Author Marketing Experts, Inc.

Episode: 10 Easy Ways to Revive an Older Book

Minisode: Fun Ways to Enhance Your Amazon Reviews and Editorial Reviews Podcast

How to Create and Maintain a Successful Newsletter Podcast

Check Out Jane Friedman’s Site, She’s an Excellent Resource

The post Book Marketing Strategies for Older Titles: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Book Marketing Strategies for Older Titles: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 15:00:54 +0200

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Book marketing strategies change a bit when you’re promoting an older title, so it’s important to keep your marketing plans separate for your new releases and your backlist.

But that means something can be done to spike book sales on this older title!

And be sure to download and listen to the full podcast episode for full details, recommendations, and considerations!

#1 Do a Cover Update

If your book is more than a year old and not selling well, re-do the cover. Find a professional cover designer that has a strong portfolio in your genre and get their help.

#2 Do a Goodreads Giveaway

Get yourself set up and commit to networking with the winners and build your presence on the site.

#3 Do a Limited-Time Discount Promotion

Go as low as you can go for 2 or 3 days (fewer days creates urgency) and submit the book to sites that are dedicated to promoting Kindle deals.

#4 Run BookBub Ads

#5 Create a Book Bundle

If your older title is part of a series, bundle the first two titles to create a new product. If you write non-fiction and cover the same topic you can do a bundle as well!

#6 Build Book Marketing Strategies Around Current Events

#7 Run New Amazon Ads

Amazon ads are easy to create and won’t break your budget if you’re paying attention!

#8 Update Your Amazon Page

Changing up your subtitles and descriptions can really make a difference for drawing in new, interested buyers.

#9 Change Up Your Categories and Keywords

It’s amazing how much more exposure you can get on Amazon by using the right categories and keywords.

#10 Don’t Stop Pitching for Reviews

Resources and Free Downloads

Minisode: Fun Ways to Enhance Your Amazon Reviews and Editorial Reviews Podcast

How to Create and Maintain a Successful Newsletter Podcast

Check Out Jane Friedman’s Site, She’s an Excellent Resource

The post Book Marketing Strategies for Older Titles: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

How a Goodreads Author Page Strategically Supports Your Brand

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 15:00:03 +0200

Reading Time: 3 minutes

A Goodreads author page, done right, can be one of the most influential tools in your marketing plan.

To start, Goodreads is owned by Amazon, and even if you have a love-hate relationship with the retail giant, they’re still the ones selling the most books right now, so playing nice has its perks.

Goodreads is also totally dedicated to book lovers, unlike other social media sites, so you always have a captive audience!

Think about it. People get on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok (the list goes on) for so many reasons: to keep up with the news, their hobbies, to get life advice. But people only get on Goodreads when they want to talk about and find new books and authors.

Goodreads Offers Many Ways to Promote Your Book

To keep the list of positives going, Gooodreads has it all!

On your Goodreads author page, you have blogging options, video uploads, event creation, book recommendations, and the platform even has groups you can join and participate in.

So if you’re an author without a website, having a fully optimized and continually updated Amazon Author Central and Goodreads Author Page is absolutely key to creating a more professional-looking brand.

Shoppers are more likely to buy if they feel like you’re a sure thing. And what you put online is all a part of your brand. So don’t get lazy when it comes to optimizing free ways to elevate your online resume!

Being active on Goodreads also means you can take advantage of giveaways, and giveaways are an incredible way to get books in readers’ hands and gain a lot of exposure.

I get a lot of authors telling me they didn’t get enough reviews from their last Goodreads giveaway, so it wasn’t worth it. Let me tell you, reviews anywhere are hard to come by, no matter what you do–but that doesn’t mean your giveaway winners didn’t enjoy your book.

Don’t Judge Any Marketing Effort with Such Narrow-Minded Goals

If you wrote an excellent book, winners of your most recent giveaway are probably going to enjoy it, which means you’ve now created a larger network of return buyers for your next release–or other products or services you may offer as part of your platform.

And remember, everyone who enters your giveaway automatically gets your book on their “to read” shelf (and you can find out who they are!) which is great long-term exposure and potential networking opportunities.

Think about it! There’s a very good chance some non-winners will end up buying your book down the road, especially if they’re a true topic/genre fan, and you’ve generated positive reviews.

Make a point to keep your Goodreads author page up to date so when they circle back and find you again, you’re showing them everything positive, quirky, unique, fun, helpful, etc. you have to offer.

And this is why the exposure of a giveaway is so valuable!

I know I said reviews often feel hard to come by, across the board, but Goodreads really is a great place to get reviews and ratings to brag about. Yes, Amazon reviews matter because they tell Amazon that people are responding to your book, but shoppers are getting savvy about paid reviews, so more and more are taking what they read on Amazon with a grain of salt.

Prolific Readers Are Looking beyond Amazon before Making Book-Buying Decisions

Goodreads

And going back to Goodreads being a dedicated platform for authors and book lovers, if you generate solid reviews and ratings there, it carries even more weight in a lot of ways.

Plus, Goodreads reviews give you valuable market research on how diehard readers feel about your book, which should always be a priority when developing new titles and perfecting your craft.

Again, I know a lot of authors still roll their eyes when I push the benefits of Goodreads, but a simple shift in perspective can prevent you from missing out on lucrative opportunities.

Just because it didn’t work for you the last time you tried, or you’ve avoided it because you heard other authors trashing it, doesn’t negate the fact that a lot of authors have great success with Goodreads!

So put it on your shortlist to really optimize your Goodreads author page and get involved in meaningful ways. Then you can feel confident you’re not leaving potential book sales revenue on the table.

If you found this post helpful please use the social buttons below the Resources and Free Downloads to share on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and tag me, or you can email this post to a friend or colleague!

Resources and Free Downloads

Using Goodreads Giveaways in Your Book Promotion: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

Amazon Video Product

Why a Good Author Brand is a MUST to Sell More Books podcast

Check out KM Weiland’s site, she’s an excellent resource

The post How a Goodreads Author Page Strategically Supports Your Brand appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Your Must-Listen Minisode Round-Up: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 19:00:43 +0200

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Here’s the most recent, must-listen list of some of our top-reviewed book marketing podcast minisodes!

If you’re wondering how to market your books in a way that doesn’t leave you exhausted, then the minisodes on our book marketing podcast are exactly what you need to keep moving the needle, without totally losing steam.

Each focuses on a particular book promotion topic that will guide your book marketing or author branding efforts–and make you feel more savvy too!

Read on to learn about book blurbs, reviews, media kits, press releases, and those seemingly small book marketing details that could be working against you. And if all this gets you thinking, use the links at the bottom of the post to listen to each minisode.

Real Talk About Book Blurbs

Yes, we would all love blurbs for our covers and in prep for our releases, but they’re tough to get. Luckily today’s market gives you more options and is a lot more flexible!

Just what are those flexible options and how will they support book marketing for self-published authors? Listen to this short minisode to find out!

Fun Ways to Enhance Your Amazon Reviews and Editorial Reviews

Ready to dress up your Amazon page? In this episode, we unpack some quick ways to dress up your Amazon book page with review enhancements and fun ways to drive more attention to your fabulous reviews!

Not the creative type? Don’t worry–it’s simple, easy, and can make a real difference in getting your reviews noticed!

Media Kits and Press Releases

Do media kits and press releases still matter? A lot of authors still want one, but does it really make sense, and will it move the needle?

Here we talk about a better option to replace the dated idea of media kits and press releases so that book marketing for self-published authors doesn’t become an overwhelming task.

Don’t Promote Something That’s Working Against You

I’m betting when you read this title, you thought: “I’m proud of my book!” But we aren’t talking about your book, we’re talking about the things you may not have considered – like a social media channel you hardly ever use that’s still in your signature line or on your website, or a release date announcement that’s long since expired…as we often say: Details matter.

In this episode, we’re breaking down what to pay attention to, and what you may have overlooked that’s making you look less professional than we know you want to be!

Resources and Free Downloads

Master Amazon and Sell More Books

Minisode: Real Talk About Book Blurbs

Minisode: Fun Ways to Enhance Your Amazon Reviews and Editorial Reviews

Minisode: Media Kits and Press Releases

Minisode: Don’t Promote Something That’s Working Against You

Check out the Alliance of Independent Authors for news and free resources

The post Your Must-Listen Minisode Round-Up: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Key Strategies for Book Marketing Online Without Wasting Time

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 23:13:09 +0200

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Whichever way you choose to get the word out there about your book, book marketing online is absolutely critical to your success.

And I’m not talking about opening up a bunch of social media accounts you’ll have no time for. Don’t fall into the trap of creating busy work to check things off your book marketing list!

I’m talking about making smart choices when it comes to your online positioning.

Too many authors seem to not realize their online footprint matters in today’s market. It all adds up. That’s why eschewing social media, boycotting Goodreads, or not pitching for blogger coverage, really prevents you from being competitive.

And then there are the other authors who jump straight from the book being published to wanting TV interviews, magazine coverage, national reviews, events, book signings, bookstore placements, movie deals, etc. without recognizing that everything you can do online makes up the platform; they are the building blocks for being able to secure those super exclusive opportunities.

So let’s look at some smart choices you can make to help raise the visibility of your book–and you.

