best Book Marketing Campaigns Rely on Publishing Schedules

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 14:00:54 GMT

Reading Time: 3 minutes

There’s no all-purpose recipe to cook up the best book marketing campaigns, but there is an old saying in book promotion that points to an important ingredient:

The best way to sell your first book is with your second, and the best way to sell your first and second titles is with your third release, and so on.

There’s a reason for this. Readers make an investment of their money and time, and a better way to build reader credibility (and future sales) is by offering them lots of content to keep coming back.

It’s absolutely true that readers will buy a book by an author who chooses to only write one book. But that’s not really the point of this particular post.

The best book marketing campaigns require investments of more than just money – you need to put in the time (lots of it) and sweat equity, and, let’s face it, most of us have a lot of hope riding on our books. So launching a single title seems a bit like a wasted effort.

Sure, you may only have one book in you. Maybe you have a memoir you are eager to write. But bigger, broader sales and success are often driven by a semi-aggressive publishing schedule.

I’m not saying that you need to publish a few books a year – but one a year, with other content, sprinkled between releases, is a great way to create the best book marketing campaigns for the new year.

Let’s have a look at some ideas that might spark some creativity around your publishing game and help you plot and plan some publishing success in 2021 and beyond!

Steps Toward Best Book Marketing Campaigns

Readers are Your Most Important Asset. As I mentioned previously, readers will absolutely buy a book by a single-release author. But once you have someone in your reading-funnel, why let them go?

Appealing to your readers’ needs offers a great benefit to not just the reader, but to your book sales as well. Whether it’s publishing a couple of books a year, or a book and other content, once you spend the time and money to introduce yourself to your reader, why not give them more reasons to visit you?

Following through with more content is a cornerstone of the best book marketing campaigns.

Writing a Series. If you’re writing a book that’s part of a series, my suggestion is not to wait too long to push out the second and third books in the series. Why? Readers get impatient. Also, readers might easily forget you and your book if you wait too long.

So when you’re releasing a series, waiting a year between books is often too long. If publishing books closer together is too aggressive for your schedule, we’ll look at some other options later in this piece.

Many Best Book Marketing Campaigns Rely on Publishing Schedules

Writing Bonus Content. Your publishing schedule doesn’t have to mean you’re pushing out tons of new books.

If you’re a fiction author, the best book marketing campaigns can very easily be built on publishing novellas or short offshoots of your primary story between major releases. Look to the cutting room floor for inspiration.

If you write non-fiction, consider doing workbooks or more niche companion books between major releases. Workbooks, in particular, are super popular.

You could also create a video series, like a video tutorial that walks readers through your existing book – and you can charge for that, too. There are a lot of options, outside of an aggressive publishing schedule, to keep readers engaged, which is the beating heart of best book marketing campaigns!

Benefits of a Consistent Publishing Schedule. Authors often find it challenging to keep the book marketing messaging going. After a book has released, and some time has passed, I always get asked: what should I do now?

A consistent publishing schedule gives you lots of social content, newsletter content, video content, and blog content with teasers, updates, and discounts for earlier books in the series, all of which are great for sharing and extending your messages out to existing readers while also pulling in new ones.

Pushing out new content, whether it’s a novella or a workbook, is also a great way to keep the marketing wheels turning in between major releases, so if releasing two books a year seems daunting, you have some solid options.

A publishing schedule isn’t always about the next book, sometimes it’s about the content you’ll publish to keep readers engaged and coming back for more. For tips and tricks that also help create the best book marketing campaigns, check out the free resources and downloads below!

Free Resources and Downloads

FREE Reader Profile Brainstorm

Book Marketing Kickstart Package

Quick Quiz: Discover Why Your Book Isn’t Selling

How to Promote a Self Published Book: Consistency

ALLi: Alliance of Independent Authors

The post Many Best Book Marketing Campaigns Rely on Publishing Schedules appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

How to Get Your Book Noticed on Amazon: Your Relevancy Score (Book Marketing Podcast)

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 14:00:24 GMT

Reading Time: 2 minutes

How to Get Your Book Noticed on Amazon is a recap of “Unpacking Amazon’s Secret Relevancy Score: Why It Matters to Your Book Sales,” a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

We go deep in our discussion about this timely topic for authors trying to figure out how to get your book noticed on Amazon, so be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations, and considerations!

