This article isn't about how your book should be properly formatted, free of grammatical errors or of unique and original quality. You're an indie author and a serious professional - you know the importance of a polished book.
Instead, let's focus on the top 4 components involved in obtaining a higher ranking for your book.
This includes:
1: Book Title
2: Book Cover
3: Book Tags
4: Book Category
Your book title is one of the most important components, because it identifies what your book is about and who your audience is. You want to make sure to incorporate keywords, if possible as it will help your book rank on the marketplace.
That being said, it's not always possible to use your primary keywords in your book title. You need your title to make sense and appeal to your audience so in the event you are unable to integrate keywords into the title - you simply add them in as tags. More on that in a moment.
Your book cover
Your cover offers a visual of what your book is about and people will judge the quality of your content on the quality of your cover. If you upload an unprofessional, grainy cover, you can expect lower sales.
Make sure that your cover targets your demographic as well. If you're a Romance writer you want your book cover to represent your main character. If you're writing Paranormal, make sure that your cover illustrates the main setting, or vibe of your book. Most of us indie authors choose an image for our book before writing the story, because then we can easily build a storyline around what the image or picture is saying to us.
After all, a picture paints a thousand words!
You can choose to create your own cover or outsource it to a professional graphic designer, the choice is yours (and is of course, dependent on your budget). Just run a quick Google search for "Ebook Cover Designers" and you'll quickly find many different artists to choose from.
Book Tags
Your assigned tags help your readers find your story, so you want to make sure to choose appropriate tags for your book. Don't make the mistake of choosing tags based only on popularity, but instead make sure that they are relevant to the genre and topic of your story.
Choosing A Category
Amazon allows you to choose only one category for your book, so you want to make sure that you select the best one for your genre or audience.
With SmashWords, you are able to select more than one category, giving you the opportunity to feature your book in different genres and sub-genres. Choose wisely!
Friday, September 9
Finding Hot Topics For Your Books
If you aren't sure what genre you're interested in, or you really don't know what is likely to sell, there are a few quick things that you can do to evaluate potential niches and then choose a topic for your book that stands a good chance at selling.
One of the ways that I evaluate potential topics is by looking what ebooks are already selling well on both Amazon and places like Barnes & Noble and SmashWords.
Check out the "Top 100" sellers in many different genres and categories, and jot down any ideas that come to mind. Make sure to also check out the "Amazon Best Sellers" as well at: http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store/zgbs/digital-text
Another easy way to generate new ideas on potentially profitable topics is by browsing through the ClickBank marketplace at http://www.Clickbank.com
ClickBank is the one of the largest digital marketplaces for books relating to everything from business to specialized niche topics, and it's also a great resource for new authors when it comes to market evaluation. You can come up with a ton of ideas for your next book just by browsing categories and reviewing stats based around current sales.
You can review products that are featured within the marketplace at http://www.ClickBank.com/featured as well. This area of Clickbank provides you with a quick snapshot of current hot sellers, so you can get a good idea as to what topics are in demand.
One of the ways that I evaluate potential topics is by looking what ebooks are already selling well on both Amazon and places like Barnes & Noble and SmashWords.
Check out the "Top 100" sellers in many different genres and categories, and jot down any ideas that come to mind. Make sure to also check out the "Amazon Best Sellers" as well at: http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Kindle-Store/zgbs/digital-text
Another easy way to generate new ideas on potentially profitable topics is by browsing through the ClickBank marketplace at http://www.Clickbank.com
ClickBank is the one of the largest digital marketplaces for books relating to everything from business to specialized niche topics, and it's also a great resource for new authors when it comes to market evaluation. You can come up with a ton of ideas for your next book just by browsing categories and reviewing stats based around current sales.
You can review products that are featured within the marketplace at http://www.ClickBank.com/featured as well. This area of Clickbank provides you with a quick snapshot of current hot sellers, so you can get a good idea as to what topics are in demand.
Publishing On SmashWords
I'm a new Indie author and so I'm always looking for ways that I can maximize my books exposure. One of the most valuable resources I've stumbled across so far is SmashWords.
SmashWords is free and easy to use, and with their service you can publish your book on their marketplace as well as through a variety of other book merchants, including Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo and Apple's iBookStore!
Here are a few reasons why SmashWords is such a valuable resource to indie authors:
1: Affiliate Program
SmashWords offers a built-in affiliate program giving you the opportunity to recruit affiliates to promote your book! You can assign your own commission percentage to each book, providing affiliates with up to 50% commissions.
2: Upgrade For Free To Publisher Account
If you plan to publish multiple books under different pen names, you can instantly upgrade your SmashWords account for free. Doing this will give you the opportunity to publish as many different books under as many different names, as you wish - all easily managed from one admin center!
3: Instant Updates
Unlike Amazon, whenever you make any changes to your book on SmashWords, it's updated instantly, and is automatically available within their marketplace. While SmashWords doesn't have the same outreach as Amazon or Barnes & Noble in terms of traffic, it's extra exposure for your book for free!
4: Higher Payouts
SmashWords offers up to 85% royalty payments, so you can actually earn more per unit sold than with any other marketplace!
5: Extended Distribution
Normally, Canadian authors can't publish on Barnes & Noble but with SmashWords, you finally can! SmashWords will help all authors get their books into places that aren't always so easy, including Sony, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Diesel Ebook Store and more!
If you're a new author and you'd like to give your book sales a quick boost, head on over to SmashWords and create your free account.
SmashWords is free and easy to use, and with their service you can publish your book on their marketplace as well as through a variety of other book merchants, including Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo and Apple's iBookStore!
Here are a few reasons why SmashWords is such a valuable resource to indie authors:
1: Affiliate Program
SmashWords offers a built-in affiliate program giving you the opportunity to recruit affiliates to promote your book! You can assign your own commission percentage to each book, providing affiliates with up to 50% commissions.
2: Upgrade For Free To Publisher Account
If you plan to publish multiple books under different pen names, you can instantly upgrade your SmashWords account for free. Doing this will give you the opportunity to publish as many different books under as many different names, as you wish - all easily managed from one admin center!
3: Instant Updates
Unlike Amazon, whenever you make any changes to your book on SmashWords, it's updated instantly, and is automatically available within their marketplace. While SmashWords doesn't have the same outreach as Amazon or Barnes & Noble in terms of traffic, it's extra exposure for your book for free!
4: Higher Payouts
SmashWords offers up to 85% royalty payments, so you can actually earn more per unit sold than with any other marketplace!
5: Extended Distribution
Normally, Canadian authors can't publish on Barnes & Noble but with SmashWords, you finally can! SmashWords will help all authors get their books into places that aren't always so easy, including Sony, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Diesel Ebook Store and more!
If you're a new author and you'd like to give your book sales a quick boost, head on over to SmashWords and create your free account.
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