Optimizing Books on Amazon Even if You Think You Don’t Need It

   Even though I have done Preston this myself, I signed up for this webinar. I trust this organization, I have a new book of my own coming out (The Frugal Editor in its 3rd edition from Modern History Press in February) so I figuratively refresher won’t hurt and Amazon is always making changes! Hope to see you there!   

Essential Amazon Optimization for Nonfiction Authors: Simple Steps to Greatly Improve Sales Results

Jan 19, 2023 10:00 AM

Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Webinar ID 883 4937 5810

There is no denying Amazon is the number one retailer for books, and this means you should put extra focus and attention on making sure your book generates the most possible sales on Amazon. In this content-rich presentation, you will learn how to: 
• Understand Amazon sales rank and the truth about bestseller campaigns. 
• Optimize your book’s sales page on Amazon to attract shoppers and turn them into buyers.
• Make the best use of your Amazon Author Central account.
• Add graphics to your book’s sales page. 
• Get more book reviews and understand why these are so important. 

Join us to discover simple and effective ways you can improve your Amazon sales strategies and boost sales results for you books. 

EVENT DETAILS
This free webinar event is hosted by the Nonfiction Authors Association. We are proud to offer educational programs that are high in value for nonfiction writers of all experience levels. 

This session is delivered LIVE on Zoom and will last around 60 minutes, possibly longer to ensure your questions are answered. 

Can’t attend live? The recording and a copy of slides will be sent to all who register!

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Stephanie Chandler is the author of several books including The Nonfiction Book Publishing Plan and The Nonfiction Book Marketing Plan. She is CEO of NonfictionAuthorsAssociation.com, a vibrant community for writers, and NonfictionWritersConference.com, a multi-day event conducted entirely online since 2010. A frequent speaker at business events and on the radio, she has been featured in Entrepreneur, BusinessWeek, and Wired magazine.

BOOK MARKETING MASTER COURSE PREVIEW
We will also offer a brief preview of the upcoming Book Marketing Master Course, a 6-week program that begins January 26th. Learn more here: http://bookmarketingmastercourse.com or https://NonfictionAuthorsAssociation.com. 

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER 

 Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the multi award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), now offered in its third edition by Modern History Press. Carolyn's latest is in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers is How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. She has two booklets in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series, both in their second editions from Modern History Press. Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and The Great First Impression Book Proposal (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. The Frugal Editor (https://bit.ly/FrugalEditor), now in its second edition, is the winningest book in the series. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow for news on her new releases direct from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

New Frugal Author Aids Offered By Veteran Author Advocate

I have been recommending Denise Cassino’s services in my books and to my client for years. Especially for her skills with book tours and making Amazon sell books more effectively. I am thrilled that she has added to her battery of book-marketing aids. Here is a letter I just received from her.

Hi,

It's been awhile since we worked together but I wanted to let you know that I've added quite a few new aspects to my Bestseller Program. I have a more extensive social media development program with blogging, Pinterest, and much better Twitter training. I also have some great connections for inexpensive or free promotions - a CBS radio broadcaster, a company does outstanding promos for $35/year and some book awards. If you or any of your friends or contacts need help with a book or any of the above, please reach out or share this.

MORE ABOUT DENISE 

"She makes it look easy!"
Now Financing Options Available!

"Make your book an Amazon #1 Bestseller"
As a Publicist & Book Marketing Specialist listed in the Top 100 Internet Marketers to Follow on Twitter, Denise has promoted hundreds of books to #1 Bestseller on Amazon. 
"All my experiences with you have superseded my expectations and you gave me more value than the cost of your program. For your professionalism, skill and plain fun personality, I thank you!" - Michelle Podlesni, author of #1 Bestseller Unconventional Nurse
"Denise Cassino is exquisitely brilliant!  She has simply stripped away all the clutter and the noise, and changed the world of marketing and promotion into a fun new game for me. ~ Deb McTiernan, author of the #1 Bestseller, Lilly Noble and Actual Magic