It’s ALL Relevant

You may have heard the term relevancy score in connection to Google or Facebook. In its most basic terms, relevancy score refers to how relevant your target market finds your ads – in other words, how likely a consumer is to click on an ad to find out more.

Amazon has not officially confirmed that they use relevancy scores, but it makes sense because we know that in the Amazon ecosystem, everything matters.

Amazon’s overall goal is to sell more stuff, so if your book ads aren’t converting, it impacts your relevancy score – the same way Google ads are shown less to consumers if folks aren’t interacting with them.

In the Amazon universe, however, you need to think beyond the ads you may be running to all of the content related to you as an author.

How to Get Your Book Noticed on Amazon: Your Relevancy Score

All of your books are part of this scoring system. If you have an older book that’s got a bad cover or a low review average, this will impact your overall score and how often your books are shown. Even small details can matter: typos on a page, book descriptions that aren’t spaced correctly.

If your material isn’t your professional best, it will have a negative impact on your relevancy score. A bad book page is how NOT to get your book noticed on Amazon.

Some other really obvious things that are certainly going to impact your relevancy score include not claiming Author Central, not claiming all of your books, having some books published under different variations of your name, and/or product pages that aren’t converting.

One of the best ways to get your book noticed on Amazon is to take yourself seriously as an author. Invest the time and effort to make sure everything you put on the site (or that someone uploads on your behalf) is letter-perfect and compelling.

For more tips and information on publishing, marketing, and promoting your book to keep it relevant, don’t forget to give the full episode (“Unpacking Amazon’s Secret Relevancy Score: Why It Matters to Your Book Sales”) a listen.

The end of the year is a great time to include a review of your Amazon presence in your book marketing and promotion plan. If you need some help, we’d love to help you make 2021 your best book marketing and promotion year yet!

Resources and Free Downloads

Sell More Books on Amazon

8 Things to Get Your Book Noticed on Amazon

The post How to Get Your Book Noticed on Amazon: Your Relevancy Score (Book Marketing Podcast) appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

21 Awesome Book Marketing Predictions and Promotions for 2021

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 16:59:03 GMT

Reading Time: 10 minutes

I think we can all agree that book marketing and publishing was heavily impacted in 2020. But while many in-person events were canceled, not all of the changes were bad.

In some ways, 2020 leveled the playing field for authors who didn’t have the interest or budget to travel extensively to promote their books. It also sparked creative new ideas that won’t break your book promotion budget.

In this piece, we’re going to look at 21 book marketing predictions, layered with book marketing promotions, that will carry you through 2021 and beyond!

Experiment with Video. It’s no secret that Zoom meetings and events dominated 2020 – and while this was mostly out of necessity, it’s a trend that’s not going away. In fact, 2021 is going to see an even bigger explosion of this as more folks become familiar with creating video.

If you haven’t familiarized yourself with video promotion or aren’t comfortable being on camera, take some time to get used to being on video. For some of you, this may not sound like a big deal, but I’ve spoken to a lot of authors who are afraid to experiment with new things, like a fun Zoom event, and have missed lots of opportunities.

One thing 2020 has pushed us to do is to get comfortable with technology, and tech is going to greatly impact how author events are done in 2021.

Plan Creative Author Events. While in-person book signings were largely canceled or postponed, authors really got creative with their events. Some bookstores still hosted author events using a Zoom meeting or Facebook live event.

I think this trend will continue, so if you’re considering more bookstore events in the new year but are still concerned about doing in-person events, try a virtual book talk. It’s a great and creative way to gather more exposure for your book and reach new audiences.

Even as in-person events start popping back up on our 2021 calendars, you’ll still see virtual and video events as part of a creative book marketing and promotion package.

Collaborate with Other Authors. One thing we saw a lot of this year was greater author collaboration for book marketing and promotion. Authors in similar genres whose book launches were postponed came together to collaborate on virtual book clubs.

Combining forces with three or four authors for an event or other co-promotion is a great way to pull in lots of new readership for your book. Sharing new release newsletter announcements and cross-promoting eBook discounts or other promotions are great ways to build your own audience and help out other authors in the process.