Because book marketing online doesn’t mean you have to be everywhere, just everywhere that matters.

And at the end of this piece, if you’re ready to dig in, I’ve linked to other blog posts we’ve done on these individual topics!

Why Book Marketing Online is Key to Your Author Brand

An author’s website is important, but you don’t have to hit the ground running with a super robust site; even a one-page website is helpful. You want to start building your online visibility and a website can help you do that.

But a website is just the first in many steps to having an online presence.

The other piece of this is your branding, meaning how are you showing up in the world? Is your messaging consistent? (We’ll discuss this more in a minute.) Do you have a theme or color theme you want to stay within?

The reason I mention this early on is that it’s good to figure out how you want to show up. Sure, you’re an author of non-fiction, or romance, cozy mystery, or…. But what differentiates you from the rest? What motivates and inspires you? Do you want to share small, personal details with your readers? Because if you do, I can almost guarantee they’ll love it.

Spend a little bit of time with this, and if you’re already out there and feeling a bit fuzzy on what your messaging is, maybe now is a good time to ask yourself those questions.

Social Media Is Everywhere, but it’s More Important to Be Where It Matters

I’m not a fan of being everywhere, only everywhere that matters. And if you’ve attended any of my talks you know, firsthand, that I’m not about starting lots of social media accounts just for the sake of having them. Sure, there are authors hitting bestseller lists on TikTok, but is that really the right place for you to be?

Determining what social media channel to be on is as important as what you’ll say on them. And it’s ok to not be everywhere or decide that you want to get rid of your Twitter account because it’s not the right place for you to be.

Not sure where to start with social media? Then ask yourself: where are other successful authors in your genre? Because success leaves clues and identifying where your target audience is will go a long way to decreasing your workload and increasing your visibility—after all, posting on 5 social media channels is a lot of work!

You’ll Want Goodreads to Be a Part of Your Book Marketing Online

It’s easy to dismiss this site, or as I mentioned earlier, boycott it altogether. But Goodreads is a solid portal for readers and authors.

We did a podcast on Goodreads–you can find that link below–so I won’t spend a lot of time going into the Goodreads site here, but suffice it to say you should grab your author page and try to be active on Goodreads at least once a week.

You’ll be surprised how many benefits (meaning new readers!) you can gain from even just a small effort on this site!

BookBub is a Great Place for Your Author Presence

While I love the BookBub Daily Deals, I really love the platform for all that it does for authors.

If you haven’t already done so, grab your profile and start sharing books you love. Readers may find you and follow you on BookBub and then, when you release a new book, they’ll be notified.

BookBub is a solid platform for authors, and not just for their pricey deals, but also for the platform elements their website provides.

Pitching Bloggers and Online Media is Critical

I see a lot of authors coming to us for marketing and haven’t even touched blogger pitching. And the thing is, of all of the pieces you’ll do, this is the one with an expiration date.

Meaning, if you wait too long, you miss the pitching window.

Pitching bloggers is absolutely something you can outsource, but if you aren’t ready to tackle this, be sure to reach out to someone who can help you get your book in front of folks who have big followings and lots of online credibility.

So how do you get started? Below I linked to a few podcasts we did on this very topic.

Finding Your Voice Through Market Research

It isn’t easy to find your online voice, and sometimes this can take quite a bit of time. But book marketing online does require that you pay attention to your overall messaging and branding.

Your first goal is to find the right platform, and then start sharing posts. I recommend following other similar authors in your genre and get a sense of what they’re talking about and what their audience responds to.

This will start to tell you what readers love and what resonates with your market. Doing this is market research and if you haven’t spent any time doing this, I really recommend that you do, because it can pay off in big ways.

Not only will market research help solidify your online messaging, but it can cut your learning curve significantly. And it’s not always about sharing your book. Yes, that’s part of it, but finding your online voice means giving your readers a voice, too. If they share your posts, be sure to comment on them, or just give them a social thumbs up.

For many authors, book marketing online feels like a heavy chore, but it doesn’t have to. Be selective when picking your social media portals and be clear on your brand and messaging. It’s easy to toss out online marketing and say you don’t have time for it, but if you’re going to create some momentum for your book, this becomes part of your building blocks of success.

Resources and Free Downloads

Pitching Yourself to Local Media and Trade Media podcast

Maximizing Goodreads – Part 1 podcast

Maximizing Goodreads – Part 2 podcast

Maximizing Goodreads – Part 3 Podcast

Minisode: This Is a Social Media Sabotage podcast

Get More Blogger Reviews for Your Book – Part 1 podcast

Get More Blogger Reviews for Your Book – Part 2 podcast

The post Key Strategies for Book Marketing Online Without Wasting Time appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Self Publishing a Book Requires the Right Focus

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 19:00:41 +0200

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Self publishing a book is really an exciting, frustrating, and emotional time, and it’s easy to lose focus along the way – believe me, I know – because I have Book to Bestseller releasing this fall and it’s been a love-hate relationship from the start.

But I always say it’s a lot easier with smart planning, and I stick by that.

If you take self publishing a book one step at a time, and check all those boxes, cross the T’s and dot the I’s, you’re not only more likely to end up with a final product you’re proud of, you’re much more likely to end up with a final product readers gravitate toward, recommend, and review positively.

Step 1: Writing Is About You

And I don’t mean it’s just about that bucket list item, or getting that fantastic idea on paper, of course that’s important, but you want your book to be a reflection of you.

Be a true fan of your genre. Be an active, passionate thought leader for your topic. Collaborate with a great editor.

Self publishing a book is a great honor that gives you full control every step of the way – don’t waste that kind of autonomy.

Step 2: Publishing Is About the Book

This is where it gets more technical, but it’s equally as critical as what goes into the content.

Collaborate with a well-versed interior person. Hire a really amazing book cover designer, the best your budget allows.

Self publishing a book also means you get to decide whether you go directly to Amazon, or if you hire a company to help with the printing of the book, or even distribution.

There are a lot of business decisions to make at this stage, and if it’s your first time, or your 5th (but you know you’ve screwed a few things up in the past), consider doing a consultation with a professional to ensure you’re covering all the bases. Avoiding major missteps could be the difference between a book falling flat, and hitting a coveted bestseller list in your category.

Step 3: Marketing Is About the Reader

This is where it gets fun! But it’s also where a lot of authors make a big mistake. Meaning, if you don’t make the marketing about the readers, it leads you down a path that doesn’t produce the kinds of sales or reviews you’re hoping for.

Remember, you’re not throwing your books at people as you drive down the street!

I know that’s a ridiculous thing to imagine, but that’s essentially how a lot of authors try to market their books and then end up disappointed. Sell, sell, sell, push, push, push. “Buy my stuff!”

Lots of wasted time.

And don’t fall into the trap of thinking it’s because self publishing a book is less lucrative than getting a publisher. That’s a total myth I’m tired of hearing it repeated.

In reality, if you focus less on shouting so loud, and focus more on ensuring your retail pages, your website, your social media, and yes, all your marketing efforts, are optimized to entice readers to come to you out of pure interest, you’re going to be so much closer to actually making the sale – and you’ll be wasting a lot less time.

Resources and Free Downloads

Blog Outreach Tracker

The Social Media Mistake That Can Damage Your Author Platform

The 5 Strategies for Good Amazon Book Promotion (Infographic )

Check out KM Weiland’s site, she’s an excellent resource

The post Self Publishing a Book Requires the Right Focus appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using September Observances

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 18:00:52 +0200

Reading Time: 6 minutes

It’s time to run through our September observances and unique author brand enhancements and content ideas for your monthly book marketing plan!

Without a 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 really refining your author 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 an author 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 September observances for 2021.

I’ve also included a few content ideas and angles to help spark your creativity and help you wrap your mind around how to work them into your author branding.

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 to 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 book marketing planning you’ve done so far in 2021, 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 author branding game.

And don’t forget to grab 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 September Observances

Start with these month-long ideas! 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.

Baby Safety Month

Chicken Month

Better Breakfast Month

Classical Music Month

Fall Hat Month

Happy Cat Month

Hispanic Heritage Month

Honey Month

International Square Dancing Month

Little League Month

National Blueberry Popsicle Month

National Courtesy Month

National Mushroom Month

National Piano Month

Self-Improvement Month–If you have a book about health and wellness, this month is the time to highlight the importance of personal growth. Ask your readers to share some of their most valued lessons learned for self-improvement.

National Sewing Month

Whole Grains Month

September Observances by the Week

National Indoor Plant Week – third week of the month

September Observances by the Day

September 8

International Literacy Day – Literacy is the cornerstone of our written world; celebrate and promote it by highlighting one of the many literacy-focused nonprofit organizations all over the world. Or, find your favorite quotation about literacy by simply Googling “Literacy quotes” — you’re sure to find one that speaks to your heart.

National Ampersand Day

Pardon Day

September 9

Teddy Bear Day

September 10

Sewing Machine Day – Do you have a sewing or crafting book? This is the day to celebrate. Host a giveaway of crafting supplies listed in your book.

Swap Ideas Day – I talk a lot about the importance of networking with other authors because it can really improve the quality of your books and your overall brand. If you don’t have an author network find a tribe before the end of 2021.

