Support for Indie Authors discussion

If I look at some authors' book pages on Amazon, I can see an extra section entitled 'Product Description' and in that section various reviews feature from N.Y Times or Kirkus or whatever.

I can't find out how to upload my Book Review from a review site which I think would look as good as some of the famous authors' ones!!!!

Is there anyone who has managed to access this section who would share with me how to break into it, please?

I can see it says 'Product Description' on the Amazon page where we first upload it, but I have put the blurb in there and this comes out at the top of the page. The 'Product Description' section I want to access is down near 'Product Details' (as shown on other people's books' pages).

I hope you can follow what I am talking about.

Go here: https://www.amazon.com/ap/signin?open...

If you don't have an account, you can open one.

You would have to do this on your author central pages. And I'm pretty sure you would have to add to all markets that have author central (US, UK, DE, and FR if memory serves) separately, but I might be wrong on that.

Ah... I did go and look at author central but I'll look again. I'll report back.

Thanks everyone, sounds hopeful.

Tara wrote: "This is your editorial review section and you only have one shot to edit it. After your initial edit and save Amazon locks it. ..."

I have edited this more than once with no problems! Now, I am worried that I can't change it further.

Christina wrote: "You would have to do this on your author central pages. And I'm pretty sure you would have to add to all markets that have author central (US, UK, DE, and FR if memory serves) separately, but I mig..."

I seem to only find this feature on author central US.

Update: Brilliant, thank you! I found it under Editorial Reviews on authorcentral.com, although initially it said the page did not exist! But I cannot repeat the process on .co.uk.

I'll wait and see if it spreads all over the place and if it does, the job is done.

Further update: Just seen Tara's and Anthony's posts. I think I read that they used to be done manually, but you may now edit them. So let us hope that we get the chance to add one from the NY Times :o)

Thanks everyone.

And one more update: authorcentral.com has come up trumps and it is already posted on Hide in Time in the US. As for the UK, well... I'll give it a little longer to see if it paddles across the pond.

Why do such simple things take me so long...!

I'm afraid the editorial review has not made it across the pond. I have made a suggestion to Amazon that it would be nice for little ol' me and other Indies to be able to compete with the big names as they seem to have editorial reviews on .co.uk

Let us hope they can keep us on a level playing field.

Don't feel bad, it took me the better part of a year to figure out that the "note from the author" was done in author central as well :D.

Just off the top of my head, so it may not be accurate, it feels like Amazon initially championed the Indies - because it needed us. It fought its way into the book market (and I'm so pleased it did) but then the trad pubs fought back. Then they started coming to agreements with one another and trad pubs were given equal footing with Indies and then they have moved up to being first class citizens within Amazon and we Indies are now second class. That's how it feels.

It may not be true. I am hugely grateful to Amazon because it has changed my life. I can write and get published. I might have spent hundreds of pounds on stamps trying for a trad publisher. I read just yesterday that Jeffrey Archer (UK top author) who had masses of help was turned down by something like 14 publishers, so what chance little old me?

And, of course, I must not forget that Amazon needs to make a big profit to support Jeff and his thousands of workers, and the research and the innovations must cost millions. He's hardly going to make that from Indies like me!

I hope you get picked up by Amazons' bots and they publicize you greatly, Alex.

Just taken a look at your blog, Alex.

By chance my husband and I as newly weds lived next door to one of the cast of The Rocky Horror show when it was showing in London with Tim Curry. We were given tickets to attend and we went straight from work. Think - London - office jobs - suits - proper shoes. We found ourselves sitting in the middle of those who were total fanatics about the show - dressed for the part, men in fish net tights and make up and so on. When the straight-laced young couple appeared on stage at the castle door, the audience went wild - they'd got their straight-laced young couple right next to them!

When we met the cast afterwards, they were all more or less what you saw on stage! Hilarious.

Just in case everyone but Alex is wondering why I mention this - it's because there's a post on the blog about the show. Being me I couldn't find anywhere to post a comment after the post!

Got it! Sorry, I'm on my laptop and watching TV at the same time!!! It's all nice and big too.

My thanks to you - I'd actually forgotten about that incident but your blog post brought it all back.