TAME THE AMAZON
Includes Info for Participants of Red Dirt Book Festival Workshop
Hi! Glad you joined me here. You should find most of the information covered in the workshop (with links included) here. If not, post a comment or email me and I'll be glad to answer questions. If you didn't attend the workshop, you'll still find loads of information to help you navigate Amazon and much, much more.
Here's an article about Amazon rankings that I found most interesting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/business/media/06rank.html
Aaron Shepherd is featured in the article. He wrote a book about promoting your work on Amazon.com. One tip he shared is this one:
"Use a shorter version of the AMAZON.com URL to point people directly to your book." You don't have to use the long version. To have you go to my book on Amazon, if I simply cut and pasted the URL, it looks like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Grab-Queen-Power-Live-Your/dp/1932993207/ref=sr_1_1/103-0077281-1516636?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193605912&sr=1-1
You can chop much of that garbage off. Here's the revised version:
www.amazon.com/Grab-Queen-Power-Live-Your/dp/1932993207"
According to Aaron, "The additional info in the URL provided by Amazon.com when you go to your book's page is for their tracking system." So, you can chop off all the unnecessary stuff after the ISBN.
Okay, now to the information you came here to find.
But first, if you'd like to regularly receive updates from me about promoting your work (authors and speakers), don't forget to subscribe to my blog. Look on the left hand side. It's easy!
Who do I consider the expert on Amazon? My friend and colleague, Carolyn Howard-Johnson.
She's written two fabulous books for authors:
"Frugal Book Promoter" and "Frugal Book Editor".
She's got an ezine for writers called: "Sharing With Writers." To locate Carolyn, visit her site: http://www.carolynhoward-johnnson.com/. I highly recommend subscribing. I read her ezine and blog regularly. She also founded Authors' Coalition. A cooperative group of writers who do promotional activities together, among other things. The annual membership fee is a bargain! The lowest level of membership is only $20. Another friend, Joyce Faulkner, co-manages the organization (http://www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com/). Joyce's business partner, Pat McGrath Avery, is also co-manager. If you are looking for organized cross-promotional activities for authors, AC is the place to visit!
Anyway, most of what I share is based on information Carolyn shared with me over the years. Thanks, Carolyn!
Below you'll find key points discussed on Friday.
1. Create a profile. You'll be asked to create a username and password to access Amazon.com. After you've done this, you'll need to find Your Amazon.com link. It's typically at the top of the page (left hand side) and read's YOUR NAME's Amazon.com. For example, mine is Allyn's Amazon.com.
Once you do that, you'll need to scroll down a little (passed the ads for books/music/production). You'll be looking for "Your Profile" link. It will be found on the right hand side of the page under "Your Community". Click on "Your Profile." Once you get there it is easy to figure out. You'll be asked for personal information. You can even upload a photograph.
All Amazon.com customers are allowed to create a profile. Authors of books listed simply have more options such as a biography.
My profile page looks like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2C2P5C3GJFD8N/
2. Invite Amazon Friends to add to your circle. If you want to invite me to become your Amazon friend, please do! To invite someone, you simply go to "Your Community" and click on "Invite Amazon Friends." You'll have to know their email addresses. Once you invite and they accept, then you too will get an invitation from the person to become their friend. Click here to email me for my email address. Again, you don't have to have a book listed on Amazon.com to use this feature.
3. Create Listmanias. These are lists of books (up to 25) that you recommend or have grouped together. Remember we talked about sample ideas, such as Favorite Authors at Red Dirt Book Festival, Favorite Fiction Writers, Favorite Oklahoma Writers, Books That Changed Your Life, etc. This is a feature all customers can use.
To see examples of my lists, visit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/byauthor/A2C2P5C3GJFD8N/
4. Write Reviews! This is an excellent way to get your name and signature line on Amazon.com. Plus, when it comes time for your book to come out, you can ask others to return the favor. There have been articles saying that reviews boost rankings. I haven't personally seen any evidence of this, but I do know that I have read reviews of other authors when making my purchasing decisions. Customers and authors can use this feature.