I think author collaboration is not going away, even as this pandemic fades – we’re likely to see a lot of teamwork in 2021 and beyond!

Visit Virtual Book Clubs. Virtual book clubs have also seen a substantial uptick, understandably since most of us weren’t doing in-person events in 2020. But even more notably, book clubs are finding that these creative ways to meet are actually better for attendance. I mean how fun that you don’t have to get in your car and drive somewhere, right?

Though the camaraderie of an in-person event is a huge draw, a lot of book clubs may continue to meet online, and even if they don’t, they’ve opened the virtual door for future meetings.

We’ve become so accustomed to Zoom meetings this year that many book clubs are considering adopting and adapting their author invitees to include virtual attendees as well.

If you have been putting off pitching yourself to book clubs, now might be a fun time to consider researching a few and pitching them on your book/topic for a future event!

Consider More MeetUp Events. Speaking of virtual events – in the past Meetups have been hesitant to invite virtual attendees. Many groups were unfamiliar with the technology, but all that’s changed now.

In fact, many of the author groups and book clubs I belong to are eager to roll out more online events, so if you haven’t considered Meetup groups, you might want to give them a second look. Pitching them means more exposure and limited or no travel – which for the foreseeable future is a great way to promote your book without risking your health.

Consider School Events. In keeping with the virtual event’s theme, schools are another great option for readings, talks, or an author Q&A. Schools of all levels have been inviting authors into their classrooms.

We’ve had authors do readings in schools across the country – all virtual of course. It’s a great way to promote your book to an eager audience. Get in touch with your local schools or reach out to some parents you know.

Investigate Audio Books. If you haven’t done an audiobook for any of your titles, you may want to consider it. The explosion of audiobook titles is continually increasing, and the pandemic has added to this boom.

Self-publishing audiobooks is not only a big deal but a must for certain genres. If an entire audiobook seems like a big commitment, many authors are using platforms like Spotify to create content using music and words.

Check out “Word of Mouth” in the Free Resources and Downloads section at the end of this post. This is a trend that’s going to continue to grow, and you can get in on the action while it’s still relatively new.

Give Preferential Treatment to Podcasts: While it may seem like podcasts are a bit like indoor plumbing (everyone seems to have one these days), the growth of this medium can’t be overstated. Back in 2017, the average podcast listener was young-ish – early 30’s and under – but now the demographic is aging as well.

Podcasts pull in listeners of all age groups and because of this, it’s become a go-to for publishing deals as well as movie/TV series deals (see link below to a recent Deadline piece that discusses this).

How you can benefit? I think that 2021 is going to see an even bigger surge in podcasts, so if you’re eager to get into this market, now is the time to plan. Keep in mind that while there are thousands of podcasts, many of them don’t do interviews, and those that do are also hard to score an invite from.

On the other hand, there are hundreds of smaller podcasts that you could pitch yourself to; just be mindful of the fact that they may not have a large listener base. You could also start your own podcast – which isn’t easy but may be worth it, especially if you have a topic that works well episodically.

Podcasts are definitely worth exploring, whether you appear on one or tour the circuit with your book!

Get into Google Play. There’s a new eBook contender in town, and it’s Google Play. They just upped their royalty to 70%, thereby competing with Amazon.

Google Play is going to continue to grow in popularity in 2021, but you have to register for an account and to gain access (which isn’t always immediate), so if you want to explore Google Play as another resource for selling books, I recommend registering soon!

10. Fortify Your Author Platform. When everything shut down, authors who had mailing lists, and solid platforms, did well. They could communicate one-on-one with their readers, planning virtual events, and other online pieces to keep the momentum going.

They could also communicate via their email newsletters about what was happening, new releases, and/or shifting publication dates. The reason this is worth mentioning is that going forward, you are really going to want to focus on your platform.

While there’s a lot of mystery around how to best create and use an author platform for book marketing and promotion, it’s really not that difficult. A platform can be anything from your newsletter, social media following, speaking career, business – anything that connects you to readers.

An author platform is crucial in your marketing because being connected to readers involves more than just developing a following on Facebook. With a real connection, you can communicate directly, and without a lot of noise, to your followers.

A direct link to your market will be key in the new year. Not sure where to start? Focus on building your mailing list and getting used to consistently communicating with your readers. Just that one element will help you up your book marketing game in 2021.

