How to Promote YOUR book on Amazon discussion

Alright, I want your opinion! What aspect of Amazon do you think is most important for authors?

Reviews, tags, Listmanias, votes....??

Share your thoughts here!

Save some of your profits and reinvest in yourself and your next book.

Life is a great journey of indefinite duration, but the marvels and significance of life has a lot to do with the way you handle your day to day finances. Your writing ability, believe it or not can be enhanced by staying away from worries and negative concerns in your day to day events which are based on your present and long term decisions.

As a long time youth counselor, I advise all of you youngsters to work hard, work smart, make a lot of helpful connections and stay out of debt. How you do these things has a lot of dependency on your abilities and personality, but it is something for you to think about.

I love writing and my books will tell you that I can write volumes without doing all of the imagining and thinking for the reader. This piece should be an example.

Dr Robert E McGinnis, (longtime author)

I'd say it's getting your book on SITB (Search Inside The Book). That allows potential buyers to "Look Inside" and see a few pages of your book. I don't know anyone who buys a book in a bookstore without opening the cover, why would they want to do that on Amazon?

If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, go ahead and look at my book here: http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Over-L... and click where it says "look inside".

http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Summer-D...

Here is another search inside the book look. It works well and somehow buyers seem to like it.

Dr Robert E McGinnis

By the way, Indian Summer is the first book in a second series which is now coming out. The Paradise Series, which was released over the past three years has no SITB or search inside the book places. It will be interesting to see which series sells the most books.

I looked inside your book, Dr Robert, and I can see how the 'Look Inside' sells book. Your book appears a delightful read. I'll put it on my to read list. I'm trying to list the Look Inside on one of my Amazon Books. Laurel

Robert, I tried to put your book, Indian Summer, on my Goodreads list, but it wasn't listed anywhere. Perhaps it is too new. Laurel

I've got the "look inside" feature, but it doesn't seem to be helping much. Maybe I just need to be more patient.Homecoming

Laurel wrote: "I looked inside your book, Dr Robert, and I can see how the 'Look Inside' sells book. Your book appears a delightful read. I'll put it on my to read list. I'm trying to list the Look Inside on one ..."
It is hard to understand but I get a lot of complaints that this book can't be found and even I couldn't find it for a long time. Amazon was contacted, but I didn't get a satisfactory answer from them. The two links they sent me didn't take me to the book either. Here is the one link that I know it is on, I just opened it to be sure.
http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Summer-D...

Kait wrote: "Alright, I want your opinion! What aspect of Amazon do you think is most important for authors?

Reviews, tags, Listmanias, votes....??

Share your thoughts here!"

Sales, exposure, helpful employees, accuracy of information, rapport, unity, speed of attention, hmm I know I left out a lot. Was I supposed to narrow it down to one, that would be hard to do, such a big and diverse organization which most of us depend on for just about everything we do in the book writing world.

/Dr M

Laurel wrote: "Robert, I tried to put your book, Indian Summer, on my Goodreads list, but it wasn't listed anywhere. Perhaps it is too new. Laurel"

I reported the difficulty in finding my book to one of the assisting personnel there. They told me that they had corrected the problem and sent me two links to prove it. Neither of the links sent would work for me. ha so much for that. Anyway, I really appreciate your comment and here is the back of the book that follows Indian Summer which is titled Christmas With Little Eagle.

Life felt a little dull to Robert Justice as he returned to his teaching profession, especially after his experiences during the past summer. So when Little Eagle invites him and his friends Mirakeem and Becky to visit him in his hometown of Paradise, Robert Justice jumps at the opportunity. He knows that wherever Little Eagle is, adventure and excitement can’t be far behind. The three friends discover that Little Eagle’s family includes two separate tribes: the Wisnooks, a group of sheepherders; and a second lost tribe, who in times past found shelter in an extinct volcano and remain hidden there to this day. Robert, Mirakeem, and Becky are given the honor of joining the annual pilgrimage of the Wisnooks to Spirit Mountain. What begins as a relaxing vacation soon leads into the depths of Spirit Mountain, and to an unexpected discovery of a long-lost secret. The three friends must combine their wits with Little Eagle’s talents to uncover the mystery of what lies beneath the mountain.