September 11

911 Remembrance

Make Your Bed Day

No News is Good News Day

September 12

Chocolate Milk Shake Day

Grandparent’s Day

National Pet Memorial Day

National Video Games Day

September 13

Defy Superstition Day

Fortune Cookie Day – A book is in your future! Up for some baking? Make some fortune cookies (there are tons of recipes out there) with a picture of your book cover on the paper fortune slip.

National Peanut Day

Positive Thinking Day

Uncle Sam Day

September 14

International Crab Fest Day

National Cream-Filled Donut Day

September 15

Make a Hat Day

Felt Hat Day

September 16

American Legion Day

Collect Rocks Day

Step Family Day – Did you know that 42% of adults in the US have a step relationship? If you are one of these adults, consider writing about it on your website, especially if the step relationship has played a significant role in your life.

Mayflower Day

Mexican Independence Day

National Play-Doh Day

Working Parents Day – All parents are working parents, right? Plan a special promo as a way for parents to recognize all the work they do–especially if they took on double duty as a teacher while their children couldn’t be in school.

September 17

Citizenship Day

Constitution Day

National Apple Dumpling Day

September 18

International Red Panda Bear Day

National Cheeseburger Day

September 19

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

National Butterscotch Pudding Day – Might one of your book’s characters love butterscotch pudding? Sounds super random, but my point is, your characters should be memorable and even relatable in many cases, so sharing seemingly insignificant details and personality insights like this will help make them feel more real!

National Dance Day

National Women’s Friendship Day – A lot of women’s fiction centers around friendships, how important they are, how complicated they can be, take a moment to highlight what this means to you and your work.

Wife Appreciation Day – If your book has a couple in it, consider showcasing a love note from a spouse to their wife. Again, having fun with your characters and giving readers “insider info” above and beyond what’s in your book really helps bolster the importance of the world you’ve built.

September 20

National Pepperoni Pizza Day

National Punch Day

September 21

International Peace Day

Miniature Golf Day

World Gratitude Day – Feeling gratitude is the surest way to feeling happy. Show your gratitude to your readers with a BOGO or limited-time discount. After all, readers are the reason authors get to do what they do!

September 22

Autumn Equinox, Fall begins!

Business Women’s Day – If you’re a woman AND an author, you’re a business! It might even be your second or third business. Share what you’ve learned along the way, you never know how much you could potentially help another up-and-coming writer.

Elephant Appreciation Day

Hobbit Day

September 23

Checkers Day / Dogs in Politics Day

September 24

National Cherries Jubilee Day

Native American Day

September 25

International Rabbit Day

National Comic Book Day – If you had (or have) a favorite comic book, share it with your readers and tell them why it’s your favorite. Readers love learning about authors’ own reading lives.

National Hunting and Fishing Day

September 26

Johnny Appleseed Day

September 27

Crush a Can Day

September 28

Ask a Stupid Question Day

National Good Neighbor Day

National Public Lands Day

September 29

Confucius Day – “You cannot open a book and not learn something.” ~ Confucius

September 30

National Mud Pack Day

The Takeaway

Remember, being an author demands creativity, and it also demands authenticity when developing a marketing plan to support your author brand.

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

Resources and Free Downloads

Are You Ready for Big Media Coverage?

How to Launch a Book with a Full-Time Job and Life

Get a Polished Author Brand in 10 Minutes

Check out the Alliance of Independent Authors for news and resources

The post Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using September Observances appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

The Best Book Marketing Minisode Round-Up: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 18:41:01 +0200

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Best Book Marketing Minisode Round-Up is a recap of several minisodes on our Book Marketing Tips and Author Success podcast.

Did you know you can listen to the best book marketing tips in under 10 minutes? It’s true–while our full length episodes are great for really digging into a topic, we also produce short and sweet “minisodes” where we focus on one particular aspect of book marketing or authorship and give it to you straight.

Below is a short intro to a few of our minisodes, so if one or more of them piques your interest, scroll down to the Resources and Free Downloads section to listen!

So You Want to Be a Multi-Genre Author

Minisode: Writing Books in Different Genres

It can be really tempting to write cross-genre, especially when creativity strikes. But the best book marketing strategy for genre writing is to consider your readers. Will your multi-genre work confuse or put off your current readers? Will you have to maintain separate social media accounts and websites?

In this minisode we walk you through the potential pitfalls of trying to write across multiple genres; we explain what works, what doesn’t, and how Amy’s go-to test question, “Do I Feel Special?” can get you right back on track.

The Best Book Marketing Advice is to Be Strategic

Minisode: Be Careful When Tethering Your Book to a News Story or Popular Culture

Yes, as an author you still have topics you’re passionate about, like politics or social justice, and it’s intriguing to want to weave those into your fiction or non-fiction book, so we’ll discuss how this can limit or support your marketing plan in strategic ways.

In this minisode you’ll earn how to be strategic when anchoring your book to a potentially hot-button issue.

The Best Book Marketing Response for the Dreaded Bad Review

Minisode: Dealing with Bad Reviews

It’s happened to all of us – even Penny! We get it, and we empathize. But guess what? There’s a certain mindset you can adopt to depersonalize the bad review, lean into objectivity, and become even a better writer for it!

Let us tell you what part of the review to take note of, what part you can (and should!) ignore, and how to quell the urge to petition Amazon to remove it.

Best Book Marketing Tip for Nonfiction Writers: Be an Expert

Minisode: Why Non-Fiction Authors Must Be Experts to Succeed

Nonfiction books are often born out of the inspiration, passion, and experience of the author, which is usually what makes it so appealing to readers! But if the author doesn’t know their topic inside and out, the competitive world of publishing will inevitably find that weak spot, and the opportunity to reach a larger audience can fade away.

In this minisode we talk about the growing potential for nonfiction topics, explain why being an expert in that topic is a must, and share a surefire way to strengthen not only your credibility but the potential for book sales too!

Resources and Free Downloads

Minisode: Be Careful When Tethering Your Book to a News Story or Popular Culture podcast

Minisode: Writing Books in Different Genres podcast

Minisode: Dealing with Bad Reviews podcast

Minisode: Why Non-Fiction Authors Must Be Experts to Succeed podcast

Check out Jane Friedman’s site, she’s an excellent resource

The post The Best Book Marketing Minisode Round-Up: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Updating Your Book Marketing Plan for Holiday Sales

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 15:00:24 +0200

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Obviously your book marketing plan plays a huge role in your long term success, but a lot of authors forget to make seasonal updates to support sales goals for specific holidays.

Yes, all retailers are vying for coveted “holiday shopper” attention, but with some strategic additions to your current book promotion efforts, you can easily grab your share of the holiday sales revenue.

Let’s start with some numbers!

We know that online shopping sales are big, but did you know that 69% of US consumers shop online at least once a year? And recent figures show that 80% of the world’s population shops online as well. These numbers are likely to only get bigger.

But the actual shopping season starts earlier and earlier each year as well, as was the case in 2020, because of supply chain problems, which we expect to see continue through this shopping season as well. We call it “Christmas Creep,” meaning the holiday positioning starts earlier and earlier each year.

So, let’s dig into some ways you can grab your share of holiday book sales!

Get Your Holiday Message Added to Your Book Marketing Plan

It’s a good idea to start your messaging now. Whether you’re planning a full campaign around holiday sales or you just want to update your website and run some ads, plan your unique messaging early. How are you going to pitch your book as a smart seasonal purchase? Your messaging goes everywhere from your Amazon page, to social media, to your website, and you want to be consistent and cover all the bases – make sure you don’t forget a critical opportunity.

Create Seasonal Advertising

Authors often like to run ads but as we get closer to big holiday shopping days like Black Friday, ad pricing can get extremely competitive. The least expensive ads can be placed for Christmas Day, the first Tuesday in December, the Monday before Thanksgiving, and the first week of November. The most expensive and competitive ads are for Cyber Monday, Black Friday, the seven days before Christmas, and Thanksgiving.

If you’re already running Amazon ads, you could start a seasonal batch of ads–and I just finished a blog post (which you can find below under the Resources and Free Downloads section) on running seasonal ads you can refer to as you begin to develop your ad plan.

Plan for Critical Shopping Dates ASAP

Yes, we all know Black Friday and Cyber Monday are big shopping days, but keep in mind that many consumers start much earlier than that, so plan ahead. Whether you’re needing to update your website/shopping cart experience, update your book copy on Amazon, or organize promotions for your mailing list, don’t wait till the last minute. Start planning now. There’s a reason retailers often refer to “Christmas in July”–that’s how long many of the bigger retailers need to pivot to the holiday season and plan out their promotions.

Create Special Book Promotions for Your Email List

If your book marketing plan includes an email list, but you don’t use it regularly, now is a good time to start “warming up your list.” And by that, I mean get your mailing list accustomed to hearing from you. Send one or two email blasts with helpful information and perhaps a nod to your upcoming holiday specials.

If you’ve already been emailing your list regularly, then it’s time to start plotting out any promotions that you might do specifically for your email list. Promos like BOGO “buy one, give one” or “buy one, get one” should be planned out early. And I love these types of promotions because you can encourage folks to buy your book and give a copy to someone else, which is a great holiday surprise, but also helps you widen your reader reach, too.

