Tips for Self Promotion, Sales, and Advertising discussion

T.C. wrote: "I clicked on all books on this page.

Here is mine. Thanks. :)

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0057SG5D6"

Hi TC got you tagged

Thanks, Marilyn. Did all three of yours.

Hi guys clicked yours, here are mine:
http://www.amazon.com/Where-The-Heart...

http://www.amazon.com/Hearts-Promise-...

I got your tags back, thanks Jeanette.

Hi Jeanette, got you.

Here are my books:

Blessed Are the Merciful, Our Forgotten Soldiers
A Healing Place

I'll do the favor of clicking on others.
Joyce Shaughnessy

Joyce, can you provide links to them?

You are definitely asking the wrong person, David, but I'll give it a try.
I believe, for instance, mine would be:
www.amazon.com/a-healing-place
or
www.amazon.com/Blessed-Are-the-Merciful

David, told you that you were asking the wrong person. It didn't work. There is some kind of author's site, but I don't know how to get to it. Sorry. Ask someone better than me when it comes to computers. Ask me English and grammar questions. Joyce

well, for future reference, Joyce, all you need to do is go to Amazon and search for your book and then copy the address that shows up at the top of your browser and then paste it into an email or a message board post. It's not very tough! If you want to promote your books, you might want to take a basic computer class so you can email people the link.

I did it for you. Your first book is here:

http://www.amazon.com/Blessed-Are-Mer...

Your second here: http://www.amazon.com/HEALING-PLACE-J...

Third here: http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Gold-Joyc...

My last suggestion (And I'm just trying to be helpful!), you need to create initial tags for people to click on. Select 5 or so tags that represent your book fairly. Things like: Texas, love story, family, spirituality, etc. You can add them to your Amazon page yourself and then others can click on them.

If you scroll down your page for each book, there is a spot that says:


Tag this product (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product. Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags:

so then you can come back here and ask folks to click on you again.

Check out how they are on my book page, if you didn't already:
http://www.amazon.com/Greater-Monster...

You can click on each on to "endorse" that these tags represent the book fairly. The more tag clicks you get, the more likely your book will come up if people search for something that includes your tag. Like "love story" does that make sense?

cheers.

Tagging, like quid-pro-quo reviews, is simply a way to cheat and skew the numbers in favor of a particular book or author. I tag my books by category when I place the book up for sale. Anything else is a form of fraud in my opinion and the opinion of many others in the book industry. They were also the subject of a recent piece in the N.Y. Times business section about how the practice is undermining bookselling. Let's all get some experience and ethics people.

I'm good with it, thanks for the lecture.

Happy to help J. L. I checked out your tags. My first advice is add more and make them more specific. Your tags right now are so general that you are going up against a million other books in searches. It's not wrong to have those tags but if you can target them better they might get more hits. Consider checking out the tags on books that are relatively like yours.

By particular, I mean instead of "humor" put "quirky" or "wacky," whatever is actually relevant to your style. So you will be more likely to reach people who will actually like your book.

Thanks for the interest in my book! You might like my first one, too, Death by Zamboni. ;-)

You also need higher clicks on your tags, unfortunately. It's not enough to have them, but the more clicks pushes it up in search results as well.

Thank you, David. You really are a Goodreads "friend." Merry Christmas! Joyce Shaughnessy

Wow, thanks. I'm going to tell all my friends and family to click on my novel!

David, you have done so much for me already, but could you do one more thing please? How do I add an incredibly good review to the amazon site? Thank you!

No problem Joyce. Does this incredibly good review already exist? Is it posted on Goodreads or some other site? Is it by a professional reviewer? All these things make a difference.

Are you self-published or are your books from a publisher? These questions make a difference how to post a "review." For example, I had several authors and editors read my manuscript before i ever released it and they gave me promotional reviews that are on the front and back cover. Then, when i posted the information about my novel on Amazon, it lets you plug in promotional quotes/reviews as part of the product information.

If you are talking about some other kind of review - you will need to directly approach the person who reviewed it and ask them kindly if they would also post it on Amazon. Only the person who wrote the review can do that. All they need to post a review is an Amazon.com account--it's the same account if you purchase something on Amazon.

For example, if you have a friend or relative who really liked your book, then just ask them if they have an account on Amazon and if they would mind posting a review of it and send them the link. They can easily log on and post the review. It's quite easy. It's the same if they review any product on Amazon, like a baby toy or a vacuum cleaner.

Let me know if this make sense!

Thank you. It does. It is someone I have written who lives in India. I can't even get his review on my dashboard, and it is an incredible review - picture and everything. He said exactly what I would have said if I didn't want to write over that many words. It's a great review by Manhardeep Singh. It's about A Healing Place. He is reading Blessed are the Merciful next. Thanks! You are so nice.

