Article: These Amazon Category Hacks Can Boost Your Book Sales #motownwriters

These Amazon Category Hacks Can Boost Your Book Sales

Updated by David Gaughran 9 May 2021. Amazon, Publishing • 34 Comments.

Choosing the right Amazon categories for your book is such an important factor in your success. Being smart here can greatly increase your visibility, making your work more likely to be discovered, purchased, and recommended.

But if you make bad decisions here – or opt to do nothing at all – you can limit your book’s success. Sometimes you can even nudge Amazon towards recommend your book to all the wrong people! Which invariably fails, of course, and causes Amazon to think you have written a dud. Meaning Amazon is less likely to recommend your book at all. This is something you really want to avoid.

You should revisit your book’s categories on a regular basis. Not just to ensure you are maximizing visibility, but to check Amazon hasn’t placed you in a bad category. You need to know exactly which categories and sub-categories your book is in. (Amazon doesn’t make that part easy.) And then keep on top of changes to the category system as well.

The advice in this comprehensive guide draws from a book I wrote called Amazon Decoded. This book is the culmination of years of research. It breaks down exactly how the Kindle Store works, how you can design marketing plans which seduce the algorithms instead of fighting them, and the exact ways you need to tweak your metadata to get the biggest halo from every promotion you run.

I’m going to tap into that research today to explain exactly how you can get Amazon’s category system working for your book, instead of against it.

Here, you will learn why the Kindle Store is broken down into so many categories (and the massive opportunity this presents). How you only get access to a limited menu in KDP. The ways you can expand the number of categories for your book to 10 specific sub-categories – and more! Why it’s important to only place your book in relevant categories. And how you can remove your book from bad categories (and why that is important).

These Amazon Category Hacks Can Boost Your Book Sales

Article: The Social Media Mistake That Can Damage Your Author Platform #motownwriters

May 4, 2021 by Penny Sansevieri 2 CommentsReading Time: 5 minutes

Your author platform relies heavily on a social media presence. There, I said it. So if you hate social media, you’re going to have a harder time hitting your stride as a successful author with a dedicated following. So when it comes to online book marketing strategies, your social media can both contribute to, and deter from your author platform if you’re not careful.

But is there one single thing you can do to really harm your author platform? The answer is yes, and this article will explore that.

Harnessing Social Media to Grow Your Author Platform

Social media, when done the right way, can really help to grow your author platform. The issue is that a lot of authors grab profiles on all social media sites and put them up on their websites, thinking that they need to be everywhere as part of their online book marketing strategies, but this isn’t true. And it feels like a small detail, right? I mean why shouldn’t you grab all of your names across social platforms. Seems smart, doesn’t it? But there’s another way to look at this. Let’s dig deeper.

https://www.amarketingexpert.com/2021/05/04/the-social-media-mistake-that-can-damage-your-author-platform/

Article: Using TikTok to Sell Books #motownwriters

April 27, 2021 by Guest Poster 6 Comments

Because marketing is a challenge for many authors, Angela and I talk quite a bit about it, sharing tips on how to grow audiences on various platforms. One we don’t use is TikTok, and, frankly, we’d have no idea how to find readers there. Thankfully, Dominika Pin—a teen author with an impressive following there—has that info for us.

Almost every teenager in the United States knows about TikTok—the video-sharing social media platform with hundreds of millions of active users. And with the increasing popularity of the #BookTok hashtag, which readers use to talk about their favorite books, many YA authors are turning to TikTok to promote their work.

I began posting on the platform in August of 2020 and have since amassed nearly 225,000 followers (a number that is still growing by hundreds each day). TikTok makes it incredibly easy to go viral with minimal effort. Just one fifteen-second video can get you tens of thousands of followers; all you need is a decent strategy. Here are some tips that earned my videos millions of views:

Using TikTok to Sell Books

Article: Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Revising While Writing #motownwriters

Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Revising While Writing

Last week, the wonderful Robert Lee Brewer wrote about why it’s a mistake to refrain from revising your project. But with writing, like anything else, too much of a good thing can become destructive.

Many writers can successfully revise while working on a project. I’m not familiar with any, but I’m sure they’re out there somewhere. However, I want to talk about what happens when you find that you’re only revising a project or maybe even getting stuck in the endless cycle of writing a few chapters before scrapping them and beginning again, never getting yourself over that finish line to your draft’s completion.

I’ve talked a bit about the period in my writing life where I wasn’t completing a single project I worked on. The root of my issue was self-doubt; however, I used revision as a way to keep myself from finishing the project. If the project was never finished, it couldn’t be bad, right?

https://www.writersdigest.com/be-inspired/writing-mistakes-writers-make-revising-while-writing

Article: How to Write an Author Bio [With Examples and Templates] #motownwriters

 By Dave Chesson67 Last updated onJuly 20th, 2021

To write a great author bio, you need to know your target audience, cater to your genre, brag (but not too much), keep it brief, and call the reader to action.