Get Your Website Ready to Handle Orders and Special Offers

If you’re planning to sell books from your website, then it’s time to make sure that your store is ready to go. Also, in your book marketing plan, consider doing special offers like gift-wrapping or free shipping. Free shipping is a big deal to consumers so it’s nice if you can offer it. Yes, it all costs money, but you’ll make more money selling direct anyway, so keep that in mind.

If you don’t want to ship your own books, then link to retailers–but you can still offer the BOGO by asking readers to send you a copy of the purchase receipt to participate in the special.

Create Special eBook Promotions

Discounted ebook promotions are a great addition to your holiday sales plan and if you have multiple books out, it’s really a fun way to drive more interest to your books. Pricing discounts don’t have to be huge, meaning you don’t need to price your book at .99 cents for it to be a deal. Marking a book down by 1 dollar or so can be a fun way to offer a holiday special and run an ebook promotion. But keep in mind that ebook promotions around key holiday shopping days fill up really early, so grab your spots sooner, rather than later.

Control the Sales Narrative

Book descriptions and marketing copy should always be updated to remind the customer why they should buy. If your book has won an award this year or has some other notable mention, be sure to add that to the copy. Does it make a great gift? Who is the perfect gift for? Answering these questions nudges your customer to make the purchase.

For example, you could say, “This is the perfect YA book for fans of [X] and [Y] titles,” or “This book is for people who love shows like …” Be direct about why your book is the right book for them, and update book descriptions for anything that might be holiday-specific or that has a gift element to it.

Reward Your Most Loyal Fans with Special Deals

Now, especially, is a great time to reward people who already know and like you. (Think: your newsletter subscribers and/or social media followers.) Offer them discounts or exclusive offers as a part of your book marketing plan that are just for them. Or consider running giveaways of books or a gift pack that includes your book.

Create Seasonal Blog Posts to Get Buyers in the Holiday Spirit

If you have a blog that you regularly update, create some holiday-themed posts around your offer or the specials you’re doing and share these on social media. Maybe even use a themed banner. When your book marketing plan directs customers to a single place that lists what you’re offering or sharing as a holiday special, it’s easier for buyers. A blog is a fantastic resource for doing this.

Your email marketing or social strategy shouldn’t be just a one-shot deal with a single message that goes out before Thanksgiving. Instead, market throughout the holiday season and, as I said, be mindful of folks who want to fill new devices with ebooks or audiobooks.

Another idea for your blog is to create a seasonal gift guide(s) recommending other books along with yours. Then, invite the other authors to share your post, as well. It’s a great way to get some additional traction.

You could also create gift ideas that don’t include books, say scented candles, and then recommend your romance novel to read when the candles are used. Or crafting supplies if you have a non-fiction crafting book. You get the idea!

Final Notes on Polishing Your Holiday Book Marketing Plan

Creating a holiday book marketing plan is easy and fun to do and you don’t have to spend a lot of time on it. Whatever you decide to do is great as long as it’s a push to get your book in front of more readers.

In terms of sales, it’s worth repeating: pace your social media posts so that you notify followers a few times before your special offer starts. Often, followers won’t see all of your posts right away, so sending notifications multiple times helps to ensure that they’ll catch it.

Keep in mind that even post-holiday pushes can be successful. People always look to fill up new devices post-holiday, so right after Christmas can actually be the best opportunity to push your ebook or audiobook, too!

And if you’re eager to get started, here is a list of some holidays you already know, and maybe a few you hadn’t considered: Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, Hanukkah, Green Monday, Free Shipping Day, Super Saturday, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s.

Good luck and happy holiday selling!

Resources and Free Downloads

Are You Ready For Big Media Coverage?

Reader Profile Brainstorm

Smarter Book Promotion on Amazon with Seasonal Ads

Book Marketing Plan: Your Book Promotion Mindset

Check out the Alliance of Independent Authors for news and resources

The post Updating Your Book Marketing Plan for Holiday Sales appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Why a Good Author Brand is a MUST to Sell More Books: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 15:00:24 +0200

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Why a Good Author Brand is a MUST to Sell More Books is a recap of a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

Be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations and considerations!

What’s your author brand saying about you right now? Not sure? Don’t have one? Well, guess what? You do. Because your brand is out there, whether you want it to be or not. Here we break down some key components you need to know for a good brand.

How to Set Your Tone and Target Your Reader to Create Your Author Brand

Author branding is everything, and we literally mean everything–from the font you use on your website and book covers to the color scheme on your website. But most of all, it’s your TONE. This is important because your tone tells readers how you want to be known!

We know the term “branding” can sound intimidating, but shake that off. Think of author branding as controlling the narrative surrounding you and your books, and the more tightened up and consistent it is, the easier it will be to determine your brand.

First, where does your book belong in the marketplace? If you can’t explain it succinctly, it’s almost guaranteed to hinder your marketing efforts. Step one is figuring out where your book belongs–what genre is it? Who will be the readers?

Without an author brand, potential buyers have a hard time connecting to products and if that connection is complicated or unclear it’s really hard to get your buyers back.

Now’s the Time to Get Creative and Have Fun with Your Author Brand

For example, find your signature color. If you have an author logo you can carry that color through on your website and back to your author photo, where you could be wearing that color.

The key really is that you want readers to know your brand, which will really help separate you from the pack. Even if your book covers all look different, there are elements–like the font you use for your name–which can be consistent throughout.

Your author photo is another example; does it exuded your personality? We covered more examples in other podcasts recently, including “Your Critical First 30 Days on Amazon” and “How to Market Your Book As a Great Summer Read”. Check out those episodes listed below under Resources and Free Downloads.

Successful Author Branding Starts with Smart Planning and Focused Consistency

Another element of smart author branding is planning ahead. It’s true, marketing sounds challenging enough but the reality is, planning your marketing and branding ahead of time leaves more dedicated time for writing, for your family, for seeing friends, all the things. Giving 100% of your focus for a set period of time always produces better author branding. And above all else, consistency is key.

Because author branding feels overwhelming, a lot of authors just skip it. But whether you decide to invest your time and money into your brand, it’s still “out there” and telling readers about you, which may or may not be flattering.

One of the biggest reasons authors struggle is because they lack branding and consistency. If you want more help, that’s where teams like Author Marketing Experts come in–to develop your brand and gain some new perspective.

These questions will help you begin your author branding process:

What is the promise to your reader?

What makes you UNIQUE?

What are other authors in your genre doing and what makes you different?

These are just a couple of considerations from Penny Sansevieri’s newest book, From Book to Bestseller, which guides you through the writing and book marketing process. Answer these questions and you’ll be on your way to finding your own personal brand.

Resources and Free Downloads

Quarterly Amazon Planner

Your Critical First 30 Days on Amazon Podcast

How to Market Your Book as a Summer Read Podcast

Check out Jane Friedman’s site, she’s an excellent resource

The post Why a Good Author Brand is a MUST to Sell More Books: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Smarter Book Promotion on Amazon with Seasonal Ads

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 15:00:09 +0200

Reading Time: 4 minutes

It’s no secret that I love Amazon ads, but when it comes to book promotion on Amazon, there’s nothing better than seasonal promotion–and seasonal ads.

When marketing professionals talk about seasonal promotion, our minds immediately go to the busy holiday season, and while that’s a very good goal, there are a lot of other seasonal options to consider. But first, let’s get creative with your “seasonal” marketing.

As I said earlier, seasonal book marketing doesn’t have to be holiday-specific. Think: “back to school” or the change in seasons: Hello Autumn! There’s also Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day. You get the idea!

So, your first step is to determine which season (or seasons!) you’re going to align your book with. Next, figure out different ways you can support this pivot. Meaning, will you tie into any local promotion or a national push? Sure, we’re talking about ads here–but it’s never a bad idea to anchor a few strategies into your promotion.

But regardless of whatever else you do, if you’re going to do seasonal Amazon ads, try and update your Amazon book page copy, too. Even changing something small like an intro sentence mentioning the season, holiday, or other tie-in (think movie, historic anniversary, etc.) is worthwhile!

Advertising Dates, Planning for Them Ahead of Time, and Your Budget

First and foremost for book promotion on Amazon, map out your dates and map them out far ahead of time. For example, if you’re targeting the 20th anniversary of 9/11, you should already be running your tie-in ads as you’re reading this. Start your ads early enough so they have time to get traction–meaning it can take Amazon between five and seven days to “see” your ads and start showing them.

So give yourself enough of a window to get your ads created and started. But, also the bigger the holiday (think Christmas,) the sooner your ads should start running, too. Many Christmas-target ads start the day after Thanksgiving on Black Friday, but why not start your ads sooner?

Next, be sure to go with a robust budget; especially if you’re targeting a really big holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas. The bigger the holiday, the bigger the budget. But it doesn’t mean you have to go crazy. You can start with $20 a day (and you won’t hit that every single day) and see where that budget takes you.

What Your Seasonal Ads Should Say for Effective Book Promotion on Amazon

Next is your ad copy and believe me when I say this: be obvious. Mention the seasonal tie-in, find a creative way to tether your ad to whatever holiday, season, or event you’re targeting. There may be copyright limits on using movie titles in your ad–if, let’s say, you’re targeting the next Star Wars release or the upcoming Top Gun 2 movie, but terms like Memorial Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, etc. are all useable terms.

As I said, be obvious with your ad copy, and if you’ve got the budget, maybe play around with a few different versions of your ads to see what sticks. Most importantly, however, be sure to highlight your book’s connection to the season, anniversary, or holiday.