That's great. Well, he might not have an account on amazon in the U.S. if he lives in India because amazon separates their systems by country. There is an Amazon UK for example, and the reviews don't cross over. So it might be tricky for him to post it here, but if he registers for an account like a new customer, he might be able to. Or it might not let him without a U.S. mailing address.

How do I copy his review from his Goodreads account to my dashboard?

I'm not sure what you mean Joyce - why don't you email me directly and we can take this off the message board. My Author Dashboard doesn't have any reviews on it, just my overall ratings.

I hope this works. I just have some short reviews on my dashboard and so does Manhardeep. His name is Manhardeep Singh and wrote The Guideline of Life, for one. His review of my book is on his dashboard. I meant, how do you copy his review of my book to my dashboard? Thanks

Sorry, David. I guess this isn't your email. I thought perhaps by reply it would be private, but no.

Go to my authors page here: www.goodreads.com/daviddavid you can click to Send a Message to me via email under the author image top left. I'm happy to help.

I think you are referring to what I would call his author page. There is a Dashboard you can view which is different. Fortunately, his great review of your book does appear on your book page on Goodreads automatically. But to get it on Amazon, he will have to copy it and post it manually there. You'll just have to ask him nicely. :-)

Feel free to message me via my author page.

You are right, David. I am calling and seeing what I class I can take. The only thing is, I know WordPerfect and Word perfectly. I don't know why I have so much trouble getting around the internet.

Would like your help. Am offering my book As the Sycamore Grows for 99 cents on Kindle and Nook. Award-winning true story of escape, courage, hope. Please help me spread the 99 cents word. www.jenniehelderman.com

I have two novels that need your help, I always help others. And I plan on doing more now. Thanks in advance.


THE HERITAGE
http://www.amazon.com/The-Heritage-eb...


and this one
THE REJECTION LETTER
http://www.amazon.com/The-Rejection-L...

Lori, I just went to your site

This is the link to the amazon.co.uk search for my pen name 'Fudgemuffin':

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_n...

And then it shows my book 'A Lush Snaky trick' as the only result, so if anyone could click on it I'd greatly appreciate it.

I'm backpacking around Asia at the moment (with my laptop), so if anyone clicks on my book let me know and I'll be able to return the favour and click on your book from several different locations.

Your book looks right funny, Charles. Unfortunately as I'm only registered in the U.S. Amazon, I can't click on your tags and whatnot.

This does sound like a good idea.

A Gift for a Mouse

Rebecca, can you provide the link to your Amazon page instead of your GR page?

Sorry. Didn't realize I did that.

http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Mouse-Rede...

Okay, then:

http://www.amazon.com/Every-Time-Thin...

Jim & Rebecca, I got you both. You can tag me at:

http://amzn.to/greatermonster
http://amzn.to/deathbyzamboni

Thanks!

How do I tag on Amazon? Both of my books are :
A Healing Place and
Blessed Are the Merciful

I'm going to give it a try.
amazon.com/a-Healing-place

Nope. Didn't do anything, so I'm not computer literate enough for you guys. Can you help me out?
Thanks, Joyce

Joyce,

Here's the link to your first book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1453...

And here's your second one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1456...

Thank you so much, David. Thatwas so sweet of you. I need all the help I need. My geriatric brain gets tired of the internet sometimes, but thank God for Word.

Joyce Shaughnessy
blessedarethemerciful.net and novelahealingplace.com

Sorry David, that was so nice of you, but the link doesn't work with only the numbers you have if I repeat it the only way I can see it. Can you please give me the other numbers on the end that GR cut off?

Thanks a lot!
Joyce

Yes, Goodreads does cutoff longer links. The easiest way to get it is to click on the link and then go up to the browser bar and select the link CTRL-A then copy it CTRL-C then paste it into another document CTRL-V. Copy and paste. But here are the whole numbers for you:

1453524452

and

1456898183

Did you ever sign up for that intro to computer's class? You might find it very helpful.

see previous message. :-)

David, thank you. The minute I did reply to your posting, it gave me the correct numbers. You are special to have helped me. Thank you so much.


Joyce shaughnessy

No, because we live in the middle of nowhere. i did have a lady come over who charge 175/hr and went through everything I don't remember half. I am trying.
Joyce

wow. That's a big ripoff, Joyce. Maybe there is an online class somewhere???

Hi all,

I've got a blister on my finger! My book is called "Gathering Clouds..." and it desperatly needs lifting from the swamp. Thanks. This is my link:
http://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Cloud...

That's great! I've been planning my next book and writing it so I don't forget the facts. It is "The Unsurrended, A Search for Jacob". My first book is "A Healing Place," and 2nd is "Blessed Are the Merciful, Our Forgotten Soldiers."

Hi, David. I just went and hired someone else to help with the computer promotions. We are out in the Sahara Desert, or it feels that way. Anyway, I think Erik will help me a lot. Thanks!
Blessedarethemerciful.net
Ahealingplace.com

Haha! That's great Joyce. Once you get the hang of it, it won't be so bad.