They do NOT have to be complicated either. You can comment on a book in a few short sentences.
To see examples of reviews, visit:
http://www.amazon.com/Grab-Queen-Power-Live-Your/dp/customer-reviews/1932993207/
5. Write Articles. These are called "So You'd Like To's". They can cover any subject. The kicker is that you have to list some books that go along with the topic. You can write articles that include your own books, but I also recommend creating articles that don't list your own work.
Here are some examples:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/byauthor/A2C2P5C3GJFD8N/
6. Use the "Your Search Suggestions" feature. This feature requires approval from Amazon.com. When I first learned of this feature, I made inappropriate submissions. I know, slap my hand! I thought if I collaborated with authors on another project, I could tie our work together simply because of our association. NOT. The information about this feature also discourage authors to list their own works and names, but I did and it was accepted. So, take a peak at mine to see how I did it. After clicking on the link, scroll down a little bit to see the examples I am talking about. All customers can do this.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/associations/admin/list-associations.html/
7. Check out Amazon's Amapedia. It's another way to get information about yourself and work on your pages. I personally haven't used this feature, but my promotion guru Carolyn Howard-Johnson has. Check out her listing. Again this is a feature all can use.
http://amapedia.amazon.com/view/The+Frugal+Book+Promoter:+How+To+Do+What+Your+Publisher+Won
8. Set up a Blog on Amazon. Now that Amazon uses RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication) it's so easy. Before I found it to be such a hassle. I had to either create a completely different blog or remember to repost from the other one. With RSS feeds, your blog will simply show up on your Amazon pages. Once you register your feed, you don't have to do anything else. Amazon.com distributes to the customers who purchased your book(s) or signed up to receive your blog.
If you don't blog already, then start one today. To set up your account, go to "Your Profile" page on the right hand side of the page.
If you want to see what mine looks like, and also see where to find the link to the blog, visit:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2C2P5C3GJFD8N/103-0077281-1516636
You will have to prove that you are the author of a book or books listed on the site. My publisher helped me with this process. Once on the link, you'll find step-by-step guidelines on how to do this.
9. Take advantage of the "Search Inside the Book" Feature. Why? Because keywords are used to help readers find your book. This feature is for authors only.
Here's the URL explaining the program and how to submit:
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Inside-Book-Books/b?ie=UTF8&node=10197021
10. Use the "Tagging" Feature. Here's an article that explains it.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-5953622-7.html
You'll also find how to tag books and products by scrolling down on the right hand side of your Amazon.com page. Hint: First click on Your Name Amazon.com.
11. Become an Amazon affiliate. You'll need to know some HTML (that's website design language) or have a webmaster. It's actually easier than it looks, but you'd need to be able to cut and paste code into your website (or blog). Blogger.com makes it easy to post HTML code in your blog, which means even those without HTML experience can figure out how to use this feature on their blog.
You can sell your books or the books of others. Self-published authors might like taking yourself out of the mail order business. Although, it does cut into profits.
http://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/join/info2.html
Here's another tip. You can also become a used book seller on Amazon.com. Sell your own books. Of course that puts you back in the book selling business! You don't have to have books listed on Amazon to become an affiliate or used book seller.
12. Submit fiction or nonfiction stories to Amazon's Shorts Program. You do have to be accepted and you must have at least one book listed with Amazon. But once you are in, it's easier to get other works included. It's a way to build new audiences and to promote your backlist in between book projects. Also, you can make money! They sell for $0.49 cents each and you receive a 60/40 commission.
To check out my Amazon Short visit:
http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-People-Perform-Unthinkable-Acts/dp/B000PAU32U/
Of course, I'd love you even more, if you'd buy a copy of my short! This short was a tough one for me to write and share. You can read the description to understand why.
