amazon algorithms – Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast

SFFMP 127: Book Launch Tips, Mistakes People Make with Amazon Algorithms, and Writing a Trilogy in 12 Weeks

April 11, 2017 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

Today, Chris Fox joined us to talk about book launches, book RE-launches, reasons why the Amazon algorithms may not be plugging your book, and writing a trilogy in twelve weeks. The author of non-fiction titles such as 5,000 Words Per Hour and Writing to Market, he’s joined us twice before on previous episodes:

Writing 5,000 Words an Hour and Selling Zombies and Werewolves

Selling More by Writing to Market + A Novel in 21 Days

Here’s some of what we covered today:

What Chris has been up to since finishing his Void Wraith Trilogy, the military SF he wrote to market last year, and how it ended up doing overall.
Why he’s writing a trilogy in 12 weeks and planning to release the books in rapid succession.
Some of the benefits of writing more than the first novel in a series before publishing any of them.
The importance of taking time off and taking time for passion projects.
Strategies for launching into crowded niches.
Whether Chris will do 99 cents for his launch of Book 1.
Using Facebook and Amazon ads to find a target audience and whether they’re proving effective (and affordable) right now.
Why it’s worthwhile to think about your character names instead of just throwing things out there.
Accountability tricks for sticking to one’s goals.
Launching a novel when you haven’t built up a list yet.
Why you might not want to tell everyone you know about your new novel — the confusing effect that can have on Amazon’s algorithms.
Relaunching a novel or series that didn’t do well out of the blocks.

You can find Chris and his video series on his site or on his YouTube channel. You can order Write to Market and Six-Figure Author on Amazon, and his new book, Relaunch Your Novel, will be out in May. You can also check out his fiction, starting with Destroyer or No Such Thing as Werewolves.

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12 days to a trilogy, amazon, amazon ads, amazon algorithms, amazon marketing, book launches, chris fox, facebook ads

SFFMP 37: Amazon Algorithms and Making a Book Stick

June 30, 2015 SFFpodcast Group Discussion, Podcast

Today, Jeff, Jo, and Lindsay shared what they know about how the Amazon algorithms work, about categories and keywords and sales rankings, and about what’s working now to make a book stick and start selling on its own. They also discussed KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited and how borrows from that program are currently affecting visibility and sales rankings.

Here are links to some of the sites and books we mentioned:

Libbie Hawker’s blurb videos and her book, Gotta Read It (which Lindsay mistakenly called Gotta Have It)
A German publisher that tested Kindle Unlimited and how borrows affect Amazon sales ranking (there’s other information on rank myths too)
David Gaughran’s Let’s Get Visible: How To Get Noticed And Sell More Books
The Amazon help page that tells you what keywords to use to get into categories that you can’t select from the dashboard.
Jo’s dragon sculpture person, Emily Sculpts

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amazon, amazon algorithms, amazon marketing, kdp select, kindle unlimited, marketing

SFFMP 32: Traditional Publishing, Indie Publishing, and Writing More Words Per Day with Rachel Aaron

May 26, 2015 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

Today we chatted with Rachel Aaron on the differences in marketing between traditional publishing (she has two series out with Orbit Books) and indie publishing (she went her own way last year with Nice Dragons Finish Last). She’s also the author of the popular 2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love, a book that has helped a lot of us, one of your hosts included, get more words down in a day. Lastly, Rachel blogs about writing and marketing, so check that out too.

We chatted about a lot of topics, but here’s a look at some of what we covered:

How Rachel got her start and first signed on with an agent and Orbit
What traditional publishing can bring to the table in terms of marketing
Differences in earnings between trad publishing and self-publishing
How Rachel went from writing 2,000 words a day to 10,000 words a day in roughly the same amount of time (she breaks down the three keys to success that she talks about in her book and on her blog)
Addressing the myth that faster writing means shoddier writing (as Rachel and Lindsay have found, they write better when they’re in the flow and get the ideas out quickly!)
Rachel’s experience with KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited, and some of the patterns she discovered with Amazon’s algorithms (i.e. how Amazon picks a winner and helps it sell more books)
Pricing ebooks, traditional vs. indie
Longer books, versus shorter books, versus just writing what the story demands and not worrying about the market
What aspects of self-publishing that she finds most appealing and most difficult
The importance of not worrying too much about numbers and keeping it fun