When you’re self-publishing on Amazon, you need to put some serious thought into the author bio on your Amazon book page. Don’t haphazardly throw together some sentences and hit the publish button.

The author bio isn’t your most important tool. (The most essential tools are the book reviews, book cover, and synopsis/blurb.) But the author bio is another critical tool that you shouldn’t leave out.

Can I just leave my author bio out? No, you cannot just leave out your author bio, even if you wrote a short story or novella. It looks unprofessional, scares away potential readers, foregoes an opportunity to connect with your target audience, and leads to fewer book sales.

Plus, writing a good author bio doesn’t take that long.

If you’re not Grisham, or Godin, or Ferriss, or Fleming, very few people will buy a novel by you purely based on name recognition. So put a little work into your bio, and you won’t regret it.

Note: The Author Bio is just one of many parts of a book. We have a whole series of posts on the subject, and we highly recommend you check those out as well!

How to Write an Author Bio [With Examples and Templates]

Article: Email funnels: From the first click to conversion… and beyond #motownwriters

What is an email funnel?Why create an email funnelHow to build an email funnelA quick exampleEmail funnel templateAnd that’s a wrap!

How would you feel if I came up to you and shouted, “BUY MY STUFF”? You don’t know me at all! Your first instinct is probably to run the other way.

It’s much more natural (and effective!) to first make an introduction, get to know each other, form a relationship… and then let people decide whether they want to buy. 

That’s exactly the idea behind email funnels. You can use a series of emails to build trust, rather than relying on the “BUY MY STUFF” sales pitch.

An email funnel serves as a roadmap to guide people through every step of the customer journey—from making introductions to building interest to finally pushing for a sale. Each stage is designed to create connections around your brand, and show your value so that your email subscribers get more and more excited about making a purchase. 

When done right, email marketing funnels can strengthen your brand and ramp up your conversion rates. Let’s see how!

https://www.mailerlite.com/blog/email-marketing-funnels

Article: How To Sell Your Book On Amazon [70 Book Marketing Tips] #motownwriters

 By Dave Chesson11 Last updated onJuly 20th, 2021

You wrote a book, and now you want to sell it on Amazon. I’ve got good news! Kindlepreneur is coming in clutch with 70 book marketing ideas that will help you sell more books on Amazon’s eBook and print book marketplace.

Also read Kindlepreneur’s Marketing Mastery Guide.

Let’s dive right in.In this article, you will learn:

1. 70 book marketing tips
2. How to sell your book on Amazon
3. All sorts of practical resources

Links in this article may earn me a small commission if you use them to purchase a service or product. This has not affected my opinion. However, it helps me continue to write these awesome articles that anyone can read for free!

Note: This article is not about selling used books or old books as an Amazon business. Here’s a great article on individual seller accounts, selling nonfiction hardcover books, comic books like new, and Amazon FBA vs. FBM. 

How To Sell Your Book On Amazon [70 Book Marketing Tips]

Article: Holiday Inspired Marketing #motownwriters

By Keri-Rae Barnum for New Shelves on July 1, 2021

Do you ever feel like you’re running out of marketing angles for your book? We get it. After months or even years of marketing the same book, it can sometimes be difficult to keep your marketing from growing stale. But when you stop marketing your book, sales tend to dry up. Not cool. So, the (marketing) show must go on.

Holiday Inspired Marketing

When I was a kid, holidays were pretty limited. But now? You can find a holiday to celebrate almost every day of the year. Yes, yes. Roll your eyes. But then think about it… There are hundreds of holidays ranging from classic to obscure. That translates into hundreds of potential marketing angles. And, as someone who makes a living marketing books, I’m kind of okay with that.

Unique Marketing Opportunities

Holidays present a unique opportunity to market your book. Consider the following:

• Social media posts with a holiday tie in. Does your main character have a serious coffee addiction? It may be time to celebrate International Coffee Day.
• Holiday themed book displays at your local library. Don’t just hope your book makes it on the display table – pitch a holiday display idea featuring your book to your local librarian.
• A holiday inspired bookstore event staring your latest novel. Have you written a book on grammar or editing? Pitch a book signing or event for National Punctuation Day!
• Creative press releases tying your book to an upcoming holiday celebration. If your book has strong themes that can be tied to a well known and recognized holiday, don’t be afraid to play on that for the media.

