Author Flash! Utmost Importance for Future of Your Book On Amazon

Thank heaven for valuable Twitter pals like www.twitter.com/fivebyfivepr. Their tweet led me to Amazon's announcement page where they say, "On the first day of this new year, how about some info on a new online publicity opportunity for authors?

So, here’s the news:

On December 29, Amazon.com launched a new feature called Author Stores. These single pages list all of an author’s published works and include additional information such as biographies, author images, and discussion boards. Amazon plans to add capabilities for video and blogs as well as listing related products soon.
Right now, the feature is in beta-testing, so not every author has a page. To see who is currently listed, you can browse listings in the Author Stores Directory

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_7650012_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000315331&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1Z1WYGPQVR6C71J0JQQS&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=465638831&pf_rd_i=1000286411. (Sorry these aren't live links. I didn't want to make a mistake and have you without one at all, so please just copy and paste!)

Though I wasn't listed, just like you, I hope to be. And you should know about it so you can check and and keep your fingers crossed because they appear to have no application process set up. The feature seems to be a sort of wait-and-see proposition but Amazon's publicity director Andrew Hardener does assure us that eventually they hope to have a bookstore page for every author in their system. Actually, it shouldn't be too hard because many of us authors already have our books listed on our profile page where we have more control over submissions and approval.

Once your Author Store is added, you can use the Author Central page to edit it

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_7650012_2?ie=UTF8&docId=1000302021&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1T3KBW02GBNSSQEPK8CX&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=466229071&pf_rd_i=1000286411

Receive updates on the progress of additional Stores by signing up for the special newsletter on this specific subject here.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/html-forms-controller/AEP-Feedback-Link

And, if you want to tweet with me, find me at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo. This news will be featured in my Sharing with Writers newsletter, too. I'll let subscribers there know if I've learned anything more at that time. (-:


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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.