Explore ideas and Get Creative with Your Seasonal Amazon Ads

So who says that your Amazon ads can only target other books? Let’s say you have a Halloween craft book; what if you advertised your book alongside craft products you mention or recommend using in your book?

Getting creative with products (while still using book titles and keywords) is a great way to gain more exposure for your ads and stretch your budget even further–because non-book product is often less expensive to align with.

Let me give you another example. We worked on an 80’s theme book, full of quizzes, games, and trivia. I positioned the book with 80’s themed party favors, costumes, and even music with great results. So, whenever you can, don’t limit yourself to just books in terms of product selection.

A final note: Consider How Long to Run Your Seasonal Amazon Ads

Be clear about your ad start dates and, whenever you can, plan ahead. Start ads on a particular date as you want to align with a holiday. And if you’re thinking of three or four things you can anchor your book to, why not plan these ads ahead with start dates aligned to those seasonal dates, giving your ad a window of five to seven days to start showing.

But should you do an end date on ads? We know that Amazon lets you set a start and end date, but I don’t recommend you do this. Why? Because if your ads are going well, you may not want to end them!

You’re not limited to how many seasonal ads you can run–not at all. In fact, since Amazon ads aren’t a “set-it and forget-it” strategy, doing these types of seasonal ads can be a really lucrative way to focus your ad budget.

Seasonal book promotion on Amazon works well for specific days and holidays throughout the year, and may prove to be an easier way for you to manage your ads ongoing rather than the typical broader 24/7-365 approach.

Resources and Free Downloads

Exciting Updates for How to Sell Self Published Books with Amazon Ads

Quarterly Amazon Planner

The 5 Strategies for Good Amazon Book Promotion (Infographic)

Listen and subscribe today to our Book Marketing Tips and Author Success podcast

Check out the Alliance of Independent Authors for news and resources

The post Smarter Book Promotion on Amazon with Seasonal Ads appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

How to Market a Self-Published Book Using Kindle vs Kindle Unlimited: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 15:00:13 +0200

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Kindle vs Kindle Unlimited is a recap of Understanding Kindle vs.Kindle Unlimited, a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

Be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations, and considerations!

Learn how to market a self-published book using Kindle vs Kindle Unlimited in this recap of a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast!

There’s a lot of confusion around Kindle and Kindle Unlimited (KU). Here we break down the differences and explain why it matters–should your book be in Kindle Unlimited and if so, what does that exactly mean?

Often the terms Kindle vs. Kindle Unlimited (KU) are used interchangeably, but really, they are two different things. Anyone can publish to Kindle via the KDP dashboard, but it’s up to you if you want to do KDP Select, which then drops you into the KU system. When that happens, your book can get “loaned” and you get paid by the pages read.

How Kindle Unlimited Can Actually Limit You

With KU there are rules and restrictions for other retail sites. If your eBook is in KU, you can not be on any other eBook sites, not KOBO or iBooks, nowhere–but your print book can be anywhere.

So a lot of times authors wondering about how to market self-published books will say “well, I want my books to be everywhere” and they can still have their print book be in all the places if that’s what they want. However, the decision to enroll in KU isn’t a permanent one.

Every 30 days you can unenroll in KU but be aware, Amazon will keep auto-enrolling you unless you change it. If you roll your eBooks in and out of KU, it can be a really helpful strategy.

How to Use Kindle Unlimited to Your Advantage

I roll my eBooks in and out of KU to help spike sales. For example, for my 2020 edition of How to Sell Books by the Truckload, I leave it outside of KU at launch until the title starts to decline in sales and then I spike it in KU.

Amazon ads also play into a KU strategy. Should ALL of your books be in KU to improve your ads? Strategically, you really only need one book in KU, so if you have a series, do the first book and maybe focus your ads there.

When determining how to market a self-published book, it can be confusing to distinguish the difference between Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. But once you understand how both avenues can boost your book’s sales, you’ll appreciate the opportunity to be strategic.

If you found this post helpful please use the social buttons below the Resources and Free Downloads to share on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and tag me, or you can email this post to a friend or colleague!

Resources and Free Downloads

How to Market a Book with Smart Planning

Podcast: Your First Critical First 30 Days on Amazon

Podcast: Changes to Amazon that Affect Your Search and Keyword Choices

Check Out All of our Book Marketing Tips and Author Success Podcasts

Check out the IBPA for publishing industry news

The post How to Market a Self-Published Book Using Kindle vs Kindle Unlimited: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

How to Market a Self-Published Book with Local Media

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 15:00:32 +0200

Reading Time: 4 minutes

When it comes to how to market a self-published book, I have to admit that local media pitching is one of my fun and maybe best-kept secrets. (Not anymore!) Why?

Well, for one, local media is one of the most underused resources for authors, and second–and maybe even more important–local media loves local authors; there’s almost no exception to when you can pitch them. Unlike bigger, national media, local media isn’t as sensitive about release dates or how old your book is.

How Local Media Marketing Is Ideal for Self-Published Books

Local Author: At its most basic, local media loves their local authors. So, if you’ve got a new book release and you’d like to get on local TV or radio, or a story in print, your local media would love to hear from you.

Local Angle on a National Story: This is one of my favorite strategies. If you have a local angle to something that’s making national news, your local media really wants to hear from you. They’re always looking for a local spin on something that’s hitting the national markets.

Seasonal Angle: With back-to-school and the fall season coming up, the holidays are not far behind. If you have a topic that you can spin seasonally, by all means, do it.

Some years ago, I worked on a book for parents about the importance of humor and kids. Around the holidays I pitched the author with the following angle: Give your kids the gift of laughter this holiday season! And the requests for interviews poured in.

Whatever season appeals to your book is fine–while everyone likes to jump on the busy November and December holidays, there’s a lot more than just Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. Every month we publish a post of monthly holidays, so be sure to keep an eye out for these!

Local Book Signing or Event: Local author events, book signings or anything that’s open to the public is another thing local media is really keen on. So if you have a book signing coming up, or something else happening that’s open to the public, let the media know!

Book Reviews/Features: It seems like it’s getting harder and harder to get book reviews, isn’t it? But local media is a great place to add to your ongoing pitch list. Local publications, newspapers, even those freebie papers you see in grocery stores are heavily read.

A lot of authors overlook those publications, but they’re really a terrific way to garner more attention, reviews, or features on your book! In fact when I’m pitching an author for a local event, I always, always pitch these freebie publications because they’re so popular!

How to Market a Self-Published Book to Local Media: Easy Tips to Grab Their Attention

While big, national media is great–these outlets often require really long lead-times, sometimes as far out as six months. But local media doesn’t require that much of a window. Generally, I’ll pivot to local media pitching a month out from the publication date or less.

In many cases, I’m pitching our authors well after their publication dates, too. Local media has a much wider window and, as I said, if you have written on a topic that’s making national news, or you have a local angle to a national story–by all means get out there and pitch yourself!

A Surprising Benefit of Local Media Pitching

If you’re familiar with the term “top media market” then you know that the top 30 media markets really matter in terms of getting traction and possibly national exposure. So, for example, if you live in Southern California, the Los Angeles media market is consistently in the top 30, but actually, it’s in the top 10.

Getting placement in these higher-end media markets is a bit harder, but doable if you follow the standard rules of pitching. And, if you get placed in a top media market (particularly for print), your story could find its way into other national markets as well. Many print publications do pick up stories from local markets, so long as there’s national appeal.

What Matters to Local Media When Pitching Your Book

When assessing how to market a self-published book with local media, it goes without saying that the story needs to be timely, and you should never assume the media person you’re pitching to will know you’re local–so always mention that.

Be available for interviews, quotes, or any airtime you’re offered, and don’t be surprised if you get a last-minute call. As I’ll address in a minute, it’s not uncommon for media to have a four-minute slot to fill with an hour or less notice.

If you’re pitching an event, pitch the features person early–so a few weeks out, and then pitch them again the week of and then again the day of. I’ll discuss why this is important in a minute. Be clear on all event details, such as where it is, how long it is going on, and mention it’s free and open to the public because that’s important.

Pro Tip: local media’s last-minute needs can be the perfect marketing opportunity

As I alluded to in the earlier section, sometimes an outlet (TV or radio) has a slot to fill, and you’d be surprised by how many guests bail on interviews at the last minute. So pitch yourself to the assignment desk the day of the event; if they need a slot to fill, you might get lucky!

Book Marketing 101: Local Media Matters More Than You Think

Over the years I’ve spoken to numerous authors who have really pushed themselves to local media but one example, in particular, really stands out. I once spoke with two sisters living in Louisiana who had a Cajun cookbook.

Now as you can imagine, there are a lot of cookbooks on Cajun cooking, but these authors were relentlessly dedicated to pitching local media. They also did lots of cooking segments and events.

The sisters didn’t even bother pitching their book nationally; their entire goal was to own their local market. This dedication netted them not only thousands (and thousands and thousands) of book sales but a big-time publishing deal, too.

Local media is a great resource for authors not just at book launch, but long after. Get to know your local outlets, and you’ll be glad you did!

If you found this post helpful, please use the social buttons below the Resources and Free Downloads to share on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and tag me, or you can email this post to a friend or colleague!

