11 Marketing Hacks For Creating A Successful Book
11 Marketing Hacks For Creating A Successful Book
Is your dream to create a bestselling book? Or, at least do you dream about producing a book that sells?
To get your book published on Amazon is the easy part. However, it’s just a small part of the publishing process.
But what so many authors don’t realise is that the adventure of self-publishing starts even before you publish on Amazon. Don’t go to all the effort of creating your book, throw it on to Amazon, and then hold your breath while you wait for it to sell. And then work out how to sell it.
Self-publishing apprenticeship
Your self-publishing apprenticeship is about learning the steps of marketing your book within the Amazon space.
And then you must learn how to market your book beyond the Amazon ecosystem.
Don’t wait until your book is published to plan your marketing strategy. Your book in itself should be the ultimate marketing tool.
Here are 11 different hacks to give yourself a leg up, and getting these right will increase the success of your book exponentially.
1. Research
There are endless opportunities and thousands of potential niches from where you can get ideas for writing and publishing.
One methodology is to go direct to amazon.com to do very specific niche research to find a category that could be profitable. There are other ways to stimulate ideas.
Trendhunter is a great favourite of mine.
You could explore Google Trends, Ezine articles, Clickbank, JVZoo – even your local bookstore, if you still have access to one.
Not only for non-fiction the opportunity gets even greater when you start looking at fiction. You can explore romance, mystery, erotica, and more.
Children’s books are another huge opportunity.
The key to your research is to find a niche that is profitable. Learn the attributes of successful books in your niche and model them. Once you know what a successful book looks like, consider your own book and try to think what added value you can bring to the readers, and what could give you the edge to set yourself apart from the competition.
2. Cover
A book’s cover is the first impression a reader gets of your book. The cover is what will get a prospective customer to take a closer look because it’s the cover that stands out in the crowded market place.
So often buying decisions are made on what the cover looks like.
3. Title
After the cover, the title is a sales tool in itself. It’s the next thing a customer looks at.
Just like the cover, a title may influence a decision to buy or not to buy and it helps a book to get discovered on Amazon.
A subtitle provides additional information about the book. It can pinpoint the central problem or pain point for your readership. It can also expand on the benefit to be had from reading the book.
4. Categories
Categories are the big broad terms that describe your book. They are like the sections of a bookstore where you can find your book so the key is to target the best ones.
Just like the cover and the title, a book’s category positions the book in the market place and helps with the discoverability of your book on Amazon.
Choosing the right categories places your book in front of customers who are most likely to buy your book.
When doing your book’s listing on KDP you are asked to select the two (2) most relevant categories. While you are asked to select just two you can in fact select 10. Did you know that?
Your choice of categories also influences whether or not your book becomes a bestseller. It’s even possible to find out the number of books you need to sell in a category to reach that number 1 position.
5. Keywords
Keywords are also another way to help customers find your book. The idea is to select a word or phrase that readers are most likely to use when searching for a book.
KDP gives you 7 keyword slots. Then within each slot, there is space for 50 characters.
Put an appropriate phrase into the slot choosing one that customers are likely to use when searching for a book.
Keywords are a very big topic. There are a number of methodologies for selecting keywords and information about the mistakes to avoid when choosing them.
6. Description
Your book’s description on the listing page is a sales letter and this is your opportunity to help a customer make a buying decision.
There is space in the description area for 4000 characters so maximise this opportunity to craft a description that will sell your book.
Tips for a good description include correct formatting, a strong opening hook to attract a customer’s interest, bullet points, and a call to action.
7. Author Central
Author Central on Amazon is in effect like another website for authors. It’s a place where your customers can learn about you.
This is the opportunity to share up-to-date information about yourself and your works to millions of readers.
You will include biographical details, bibliographic information, synchronise blog posts, list events, have photographs and videos, and include reviews.
8. Reviews
Customer Reviews are those reviews that give your book a rating. They help customers to learn more about your book by providing genuine feedback.
Get as many reviews as possible because they validate your book providing social proof which adds to your book’s credibility.
9. Editorial reviews
Editorial reviews are different from the customer reviews and you can list up to five of them. They are comments, or testimonials that others have said about you, your book, or even your previous books.
They are entered into Author Central but they show up on your book’s detail page.
10. KDP Select
When starting out with publishing on Amazon join KDP Select. This is the 90 day exclusivity period for digital books which allows you to take advantage of the free giveaway days to promote your book and which in turn may help you generate more reviews.
11. Price
As a self-publisher, you are the person that decides the price. If you so wish you can keep changing your price. When launching your book you may price your book at 0.99c in order to increase sales and get some verified reviews.
You may choose to offer your book for free as part of the KDP Select promotion. Then after launching you may increase your price to $2.99 or higher.
You can play with pricing strategically depending on what it is you are trying to achieve.
The ultimate marketing tool
You as author and self-publisher are in charge of your own destiny in this world of Amazon book publishing. You have the power to make your book a success and with it create the ultimate marketing tool.
Achieve maximum visibility and create that powerful first impression by mastering the 11 fundamentals of self-publishing on Amazon.
If you would like to unlock your true potential as a writer, publish your book the simple, low-cost way, and see it out there in the market place, listed for sale, for all the world to see you are invited to join my free online class.
Author & Coach
JOIN:
Fast Self-Publishing Online
FACEBOOK community
