Promote Yourself

Take Advantage of Amazon

Amazon: Another Network, at Your Service. The biggest social network for books typically isn’t even thought of as social media. It's Amazon.

Yes, ACX is part of Audible, and Audible is a subsidiary of Amazon. But that’s not why we’re mentioning it. We just want you to recognize Amazon as a powerful tool for growing your fan base and increasing your sales.

What to do on Amazon

After all, Amazon is where many, many people go to buy books. . . . And a lot of other things, too. Since so many people already head there, make sure you increase your book’s visibility within the site’s pages. Amazon offers a range of free and effective tools for forging extensive connections and cross-links.

Here’s how to use it to increase your visibility, promote your work, and drive sales on Amazon:

  • Write reviews of other people’s works, especially if they have something in common with your own. People browsing Amazon check out reader reviews all the time, and those reviews definitely affect their decision to buy. Effective reviews can turn those browsers into buyers.

    EXAMPLE: If you're writing about photography, consider posting a lot of reviews on Amazon about the gear that you have used. In those product reviews, include a link back to your Author Page on Amazon.

  • Create an Author Page on Author Central. Author Central is a free service provided by Amazon for authors, like you, with books listed in Amazon’s catalog. Use it to promote your book and reach even more potential buyers: Create an Author Page, which is essentially your Amazon blog. You can add a photo and a personal profile to your page, upload video, connect with readers, join discussions, and link your Author Page to your own personal blog. To do this, go to https://authorcentral.amazon.com
  • Click on “Was this review helpful?” on your book’s Amazon page. Doing this is the simplest way to get a great review moved to the top of the list (and, well, to get a not-so-great review moved to the bottom). Because reviews influence purchasing decisions so much, this is a very easy move that can help encourage more people to buy.