Resources and Free Downloads

Amazon Cheatsheet
Sell More Books on Amazon
Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using August Observances
How to Pitch a Story to Local Media: An Author’s Guide
Check out the Alliance of Independent Authors for news and resources

The post How to Market a Self-Published Book with Local Media appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

The Surprising Ways Book Reviews Can Help Launch Your Success: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 21:57:31 +0200

Reading Time: 2 minutes

This recap of “The Surprising Ways Book Reviews Can Help Launch Your Success” from the Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast is one of several episodes where we talk about how valuable book reviews are for sales, and for making you a better writer.

Be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations, and considerations!

We’ve done several episodes about book reviews, how to generate them, and how to use blogger reviews and media, whether you are in the middle of a launch or not. These podcasts can be great refreshers. Check them out in the Resources and Downloads at the bottom of this page.

Book reviews obviously offer a lot of benefits. Digging into what consumers really want is ideally your goal for becoming the best writer you can be. While some reviewers’ feedback will be something you can’t do anything about, often there’ll be something you can use right away in your marketing strategies now or eventually down the road.

How to Use Reviews to Improve Your Book

Look for common themes in the reviews. Here’s an example: suppose many of your readers mention poor editing or that the book has flow issues or that the descriptions are too wordy, or not wordy enough–these are legitimate notes to remember when developing your next book. Then you might consider hiring an editor for a second pass, even on a book that’s already been established.

Clearly define what your book is about. You don’t want to confuse your readers so make sure your description is clear. Sometimes the book cover or the genre classification isn’t obvious and you can unknowingly lead your readers to think your book is about one thing, only for them to find out it’s really about something else. Are you really resonating with your target audience or did you miss the mark and lead people down the wrong path?

Read Reviews for Competitor’s Books. You’ll learn what aspects people really resonate with as well as what might be missing from the market or genre, and who knows? This could be your opportunity to be the author that fills that gap. Being aware of competition is the critical market research you need to do, rather than just reading reviews to just check them off your list.

Book Reviews: the Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Not all the reviews are guaranteed to be positive but that’s normal, so brush it off and move on. While it’s hard, set your ego aside and categorize feedback as fixable or not fixable. Being objective is the only way you’re going to get the most of out your reviews.

You can even turn that negative review into a positive thing. Use constructive criticism (and for that matter positive responses too!) from your reviews to fuel ideas for other content. Take specific feedback from a review and work a response into your social media, on the book’s webpage, or your blog.

Use your book reviews, whether positive, negative, or somewhere in the middle, to your benefit. It will make you a better writer, maximizing all your book has to offer.

Resources and Downloads

Podcast: Getting Reviews Is More Complex Than You Think
Podcast: Minisode: Dealing With Bad News
How to Work More Reviews into Your Book Marketing Plan
Reader Profile Brainstorm
Check out Jane Friedman’s site, she’s an excellent resource: www.janefriedman.com

The post The Surprising Ways Book Reviews Can Help Launch Your Success: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

How to Sell Books on Amazon With Pre-Order Strategies

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 12:17:22 +0200

Reading Time: 5 minutes

I think of all of the book launch strategies we’ve ever done, the pre-order is one of the most misunderstood. When it comes to how to sell books on Amazon – you can’t beat a short, but well-planned out pre-order.

I talk to a lot of authors who don’t do a pre-order because they have no following (yet) or it’s their first book and have been told pre-orders aren’t a good idea. But it’s important to understand the secondary reason for doing a pre-order on Amazon: Early Optimization.

How to Sell Books on Amazon with Early Optimization

Once your book goes live on Amazon, it can take the Amazon bots thirty days or more to “learn” your book. And by learn, I mean knowing where your book belongs. This creates a problem because while Amazon is learning where your book belongs, the optimization clock is ticking. I’ve talked a lot in prior blog posts and on my podcast about how important the first thirty days on Amazon is to your book’s success, meaning you don’t want to waste a single day

During pre-order, it’s typical for authors to pop their books onto Amazon with a launch date set into the future and then they wait and wait. Sometimes authors will ping their mailing list or tell their friends. And honestly only one of those strategies is really worth doing early on.

Confused? Then let’s dig into this more, starting with how long your pre-order should be.

Set the Ideal Time Frame to Optimize Pre-Orders on Amazon

I see a lot of pre-orders with long windows. Sometimes as far out as a year – meaning the book sits on Amazon for months and months, just waiting for the launch day. To be fair, some authors can pull this off, but most cannot. If you’re a big, household name with a massive following, sure you can have a pre-order that’s fairly long. Avid fans will most certainly wait for your book. But for the average author, even if you have a few books under your belt, I really discourage long pre-order windows.

The issue, again, is the optimization on Amazon. The longer your book sits on Amazon with no real movement, the farther down the sales rank it sinks.

Generally, when we work with authors who are ready to put their book up for pre-order, I tell them to keep the pre-order to thirty days. Yes, that’s it. Just a short one-month window that will allow you to boost the book, send traffic to the page, and grab Amazon’s attention.

Amazon Pre-Orders Are Not the Same as Increased Book Sales

Yes, you read right. It’s not about book sales. Pre-orders are about optimization.

When we work on pre-order campaigns with new authors, or authors who have a small or non-existent following and no social media presence or website traffic to speak of, I always tell them to leave their book sales expectations at the door. Pre-order optimization is about building highways to your book so readers can find it when it launches.

So, plan on a shorter pre-order, as I said one month, tops. Because the other reality is this: most readers don’t really want to wait months to get a book. And if you’re pushing people to a book that won’t be available for a long while, you could be sending people to your Amazon book page, only to have them find another, immediately available book, they can get right away.

Marketing Strategies to Boost Your Pre-Order Visibility

So you’re getting ready to launch your book: you upload it to Amazon, set the pre-order date for thirty days, and now what? Well now is the time to kick your pre-order strategies into high gear. Here are a few things you can do:

Notifications: So when do you tell friends and family about your book? Honestly, I’d wait on this till post-launch. The reason is twofold; first, if your friends and family aren’t your buyers, then sending them to your page likely won’t result in a sale. And even if it does, it can mess up your algorithm. Let me explain.

You have a military thriller that you’re launching and invite all your family to go buy a copy! Your Aunt Sally, who normally only buys quilting books, is so excited to help you out she buys your book. Great right? Well, sort of. Now Aunt Sally’s buying history is following your book. Meaning your “also boughts” may start to show some of the quilting books Aunt Sally has purchased. This also messes with your Amazon optimization.

I did a full blog post on that topic which is in the resources section below. But for now limit notifications to your reader email list, if you have one. Those are already pre-qualified buyers, but ideally, I’d hold this notification until you’re two weeks out from launch day. The reason is that while all of the strategies mentioned here are good, you want to compress certain ones, like your email list, to the two weeks prior to launch which helps to really juice your book page because of all the qualified traffic.

Amazon Ads: I love doing Amazon ads, but here again I like to do these in that sweet spot, the two-week window prior to book launch.

eBook Promotions: You don’t have to run an eBook discount for these to be successful; you can run an eBook promotion at full price during the pre-order. The idea here is that you want to get this book in front of the right readers who will click over to your page and possibly (pre) order the book – but remember, as with all of the strategies mentioned, this is less about book sales and more about traffic.

Goodreads Giveaway: I love doing Goodreads giveaways both pre-and post-launch day. If we’re working with an author, we’ll schedule a giveaway one or two weeks into the pre-order – being mindful of the fact that giveaways run a week, and it’s good to get one in just ahead of your book launch. I also love to run these post-book launches, too, and often I’ll do two of them!

BookBub Ads: This is such a fun strategy – doing the ads, not the pricey newsletter placement (which is awesome, but harder to get). Your BookBub ads are your supporting cast to help bolster your other strategies, like a Goodreads giveaway or your discounted eBook promotion.

Amazon Optimization: While I love doing Amazon optimization, your book does not have to be fully optimized, at least not initially. Add in keywords that seem appropriate and come back to this in week 1-3 of your go-live date on Amazon. The reason? Yes, good keywords absolutely matter but holding them until the book launch date, which seems counterintuitive, does add another layer of boosting during the crucial “new release” stage.

Depending on how well your pre-order went in terms of traffic to your book page, and what your launch day strategies are, you could sit on that new release list for quite a while, and that’s kind of the point because it does give your book that added boost but evaporates as your book ages. So, to sell books on Amazon, adding keywords and categories just post-launch gives your book yet another kick, bumping up the optimization again.

When it comes to how to sell books on Amazon, being thoughtful about the timing of your strategies is as important as the strategies themselves. And not using every tool in your toolbox at the same time is important, but so is being smart about your pre-order strategy, planning for success with some simple actions, and thoughtful but impactful promotion.

Good luck!

Resources and Free Downloads

Amazon Book Promotion and the Perils of Also-Boughts

Blog Outreach Tracker

Are You Ready for Big Media Coverage?

Check out KM Weiland’s site, she’s an excellent resource

The post How to Sell Books on Amazon With Pre-Order Strategies appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Work More Sales into Your End of Summer Book Marketing Plan: Book Marketing Podcast Recap

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 22:46:01 +0200

Reading Time: 2 minutes

This recap of “How to Market Your Book as a Summer Read” from the Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast is designed to inspire you to take advantage of the last few weeks of summer and ramp up book sales!