I’ll be doing more on author platforms as my new book, From Book to Bestseller, launches in 2021, so be sure to look out for that!

Take Note of the Publishing Explosion. We all had a lot of downtime in 2020, and many of us turned our attention to publishing – putting out hundreds of thousands of new titles. Going forward, we’ll see even more of that as many of the books folks worked on in 2020 are released in 2021.

Why does this matter? Well, I don’t at all want to discourage you from publishing, but I do recommend you up your game, as competition will be fierce.

You’ll also need to start your marketing efforts earlier because lots of authors may be pitching bloggers, media, and Amazon reviewers. There will be no waiting till the last minute for successful book marketing and promotion in 2021.

Find Some Facebook Groups. Though Facebook groups aren’t new, interest in them reached a new level in 2020. Authors looking for solid readers found their way into groups that were both general (for example, women’s fiction) and narrower, like groups dedicated to specialties like dietary restrictions (gluten-free recipes), grief and teen suicide, over 50 dating, etc.

As much as the number and variety of Facebook groups exploded, we still haven’t hit the summit. New groups are formed all the time, so the key is finding the right ones for you.

Look for groups that have some traction, consistent comments on posts, and engaged members. It will take some time to build rapport with other group members.

Start by joining one or two groups and begin to share helpful ideas to questions people ask or contribute in some other way before you share your book with them.

Love Local Media. We all experienced a lot of supply chain issues this past year – and Amazon prioritized almost everything over print book shipments, which was really frustrating. Because I think these issues will continue into the new year, it’s worth having another look at your local media.

If you haven’t pitched yourself there, maybe it’s time you do. Make it a focus in 2021 by looking for local opportunities or anchoring your message to something already in the news.

Hometown heroes and heroines can sell a lot of books locally, and with supply chains stuttering to keep up, local media can be a gift horse.

Selling from Your Website. Maybe this isn’t something you really want to do, but if you’re eager to keep selling print books, and if you maybe experienced some significant delays because of the supply chain issues I mentioned in the previous point, it might be time to consider setting up a store and an ordering system on your website.

Your sales funnel doesn’t have to be complicated. You can easily add a PayPal or Amazon shopping button that will allow you to fulfill orders – even drop ship them to local addresses.

If you’re dead set against an online store, make sure your titles are available in digital formats so shoppers aren’t frustrated as they wait for your books.

Add eBooks to Your Formats. Surprisingly not every author I speak with has digital versions of their titles. Some haven’t gotten around to creating them, while other authors think that their book isn’t right for eBook audiences.

If Amazon is your go-to for book sales, make sure you have a digital format of your book. eBooks saved the day for lots of authors this year. But if your audience reads mostly in print – return back to point #14 and consider doing some website sales!

Book Marketing and Promotion

Cross-Promote Your Book. We saw a lot of cross-promotion in 2020. Some of this I already covered in point #3.

One new version of this involved books being promoted alongside a movie or a streaming series. Another included books in similar genres being pushed out as one campaign.

You can do this, too – and you should because this trend is only going to get bigger in 2021. Pair your book with a hot book series that’s out (“If you like that, you’ll like this”), or a television series or movie that’s similar to your book topic.

While vaccines are on the horizon, it’s still going to be a while before everything goes back to normal, and readers love pairings. Plus, this easy book marketing and promotion trick will put your book in the hands of an audience that wants more entertainment similar to their current faves.

Educate Yourself. If the surge in online class enrollment is any indication, people like using extra time to get smarter. Join them.

There are loads of great free online courses that can help you learn more about marketing, budgeting, and writing. There’s a lot to learn, but the more you know, the better you’ll do, and the more you’ll avoid costly mistakes.

Market to the Pandemic. I’m a bit lukewarm on this and have discussed this on my podcast. I think books about the pandemic – particularly memoirs in nonfiction and fiction in general – had better be insanely unique.

With so many of us Covid-weary, a book that addresses the pandemic had better be exquisitely well-done.

Tend to Your Mailing List and Fans. I talked about author platforms previously, but this is really worth a second bullet point: build your fan base. Not a fan base on Facebook, or Instagram, but one that you have access to via your mailing list.