And, while I certainly don’t want you to ignore the classic holidays like Christmas, I also want you to start thinking outside of the box with holidays like Bad Poetry Day or Take Your Dog to Work Day.

Holiday Inspired Marketing

68 Cents with Sylvia Hubbard author, mompreneur | How she pulled herself up despite her circumstances w/The Roller Coaster!

68 Cents with Sylvia Hubbard author, mompreneur | How she pulled herself up despite her circumstances w/The Roller Coaster! https://anchor.fm/therollercoasterpodcast/episodes/E110–68-Cents-with-Sylvia-Hubbard-e14kmt4 It’s easy to see someone based only on their outward visible success. Often that success is built on a foundation of overcoming challenges. Join me for this episode where I chat with Sylvia Hubbard, who has faced homelessness, poverty and bankruptcy, to share how she pulled herself up despite her circumstances. Sylvia continues her success as an award-winning romance suspense best-selling author. Connect with Sylvia SylviaHubbard.com and on Instagram @sylviahubbard1  Your support of The Roller Coaster is always appreciated, please make sure to SUBSCRIBE! If you REALLY like what you hear, leave a comment, and share it with your friends! You can find me on: www.therollercoaster.com Facebook @therollercoasterpodcast Instagram @the_roller_coaster_podcast JOIN US! www.necturegrowth.com and follow Necture Growth Network on Instagram @necturegrowth Thanks for joining me today and until next time I’m sending my virtually distant hugs! listen now | more about this author| see books by this author

Article: Social Strategy: 100 Content Ideas for Every Stage of Your Writing Career #motownwriters

For many authors, generating social media content ideas is a necessary evil: we all know the importance of keeping up a platform so we can engage with readers and the book community, but maintaining social platforms is yet another to-do item on an already long list.

I’m here for you, friends.

Below are 100 social media content ideas for every stage of your writing career. There are 25 items listed for each of the four stages. Whether you’re an aspiring author, have an impending book launch, just launched a book, or your career is in-swing, I hope you’ll find the below ideas useful. 

The content suggestions listed are best-suited to three platforms in particular: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. That said, these ideas could also be used in your author newsletter, on YouTube or TikTok channels, etc. We all have a favorite platform (mine is Instagram) but no need to recreate the wheel: once you’ve created a piece of content, use it widely across platforms (and reuse down the road, if applicable!)

Let’s get right to it.

https://writerunboxed.com/2021/05/04/social-strategy-100-content-ideas-for-every-stage-of-your-writing-career/

Coming This September: Writer Wednesday Memberships! & The Detroit Writing Room Awards! Enter now! via @DETWritingRoom

Writer Wednesday Memberships Open Soon! Come work, write and create in the DWR every Wednesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We’re excited to welcome back our community of writers this fall! It’s been too long since we’ve had writers, artists, freelancers and entrepreneurs working, writing and creating in the DWR! We can’t wait to see everyone back in person this September! Our new Writer Wednesday membership comes with a ton of perks. Our personal favorite: DWR writing coaches will be available throughout the day to answer your writing questions! And you’ll be featured in our Writer Wednesday spotlights!  Writer Wednesday members must be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination status upon registration. Masks are currently required while inside the DWR. If you’re ready to get out of the house and write in an inspiring environment surrounded by fellow creatives, sign up below to receive news when memberships open later this month! Learn more at detroitwritingroom.com/writer-wednesday-membership BE NOTIFIED WHEN MEMBERSHIPS OPEN Also Coming Up!GET TICKETSGET TICKETS See what else is coming up at detroitwritingroom.com/events. Submissions Close Sept. 3 Everyone has a story to tell, and the world needs to read it. With the inaugural Detroit Writing Room Awards, we are celebrating the incredible poets, screenwriters, novelists, bloggers, communications professionals and writers of all genres from the Motor City. Visit detroitwritingroom.com/awards to learn more about the categories and submission guidelines. Each $25 entry supports Coaching Detroit Forward.ENTER YOUR WORK\ Copyright © 2021 The Detroit Writing Room LLC, All rights reserved. Address: 1514 Washington Boulevard, Suite 203, Detroit, MI 48226 In-Person Coaching Hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Virtual Coaching Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Website: www.detroitwritingroom.com www.newyorkwritingroom.com www.coachingdetroitforward.org Email: hello@detroitwritingroom.com

#Article: Writing with Self-Doubt #motownmwriters

Do you have self-doubt? Guess what? You’re probably a writer. No, I take that back; you’re probably human. Yes, we all struggle with self-doubt at one time or another. If we didn’t, I daresay we’d have wooden blocks in our heads instead of brains. I believe any thoughtful, contemplative, and — especially — creative person suffers from self-doubt, be it a momentary pause or a lifelong battle. The big question is: how do we deal with it?

