Amazon is the #1 place for readers to discover books. Love ’em or hate ’em, Amazon is king, and your book needs to be listed there in order to get in front of readers. Marketing a book on Amazon is a very specific task and can be different from general book marketing, since you have to play by Amazon’s rules. Below are some key steps you need to take in order to learn how to market your book on Amazon.
1. Prepare your Book With a Good Cover and Professional Editing
Make sure your book is well-edited and has a good cover. Our data suggests that using a professional editor and cover designer is the way to go. Don’t know where to find cover designers or editors? Try a service like Reedsy where you can shop for the perfect person to help you. Want more data on what makes a good cover and a well-edited book? Here are some past articles on cover design and editing.
2. Setup your Amazon eBook Metadata
Metadata is just a fancy phrase for ‘data about your book’. Amazon allows you to set the metadata when you setup your book through the KDP interface, so you’ll want to think about it before publishing. The easiest way to optimize your metadata is to make sure your book description is at least 100 words, and uses genre-specific terms that people will be searching for. If you struggle with what to write, try using the if…then construct: “if you like suspenseful thrillers, then you’ll love this book” or “if you liked Gone Girl, then you’ll love this book”.
3. Get Reviews Before You Start Selling Your Book on Amazon
Reviews are key to a book selling. On Amazon, some readers will completely ignore your book if it has zero reviews, because there will always be 5 other books for them to choose from. Getting the first early reviews is hard, but don’t get discouraged, and whatever you do, don’t cheat, Amazon will find out. You are permitted to politely ask people to review your book, but you can’t pay them to do it. One tried and true technique for getting reviews is to run a giveaway, gifting copies to the winners. Once the giveaway is over, you can politely ask the winners to review your book. There’s no guarantee that they will review it (or review it positively), but it’s a good way to get started. Sound like a pain? You can always have us do the legwork for you with our Giveaway Package.
4. Understand the Amazon Algorithm
Amazon sales are all about rankings: The higher you rank in the Amazon popularity charts, the more new readers will discover your book. Nobody knows precisely how the Amazon ranking algorithm works, but we do know that it’s highly correlated with the volume of sales over short periods of time. This means that in order to rise in the ranks, you need to try to sell lots of copies over a brief period of time. You cannot ‘game the system’ but understanding that high volumes of sales lead to better rankings can help you plan a successful marketing strategy.
5. Plan your Book Marketing Promo Stack
After #4, we know what you’re thinking: How do you sell lots of copies of your books in a short period of time? This is where you use the “promo stacking” strategy, namely, planning multiple promotional opportunities for your book at once. Many authors book promotions with services like Freebooksy or Bargain Booksy during a free or discount price promotion to spur a spike in sales. Readers subscribed to these services are always on the hunt for great, bargain reads, and a high volume of them will download your title if they find it appealing. Don’t know where you should price your book during a promotion? We can help you with that. Once you have a price promotion scheduled, start stacking up other things you can do on that day.
In the past, setting up a promo stack posed significant challenges. It involved navigating various promo sites and coordinating dates, all while uncertain of acceptance. Fortunately, Written Word Media and our promo partners have collaborated to address this hurdle. Our ready-made promo stacks are designed to streamline the process. With just 5 minutes, you can schedule your entire stack effortlessly. Say goodbye to juggling dates across tabs and worrying about promo timing – we’ve simplified it all for you.
6. GO!
On the day of your promotions, clear your schedule as much as you can. Make sure you can respond to social media inquiries from potential readers, or handle any last-minute marketing decisions that you may need to make. Don’t expect to get a lot of writing done on these days, as marketing should be the priority. In addition to sales of the book you are promoting, you should see what we call ‘halo sales’ or sales from your backlist. This is a huge benefit to marketing and is often overlooked.
7. Wait 90 days, Rinse, Repeat.
Figuring out how to market your book once is great, but the job of marketing never stops. Make sure your sales stay healthy by running stacked promotions once every 90 or so days. Bumping your book(s) up in the charts every few months will get them in front of new readers, and help you gain a devoted following. You can focus on content marketing for your books in the downtime between your promotion days to keep sales at a consistent level.
Note: This post was updated on 4/26/2024
I went to Amazon to look at Ferol Vernon’s books so I can see his own success, but I don’t see any books by an author with that name. Does he used a different author name on Amazon?
i ve written -the tragedy of coins’…n it’s doing gud, thnks to u.
I have written two books 1. Uprooted & Forlorn- The life of Kashmiri Pandits in exile and 2. Upanishad: The concentrated wisdom. Could you please read, rate and review it accordingly?
I can review, being an Indian and a rather voracious reader and a published author myself. Both the topics resonate with my reading genres.