A solid mailing list is crucial not just during trying Covid-times, but anytime. A mailing list and a fan base you can access anytime may become a make or break resource for authors in the new year.

Not sure what you’d put in a newsletter? Worry about that later. Get your mailing list built. Trust me when I say that this is one of the best ways to stay in touch with existing fans and grow your reader base.

Only Connect. We’ve been encouraged, for almost a year now, to distance ourselves from others. And this has only brought about a real need for human connection.

Reaching out to folks in a personal way is so important. When you’re addressing a Facebook group, your email list, a Meetup group, or another audience, be personal first. Send hand-written thank you notes, take the time to craft thoughtful responses – be human.

The authors I’ve seen who do better in their book marketing and promotion efforts are the ones who take the time to get personal with their readers. Not in a creepy, oversharing kind of a way, but in an appreciative way that acknowledges that readers chose to spend time reading their books.

Bring Your AA+ Game. It’s no longer a matter of bringing your A-game – 2021 is going to demand your AA+ game.

As I said previously, lots and lots of books will get published this year, and the majority of these authors will be by newbies trying to find their way. Some will do a fantastic job at branding and marketing – but the majority, sadly, won’t.

Don’t be part of the latter group. Learn all you can, prep your book release, work with a designer on a fantastic cover, and be prepared to roll up your sleeves. Book marketing doesn’t have to be a 24/7 endeavor, but if your book is your passion (and you produced a quality book), your efforts will feel much less daunting.

The pandemic has really pushed changes in book marketing and promotion that are, in many cases, for the better. Lots of exciting new book tools are either on the horizon or already available, so jump on a few of these ideas and let’s see where the book marketing train takes you.

Have a safe, healthy, and super successful 2021!

Resources and Free Downloads

Word of Mouth: Podcasting Tips by Anchor

“The Sound and the Flurry: How Podcasts Are Becoming a Hollywood Gold Mine”

Book Marketing and Promotion in the Time of Covid (Book Marketing Podcast)

The post 21 Awesome Book Marketing Predictions and Promotions for 2021 appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Best Book Marketing Ideas for Poetry Authors (infographic)

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 14:00:58 GMT

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The best book marketing ideas often stem from the goal of connecting with your potential readers in a really genuine way – and who could do that better than a poet?

Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words. – Robert Frost

Such a beautiful statement by Robert Frost, but unfortunately it ignores the reality that marketing poetry books is not easy, and coming up with book promotion ideas that align with the spirit of poetry can be quite difficult.

If you’ve written and published poetry, you already know how difficult marketing poetry books can be.

If you’re considering publishing a poetry book, you’ve been put on notice — but I can give you some useful advice for making your book marketing much more purposeful, and much more lucrative!

Best Book Marketing Ideas for Poetry Authors (infographic)

The post Best Book Marketing Ideas for Poetry Authors (infographic) appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Book Marketing and Promotion in the Time of Covid (Book Marketing Podcast)

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 22:25:09 GMT

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Today’s post is a recap of “The Best Book Marketing Ideas for Book Marketing During a Pandemic,” a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

We go deep in our discussion about this timely topic for authors trying to figure out how to write, market, and promote a book during a pandemic, so be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations, and considerations!

Publishing and the Pandemic

Whether we like it or not, the pandemic has changed everything about the way we live. And those seismic changes have created both loss and opportunity. Nine months in, what does this mean for publishing?

We will likely see an explosion of indie titles since corporate publishers are really still finding their way – most mainstream publishers know only the standard book marketing and promotion tactics: bookstores, book events, etc. A lot of that formula is pre-pandemic based.

As for the books coming on the market, we’re seeing a lot having to do with Covid-19 – everything from children’s books to novelty books to new editions of existing books with added Covid-19 content.

With so many titles on the market, authors will need to be careful when taking on Covid-19 as a main topic. If they want to be successful, their new work should be super unique and forward-thinking.

All of their book marketing and promotion should focus on what sets them apart. This is always true, but you can see how it is especially true during a time when people may have more inclination to comparison shop.

We’ve also seen an uptick in religious and inspirational titles, and a lot of armchair experts coming out with self-help titles as well. Anyone publishing in this arena needs to really have their game face on and be prepared to prove their book is something unique and different.