Recently I watched one of my favorite movies, Shadows in the Sun. It’s about writers, one young, one older. The older one (Harvey Keitel as Weldon Parish) has not written in twenty years, not since he had a best-seller and then lost his wife. He’s paralyzed by the fear that, along with his wife, he’s lost the world-acclaimed talent he used to have. He sits at his typewriter, fingers poised over the keys, and tears stream down his face. He can’t type even a single stroke.

https://indiesunlimited.com/2021/01/12/writing-with-self-doubt

Need to understand Hashtags#️⃣ to draw readers? #literaryclarity #authorpreneur

So why do hashtags play such an important part in literary growth?

Here are two reasons I love using hashtags:

1) Free advertising.

Hashtags are a great way to get your literary product or service in front of people seeking exactly what you offer. Many people follow hashtags all day long to find new inspiration, products, to check reviews and so many other things. With the right hashtags you are placed in front of those people whether it’s hair styles, branding products, new shoes, or restaurant reviews you can be seen for free.

2) Consistency and User Generated Content

Posting on social media on a daily basis can be a daunting task. We know being visible on a regular basis is important but what about those days you just can’t come up with anything?

#️⃣Hashtags to the rescue again! Creating your own custom tags that your audience can use to post their own related content will grow your influence and provide credibility to your brand. Customer endorsements build your business faster than most advertising strategies will due to them being genuine and organic. The bonus is you get content that you can also share on your page and your community will grow.

Win-win.🏆

4 Facts You Should Know About Hashtags.

1. You can only use 30 hashtags on a post. The tags you use in the caption and in the comments count towards the 30 max.

2. Hashtags on private pages will not show up, of course your business page should not be on private anyways so in case you needed another reason why, here you go.

3. You should review/update your hashtags every 60-90 days. Sites like Instagram grows quickly so you want to stay on top of which tags work for your page and use them consistently.

4. Hashtags that you add in other pages comments don’t work, you can only tag your own posts.

Would you like more literary clarity? 

Book a clarity session with me! http://sylviahubbard.com/needclarity

And if you haven’t already, grab some literary planning sheets to help you better organize your literary life and reach your goals! 

Literary Planning Sheets

📚Your ✍🏿Literary Consultant, Sylvia Hubbard

sylviahubbard.com | motownwriters

Connect with me on social media

http://facebook.com/michigansliteraryworld

http://twitter.com/sylviahubbard1

http://instagram.com/sylviahubbard1

http://youtube.com/sylviahubbard1

15 Clichés To Avoid With a Ten-Foot Pole #wotd #motownwriters

Trite, hackneyed, tired — there are plenty of words to describe an overuse of clichés in your writing or speech. While they can be an easy way to express yourself, more often than not they’re a crutch, a sign of linguistic laziness. Start digging deeper into your vocabulary and leave these 15 clichés behind.

What Is a Cliché and Why Is It So Bad?

A cliché is a phrase that has been beaten to death (that’s a cliché). Because it’s been so overused, any significant meaning it may have had has been lost. Instead of adding color and interest to your writing, you often wind up sounding corny.

If you’re writing about how scrappy entrepreneurs are achieving success, that message was lost the minute you wrote “survival of the fittest.” Charles Darwin sounded original in his theory of evolution; you just sound clichéd.

read more https://www.wordgenius.com/15-cliches-to-avoid-like-the-plague/Xr0yWBPAJQAG8w-5

#Article: When is it time to wrap up your book series? #motownwriters

The Ultimate Guide to Finishing a Series

• May 10, 2021
• Debbie Young
• Book Editorial Advice
• 1 Comment

Authors, publishers and readers love series – authors because it’s easier to write each new book in the same world as the first one, publishers because it’s much easier and more profitable to market and sell a sequel to a successful book than a standalone, and readers because if they discover a series they like, they will read them all. Each new book feels like a homecoming. But as an indie author, how do you know when to call a halt to a successful series and move on? Debbie Young, who has just completed her seven-book Sophie Sayers Village Mystery series, gleans top tips on finishing a series from ALLi author members.

Finishing a Series

Author Debbie Young

Debbie Young is the author of two series of cozy mystery novels, each with a book shortlisted for The UK Selfies Awards. She also writes short stories, guidebooks for authors. articles for writing magazines and blogs, and humorous columns for magazines that serve the local community in the Cotswolds, where she founded and directs the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival. Find out more about Debbie on her website www.authordebbieyoung.com and Twitter @DebbieYoungBN.  

“If in 100 years I am only known as the man who invented Sherlock Holmes, then I will have considered my life a failure.” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The Ultimate Guide to Finishing a Series