Hi Manoj, hope you are fine. Please also review my book on Amazon – BALA The Immortal Indian Scientist. Inspired by the space scientists in NASA and ISRO. I would be very grateful. Thanks.
This article is awesome. I liked it and will follow the steps.
Hi, Please read my book and leave a comment. The title is Reminiscence written by Janet James.
I’m not a journalist but I do write from the heart. Just finished my third book. I make mistakes, but I hope my message to save lives overrides those mistakes. Please help me help and save people from themselves. Mental Heal, PTSD are my books of hope. Titles A Life of Hell, Swear to God Holy Bible and being published, Everyone is a Someone. Need help promoting these titles thank you.
Send me a link, I will promote you in my book = free
I’ve written a book of poetry can you review it please. ‘ climbing up from. The depths’ Loren denny tha k you
I have written many books and Please review my book “how were the air shafts of Giza pyramid built” Thank you in advance.
Would you be interested in my book, Arun: The Journey of Nefratiti
Please read and review thank you
do you want a great promotion for your book which will make you reach real and active readers
Yes
try on MindQuota. com
Hi Mikel,
I’m not an author. We run Written Word Media, and work with over 20,000 authors. We’ve seen a lot of books succeed on Amazon. This article is based on our learnings from seeing what works, and what doesn’t, hopefully these tips can help you succeed. Thanks for reading!
How does an author work with you guys and how much does it cost.
Hey Linda! authors can promote with us by booking a feature to promote their book. You can do from our homepage, and if you have any questions before or after you book, shoot our team an email at info@writtenwordmedia.com.
Love for you to help promote my published book Freedom is expensive even in America on Amazon, tnx.
Hey Samuel, great! Shoot us an email to info@writtenwordmedia.com if you have questions about which promo to choose, or simply click the “promote my book” button on our homepage to get started.
A very informative post. Thank you.
Alison Brodie
Thank you for sharing
http://amzn.com/1503101797
thegurns2005@yahoo.com
Heck yeah this is extlacy what I needed.
What you needed, sir, was an editor, since at least 4:14 PM on April 27, 2016.
LOL. Very droll.
This information is incredibly helpful. I’m going to Google your company to find out more. I appreciate this guidance!
Need book sales to increase I have two on amazon now working on 3.
It was very enriching reading this article.
Am a new self published author with biographical works. Hoping Amazon will be a spring board for me to reach the global audience
Thanks a lot for the info
Easier said than done. The website you referred me, Reedsy to which I started an account to get a professional editor’s quote is very expensive, they are asking thousands of dollars to edit my book, ($3500 to $4500 to copy edit and $5500 for developmental editing) I know that it’s a long volume. I don’t have that kind of money. Is there a website that has more reasonable rates for professional editing?
Hey Anthony, you’ll probably want to look for a smaller company or find a freelance editor. This post has more information on how to do so. We also recommend reaching out on author forums like KBoards to get advice from other authors.
Try Fiverr
I am an author and a freelance editor write to me at troyribeiro@yahoo.com
Thumbtack! I found my editor there…do your homework, though, and check reviews!
Hi, if you don’t mind, you can give me the manuscript to edit and proofread. I am Sam, an English Language instructor, and a newspaper editor
Hi Samuel: I just published my second book, entitled HO CHI SEEDS and Other Twisting Vines. It contains two 5-Act plays and 7 other epic poems and aphorisms. 196 Pages. It is dedicated to Vietnam and WWII soldiers; those who survived and those who did not. As well as the families left behind. In the style of J Alfred Prufrock and Brooklonsky Most. Can you help me?
I found the best place to find editors is Upworks, plenty of people to choose from and very competitive pricing. I got an American author for US1,000 and he did everything even put the finished product to Kindle.
Hi, some of my friends told me to try fiver. I’m also an inspiring author. I hope edit books as well in the near future. Hope this was helpful
Chris Hall The Editing Hall. Try there. She’s a good editor and affordable.
Reedsy can be good for discovering books, etc. But their reviewers are too expensive, especially for indie authors.
Look up Ocean Reeve Publishing, they are amazing. They published my autobiography Broken Past Heals Dreams and I’m very happy with the whole process.
Go to almost any publishing company and they’ll offer a whole self-publishing package for the prices you’re talking about. By “whole package” I mean editing, printing, and distributing. Don’t make the mistake many make of thinking distribution is the same as marketing. They can get it to the store; you have to move it off the shelf.
Try finding an editor on Upwork.com There are many out there.
Out here trying to promote my book!
Anyone interested in learning high income skill (professional sales). Check out my book- B2B Sales Degree. Also support greatly appreciated!