Because let’s be honest, people shopping for titles like this often have many books on these topics already on their shelves – so they’re discerning.

And on that same note, we’re seeing a surge in how to be successful in business with less traditional approaches. Any author saying they know the best way to do something in these areas will need to bring their A-game.

Pandemic Book Marketing and Promotion

With more folks staying home – potentially through mid-2021 – we’ll see fewer author in-person events with fewer people in attendance at the ones that do remain scheduled.

Live-streaming events will most likely increase, so get yourself a ring light for your laptop and figure out how to be camera-ready.

So many brands and truly successful authors have realized how much more important their online persona is. Saying, “I hate social media, and I don’t want to blog and don’t even suggest I do video because I’m too busy,” is going to take you out of the book marketing and promotion game.

It also makes you sound out of touch, and that’s the last thing you want if you also want to be a successful author. Bonus content, special branding elements, and creating a “world” for your readers are becoming more of a standard.

The hidden gem of this is that incorporating these elements by ramping up your website and newsletter and developing a Super Fans program can make you actually less dependent on Amazon for success.

Because of the high demand for Amazon’s services, they began prioritizing shipments of physical goods. So smart book marketing and promotion might include offering free shipping on print copies of your books when readers purchase from your website OR a great eBook discount on Amazon.

In general, a lot of people have a renewed sense of buying local, buying small, operating with “less” and overall being more thoughtful in their consumerism so this is a really fantastic opportunity for authors to put a lot of emphasis on the sales angle of their book making a great gift if they fit into those categories.

This sense of people actively using their dollars and their voices extends to online conversations. More than ever before, people are emboldened to share their thoughts and opinions online.

This means there is no room for error when it comes to editing and book covers that don’t meet a certain industry/genre standard. Independent publishing has been around for too long for authors to cut corners, pretending these things don’t matter, or to take the stance that they’re above needing outside help.

One thing the pandemic hasn’t changed is that successful authors know that it takes a (virtual) village to launch a book toward bestseller status.

For more tips and information on publishing, marketing, and promoting your book during a pandemic, don’t forget to give the full episode (“The Best Book Marketing Ideas for Book Marketing During a Pandemic”) a listen.

If you need some help navigating our new normal, we’re happy to be part of your village. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Resources and Free Downloads

Book Marketing Kickstart Package

The Best Book Marketing Ideas for the Pandemic (Book Marketing Podcast)

How to Market a Self Published Book While You’re Living the Quarantined Life

The post Book Marketing and Promotion in the Time of Covid (Book Marketing Podcast) appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

How to Market a Kindle Book: Run a Kickass eBook Promotion (Book Marketing Podcast)

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 14:00:15 GMT

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Today’s post is a recap of “How to Run a Kickass eBook Promotion,” a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

We went deep in our discussion about this important topic for authors trying to figure out how to promote an eBook, so be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations, and considerations!

How to Market a Kindle Book

As we head into the holidays, eBook promotions should definitely be on your marketing plan, and they can be tricky because you can buy ads all day long, but there needs to be some synergy to what you’re doing.

You don’t want your message – or your book! – to get lost in all the holiday jingle jangle. So how should you market a Kindle book? We’ve got everything you need to know.

Stack for Success

When it comes to marketing eBooks, one of the biggest changes I’ve seen is the quality of promotional platforms available to authors. These sites have really done their due diligence to create a better reader experience, to get out on social more, and to build their newsletter lists.

I’m a big fan of mixing paid sites with free sites when it comes to marketing an eBook. The free sites only require your time, so that’s a no brainer.

The paid sites typically have more to prove: they need to have solid numbers in regard to their social following, newsletter recipients, etc. They’re literally a sure thing because you’ve paid for their services and figuratively a sure thing because their platforms are stronger.

Another thing to remember is that eBook deals are great for your Amazon algorithm; they help boost your book page exposure by sending traffic (and hopefully sales) your way. All of this works even better if you stack promotions.

Discounts and Timing

Forget free. I like pricing that’s specific and special. If you mark your book down to $1.97, for example, the funky pricing will grab people’s attention.

Because people get distracted easily, your timing is also critical. A three-day promo not only creates a sense of urgency for the buyer – act now or miss out – it also gives you full permission to shout it from the rooftops for the entire three days: in your newsletter, on social, and your website, anywhere and everywhere.