I have a special arrangement with the publisher and all book covers of the next five will be designed to look alike with the exception of color and title information. I think this will make it easier to keep my books which are most always done in series, together.

Some men go to the bar for a drink after work, some men look for a good place to fish, me, I just love to write and forget about all that other stuff.

Life is a great place to be and when I find a better place, that is where I will be.

I like the little saying I have copyrighted in one of my books.
Make a lot of money and you might have some when you retire.
Make a lot of friends and you will have them for eternity.

As you can tell, I never know when to shut up.
see ya all Dr M

Thanks for this, Robert. I'll tag this book if I can find it on Amazon and place it on my to-read list. I'm looking at buying an ereader eventually. Postage is too expensive to post books to Australia. Laurel

Laurel wrote: "Thanks for this, Robert. I'll tag this book if I can find it on Amazon and place it on my to-read list. I'm looking at buying an ereader eventually. Postage is too expensive to post books to Austra..."

I don't make a habit of giving away books, but in your case just let me know which one of mine you want and it is yours and I will pay the postage. I just sent two to England and I had to mortgage the farm. I am just paying back my favorite aunt who now lives in Florida, but originated in Australia.

I found your books on Amazon. "Indian Summer" didn't come up at first, so I searched for your name. After that I found them in the list. I tagged both books but wasn't sure which tags you would like to have applied to "Indian Summer."

Look, Robert, I can't allow you to spend all that money on postage. If you'd like to give me a book, please email me an ecopy and I'll read it on my computer. I read other books on my computer but I do look forward to when I'll make the big decision and buy an ereader. They seem just to have become available in Oz. I see Kindle is for sale in one of the big stores for $AU258. I heard Apple could cost $AU600/700. I'm sure they will come down in price and more brands available. If you would like to email me a book, I'd like Indian Summer as it is the one I read Inside the Book. llamperd@wn.com.au
I put Christmas With Little Eagle on my Goodreads to-read list but I couldn't find it on Amazon or Goodreads and had to add it manually, which means it doesn't have the cover. It's very frustrating for you. Thanks for this interesting conversation. All the best to your favourite aunt in Florida. She would know it's cold this time of the year in southern Australia. 11C at present. Cheers. Laurel

Laurel wrote: "Look, Robert, I can't allow you to spend all that money on postage. If you'd like to give me a book, please email me an ecopy and I'll read it on my computer. I read other books on my computer but ..."

Either way, I honestly don't mind sending you a copy through the mail, but if an ecopy will make you happy, I will see how I can do that. Christmas with Little eagle has just gone to the publisher and I expect it will be six or more weeks before that one steps up on the stage.

I am usually five to six books ahead of my editors and then there is a six to ten week lag getting them out the other end of the publisher. I write for the pure enjoyment and I am my own best fan. I do have many fans from California to Florida and love them all.

I am off here to go look at your profile and see if I can send you an ecopy, but the offer still stands, even after you get the ecopy I will be happy to send you a real book you can throw at the cat or whatever people do with books. Thanks.

Laurel, as a fellow Aussie, I feel your pain.

I've got a copy of Kindle for PC on my laptop. Have you thought of that? You can download it for free from Amazon. I too want an ereader but am waiting for them to get a bit cheaper and for them to be more friendly about allowing downloads across devices.

I also have the free adobe ereader (Adobe Digital Editons) for books that I want to read in electronic format that aren't Kindle. It accepts formats like PDF (Dr, this might be the best version for you to send to Laurel) and epub

Both work great.

Good luck.

