Look Inside Feature

Most sites feature a "look inside" option. This is similar to browsing in a physical store except it is limited to 10% of the entire book. You've snagged a potential reader with the title/cover. They read the blurb, they've looked at reviews, and they just haven't made that decision to click away or click buy.…

Why Can’t Readers Leave Reviews

You've sent out ARCs or did a giveaway, and inevitably, there are readers who can't leave reviews. Amazon does a good job laying out the guidelines, but few people take the time to read them. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201929730 and various subsets.) Here are the top reasons your readers can't leave reviews: They are trying to leave a…

Trim Size

Physical books come in a variety of sizes. Some are tall. Some are short. Some fit in the back pocket, and others lounge in bags. But what size should your paperbacks be? Typical Sizes The typical books I format fall under these sizes: 4 x 6” (154 x 102mm)4 x 7” (178 x 102mm)4.25 x…

ACX

Audiobooks are a huge market for a variety of reasons. It could be long commutes, travel, visual impairments, or the ability to multitask while doing mundane tasks. This post will cover cost, expectations, and things about ACX that you might not know of even after reading the FAQ and such. Length Audiobooks are generally 2x…

Updating Your Files on Amazon

I think there's a misconception with Amazon and updating ebooks. Yes, it is rather easy to update the file through the KDP dashboard, but that doesn't send out a corrected version to the countless buyers who bought it until that newest version went "live." When you update an eBook on Amazon, only the buyers who…

Free On Amazon

Whatever the path led you here, there's only 2 ways to get a book listed as free on Amazon. Your Book Is In Kindle Select (KU) If your story is in Kindle Unlimited, you'll have access to the Promote and Advertise option for the story. Click it and you'll see the time you have left…

Magical Number of Reviews

We’ve seen posts like this circulating on Facebook and Twitter. Authors holding hard to the line that there is a magical number of reviews when Amazon does these magical things. “Also Bought” and “You Might Like” lists These aren’t determined by a magical review count. When your book has enough sales, Amazon’s AI determines, based…

Is Kindle Select Good For Me?

Kindle Select gets confused with the Kindle program. They are not mutually exclusive. Your book can be in the Kindle program but not be in Kindle Select. Until recently (Autumn 2018), to enroll the book into Kindle Select, you had a check box on the third page of the book set up. They have now…

Stocking Shelves—Getting Your Book into Brick and Mortar Stores

This post is USA orientated. I have no first-hand knowledge of UK, CA, AU practices on this subject. Let's go ahead and draw a distinction between a store like Books A Million (BAM) being able to order your books for a customer and being able and willing to order copies to sit on a shelf…

Promo Stacking

Let's break it down into parts. What is promo stacking? Promo stacking is when you use newsletter swaps, paid advertisements (FB ads, ENT, Robin Reads, Pretty Hot, etc), and other means of marketing around a specific time period. What's the point of promo stacking? Promo stacking is used to increase your readership through exposure and…