We discuss what kinds of books can be a summertime read (and those that can’t), how to expand your thinking in terms of summer-type books, and also how to maximize your Amazon book page to take advantage of this. Be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations, and considerations.

Most people want to hold onto the summer vibes as long as possible, so play into this and see your engagement skyrocket!

The types of books that draw attention

Good summer reading is often fiction, keeps things on the lighter side, and is something you can really lose yourself in. True Crime can fit in this category, too.

What aren’t good summer-type books? Anything more serious in nature; given the world news surrounding us we are sort of fatigued in terms of politics and big-name memoirs.

Without school during the summer months, project-based books are huge for kids. Kids love experiments and creating things. These “maker” books can be super successful during the summer.

Pivot your book marketing plan to create a great summer read

Do something as simple as adding a reference to a summer read or summer activities to your book description; it could make a huge difference in how potential buyers perceive you. Help them make the easy decision!

Other summer-like marketing ideas are things like a Goodreads giveaway, eBook promotion, or being creative with your Amazon ad. Your social media should align with this season, too.

All this is really about digging into making your book fit into readers’ lives, fulfilling needs, and answering questions.

Resources and Free Downloads

5 Tips for Fitting Book Marketing into Your Summer Schedule

Q uarterly Amazon Planner

Does a Holiday Book Release Make Sense?

Check out the IBPA to stay up to date with publishing industry news

The post Work More Sales into Your End of Summer Book Marketing Plan: Book Marketing Podcast Recap appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Amazon Book Marketing: A+ Content Now Available to Self-Published Authors

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 21:03:41 +0200

Reading Time: 4 minutes

It’s a really exciting time for authors who really want to push their books to the next level with Amazon book marketing because they just announced the arrival of A+ Content for KDP authors.

What is A+ Content? A Definition and Examples.

Amazon’s A+ Content are images, added to your book page, to help readers delve deeper into your book via images, stand-out reviews, book quotes, etc. Here are some examples that I found and absolutely loved:

What Are the Benefits of Amazon’s A+ Content? Let’s Dig In.

Higher conversion rates: Some industry experts have reported that A+ Content can increase book page conversion by as much as 10% – and that’s a huge jump. As we dig into this article, you’ll soon see why.

Reduced return rate: Yes, readers do return books, often because the book description wasn’t tight enough and they misunderstood what they were buying. Adding imagery with book quotes, reviews, and other snapshots of the book can help you not only garner more sales but avoid unhappy readers returning your book.

Better reviews: By the same token, when readers better understand what your book is about, they’ll also give you better reviews. For example, I’ve had readers misunderstand what my book on Amazon marketing is really about and then mention this in the reviews. Sometimes this can’t be avoided but using imagery to help bolster your Amazon book page and clarify the benefits to your reader will help you tremendously.

Add relevant details to help drive buying decisions: Sometimes it’s hard to compete with the thousands of other books in your same topic/genre. But by adding details specific to your niche and that speak to your reader, you can help increase the chances of your reader hitting the “buy” button on your book.

Increase reader engagement: Remember when we all had to go to bookstores to buy books? I sometimes miss having a conversation with booksellers about a book, what they loved, and what details about the book stood out to them. Using Amazon’s A+ Content feature can help boost your readers’ engagement by sharing more thoughtful details, book nuances, benefits, etc. to keep them engaged in your book.

Here’s How You Can use A+ Content to Boost Your Amazon Book Marketing.

Use good images: First and foremost, please don’t just slap anything up there. Spend some time crafting really good colorful images. Stick with your branding; don’t miss the mark on this because you want to keep with the theme/look of your book.

Your content is a journey: If you’re going to use multiple images, which I recommend, remember that your content is a journey through your book. Not necessarily taking readers from start to finish, per se, but immersing them in your book in such a way that your content journey makes sense. And as you can see from some of the A+ Content I highlighted earlier, a lot of A+ Content images really sync up with each other, meaning that they follow a path – or a journey as it were.

Treat this like a landing page: By this I mean it’s got to be one, cohesive message and a landing page is a good analogy. So often on a landing page, the person creating it has one goal, and usually, it’s to get someone to sign up or buy something. So using this analogy, you want to create images that work in concert with each other – with each image pushing the reader further and further into your book.

Don’t get complex with your wording: I love the acronym KISS – which means to keep it simple. Don’t get overly wordy with your images. If you try to cram too much content onto an image, it’ll become unreadable and not scannable. Consumers scan websites, they don’t read them. How many words is too much? Well, it depends a bit on your image size, but if you’re using an image creation tool like Canva, they give some pretty good guidelines on the number of words, spacing, etc.

If you’re going to use stand-out reviews, be sure to cite sources: And this is right in the content terms on the Amazon KDP page, too. You must cite sources for all reviews when marketing your book. Don’t just throw a review up there because Amazon likely won’t approve it.

Use your keywords: When you upload the images to Amazon you get to name them, so be sure to use your keywords here. Since this is a very new thing there’s no evidence that it helps with your Amazon algorithm; but, if you already have the keywords it certainly can’t hurt!

What Should Not Be Part of Your A+ Content?

I’d try to stay away from time-sensitive things like discount promotions because those age quickly. You can also do comparison tables in your content, but be careful with this as it gets cluttered very quickly.

Stay away from old news, like old awards you won over two years ago; Amazon won’t approve that either. But if you’re going to cite current awards, Amazon will want to know the date of the award and where it was generated from – in other words, which contest you won, etc.

You can’t use barcodes or QR codes to try and drive more people to your website. I know, bummer, because I love using QR codes, but Amazon won’t approve them. Basically, anything to try and redirect consumers to other websites will never get approved.

Amazon’s A+ Content is a fantastic new feature for all of you wanting to dig into Amazon book marketing. It’s fun, easy, and can really help boost your book sales!

Resources and Free Downloads

Book marketing kickstart package

Blog outreach tracker

Marketing a Memoir: 5 Crucial Things to Consider

How to Improve Your Author Platform With a Successful Newsletter (Book Marketing Podcast)

Check out the AME Podcast in Apple Podcasts

Check out Amazon’s A+ Content page for KPD authors

The post Amazon Book Marketing: A+ Content Now Available to Self-Published Authors appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using August Observances

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 18:20:34 +0200

Reading Time: 5 minutes

It’s time to run through our August observances and unique author brand enhancements and content ideas for your monthly book marketing plan!

Without a 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 really refining your author 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 August observances for 2021.

I’ve also included a few content ideas and angles to help spark your creativity and help you wrap your mind around how to work them into your author branding.

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.

Giving yourself a bar to reach is the first step to upping your author branding 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 August Observances

Admit You’re Happy Month

Family Fun Month

International Pirate Month

National Catfish Month

National Eye Exam Month

National Golf Month

National Picnic Month

Peach Month

Romance Awareness Month

Water Quality Month

August Observances by the Week

Week 1 – International Clown Week

Week 1 – National Simplify your Life Week

Week 2 – National Smile Week

Week 3 – Friendship Week

Week 4 – Be Kind to Humankind Week

August Observances by the Day

August 1

Friendship Day

International Forgiveness Day

National Girlfriends Day

National Mahjong Day

National Mountain Climbing Day

National Raspberry Cream Pie Day

Sisters Day – This is a great reason to call out special characters in your book if you’ve got a dynamic sister duo.

August 2

National Coloring Book Day – If you’ve written any kind of children’s book it’s worth bringing attention to this day, celebrate books for kiddos and work your title into the mix.

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

August 3

Grab Some Nuts Day

National Watermelon Day

August 4

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

U.S. Coast Guard Day

August 5

National Underwear Day

National Oyster Day

Work Like a Dog Day

August 6

National Fresh Breath Day

Wiggle Your Toes Day

August 7

Campfire Day

International Beer Day

National Clown Day

International Hangover Day

National Lighthouse Day

National Mustard Day

Professional Speakers Day

August 8

International Cat Day

Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony

Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day

Middle Child’s Day

August 9

Book Lover’s Day – Plan a special promotion, a limited time discount, a BOGO, don’t let this big opportunity pass you by, get busy.

August 10

Lazy Day

National S’mores Day

August 11

Presidential Joke Day

Son and Daughter Day

August 12

World Elephant Day

August 13

Blame Someone Else Day

Friday the 13th

Left Hander’s Day

National Kool-Aid Day

August 14

National Creamsicle Day

August 15

Feast of the Assumption

Relaxation Day – This is another excellent reader-centric opportunity, relaxing with a book is the pinnacle of self-care, help your followers by reminding them to participate.

August 16

National Tell a Joke Day

August 17

National Thriftshop Day

August 18

Bad Poetry Day

August 19

Aviation Day

National Potato Day

August 20

National Radio Day

World Mosquito Day

August 21

National Honey Bee Awareness Day

National Spumoni Day

Senior Citizen’s Day

Poet’s Day – Poetry has always been such an emotional, yet complicated genre to promote and get in front of the right people, but this is a great reason to kick off a marketing push, start creating memes with samplings of your work, use today to commit to better promotional efforts going forward!