303 838 3399

Skype :  denise.cassino
https://paypal.me/DeniseCassino
www.BestsellerServices.com
zoom.us/j/4596320530
Schedule an appt with me

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER

Carolyn Howard-Johnson brings her experience as a publicist, journalist, marketer, and retailer to the advice she gives in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers and the many classes 

she taught for nearly a decade as instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program. The books in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers have won multiple awards. That series includes both the first and second editions ofThe Frugal Book Promoterand The Frugal Editorwhich won awards from USA Book News, Readers’ Views Literary Award, the marketing award from Next Generation Indie Books and others including the coveted Irwin award. How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethicallylaunched to rave reviews from Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Reviews and others: 

“How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically[and other books in the series] could well serve as a textbook for a college Writing/Publishing curriculum.”

Howard-Johnson is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of “Fourteen San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and was given her community’s Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts. 

                  

The author loves to travel. She has visited eighty-nine countries and has studied writing at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University, Prague. She admits to carrying a pen and journal wherever she goes. Her website iswww.howtodoitfrugally.com 

So How DO You Get Your Book on Amazon When Your Publisher Forgets?

Sometimes I include questions and letters I get in the Letters-to-the-Editor feature of my #SharingwithWriters newsletter so that all my subscribers can benefit from others. Sometimes--when the question comes from an author who wants me to link their question to their book or online bookstore page, I do that. Sometimes--like this one--they're anonymous.

QUESTION

Carolyn:

"How do I get the book posted on Amazon.com? My other books just magically appeared there."

ANSWER: 

I get this question in one form another from my newsletter subscribers, my clients, and my blog visitors but almost never from those who have (and read!) my The Frugal Book Promoter. That's because I believe in the power of Amazon so thoroughly that I included an entire section of the magical things that Amazon.com does for books and authors. Still, I don't mind answering the question many times:

Dear Rebecca:

One of the beauties of having a publisher is that one doesn't have to worry about this--publishers, including subsidy publishers--do this for you--or should do this for you!

 However, I happen to know the secret. I learned it by joining e-groups and talking to fellow authors.  It is my belief that the more any author knows about publishing, the better off she is--the better partner she makes for her editor, publisher, or going it on her own (sort of the best partner you can be for yourself). 

Also know that when your book starts selling well on Amazon, other online bookstores begin to pick it up without you doing a thing.

But right now, in this minute, you can get help by going to the AuthorConnect (along with some other names like AuthorCentral) program on Amazon and/or the Advantage program and use the contact links to get help directly from Amazon. When you Google “Amazon” you get a list of links that take you to specific places. One of the above is sure to be right for your particular needs.

At one point the first edition of The Frugal Book Promoter was on Harvard University's online bookstore! Yep, just like magic. But there is a whole list of things you can do to help get that kind of exposure on Amazon and I share those secrets in second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromo) and share the new things they do (like Kindle's new pre-sale program) on this blog and in my newsletter as they are introduced. 

And here's the best thing: Those resources are all free for starving (or frugal!) authors.

Best,

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Multi award-winning novelist, poet, and author's advocate.
http://howtodoitfrugally.com

-----
 Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The multi award-winning second edition of The Frugal Editor; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. 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 .

Best SharingwithWriters Tip of the Year for Book Sales

I usually don't tread on the release of my own newsletter, but here it is: The Most Important Tip of The Year for the promotion of your new book. If you don't have a new one coming out, put this on your calendar with an alert for about 120 days before your expected
 the release. It's that important!

My Most Important Tip of the Year:

Did you know that you can now run a pre-order for your Kindle book in advance of its release—just like J. K. Rowling and Harper Lee did? (-:  

A pre order promotion gives you more time to do all the things needed in the 12 to 16 weeks before a release like get great reviews. (I describe the process for getting reviews--both the difficult-to-get and the accessible reviews--in The Frugal Book Promoter and even lead you to a page on my Web site of the top journals—meaning the journals most likely to get you noticed.