Very helpful information most sought after in fact thanks a million
I want to post my book in Amazon, how can l do that
Hey Micah, Check out our guide on how to self-publish on Amazon!
What books cost that much? At that rate, no one could post ratings, reviews, or comments. And no one buys in bulk, except retailers. I HAVE a review. STARK TALES, an Anthology. It’s a mosaic novel about paranormal time travel.
Do you belong to a writers group anywhere? If not, I would strongly recommend it. Writers groups are a good source of information, critiques, and fellowship with like-minded people. Plus, many of them do self publish and can talk you through the process.
Thank you for sharing Mela. Would you be willing to suggest writers groups please?
I have four self-published books that I may be interested in selling on Amazon. Would like some assistance setting it up. They are selling well locally but I want more exposure.
Have you already purchased ISBN CODES?
Checkout Oceans Edge Press for assistance….
Oh. this article is definitely a good kickstart. thanks for sharing!
Fiverr and Upwork I am an Indie author and there are hundreds of qualified editors with reviews on both of those platforms. That is a lot of money unless you are Jk Rowling. Anyone reading this never self publish anything without getting it edited first.
I am a new publisher, just completed my first fiction. Do I have the chances of getting to the top too?
Amazon requires revues only from customers that have spent $50 on their site. Any way around this?
Hello Lawrence, unfortunately there is not a way around this limit to my knowledge.
Is this practice new? My Guild published a book in 2020 and we were able to get a review with a single purchase.
Good info. Very helpful indeed!
Great Info. I love the simplicity of this post. Nice ‘spin’ on earlier/known topics …ive learnt again!, something new. Thanks for sharing this!
Robert
Regarding reviews: you forget that Amazon has a criteria of 50$. If you have not purchased for this amount you are not allowed to make a review. This even though your reader purchased the book.
How do you get around that?
Publcious…the best
Sorry Typo,…… its Publicious
I really like the blog, very simple and informative. Thank you for the points.
Fiverr is great and I highly recommend Marni Mccrae, who is amazing!
She did a great job on my book – The lies we were promised..
Hye, what if I wanted to sell ebook of bullet journal (e-planner) ? Can I have any tips or suggestions?
Hi,my books are mostly Christian books namely:Healing,Prosperity, Holiness,Prevailing Prayers etc.They are currently on Amazon but what I earn monthly is almost the amount I spend on promotions/campaigns.
Please how can you help .
Just finished a book on Language Translation. Precisely over 1000 translations from English to to 3 African (Nigerian) languages but I am now confused now on how to sell them. I need your advice on this please
Who decides the pricing of one”s book. My publisher didn’t. I have never put a price on it and I do not where where one goes to do this anyway. I have seen my book advertised all over the internet asking for hideous prices like $54 and down to $35. As a friend said you will never sell your book at that price, But I never priced it so where do I go to set a price on it?
Published two books’Intragalactic Frontier series’ in Amazon,but without promotion my books are not attracting …I wish I know what else to do!!
I am writer in amazon. you can see my page please
https://yun.ir/ur83c8
I just published my debut book, A Girl With A Dream, on Amazon.com. I would appreciate if you could check it out, and maybe leave a review if you like:)
Hi there.I published my first poetry book Pisces,a month ago.It is available on Amazon.It is an Afrikaans poetry book.I,m looking for online groups or pages for Afrikaans speaking South Aftican expats in USA,UK or Australia who might be interested in buying my e-book on Amazon.Would appreciate some info.
*South African
Hi, I liked the article. One of my thoughts is how to protect my book before sending it to be proofread. Can I copywrite it before it is sent to a proofreader? To calm my paranoid writers brain. Thanks. Chris.
Hey Christopher, I think this is something a lot of authors worry about. A few ways to put your mind at ease are to save a version of your work with a date before you send to a proofreader. It’s also a good idea to use a proofreader that has experience and has other authors that can vouch for them.
İ liked the 7 steps , İ have published ( The laughing baby and the candle of rebirth ) as ebook and will be soon in a paperback copy , İ hope you will like it , İt’s very inspiring book about a failing angel who are living among us but stay in German.He Is amazing man to meet before his death.
My book on purpose and reason for existence based on Label will soon be here. Please watch out for it, “DO NOT TEAR THAT LABEL!” as authored by –
Ukachukwu Benson C.
Could someone read and review my book? Teachable Moments – A Woman’s Journey of Self-Discovery. by Sandra L. Miller.
I would like to continue to promote my book on Amazon. Thank you.
Thanks for this information, I’m Sam Akinwale, I have a book published book titled My Tears, it’s fictional story xrays the rots in our political system in Nigeria. I want to upload it on Amazon and also I’m looking for a foreign publisher that can publish this work.