To submit your own, read the guidelines:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/570212
13. Check out Amazon.com in other countries. Are your books listed? If not, do something about it, especially in the UK. There are probably others. Google to find out. To find these I typed in "Amazon.com, UK," "Amazon.com, Japan," and "Amazon.com, Germany."
http://www.amazon.co.uk/
http://www.amazon.co.jp/
http://www.amazon.de/
This was another tip I picked up from Aaron Shepherd. He swears that even if you don't know the language, you can figure out how to add your books. I didn't have to try to figure out how to do this because my publisher took care of it for me.
That's all the Amazon.com tips that I have to share at the moment. And just like the mighty Amazon River, the organization constantly shifts and changes direction. To stay on top of everything new, you do need to read information provided by Amazon.com and promotional experts in the field, such as Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Realistically, I don't think Amazon.com can ever be tamed. But at least, we can continue to navigate it and do the best with what we know. And be comforted by the fact that whatever we do seems to have staying power.
And as I confessed at the end of the workshop and after following my Amazon.com experiment, I am no longer putting much effort in building a presence on Amazon.com. I do plan to continue to update my Listmanias and will always be open to writing reviews for peers. I will ask (when I have the opportunity) for fellow authors to review my books. The blogging will continue because I use the RSS feed, and therefore it takes zero effort on my part. But that's where I'll draw the line.
What has served me the most? I've discovered I achieve the best results when I speak or present and when I team up with others to do cross promotional activities.
Other tips, I shared at the workshop are below.
1. Use http://www.blogspot.com/ to create a blog. It's free. It's also my favorite because it's tied to Google.com. Post a blog and you'll find it being picked up by Google.com within minutes!
To see my main blog, visit: http://www.allynevans.blogspot.com/.
2. If you don't have a web presence (and even if you do), use http://www.authorsden.com/. It can be free. You can pay to have more features. I use Authors Den to broadcast my ezine, for example. To do this, you have to pay them. To check out a sample page visit mine: www.authorsden.com/allynevans
3. Accept credit cards. PayPal.com is once again accepted by most as a secure means to transfer money. I use it all time and it's easy to figure out. You can invoice people, if you don't have the wherewithal to add it to a website. http://www.paypal.com/.
4. If you are considering building a website, then I highly recommend Hurricane Electric. They are pioneers in the field and have had only ONE outage since inception (approximately 15 years ago). http://www.he.net/. I do not benefit from you using them. I pay $9.95 a month to host a site.
5. Sign up for Google Alerts. www.google.com/alerts and click on "Create a Google Alert."
You can know any time your name or book shows up on Google.com. If you find someone has made a reference to your work, you can send them a thank you email (through their site, usually) or reply to their blog by making a comment. You can also monitor if your work is being picked up by the search engines. That's how I know how quickly Google picks up something I blog. I receive an alert.
To avoid getting unrelated alerts, type the name or book title and use quotation marks. For example, I typed: "Allyn Evans" and "Grab the Queen Power".
And for those of you with children, this is a great safety tip! Include all the names of your children. Anytime their names pop up on Google.com, you'll be notified. If you have a child with a popular name, you will receive unrelated alerts.
Besides speaking, collaborating is one of my favorite things to do. Very recently, a local author and I have teamed up to market our presentations. To see how we packaged it, please visit: http://allynevans.com/allenevans.html. Together Linda Allen and I expanded our individual offerings and can also cover for each other, if the other is booked. We meet almost weekly to plan our next event or to strategize.
Okay...
Time to shut this rap session down. I'm going to copy the ending from my first book. In "Grab the Queen Power," I quoted an 81-year-old woman who, when asked during an interview for the book if she had anything left to share, said: "I done said enough."
http://www.allynevans.com/
http://www.queenpower.com/
http://www.allynevans.blogspot.com/
Have a question or comment? Use the comment feature or email me privately. I'd love to hear from you!
Don't forget to sign up for my blogs!
