Amazon, Hometown Reads, Goodreads
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Developing Your On- Line Presence: Amazon, Hometown Reads, Goodreads Presented by Rita Boehm www.ritamboehm.com Facebook: @ author Rita Boehm DISCLAIMER I am not an expert Meet your support staff: Google You Tube Anything you need to learn, you can find via a Google search, and/or on a You Tube video. Social Media/Internet – a free marketing platform Author Central Pictures are Important! IF YOU HAVE A SMART-PHONE, THE PROCESS OF UPLOADING PHOTOS IS SIMPLIFIED. DIFFERENT APPROACHES - - Take a picture (edit/crop with phone’s software) Share/Email picture to yourself Save to your Desktop (or to a folder) Upload to various internet or social media accounts - Take a picture Share it directly to your Facebook page and/or other locations (depending on your phone) - Copy and paste a photo (such as a picture of your book cover from Amazon) to your desktop, upload as needed to other sites. Author Central FREE AUTHOR PAGE - EASY TO SET UP GO TO: WWW.AUTHORCENTRAL.AMAZON.COM - Add biography, photos & videos - Add blog links, - List Events, - Keep page updated - Share your Author page URL to Facebook & Twitter and add to your email signature How to set up your Author Page: - Go to authorcentral.amazon.com - depress the ‘join now’ button and follow the prompts If you need help, there are a variety of free You Tube videos that offer step by step instruction, including this one by Kindlepreneur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-_MWQrDJQ8 Amazon Author Page - samples Notes: “Events” is a perfect place to add the WLOV Expo, book signings, etc. Brenda Hiatt’s page - Amazon Author Central – other opportunities for free marketing: Amazon Author Central also allows you to edit your book description and add specific additional information for each of your books – you control that space – if you choose to use it! - spice up your book descriptions using more creative fonts and key words; - use the ‘book review’ section creatively, add a positive judge’s comment from RPLA, develop interview questions for yourself Remember: The more space you use – the less space Amazon has to include ads for other author’s books For information and help with the above: - Check out: https://nybookeditors.com/2018/12/how-to-create-an- effective-amazon-author-page - Penny Sansevieri’s book – “How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon” and her webinars - available on FWA website Author Central Modifications - Example: My new book - Book description rewritten and bold headline added. You have control of the Editorial Review section: Be creative - - From the Author - From the Back Cover - About the Author WHAT IS IT? AN ON-LINE BOOK CATALOGUING COMPANY WITH OVER 90 MILLION MEMBERS - Owned by Amazon – automatically links to Amazon but reviews are not shared - The world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations. GOODREADS MISSION: TO HELP PEOPLE FIND AND SHARE BOOKS THEY LOVE. sign up at www.goodreads.com Why is goodreads important for authors? The Goodreads Author Program is a free feature designed to help authors reach their target audience — passionate readers. https://www.goodreads.com/author/program SET UP A DYNAMIC AUTHOR PROFILE: - Add a picture and bio. - Share your list of favorite books and books recently read - Write a blog – or share from your blog or website - and generate a band of followers. - Publicize upcoming events, such as book signings and speaking engagements. - Share book excerpts - Write a quiz about your book or a related topic. - Post videos. Goodreads Author Dashboard - samples Note: Managing your presence on Goodreads and engaging with other users is important to increase the site’s value to you. Confession: I’ve not made the time to get the most out of Goodreads. Goodreads Giveaway Program Having an author page on Goodreads is free. Authors can expand their reach through the Goodreads Giveaway Program - Program used to be free. Now it’s $119 for basic program - per giveaway. - Mixed reviews about the value of the program – especially in light of the cost. - Author can give away Kindle books or paperbacks. There’s a lot to learn. Check out Penny Sensivieri’s blog: How to Rock Goodreads Giveaways for her positive take on the current program. https://www.amarketingexpert.com/2019/09/05/maximize- goodreads-giveaways/ Hometown READS.com WHAT IS IT? A ‘Read Local’ movement - Currently includes 125 cities across the United States - Each author can include up to 10 books on their FREE author page - local Hometown Reads Facebook pages have been set up to create community and ambassadors - telling people about Hometown Reads can create an easy segue into talking about your own books NOTE: a marketing tool like Hometown Reads is only as valuable as authors choose to make it. HOMETOWN READS.COM Hometown Reads Go to WWW.Hometownreads.com- - Click on “Join” (top of page to the right) - Click on “Authors” button - Fill out simple form Hometown Reads WHAT IS NEEDED TO JOIN: -Biographical information -Head shot photo -Info for each book (up to ten books total) -Picture of book cover, synopsis, ISBN# -- -Specific link to Amazon (you can get this link by accessing your book on Amazon note: only include up to the last forward slash – Example: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Second-Chances-Rita- Boehm-ebook/dp/B01MFAR01S/ is the link for one of my books - Your website info (if you have a website) Hometown Reads – The Villages This is the first page from The Villages section. Note: only one book per author will show up on this page. Go to the author’s page to see their other books Hometown Reads – Sample Author Page – Larry Martin Hometown Reads – Sample Author Page – Rita Boehm Hometown Reads - Ambassador Program Hometown Reads has limited staffing Ambassadors role: to help spread the word - Contact libraries - Contact book stores - Provide ‘feet on the street’ to expand the site’s reach Note: Becky Robinson, the site’s owner and CEO of a book marketing company called Weaving Influence, holds free periodic webinars for writers. Hometown Reads – Tuesday Author Tips http://hometownauthors.com/ My blog about the SELF-e for Authors program was published on Hometown Reads providing a platform for expanded blog reach (This blog is also at www.ritamboehm.com) FINAL THOUGHTS: Make the most of free marketing It's not as hard as you think - YouTube is your friend! Accept your limitations - choose your focus You can't do it all and still have a life and time to write. Recommendation: Maximize use of your access on Amazon Author Central – author page and book descriptions/details Sign-up for Hometown Reads and promote the site Develop a website Establish an ongoing presence on a couple of social networking sites: e.g. Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.