Thanks for this, Laura. I downloaded Kindle for PC when I bought the download of your book. The Adobe Digital Editions reader sounds interesting too. I'm waiting for the e-readers to be cheaper too. And I want one I can download anything too, not just that particular seller's library. Laurel

Thank you for still offering to send me a copy of a book, Robert. But I'll be very happy with a download and I won't feel guilty about the huge postage. Laurel

Laurel wrote: "Thanks for this, Laura. I downloaded Kindle for PC when I bought the download of your book. The Adobe Digital Editions reader sounds interesting too. I'm waiting for the e-readers to be cheaper too..."

Laurel - d'oh. Of course I knew you had a Kindle for your PC. I just had one of those memory lapses.

Enjoy!

Laura

Hi everyone. I'm enjoying learning more about amazon here. Where do I look to get look Inside?

Aggie wrote: "Hi everyone. I'm enjoying learning more about amazon here. Where do I look to get look Inside?"

Aggie, if you go to your book, under the picture of your cover should be something about searching inside your book. Click on that and that will take you to ther right spot and give you instructions for how to get your book loaded.

Good luck!

Thankx so much, Laura. I'll try that right now.

I sent the email to request joining as the instructions said. I'm waiting to hear back so i can log in. Thankx again.

Aggie, Pretty easy isn't it. In fact, it's so easy I'm now startled when I see a book without it.

Let us know when it's up and if you like it.

Laura,

I haven't heard back from look inside. Does it usually take them awhile to approve you for registration?

Aggie,

I think it took about 2 days and then, in my case, a month of confusion about ISBN and such (my book was loaded incorrectly way back when and it haunts me endlessly). I'd wait until Monday to bug them if you haven't heard back.

One of my seven previous books has the look inside feature on Amazon. I did not ask for it, it just happened. It may have been part of the package, but that too I don't know about because I didn't order anything special. Indian Summer ISBN 978-1450555814 is the one and I have four more books on the same contract so I will see when the next one comes out in a few weeks. It will be called "Christmas with Little Eagle" so we will know then. I also paid half as much for this five book service as I did the last one. It is strange.
Dr M
Let me know what you find out about yours.

Dr wrote: "One of my seven previous books has the look inside feature on Amazon. I did not ask for it, it just happened. It may have been part of the package, but that too I don't know about because I didn't ..."

Dr, I suspect you can get it added to any of your books as long as you have a soft copy to send to Amazon. You don't have to wait for them to take the initiative.

Thanks, that still doesn't explain why this book has it and the others don't. I have never sent Amazon directly a copy. I can only suppose that since most of my books are published through Amazon subsidiaries there must be a place I clicked or clacked to get it done. It could also be the method the I purchased to publish this next series, I will find the answer out to that question in a few weeks when the next book comes out.
thanks again
I love sharing ideas, it can open doors to success.

Hey guys! Its been a hectic few weeks but we have put together a few Listmania lists that I would so appreciate it if you could take the time to vote on! Let me know if you do this and I will go in and tag your book in return!


Listmania 1:
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Children-...


Listmania 2:
http://www.amazon.com/Action-Suspense...


Listmania 3:
http://www.amazon.com/Great-New-Age-S...


Listmania 4:
http://www.amazon.com/Fab-Fiction-fro...

Kait! I voted on these.

Thanks

I think I have developed a bad habit. Some men drink to excess others, well, I will let you guess based on your own experiences, but mine, """"As soon as I publish a book, I can't stand it until I start another.""""" Is that bad? Today I sat down here at the computer to make a few changes in my stock portfolio and I went straight to MSWord and began laying out the page for another book. White Bird Returns only has three pages now, but maybe now I can feel free enough to go back to my stocks.
Life is rough for us book junkies. I think I may have mentioned my motive for writing. I just want to leave something for my grand kids to read.
Dr Robert E McGinnis
My book, Christmas With Little Eagle, came out on Friday

Congratulations on your new book, Dr Robert. Is Little Eagle the same character as in Indian Summer. Laurel

Laurel

Yes he is the same Little Eagle, all of the main characters of the first five books will show up from time to time throughout the next twenty five books. Little Eagle begins with Raised In Paradise or book four of series one and will show up in the next seven books, but will not be the main character of any book one through five in series two. He also will not be the main character in books one through five in series three. But, like his father and mother, they all do show up from time to time. Twenty-five planned books are based on an Indian migration which started in Central America for one tribe and from the eastern side of the American continent for the Wisnook tribe.