If you run a discount for two weeks, you’ll lose people who figure they have time to look into it later, and you definitely can’t promote a discount every day for two weeks straight or people will quickly start blocking you.

Whether you’re promoting a new book or your backlist, there’s a strategy for you! An eBook promotion ahead of a new release can boost attention to a pre-order.

As for your backlist, consider an eBook rotation where you promote one title each month – if you have five eBooks, that gives you five solid months of promotion right there. It’s a simple yet effective way to not let older books get lost forever.

How to Market a Kindle Book

Planning Is Everything

When planning how to market a Kindle book, always think multiple steps ahead.

Plan a promo. Check. Ensure the promo is both beneficial for you AND the reader. Check. Figure out at least two ways to support that promo. Check.

One of those ways should be strategic Amazon ad stacking so that you’re potentially reaching lots of different markets. We also recommend running a Bookbub ad to push a discounted promo.

Bookbub and limited-time discounts go together like peanut butter and jelly. One without the other just doesn’t make nearly as much sense.

For more tips and information on how to market a Kindle book, don’t forget to give the full episode (“How to Run a Kickass eBook Promotion”) a listen.

And if you want to get on the eBook train but need some help, we’re happy to work with you. Get in touch!

Resources and Free Downloads

FREE Quarterly Amazon Planner

How to Market a Book with a BOGO

The post How to Market a Kindle Book: Run a Kickass eBook Promotion (Book Marketing Podcast) appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

December Is National What Month? Unique Content Ideas for Authors

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 14:00:43 GMT

Reading Time: 6 minutes

We’re coming up on December, a month full of grand celebrations. But don’t let that stop you from also taking the time to recognize the possibilities offered by each individual day.

Welcome to our list of December observances and unique content ideas for your monthly author marketing plan.

This is part of building your brand!

Timely content that uses popular and trending search terms and hashtags is a great way to enhance your visibility and improve SEO in a very simple way.

And what’s really key: content ideas don’t always have to stem from your genre or topic.

How to Use My Content Ideas

Below are holidays and just plain wacky and fun December Observances for 2020.

I’ve also included a few content ideas and angles to help spark your creativity!

Also remember: your goal is to encourage engagement – never post flat content; be creative with how you pull others into the conversation and offer ways for them to easily engage.

If you feel a little guilty about the lack of promotion planning you’ve done so far this year, use this list as a productive kick in the rear. Commit to writing some form of content every day and use it on social, for your blog, in your newsletter – get creative!

Giving yourself a bar to reach is the first step to upping your game.

Do polls, giveaways, fan art contests: remember to make it about your readers – not about you – and you’re guaranteed to see better engagement.

If you need some additional support on how to translate these ideas into actual content and posts, consider signing up for email coaching with me and we’ll get personal!

Getting Started with Content Ideas

You can easily devote a whole month’s worth of content to Christmas – recipes, traditions, gift ideas, etc. And Hannukah lasts eight days (oh the latkes, the dreidels, the menorahs!), while Kwanzaa spans seven (colors and candles and fruits and feasts!).

And then there’s New Year’s Eve (we’ll save New Year’s Day for our January 2021 List).

So we’ve established there are a lot of well-known holidays competing for attention. Which is why content that is also relevant and timely will stand out from the images of Santa, snowflakes, candlelight, reindeer, and red and green.

Check out some of these other monthlong observances. Several offer opportunities to support a cause close to your heart by sharing stories, raising awareness, and/or giving your followers ways to donate money, time, and love to your favorite issues.

National Drugged and Drunk Driving (3D) Prevention Month – this one might be easier this year as so many of us are sheltering in place to prevent a further surge in coronavirus cases, but if this a cause that speaks to your heart, a gentle reminder about responsible imbibing during holiday celebrations is easy enough.

Read a New Book Month – you got this one!

Root Vegetables and Exotic Fruits Month – just made for you cookbook authors!

Spiritual Literacy Month – a great gift for any of you working with spiritual material of any kind. The holidays can be difficult for those with restless hearts and minds. Your content might be a solace – create community where you can.

