amazon marketing – 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 17: Kindle Unlimited, Pre-Orders, and Smashwords Formatting

February 11, 2015 SFFpodcast Group Discussion, Podcast

After a week off, we’re back, and we had a good long chat tonight, covering all sorts of useful topics (we hope they’re useful, anyway!). We didn’t have a guest, so we interviewed each other on marketing/publishing subjects that we’re experienced with. Jeff answered our questions on Smashwords formatting, Jo talked about his experience with pre-orders and whether they’re a good idea for increasing book sales, and Lindsay talked about her experience in KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited (with her pen name).

Here’s a list of some of the topics we hit upon:

In the opening news, Lindsay argued why it’s a good idea to bundle the early books in a series
The gang discussed the fact that the SFWA is now allowing in small press and indie authors
Pre-orders on Amazon, yea or nay?
Why pre-orders on Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo are a good idea
How far out you can list pre-orders and what happens if you fail to get your finished manuscript up in time
Lots of formatting tips for dealing with the Smashwords meatgrinder
How KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited can increase visibility and be useful for new authors
Whether the perks of KDP Select are worth the exclusivity requirement or whether it’s better to go wide