Includes Info for Participants of Red Dirt Book Festival Workshop
Hi! Glad you joined me here. You should find most of the information covered in the workshop (with links included) here. If not, post a comment or email me and I'll be glad to answer questions. If you didn't attend the workshop, you'll still find loads of information to help you navigate Amazon and much, much more.
Here's an article about Amazon rankings that I found most interesting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/business/media/06rank.html
Aaron Shepherd is featured in the article. He wrote a book about promoting your work on Amazon.com. One tip he shared is this one:
"Use a shorter version of the AMAZON.com URL to point people directly to your book." You don't have to use the long version. To have you go to my book on Amazon, if I simply cut and pasted the URL, it looks like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Grab-Queen-Power-Live-Your/dp/1932993207/ref=sr_1_1/103-0077281-1516636?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193605912&sr=1-1
You can chop much of that garbage off. Here's the revised version:
www.amazon.com/Grab-Queen-Power-Live-Your/dp/1932993207"
According to Aaron, "The additional info in the URL provided by Amazon.com when you go to your book's page is for their tracking system." So, you can chop off all the unnecessary stuff after the ISBN.
Okay, now to the information you came here to find.
But first, if you'd like to regularly receive updates from me about promoting your work (authors and speakers), don't forget to subscribe to my blog. Look on the left hand side. It's easy!
Who do I consider the expert on Amazon? My friend and colleague, Carolyn Howard-Johnson.
She's written two fabulous books for authors:
"Frugal Book Promoter" and "Frugal Book Editor".
She's got an ezine for writers called: "Sharing With Writers." To locate Carolyn, visit her site: http://www.carolynhoward-johnnson.com/. I highly recommend subscribing. I read her ezine and blog regularly. She also founded Authors' Coalition. A cooperative group of writers who do promotional activities together, among other things. The annual membership fee is a bargain! The lowest level of membership is only $20. Another friend, Joyce Faulkner, co-manages the organization (http://www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com/). Joyce's business partner, Pat McGrath Avery, is also co-manager. If you are looking for organized cross-promotional activities for authors, AC is the place to visit!
Anyway, most of what I share is based on information Carolyn shared with me over the years. Thanks, Carolyn!
Below you'll find key points discussed on Friday.
1. Create a profile. You'll be asked to create a username and password to access Amazon.com. After you've done this, you'll need to find Your Amazon.com link. It's typically at the top of the page (left hand side) and read's YOUR NAME's Amazon.com. For example, mine is Allyn's Amazon.com.
Once you do that, you'll need to scroll down a little (passed the ads for books/music/production). You'll be looking for "Your Profile" link. It will be found on the right hand side of the page under "Your Community". Click on "Your Profile." Once you get there it is easy to figure out. You'll be asked for personal information. You can even upload a photograph.
All Amazon.com customers are allowed to create a profile. Authors of books listed simply have more options such as a biography.
My profile page looks like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2C2P5C3GJFD8N/
2. Invite Amazon Friends to add to your circle. If you want to invite me to become your Amazon friend, please do! To invite someone, you simply go to "Your Community" and click on "Invite Amazon Friends." You'll have to know their email addresses. Once you invite and they accept, then you too will get an invitation from the person to become their friend. Click here to email me for my email address. Again, you don't have to have a book listed on Amazon.com to use this feature.
3. Create Listmanias. These are lists of books (up to 25) that you recommend or have grouped together. Remember we talked about sample ideas, such as Favorite Authors at Red Dirt Book Festival, Favorite Fiction Writers, Favorite Oklahoma Writers, Books That Changed Your Life, etc. This is a feature all customers can use.
To see examples of my lists, visit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/byauthor/A2C2P5C3GJFD8N/
4. Write Reviews! This is an excellent way to get your name and signature line on Amazon.com. Plus, when it comes time for your book to come out, you can ask others to return the favor. There have been articles saying that reviews boost rankings. I haven't personally seen any evidence of this, but I do know that I have read reviews of other authors when making my purchasing decisions. Customers and authors can use this feature.
They do NOT have to be complicated either. You can comment on a book in a few short sentences.