August 22

Be an Angel Day

National Tooth Fairy Day

August 23

Ride the Wind Day

August 24

Iconic American Restaurants Day

Vesuvius Day

August 25

Kiss and Make Up Day

National Banana Split Day

August 26

National Dog Day

Women’s Equality Day

August 27

Just Because Day

August 28

Stuffed Green Bell Peppers Day

World Daffodil Day

August 29

International Bat Night

More Herbs, Less Salt Day

August 30

Frankenstein Day

Toasted Marshmallow Day

August 31

We Love Memoirs Day – Memoirs are a document of the human experience, and an amazing way for people from all over the world, and different cultures, to feel more connected with one another. If you’re a memoir author use this day to get the word out about your book, naturally. But as an author take the time to share a memoir you’ve enjoyed, recommend it on your social, and log in to rate and review the book on Goodreads and Amazon if you haven’t already and encourage others to share and do the same.

National Eat Outside Day

National Trail Mix Day

The Takeaway

Remember, being an author demands creativity, and it also demands authenticity when developing a marketing plan to support your author brand.

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

Resources and Free Downloads

10 Best Emily Dickinson Poems

How to Launch a Book with a Full Time Job and Life

Get a Polished Author Brand in 10 Minutes

The post Unique Author Branding and Content Ideas Using August Observances appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

5 Online Book Marketing Strategies that Don’t Work

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:00:45 +0200

Reading Time: 4 minutes

I talk a lot about online book marketing strategies that work – but what doesn’t work? What is a time waster? Well, as it turns out – a lot of online book marketing really is a time suck and doesn’t move the needle on book sales.

Let’s look at a few things that you should stop doing immediately:

Online Book Marketing Strategies That Fail

First let’s address the obvious elephant in the room. Lots of authors subscribe to random book marketing. Like a mishmash of book marketing done haphazardly with little to no planning and no real connection to other things you’re doing. And that’s what we’re really digging into here.

You can’t do one thing and hope it’s successful without other elements supporting it. And in particular, the five items I’ve listed below almost always tend to fall into the online strategies that just fail and when they do, authors assume they’re just bad, when they aren’t. Let’s have a look.

eBook Price Drops

I love doing eBook price drops, but I’d never do them in a vacuum. Meaning there has to be one or more other strategies to help support the price drop. Surprisingly, a lot of authors do price drops assuming that Amazon will do the rest.

Yes, consumers love sales, but even with a hefty price drop, your book won’t gain much momentum unless there are other strategies supporting it. So don’t plan an eBook price drop unless you have a plan to promote it.

And while I love using services like BookGorilla, Kindle National Daily and the like, it’s still a good idea to promote the promotion. Don’t just book a deal in a newsletter and sit back and wait for the royalties to flood your bank account.

Some things you can do to promote your eBook price drop are newsletter announcements, ads on social media, social announcements and Bookbub ads!

Social Media Ads

When authors come to me, I always ask them what they’ve done to promote their book – and many say “social media ads” which seems to be the go-to for many authors who aren’t sure what to do to market their book. And I get it, absolutely. Because a lot of online writing and publishing groups speak of social media ads like they are the only thing you need to do to promote your book.

The issue with this way of thinking is not only is it wrong, but it’s also a great way to blow through your marketing budget.

Why? Because social media ads don’t sell books, but they can sell your reader on your book and get them to click through. But in order to sell a reader on your book, you need to have a reason for them to click through and putting up an ad for a book isn’t enough. But putting up an ad to push a special reader promotion you’re doing, like a BOGO or an eBook promotion is a great way to use any kind of social media ads.

So, doing ads to support a pricing discount, or special book launch deal you’re doing is ideal. But I wouldn’t leave the ads running after your promotion is over – you’ll want to start and stop these in line with whatever promo you’re doing.

Social Media Posts

Don’t get me wrong, I love social media (even though it can be a real time suck) but I see a lot of authors just posting for the sake or posting, which isn’t a good way to build your audience. You’re better off posting less, and spending time really getting to know what your audience resonates with – and once you’ve identified that, keep on doing more of that.

You want to post with a purpose. Don’t just randomly and haphazardly post things you hope your readers will like. Sure, in the beginning there’s always a bit of trial and error but at some point, you really want to zero in and identify the posts that are helping you to build your engagement and fans.

And here’s another tip: if you want engagement you need to be engaged with your fan comments. Always, at a minimum, give a like to all comments and try to respond to some of them, as appropriate.

This is why when I coach author on social media, we spend a lot of time trying to find the one social site that their fans will resonate with. Remember: it’s not about being everywhere but everywhere that matters.

Blogging

I love blogging, but you really want to blog with a purpose and that purpose should be to drive more traffic to your website and your online book marketing strategies. Blogging without an SEO plan is almost a waste of time. Why? Because at its most basic, SEO is all about using keywords in your blog (we use them in every post we do). Because smart blogging can really help to drive attention to our website and bring in more readers.

Not sure what your keywords are? I’ll post a link to one of my fav SEO sites in the Resources below. It’s a great way to get started on a simple plan to incorporate keywords into your blog posts!

Goodreads

I love Goodreads, but readers aren’t going to knock on your door just because you’re on the site. Take time to engage with genre readers, add new connections – join one group, build your network. Goodreads doesn’t require a ton of work, which is one reason why I love it, but it does require that you’re active.

Carve out an hour a week to add new connections and check in with the group you belong to to see what’s going on. Comment on other people’s stuff, too. Review books – even if you’re just adding a star rating. It all helps to build your platform on one of the biggest social media sites for readers and authors!

The idea is that online book marketing strategies never work in a vacuum, and they also don’t work without a certain amount of consistency. So whatever strategies you decide to do, pair them with other promotions, or make sure you have the time you need to spend on a particular platform, like Goodreads or a bunch of social media sites you may never have the time to check.

Being thoughtful with your book marketing means taking smart steps to produce content readers will love and executing smart online book marketing strategies that build on each other!

Good luck!

Resources & Free Downloads

Book Marketing Kickstart Package

Reader Profile Brainstorm

How to Sell Books: 11 Book Marketing Myths You Should Not Believe!

How to Sell Books: Eight Critical Mistakes Authors Make

Check out the Alliance of Independent Authors for news and resources

The post 5 Online Book Marketing Strategies that Don’t Work appeared first on Author Marketing Experts, Inc..

5 things book marketing alone can’t fix for you (book marketing podcast)

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 15:00:50 +0200

Reading Time: 3 minutes

5 Things Book Marketing Alone Can’t Fix For You, is a recap of “10 Things Book Marketing Can’t Fix,” a recent episode on our Book Marketing Tips & Author Success podcast.

We delve deeper into our discussion about this important topic for authors trying to figure out the ins and outs of marketing, so be sure to download and listen to the show for all the details, recommendations and considerations!

Book marketing can’t fix everything — certain things need to be in order before even considering marketing your book. Your author platform, though a part of marketing, is crucial, as is a good cover and a polished edit. Great marketing can’t help a bad book, to put it bluntly. We are always open to assessing your book and your platform, and we’d love to help you sort those things out. But we also love a DIY-er, so here’s what you should fix before turning to book marketing.

Give your book a deep edit before book marketing

If you didn’t use a professional editor, or multiple depending on their focus, you’re not going to “hide” that by doing a lot of marketing. Readers will call you out on your shoddy editing work and those reviews are going to stick with your book until the end of time, or until you pull it and release an updated, corrected edition.

Editors can be expensive, but if you’re going to invest in anything for your beloved book, invest in a great editor. They will work a special magic on your book that you can’t. Know that, as the author, you are too close to your work to notice its flaws, even in grammar.

Your bad book cover isn’t going to sell

“Bad” is an umbrella term. The cover may be well done artistically, but maybe it just doesn’t have the right look or feel for the genre for optimal book marketing. Or, of course, there are the covers that are just unprofessional because the author made it themselves or they had a friend or associate who knows the design programs create it.

But this is where a professional is crucial. A professional understands the book-buying market enough to produce a cover that will convert shoppers to buyers and elevate your author platform.

Stop misleading readers with your title and subtitle

You know your book better than anyone — now tell your readers what you know about it. Give them the accurate information they need to make an informed decision on your book. Nothing is more disappointing than reading a book that you thought would be completely different.

And just like your cover, your titles and subtitles really need to fit your genre and topic. Think tone and feel. You can look at popular titles in your genre for inspiration here, but keep it unique!

Reboot your author platform for your genre

Once you’re out there on social, especially if you’re sending people to your accounts via your website, Author Central, etc. you’re on the hook. You don’t want to promote things you’re not proud of. And your author platform on social media is important in promoting yourself to your readers — this is where they get to know the writer.

Either you will decide to be on social with your full intent or you won’t be on there at all. If you half-ass it, you’re going to look unprofessional.

You must understand the publishing industry in order to understand book marketing

Marketing won’t absolve you from being clueless about all things publishing forever. Releasing a book is just like starting a business, you have to commit to a working knowledge of what you’re doing or you’ll only last so long.

There are plenty of resources, including my blog and website, for you to stay up to date with the industry — I’ll list some below! Following these sources will help you not only better your publishing knowledge but understand your audience and recent trends.

Marketing really can do a lot for any book, but it can’t solve problems that are actually dire in book marketing. Your book and your author platform need to be perfected before they can be promoted to the masses. Take a little extra time during the pre-marketing phase, and you’ll thank yourself in the end.

Resources and Free Downloads

How Can I Sell More Books