Hello Expedia authors. Assuming many of you are Kindle Indie authors or close enough ebook authors, I have compiled some great stuff for you -- PRACTICAL TIPS for Moving Kindle Books off the Shelves --
With a 'little' help from my friends on Kindle Community Forums where I have a huge thread going on this topic, we've condensed it to the BEST steps you can take to ensure success with your ebook(s), or at very least give you the illusion of success - LOL. Seriously, these steps have delivered spikes in sales for me and others who have used them. SEE BELOW:
With a 'little' help from my friends on Kindle Community Forums where I have a huge thread going on this topic, we've condensed it to the BEST steps you can take to ensure success with your ebook(s), or at very least give you the illusion of success - LOL. Seriously, these steps have delivered spikes in sales for me and others who have used them. SEE BELOW:
First I went back to my book descriptions and made absolutely certain of no typos or errors of any kind as well as rewriting to make each the best damn short-short I could. This made a huge difference in sales, I kid you not.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I went on a TAG binge, tagging all my books below where they are found on Amazon to utilize genre-specific tags like Occult Horror, Generational Horror, suspense, mystery, police procedural, supernatural, paranormal female detective, etc. Amazing spike in numbers since taking these two steps.
Of course promoting online is of great import but so to is professional cover art and editing.
Another thing I have done since putting up books is to involve myself in as many kindle-related forums as I can, where if nothing else, my sig line entices people, but I also use a lot of humor. Leave em laughing. People love a good quip or ironic twist, a bit of dark humor, etc. and in effect I leave a lot of my personality behind. You'd be surprised but if people LIKE you a lot, they will be curious about your writings. I have made facebook my place to sound off and I may lose some readers there for my views on certain topics but honesty and involvement are the keys to further sales. Be yourself on Twitter and FB and chat groups. You will piss off some, rustle feathers of others, but you won't be ignored if you just be yourself online.
Another thing I have done since putting up books is to involve myself in as many kindle-related forums as I can, where if nothing else, my sig line entices people, but I also use a lot of humor. Leave em laughing. People love a good quip or ironic twist, a bit of dark humor, etc. and in effect I leave a lot of my personality behind. You'd be surprised but if people LIKE you a lot, they will be curious about your writings. I have made facebook my place to sound off and I may lose some readers there for my views on certain topics but honesty and involvement are the keys to further sales. Be yourself on Twitter and FB and chat groups. You will piss off some, rustle feathers of others, but you won't be ignored if you just be yourself online.
ReplyDeleteWhen the topic of shipwrecks comes up on FB or if I see an article on shipwrecks and share it, I never miss a chance to figuratively "tag" my Titanic 2012 right then and there; if the subject of witchcraft comes up, I do the same for my Children of Salem, earthquakes my AFTERSHOCK and so on.
When I get a review on amazon (which is far too seldom), I announce it on facebook and wherever else I can where people DON'T jump down your throat. If launching a new title, the same. I also take the attitude that my work is worthy of gaining momentum and readers, that it is NOT SPAM but my passionate creation, in fact, my life's work and I do not view it as spam no matter who says it is!! I make no excuses for believing in myself and my work - ever! I take a pro-active and postive stance about this indeed, and it gives me an edge--to be sure and edge that puts off some people but I take those people to be too cantankerous to want to read anything other than the cookie cutter regurgitated crapola that is the work of a handful of millionare authors.
Check out JA Konrath's blog and archives on tips for selling ebooks...also check out my archived articles on same at www.speakwithoutinterruption and www.1stTurningpoint.com and/or www.acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com - some overlap.
ReplyDeleteA professional looking website really helps in my estimation to entice readers to check out your books along with freebies as in an open chapter or a free download of a short piece, a trailer parked on your site, etc.
I believe many people do not make enough PR Hay with good news; when you get a spot of good news, whether a blurb, a review, a positive comment on your book, do not hesitate to SHARE this, put it in quotes and state where it came from and place it on your facebook page, on twitter, on any online source you can. I do this routinely with reviews on my books.
Right now have worked out all manner of deals with many FB friends by giving them an open invite to post on my wall about their ebooks any time, and they inivtite me to do same on their walls. watching one nother's backs...
Here is a tip you can take to the bank -- work to get up some reviews. How is that done? Offer to "gift" your book to those willing to review it on Amazon.com....tit for tat -- a free book for a review. I have gotten a lot of reviews this way. Have offered it up this way on chat groups and on Facebook. At first feared I would be overwhelmed with requests for the book. But not so. You only need a eAddy to gift a book to a person thanks to Amazon's gift a book program. For the price of my ebook, I get it into someone's hands who has promised to review it -- good, bad, or ugly...I take my chances confidently.
Confidence is in itself a magnet for people. People respond to confidence. But once a few reviews are up on Amazon, then how do you get folks to go see the reviews? Go back to my last post. Use the titles as blurbs with a link to the full review. Typically, I have found the review title to be couched in terms that make it clear how the reviewer felt about the book.