I wanted to ask. I have published a book on Amazon. If I buy say $500 worth of books on my account. Does this count as pushing the book into the “Best Seller” list?
Hey Sam, no they will not work as Amazon has checks in place to make sure authors don’t do this.
Hey there everyone. Here I present my debut solo poetry book. It’s called, “Whimsical Poetry.” If you ask me what my vision often looked like, I would say ‘in a way my words are adapted in a book under my name’. This sentiment is a mixture of happiness, resilience and liberty.
This book is significant to me. I wouldn’t boast that it contains the best poems you’ll ever read, but I can ensure you that I have buried a piece of my heart in it. It is a collection of my poems over the years. This was truly a one-man show. From editing it to even designing the cover, I’ve done it all! It took me 3 days in total. They are the proof of my growth and change. This one is written for everyone to resonate, if feasible.
This comment section is so depressing. I hate that social media and begging for reviews is such a factor in being an author today. It really ruins it.
Theorized is an online platform that provides tips and advice on writing, marketing, and selling your eBooks. We offer helpful resources and articles to help you make your book stand out from the competition. Whether you’re just starting out or have already published your book, we’ve got what you need to succeed.
Selling an ebook is not as hard as it seems. In fact, with the right approach, you can make a lot of money from this type of product. The key is to make your book stand out from the competition. Here are six steps to help you do just that:
1. Figure out your USP
2. Create a great cover
3. Write an attention-grabbing headline
4. Target the right audience
5. Price your book correctly
6. Use the right promotional methods
great very nice site and helpful
Hi am Michael, would love you guys to check up on my work Titled train to Busan by Taylor hoover really need buyers and promotions
Hey Michael, shoot us an email to info@writtenwordmedia.com with a link to your title and our team can suggest a promo for you!
Thank you so much, I can see things I have to do to promote my books.
I have books in folktales on Amazon that isn’t receiving the attention I thought it would. One of then is ‘Folktales from around the world’ by Enchanted books.
It’s a book full of folktales from different countries.
Hi, I just want to say I love your content.
I will bookmark this page and come back to it.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you for this article. I’m going to be launching a book called “Sides of the Borderline Tracks: Out of My Head”. As a first-time author, being able to read articles like these is amazing.
Thank you. This post was really helpful because I am thinking about starting my own blog. Really enjoyed reading this article.
Glad you enjoyed it Muhammad!
Yes,I do. My book on Amazon is loved by all who read it.I’m an 81-year-old totally disabled veteran and desperately need help to promote my book nationwide.Promoter will make a lot of money as well.This book will sell big-time.
I am a gifted and inspirational writer majoring in the aspect of poetry, I am here to gain more knowledge on how my books can be published. I will be very elated if my demands are met. Thanks
Thank you for this helpful blog!
Could you please review my book. It’s called ‘Shit my house is a mess: A Stress-Free Guide to Decluttering Your Life’ by Chloe Desorden
Dear readers and book enthusiasts! Please read and review my new book “Wall Triana – An Epic Journey to the Edge of Forever”.
It is a science fiction fantasy in which a small group of young people, pummeled with the harsh realities of climate change, racism, sexism, and homophobia in what is left of North America, set out on a grand mission to meet with a group of aliens in the far north and seek their help in righting many of the wrongs of history.
Informative guide! Marketing your book on Amazon can be daunting, but these 7 easy steps make it more manageable. Thanks for sharing practical strategies to help authors reach a wider audience. Well done!
Hello can someone find it in their heart to read my book and give me some feedback, please …….. eternally grateful. If anyone is interested will send you the copy…
Hi everyone, can anyone read and give review as well. Thank you in advance.
Hi, I have written a couple of sci Fi books. Titled “The Hypocrite” and “The Luv Boat”. I submitted the Latter to Austin Macaulay and they reviewed and selected it and offered me a collaborative publishing deal which I can’t afford. Is there anyone in the house that can collaborate with me to market and publish and promote this for a fraction of the proceeds.previous experience in such deals would help. Please contact me through email. paulogah@gmail.com
You can find a copy of ‘The Luv Boat’ on Selar.co.
I can also send you a copy depending on how discussions progress.
Very helpful article for me. I was searching for this topic because I am a blogger in the beginner stage. Now I will use these methods for my blog. I hope it will work for me.
Thanks for the tip. I just published epic world of Rodelon with “The Legendary Guardians”—Book 1 of The Guardians of Rodelon series! on Amazon KDP and yet to see the results and views, hopefully you’ll find it and read when I do free promo this September 25th