To see examples of reviews, visit:
http://www.amazon.com/Grab-Queen-Power-Live-Your/dp/customer-reviews/1932993207/
5. Write Articles. These are called "So You'd Like To's". They can cover any subject. The kicker is that you have to list some books that go along with the topic. You can write articles that include your own books, but I also recommend creating articles that don't list your own work.
Here are some examples:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/byauthor/A2C2P5C3GJFD8N/
6. Use the "Your Search Suggestions" feature. This feature requires approval from Amazon.com. When I first learned of this feature, I made inappropriate submissions. I know, slap my hand! I thought if I collaborated with authors on another project, I could tie our work together simply because of our association. NOT. The information about this feature also discourage authors to list their own works and names, but I did and it was accepted. So, take a peak at mine to see how I did it. After clicking on the link, scroll down a little bit to see the examples I am talking about. All customers can do this.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/associations/admin/list-associations.html/
7. Check out Amazon's Amapedia. It's another way to get information about yourself and work on your pages. I personally haven't used this feature, but my promotion guru Carolyn Howard-Johnson has. Check out her listing. Again this is a feature all can use.
http://amapedia.amazon.com/view/The+Frugal+Book+Promoter:+How+To+Do+What+Your+Publisher+Won
8. Set up a Blog on Amazon. Now that Amazon uses RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication) it's so easy. Before I found it to be such a hassle. I had to either create a completely different blog or remember to repost from the other one. With RSS feeds, your blog will simply show up on your Amazon pages. Once you register your feed, you don't have to do anything else. Amazon.com distributes to the customers who purchased your book(s) or signed up to receive your blog.
If you don't blog already, then start one today. To set up your account, go to "Your Profile" page on the right hand side of the page.
If you want to see what mine looks like, and also see where to find the link to the blog, visit:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2C2P5C3GJFD8N/103-0077281-1516636
You will have to prove that you are the author of a book or books listed on the site. My publisher helped me with this process. Once on the link, you'll find step-by-step guidelines on how to do this.
9. Take advantage of the "Search Inside the Book" Feature. Why? Because keywords are used to help readers find your book. This feature is for authors only.
Here's the URL explaining the program and how to submit:
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Inside-Book-Books/b?ie=UTF8&node=10197021
10. Use the "Tagging" Feature. Here's an article that explains it.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-5953622-7.html
You'll also find how to tag books and products by scrolling down on the right hand side of your Amazon.com page. Hint: First click on Your Name Amazon.com.
11. Become an Amazon affiliate. You'll need to know some HTML (that's website design language) or have a webmaster. It's actually easier than it looks, but you'd need to be able to cut and paste code into your website (or blog). Blogger.com makes it easy to post HTML code in your blog, which means even those without HTML experience can figure out how to use this feature on their blog.
You can sell your books or the books of others. Self-published authors might like taking yourself out of the mail order business. Although, it does cut into profits.
http://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/join/info2.html
Here's another tip. You can also become a used book seller on Amazon.com. Sell your own books. Of course that puts you back in the book selling business! You don't have to have books listed on Amazon to become an affiliate or used book seller.
12. Submit fiction or nonfiction stories to Amazon's Shorts Program. You do have to be accepted and you must have at least one book listed with Amazon. But once you are in, it's easier to get other works included. It's a way to build new audiences and to promote your backlist in between book projects. Also, you can make money! They sell for $0.49 cents each and you receive a 60/40 commission.
To check out my Amazon Short visit:
http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-People-Perform-Unthinkable-Acts/dp/B000PAU32U/
Of course, I'd love you even more, if you'd buy a copy of my short! This short was a tough one for me to write and share. You can read the description to understand why.
