Self-Publishing 101: Your Amazon Author Page

Many of you know I run a blog called Awesome Romance Novels. All too often as I write up the posts for the books I promote, I'm surprised to see that authors have not created an Author Page on Amazon. Why, oh, why do authors not take advantage of this wonderful marketing tool?

I won’t lecture you about the many reasons you should climb up onto this FREE soapbox that Amazon offers, but I will recommend that you do it. And I’ll even give you a quick how-to:

1.     Create an account at AuthorCentral.com. Here’s how.

2.     Once your account is created, claim your books.

3.     Upload a photo of yourself. Readers love to actually see you!

4.     Write an active bio which includes accolades, awards, and social media information.

5.     Use Author Central to update the product descriptions of your books.

6.     Check your Author Ranking. It’s a really cool feature.

For more information on Author Central and the importance of this platform, see Jackie Weger’s post on Novel Authors At Work. Also, check out what Amazon has to say about all that Author Central has to offer.

Now go do it. Do it now!

Do you have a Self-Publishing 101 tip to offer? Please share your knowledge in the comment section. 

Authors! Expand Your Kindle Readership Using Keywords

When authors upload a book using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), part of the process is selecting Categories and Keywords.

Choosing appropriate categories allows your book to show up on various bestselling lists such as Contemporary Romance or Self-Help or Science Fiction. However, did you know that the keywords you choose can also cause your book to be listed in categories that are not available on the KDP dashboard? That’s right. Keywords are not just for customer browsing purposes.

Let’s use my latest romance novel as an example. Reclaim My Heart is a contemporary romance, and that’s one of the categories I chose. I also chose Drama, and the book has kept a high enough sales ranking to show up on the Kindle Drama Bestsellers List. However, the book also deals with an interracial couple, and the Native American aspects of the story make the book multicultural. I discovered that there’s a Kindle Romance Interracial & Multicultural List. I wrote to KDP to see how I could get my book listed in this category. The Kindle tech explained that, in order to be listed in Interracial & Multicultural category, I had to use those two words in my keywords on the KDP dashboard. The tech also sent me a link where Amazon has listed dozens of keywords that can help you get your books listed in very detailed categories.

Categories With Keyword Requirements

Find new readers for your books by periodically swapping out appropriate keywords for your books.

Have you used keywords to get your book listed in a different category? Did this method increase visibility and sales? Tell me about your experience in the comment section below.

Happy writing!

This article originally posted at Indie Chicks Cafe.