These stories all have a similar thread, some continuity, but the first five are the only books that need to be read in proper sequence.

As new adventures are introduced, so are new main characters, but the playground players are pretty much the same. Sort of a soap opera in books.

Our local people love reading these books and I have had to quit answering my phone because the readers all want to know when the next book is coming out. I have one elderly lady fan who doesn't like the phone, she drives her Lincoln up to my side door and begins honking until someone comes out to talk to her about the next book.

We are having a lot of fun with these books and the developing audience is just as much fun.

The last book in the second series is about the Wisnook migration from the East Coast.

The last book of the third series is about the ancient tribe being driven out of Central America by the Conquistadors.

We debated about the proper place to put the two migrations and decided for a variety of reasons that we would include it at the end of the second and third series as an explanation of historical importance rather than start the series with it and then jump up to the present time in the second book of each series. It seems to be working this way.

We will begin to tie the books together as we go along, but the completed picture won't be obvious until the last book of the last series. I am sure you realize by now we are not writing for today only, but for a better and complete set of books far into the future.

As a young man I read all the time and lived my stories. I want to build a collection of books all around a central idea for little readers like me.

Dr Robert E McGinnis
The Paradise Series
The Little Eagle Series
The White Panther Series
The Indian Mystery Series
and one yet to be named.

Dr wrote: "Laurel

Yes he is the same Little Eagle, all of the main characters of the first five books will show up from time to time throughout the next twenty five books. Little Eagle begins with Raised In ..."

It's wonderful that so many people like to read your books, Dr Robert. It must spur you on to write more. Laurel

Laurel,
It really does. I love writing and when people drive up in my driveway looking to buy another signed set of books, I sit and talk with them for an hour or so. Yes, I guess I can be a talker.

As each new book comes out, we get more locals looking for our books. I sell more books from my back porch than Amazon does worldwide. I guess I am going to have to put them all on Kindle, I have been resisting that, but that seems to be what a lot of people want now days. I only have O'Bannon Castle on Kindle now, but I am weakening.

I am ahead of my audience by six or seven books and the common question around here is, "When is the next one coming out?"
here are a couple paragraphs from a book coming out in 2011 or 2012; White Bird Returns

"The priest looked at White Bird with eyes that would have condemned a saint until White Bird explained the situation to everyone. The trappers roared with merriment as they heard about the tepees being burned to the ground and the horses taken in retribution. The priest said a quick prayer of thanks over the two who had been saved from slavery. The priest whispered in White Bird’s ear that he smelled a wedding in the future.
White Bird was shocked down to his ankles at the thought of getting married to someone he had just freed from one prison and now it was being suggested she join in another. White Bird told the priest she was his little sister and he had no plans of that nature. The girl deserved something better and someone from her own tribe.
She was close enough to hear the conversation and she walked stiffly over to White Bird and put her face into his and said, “Nargomset can speak for herself.”
She didn’t pull back but stood toe to toe looking up at the creature that was a good foot taller as though she was towering up over him instead of the other way around. She was only two inches away from his face as she looked into his eyes,

(Forgive me, this is unedited and unread by my experts)

thanks for the reply
Dr M

Really lovely, Dr Robert. You sound as if you have put a lot of history in your books. With characters appearing in many books, it must be like looking in at the next door neighbours for your readers. I can imagine how they would look forward to the next book to see what is happening to so and so. The back porch sounds a lovely place to sell your books.
I would consider placing your books on Kindle. It looks like the ereaders are the future. My books are on Smashwords and they have placed them as downloads with various publishers. I wish you all the best with your writing. It seems you are filling a need with readers. Laurel

We are certainly having an interesting life. My daughter and her husband editing and my wife is right now down in Tampa for a week delivering books. I am staying home dealing with our book reading neighbors. My next door neighbor is a very busy man with a demanding business and he starts reading my books about midnight and lets me know where he is and what he thinks. When he finishes a book,he passes it on to his mother, So these books get a lot of mileage.