This link will take you to Amazon’s description of how to make arrangements for a pre-order on their site it when you upload your manuscript:

https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=AGSSZQVFKECO5&ref=86&ref_=pe_390220_143142980  Just think! 90 Days of sales are now available to use while you market your book and add buzz to your launch!

Though you already have this tip, there are lots more coming in my August SharingwithWriters issue and every issue after that (I've been doing this since 2003!). To subscribe and get a free e-version of my Great Little Last-Minute Edits booklet, go to http://howtodoitfrugally.com . There is a subscription form at the top right of almost every page. Great Little Last-Minute Edits is available as a slim paperback at http://bit.ly/Last-MinuteEditing   

-----
 Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The multi award-winning second edition of The Frugal Editor; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. 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 .

Second Edition Blues? Here's an Amazon Tip

This is one of my favorite tips from my SharingwithWriters newsletter that always features tips; a subscription also includes an annual AllTips edition. You may subscribe and get a freebie book on wordtrippers at http://howtodoitfrugally.com.

 

If you have a book now in its second edition (or later) and haven’t been able to get Amazon to remove the first edition from its site to assure that your readers get the updated book, Amazon now offers a widget that directs readers to the buy page for the first edition. You can see how they did this for my Frugal Book Promoter at http://www.amazon.com/The-Frugal-Book-Promoter-Publisher/dp/193299310X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371782561&sr=8-2&keywords=the+frugal+book+promoter . You access help through your AuthorConnect (also called AuthorCentral) page, https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/landing?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0 . By the way, the new edition of The Frugal Book Promoter is at http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo.

 

----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. 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 .

Eight Ways Amazon Can Help You Sell More Book

Amazon is in the news again. New affiliate policies. Jeff Bezos becoming
the owner of a venerated newspaper. And, of course, the Amazon
hate-machine is out in full force. Here’s why we authors just need to

“get over it.” 

 

1.      Amazon sells far and away more books than any other online bookstore. And far and away more books
than traditional bookstores combined.

2.      Amazon provides easily accessed associate sites
that let you sell your books overseas even if you haven’t
sold foreign rightsto your book.

3.      Amazon provides a search engine arguably second
only to Google’s—especially if you view this statistic
from the standpoint of an author or publisher.

4.      The “What other customers buy after they’ve
reviewed this item…” feature may feel uncomfortable,
but it connects your book to other top sellers on Amazon.

5.      An annual contest for fiction in partnership
with some of the biggest names in publishing.

6.      A widget for your backlist book pages that leads
readers to your new editions.

7.      A “frequently bought together” feature that may
give readers a deal on your book when bought in
conjunction with bestsellers in your genre.

8.      Amazon offers all kinds of ways to promote
your book including:

§   An author profile—a general one and a
Kindle-specific one. You can even feed
your blog and Twitter stream to it.

§   A buy page with add-on features that let you
highlight your credentials and your book.

§   Participation in features like Listmania that
help you spread the word all over the vast
Amazon site—in places where you’ll reach
the readers most interested in your book.

§   Promotion packages like Kindle Select and their
Vine program for getting reviewed by their top reviewers. Some are free, some are costly,
but they all work.

§   A place on your buy page to install story- or
author-related images.

§   Places to comment on reviews. That includes
thanking a reviewer, correcting inaccuracies,
etc.

§   Ways for the author to help their bestseller
ratings by juggling their book’s category and subcategories. (Of course, the author must
promote bestselling ratings when they achieve them—perhaps on Twitter.)

§   Forums (rarely used efficiently by authors).

-----
My articles and features are available for you to reprint—with credit
and links, of course. Just let me know if you need a more
accessible digital format.  I’ll even add the credit for you.

And, if you e-mail me with AMAZON BOOK-LIKE FLIER in the subject line,
I'll send you a little 1 fold, four-page template I used this information in.
You can adapt it to your promotional needs. Of course, I appreciate
a credit line and mention of my Frugal Book Promoter that includes lots
more on what Amazon can do for your book. 

 

-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. 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 .