Mastering Amazon ads one tweak at a time: One author’s success story

Apr13

I have to apologize right off the bat because I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but I’d be lying if I said anything else. I dislike most marketing, mostly online stuff, mostly amazon or bookbub or… ads. I much prefer marketing in person, at book events, art and craft events, farmer’s markets (if they allow it, and many do).

I work at a computer most of the day, so making myself sit at the computer and learn how to post just right ad is not something I’m willing to do. I’m one of those people who is “of a certain age” so I no longer want to force myself to try and care for something I don’t care for. Life’s too short.

Now, the caveat to this is, I have another job. Book selling is not my sole income, so I don’t HAVE to sell book. I want to, of course, but the desire to sell books and my dislike for setting up ads don’t even out. I did try amazon ads once and it was an even prospect – I sold as many books as I needed to pay for the ad. If it had been a better outcome, maybe I’d have continued trying ads. Maybe.

But if you are someone who doesn’t mind ad marketing, or you do HAVE to sell to supplement your income (or at minimal pay off the fees you incurred publishing your book(s)), then this post by Wendy Raebeck might give you some tips and tricks.

Another great recourse for this is Valerie Biel’s website. Just search for amazon or bookbub ads. Val has tips and tricks for both. (She also has book marketing services!!)

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Want to sell more books? Mastering Amazon ads is the secret to success says guest blogger Wendy Raebeck, who shares how she does it.

Source Link: Mastering Amazon ads one tweak at a time: One author’s success story – Build Book Buzz

CKBooks Publishing

Where Publishing Dreams Become Reality

How To Leverage the Power of a Strong Title in Your Writing

Apr10

I don’t know about you, but a title is always the last thing that comes to me when I’m writing a fiction story. Audrey Wick on Writers Digest gives some tips related to picking a title.

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Finding the right title for your story is more of a process than you might think. Here, Audrey Wick shares how to leverage the power of a strong title in your writing.

Source: How To Leverage the Power of a Strong Title in Your Writing – Writer’s Digest

CKBooks Publishing
Where Publishing Dreams Come True

How To Leverage the Power of a Strong Title in Your Writing

Dec26

Titles are always something I struggle with and are usually the last thing I figure out when writing a story.

I the attached link, Audrey Wick gives some good information when thinking about your title.

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Finding the right title for your story is more of a process than you might think. Here, Audrey Wick shares how to leverage the power of a strong title in your writing.

Source: How To Leverage the Power of a Strong Title in Your Writing – Writer’s Digest

MY BIG FAT VELLA EXPERIENCE

Oct13

I don’t know about you but I’ve completely ignored Amazon’s Vella. I just didn’t need another thing to do in my writer/publishing life. After I read this post by Les Farley, I may put it on my “look into more seriously” list.

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The life of a writer can be a lonely one. You’re wrapped up and caught in a world of your own which you intend to reveal to others. The time it takes to

Source: MY BIG FAT VELLA EXPERIENCE

7 Surprising Perks of Recommending Books on BookBub

Apr22

Full disclosure here. I am not on BookBub. I probably should be, and this article may push me closer in that direction (like many authors, marketing is not something I particularly enjoy doing – other than in person). But for those of you who are, this is a good post about ways to boost your exposure and help your fellow authors at the same time. A win win! When we support each other, we support ourselves too 🙂

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Check out all the ways you can increase visibility for your author brand (and boost other authors!) on BookBub.com by recommending books.

Source: 7 Surprising Perks of Recommending Books on BookBub

CKBooks Publishing
Where Publishing Dreams Become Reality

How To Get Your Self-Published Book Into Libraries

Jan31

Here is an updated post by Joann Penn about getting your books into libraries. I understand the idea of contacting libraries via email, but I think this may only work if you have a review(s) by the mentioned sources: “these could include Kirkus, Library Journal, New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and School Library Journal, to name some. In my experience, it’s unlikely you’ll get much traction, if any, from Amazon, Goodreads, or similar reviews.”

This is key information.

When I published my first book (2007), not knowing any better, I emailed and sent letters to lots and lots of libraries in the Midwest. I heard mostly crickets. I didn’t have any reviews from any of those above mentioned sources. Though honestly, I’m not sure having a review from just one of those sources is enough either.

I would suggest talking to libraries to hear how they choose their new titles.

And, of course, you can just ask you local library if they want to purchase your book. They may say yes.

And if you’re curious, for my books, I use amazon and ingramspark for print, amazon and smashwords for ebooks, and findaway voices and audible (acx – amazon) for my audio book.

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Most independent authors want to support libraries by making our books available in multiple formats for library patrons to borrow, but how can you do that when they seem so hard to reach? Eric Otis Simmons shares his updated tips and resources in this article.

Source: How To Get Your Self-Published Book Into Libraries

How to Write An Author Bio

Sep1

I don’t remember ever reading anything about writing your author bio, so I clicked on this when I saw it. Sandra Beckwith give us some dos and don’ts.

There is also a link to another post about avoiding 4 bio mistakes.

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“You know that you need an author bio for your book cover and online retail sales pages, but did you realize that you need one in your author press kit, too?…”

Source: How to write an author bio – Build Book Buzz

Book Title Tips – What’s in a Title?

Jul21

I don’t remember ever reading a post about titling your book, other than reading that you can use the subtitle to help with SEO. This post focuses on science and sports titles, but the information can help with any genre.

Heather gives us information on researching titles and how to pick one wisely.

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Title Talk A good title can do a lot of work for both the reader and the writer. Of course the title conveys the subject of the book but it has many more jobs to do. It conveys the tone of the book. It gives clues to the scope of the book. Most importantly, it must hook a reader.

Source: STEM Tuesday – STEM in Sports – Writing Tips & Resources – From The Mixed Up Files