As the world’s largest book retailer, Amazon remains a key place for authors to sell their books. It has recently launched Amazon Advertising, which allows authors to create adverts on its website which have the capacity to reach the millions of customers who search, discover and buy at Amazon.

Adverts can be targeted with chosen keywords or by linking to similar books with full reporting. Charging only happens when results are achieved with a pre-set daily spend limit.

It remains one of the most important digital distribution networks for authors, and Amazon shows no signs of losing its substantial popularity among consumers.

We can help self-published authors make the most of Amazon as a selling platform for their work, but we also appreciate that you might want ‘in’ on some of the marketing strategies that have worked brilliantly for countless writers.

With that in mind, here are four secrets to successfully marketing your book on Amazon:

1. Get the title right

Believe it or not, the title of your book is probably the most important marketing tool you possess. Although, this can often be overlooked or left as a last-minute decision.

Remember - Amazon isn’t just a store, it’s a search engine. Meaning that the title of your book will often be the first thing that catches a consumer’s eye. They may not be looking for it specifically, but if the title piques their interest, you’re halfway to making a sale.

Take time over your title. A working title is absolutely fine and standard practice as you’re crafting your work, but don’t settle on a final title unless you’re absolutely happy with it.

2. Make the right first impression with the cover

What’s the first thing people are likely to see after noticing your title? That’s right - the cover design.

We’re an image-conscious bunch, and we’re particularly superficial when it comes to shopping. If something looks nice and hits the right price point, it’s often hard to resist.

Your book is no different. If the title nails it, but the cover is lacklustre, uninteresting or - worse - looks like it’s been thrown together with clip art in Microsoft Word, you will put off potential buyers before they even get the chance to appreciate the quality of your writing.

Have a look at similar books that are selling well on Amazon to get an indication of what cover could work best.

3. Research your keywords

As we’ve already established, Amazon is a search engine as much as it is an online store, therefore it relies heavily on keywords to ensure products end up within the most relevant search results.

Your title will benefit from a keyword or two, but make sure the description is keyword rich (without becoming stuffed with them and unreadable), and pick the genre wisely.

Just like Google, no one outside of Amazon’s executive and development teams knows exactly how their algorithms work, but always play safe and focus on a good keyword strategy to give your book the best chance of high-ranking success.

4. Make your description look good

We touched on this in tip three, but it’s vitally important that your book description is easily read and, more importantly, grabs the attention of potential readers.

Imagine if you’ve got the title just right and the cover design beautifully eye-catching, but your description ruins it due to it being one mass of jumbled text which nobody bothers to read.

Here at New Generation we have been working closely with Amazon Advertising. Time and patience – not to mention plenty of trial and error - has led to a good record of success and we have built up a strong knowledge base of what works for book campaigns. And as selling our authors’ books is at the core of what we do, we become the first self-publishing company to offer an Amazon Advertising Service.

So, if you are looking for expertise in this area, then look no further. To find out more email info@newgeneration-publishing.com or call us on 01234 711 956.

We look forward to hearing from you.