I am about six books ahead of my editing daughter and have a couple in the works. That makes for interesting dinners as one of us will ask a question and then we begin discussing where I went wrong. ha ha , they don't mind telling me.
rm
Thank you for your friendship and kind comments. Rm

As an author, my best advice to other authors is to make sure you've got a reasonably priced Kindle edition.

My Kindle sales of "No Roads Lead to Rome" are often 10 times my print edition sales. At $2.99, it costs less than a latte, yet my royalties are almost the same as the print edition.

Kindle sounds techie, but Amazon's made it very easy for you. Download the free Kindle reader software for your PC (or phone or iPad), and then download Amazon's free guide book ("Publish on Amazon Kindle with the Digital Text Platform")

Good luck!

RSG
No Roads Lead to Rome

R.S. wrote: "As an author, my best advice to other authors is to make sure you've got a reasonably priced Kindle edition.

My Kindle sales of "No Roads Lead to Rome" are often 10 times my print edition sales. A..."

I agree with this. Readers want cheap books. My books are available for download at $3.99. A couple are less than that. Laurel

Life is a great and wonderful place to be in this time and age. We all have such wonderful opportunities and such a marvelous choice in how we want to handle our creations. I think a fair price for any book is what the author and creator thinks is it worth.

Good luck to you all and we are many.

Dr Robert E McGinnis
A recent article published today
http://socyberty.com/advice/time-is-o...

I would also suggest a reasonable sale price. My Kindle novel, "A Touch of Deceit," is just $1.99 and for that price I feel readers are more willing to take a chance on me.

A Touch of Deceit

http://gomestic.com/do-it-yourself/ma...

For authors needing practice, you might follow the link above and write some interesting post for Triond which pays pennies, but hey, it is for the fun and love of writing, that we write in today's market. Take a look at the link and see if you approve of my method in disposing of old wood.
Dr Robert E McGinnis

Hi,
I'm still new to Goodreads. Can someone please explain how Listmania works? I have clicked on the link and seen a list of books, but what do I do, and how do I get my books on the list?
Thanks
Jan

The reviews are what sells the books on Amazon. If you are a new author, send out free books to reviewers for their honest opinion.

Patience Prence Author SCARS: An Amazing End-Times Prophecy Novel

http://www.amazon.com/SCARS-Amazing-E...

Jan wrote: "Hi,
I'm still new to Goodreads. Can someone please explain how Listmania works? I have clicked on the link and seen a list of books, but what do I do, and how do I get my books on the list?
Thank..."

Jan, you have to create a list. You just keep looking until you find a link that says, create your own listmania. You will always include other books of your same category. For instance my list is called, "Do you like books on the end times?" I add all the books like Left Behind to the list including mine. Hope this helps and good luck :-)

I barely have time to list my own books.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

Thanks.
Now spending more time writing forum posts
than writing books!
Cheers
Jan

I believe it is all good practice for the good author. Many of my postings have been copied and sent on to friends of the copier and then the recipients have communicated with me. An interesting place to write and get recognized plus make a few cents (I don't take the money it is too small) is Triond.com. You can find my writings there under my name and most often, I get linked back to my books. Posting is a way of authoring something a little different than a book, but authoring it is. Dr Robert E McGinnis

PS You often need a thick skin with some places you post because a few of the people out there in our public are not humanized yet.

Kait wrote: "Alright, I want your opinion! What aspect of Amazon do you think is most important for authors?

Reviews, tags, Listmanias, votes....??

Share your thoughts here!"

I've noticed some authors don't have author pages. I have one, and I made sure to link it to my Good Reads blog. I think that's very important, because people want to know about the author, and if they can click on it and see more about you right on Amazon, that's very helpful and good for marketing purposes.