To submit your own, read the guidelines:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/570212
13. Check out Amazon.com in other countries. Are your books listed? If not, do something about it, especially in the UK. There are probably others. Google to find out. To find these I typed in "Amazon.com, UK," "Amazon.com, Japan," and "Amazon.com, Germany."
http://www.amazon.co.uk/
http://www.amazon.co.jp/
http://www.amazon.de/
This was another tip I picked up from Aaron Shepherd. He swears that even if you don't know the language, you can figure out how to add your books. I didn't have to try to figure out how to do this because my publisher took care of it for me.
That's all the Amazon.com tips that I have to share at the moment. And just like the mighty Amazon River, the organization constantly shifts and changes direction. To stay on top of everything new, you do need to read information provided by Amazon.com and promotional experts in the field, such as Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Realistically, I don't think Amazon.com can ever be tamed. But at least, we can continue to navigate it and do the best with what we know. And be comforted by the fact that whatever we do seems to have staying power.
And as I confessed at the end of the workshop and after following my Amazon.com experiment, I am no longer putting much effort in building a presence on Amazon.com. I do plan to continue to update my Listmanias and will always be open to writing reviews for peers. I will ask (when I have the opportunity) for fellow authors to review my books. The blogging will continue because I use the RSS feed, and therefore it takes zero effort on my part. But that's where I'll draw the line.
What has served me the most? I've discovered I achieve the best results when I speak or present and when I team up with others to do cross promotional activities.
Other tips, I shared at the workshop are below.
1. Use http://www.blogspot.com/ to create a blog. It's free. It's also my favorite because it's tied to Google.com. Post a blog and you'll find it being picked up by Google.com within minutes!
To see my main blog, visit: http://www.allynevans.blogspot.com/.
2. If you don't have a web presence (and even if you do), use http://www.authorsden.com/. It can be free. You can pay to have more features. I use Authors Den to broadcast my ezine, for example. To do this, you have to pay them. To check out a sample page visit mine: www.authorsden.com/allynevans
3. Accept credit cards. PayPal.com is once again accepted by most as a secure means to transfer money. I use it all time and it's easy to figure out. You can invoice people, if you don't have the wherewithal to add it to a website. http://www.paypal.com/.
4. If you are considering building a website, then I highly recommend Hurricane Electric. They are pioneers in the field and have had only ONE outage since inception (approximately 15 years ago). http://www.he.net/. I do not benefit from you using them. I pay $9.95 a month to host a site.
5. Sign up for Google Alerts. www.google.com/alerts and click on "Create a Google Alert."
You can know any time your name or book shows up on Google.com. If you find someone has made a reference to your work, you can send them a thank you email (through their site, usually) or reply to their blog by making a comment. You can also monitor if your work is being picked up by the search engines. That's how I know how quickly Google picks up something I blog. I receive an alert.
To avoid getting unrelated alerts, type the name or book title and use quotation marks. For example, I typed: "Allyn Evans" and "Grab the Queen Power".
And for those of you with children, this is a great safety tip! Include all the names of your children. Anytime their names pop up on Google.com, you'll be notified. If you have a child with a popular name, you will receive unrelated alerts.
Besides speaking, collaborating is one of my favorite things to do. Very recently, a local author and I have teamed up to market our presentations. To see how we packaged it, please visit: http://allynevans.com/allenevans.html. Together Linda Allen and I expanded our individual offerings and can also cover for each other, if the other is booked. We meet almost weekly to plan our next event or to strategize.
Okay...
Time to shut this rap session down. I'm going to copy the ending from my first book. In "Grab the Queen Power," I quoted an 81-year-old woman who, when asked during an interview for the book if she had anything left to share, said: "I done said enough."
http://www.allynevans.com/
http://www.queenpower.com/
http://www.allynevans.blogspot.com/
Have a question or comment? Use the comment feature or email me privately. I'd love to hear from you!
Don't forget to sign up for my blogs!
1 comments:
What a beautiful job you've done with this in a very short space. Readers of your blogs and those who are lucky enough to see you--the award-winning speaker--speak, may want to know that there is still more information in the chapter dedicated to Amazon in The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't.
Hope authors are listening, Miss Allyn!
Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
www.howtodoitfrugally.com
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