Universal Human Rights Month – celebrated in December because the United Nations General Assembly passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights during this month in 1948. Eleanor Roosevelt had a lot to do with the push toward its passage. Plan a few posts that show your followers which rights matter most to you. The UN published a great illustrated version of the document that you can easily share (see Free Download and Resources at the end of this post).

Multi-Day Celebrations

Week 2 Computer Science Education Week – be a learner! Find a site that helps you learn to code and share the resource AND your work with your followers!

December 10 – December 18 – Hannukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights

December 16 – December 24 – La Posadas (the Inns) a Mexican Christmas tradition

December 17 – December 23 – Saturnalia, a Roman harvest festival honoring the agricultural god Saturn

December 25 – January 5 – the Twelve Days of Christmas (yep, that’s right. The 12 days don’t end on Christmas, they start there)

December 26 – January 1 – Kwanzaa, a celebration of the African heritage in African-American culture

Daily Observations for December

December 8

National Brownie Day

Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day – time for my fantasy and historical fiction writing friends to shine. Start a conversation on social about the historical era you’d most like to visit. Be specific. Include cool images!

December 9

Christmas Card Day – share a photo of yours with your followers and invite them to do the same!

National Pastry Day

December 10

Dewey Decimal System Day – perfect for nonfiction authors. Post your call number at the beginning of the day and ask your followers what that strange mix of numbers and letters means. See how long it takes someone to figure it out, and at the end of the day, share your library love.

Human Rights Day

Nobel Prize Day

December 11

National App Day

National Noodle Ring Day – if you have a favorite kugel recipe, why haven’t you already shared it?

December 12

Gingerbread House Day – have everyone in your pod make a gingerbread house, then have a contest for which one is the best. You can use Poptarts if you want the project to be smaller and manageable! Or you can take it to the next level and invite your followers to upload photos of their own gingerbread houses to your comments or a Pinterest board, and then have everyone vote. The winner gets bragging rights or a special memento from you.

National Ding-a-Ling Day

Poinsettia Day

December 13

Ice Cream Day

International Children’s Day

National Day of the Horse

National Guard Birthday

Violin Day

December 14

International Monkey Day – read No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed to your captive Internet Audience and ask for suggestions for other monkey books in the comments.

Roast Chestnuts Day

December 15

Bill of Rights Day

National Cat Herders Day – maybe your pound puppy got the spotlight on December 2 for National Rescue Dog Day. Now it’s time to let your audience know that it’s really your felines who run the household. I bet many of them will relate – and share!

Wear Your Pearls Day

December 16

Jane Austen’s Birthday

National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

December 17

National Maple Syrup Day

National Re-gifting Day – time for a conversation about your most embarrassing regift mishap.

Wright Brothers Day

December 18

National Twin Day

National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day – I mean, I know you have one….

Underdog Day

December 19

National Wreaths Across America Day

Oatmeal Muffin Day

December 21

Celebrate Short Fiction Day – write and post a 100-word story and ask your followers to do the same. Prizes? An Amazon gift card and packet of Walker’s SHORTbread cookies?

Crossword Puzzle Day

Humbug Day

Look on the Bright Side Day

National Flashlight Day

Winter Solstice

December 23

Festivus – for the rest of us

Roots Day

December 24

Christmas Eve

National Chocolate Day

National Egg Nog Day

December 25

Christmas Day

National Pumpkin Pie Day

December 26

National Thank You Note Day

December 27

Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day

National Fruitcake Day – run a poll that asks followers whether fruitcake is delicious or obnoxious and announce the results at the end of the day. Fruitcake may ultimately be declared victorious or go down in flames. Either way, a selfie of you with fork poised over a slice seems called for.

December 28

Boxing Day

Card Playing Day

Pledge of Allegiance Day

December 29

National Hero Day – We all need someone to look up to and the people you admire say a lot about you. Share your spotlight with an unsung hero.

December 30

Bacon Day

National Bicarbonate of Soda Day

December 31

Make Up Your Mind Day

New Year’s Eve

Unlucky Day

The Takeaway

Remember, being an author demands creativity, and it also demands authenticity.

Coming up with unique content ideas as part of your author marketing plan is a great way to take your success seriously, without taking yourself too seriously! And these December observances should really help.

Resources and Free Downloads

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Monthly Book Marketing Planner