Do you want to boost your book's discoverability and skyrocket your sales on Kindle? Are you struggling to get your book noticed in the crowded marketplace? Our guest, Dave Chesson, has the perfect solution to help you achieve your goal of increased book exposure and higher sales on Amazon.
By using effective keywords, you can enhance your book's visibility and attract more potential readers to your page. Dave will be sharing his proven strategies and techniques to help you achieve greater success on Kindle. Get ready to achieve your desired outcome of increased book sales and greater readership through the power of keywords.
The most important part for a book is to make sure that the keywords you're using are synchronous with everything else. – Dave Chesson
Dave Chesson is a rockstar and one of the most knowledgeable people in the book publishing industry, certainly with respect to how to get more visibility through your keywords and categories.
About Dave Chesson:
Possessing a wealth of knowledge in Kindle sales and keyword optimization, Dave Chesson is a leading expert assisting self-published authors in enhancing their book visibility, ultimately resulting in increased sales. Drawing from his experience in search engine optimization and niche website building, Dave understands the intricacies of engaging with target markets on various platforms. As a former military veteran who found success in transitioning into entrepreneurship, Dave is driven by a passion to share his expertise and guide writers in optimizing their online presence and expanding their readership.
In this episode, we covered:
Understand how pinpointing the right keywords can dramatically elevate your Kindle book's sales performance.
Learn the significance of an eye-catching cover, title, and description on attracting and retaining readership.
Tap into the minds of your target readers and communicate effectively for fostering strong engagement.
Explore Dave Chesson's incredible journey from serving in the military to pioneering the field of Kindlepreneurship.
Master the use of KDP Rocket and other innovative resources for enhancing your book marketing strategies and gaining higher visibility.
Making Sales on Kindle
There are two ways to make sales on Kindle: write a book that Amazon promotes to a pre-existing market, or go find the market somewhere on the Internet, grab their attention, drag them over to your book, and convince them to buy it. It's important to understand the demand opportunities and keywords that people use to search for books on Amazon.
Key Takeaways
Discover the power of strategic keyword use for boosting Kindle book sales and visibility.
Uncover the crucial role of compelling book covers, titles, and descriptions in captivating potential readers.
Gain insights into identifying and connecting with your target audience through intentional content creation.
Follow the inspiring story of Dave Chesson's transition from military life to becoming a Kindlepreneur founder.
Check out KDP Rocket, a powerful tool designed to help authors find profitable keywords for their books on Amazon.
Purchase Dave Chesson's book, Kindlepreneur's Book Marketing Guide, for in-depth strategies and tips on how to market your book successfully.
Memorable Moments:
00:09:03 – Keywords for Nonfiction, When it comes to nonfiction, Dave stresses that keywords are about the pain points or what people are looking for when they search for a book. It's important to find high-demand, low-competition keywords that are synchronous with your book's title, subtitle, and cover.
00:14:14 – KDP Rocket Tool, Dave Chesson introduces KDP Rocket, a tool that provides authors with Amazon book ideas based on data analysis. The tool suggests better book ideas, provides information on money-making books, competition scores, and the number of people searching for a particular keyword.
00:19:00 – Two-Phase Process for Indexing, To get Amazon to index a book for a keyword, it must be included in the seven fields for keywords in Kindle Direct Publishing. Other options include including the keyword in the book's title, subtitle, and within the book itself. Additionally, having a high conversion rate over other books for the same keyword will raise a book's ranking.
00:36:33 – Kindle Select and Building a Platform, Kindle Select can be beneficial for newer authors to gain exposure, but may not be the best choice for established authors with an extensive marketing plan. A well-crafted author bio can also help bridge the gap between the book and the author's platform by connecting readers with the author on a personal level. Content upgrades can help with email sign-ups, but providing readers with a free book or prelude can help build a fan base.
00:46:30 – Getting Noticed as a Writer, Dave Chesson emphasizes the importance of getting books in front of enough people and the right people. He believes that even amazing writers can miss out on opportunities if they don't get the exposure they need. Using KDP Rocket is just one tactic to help authors get noticed and get their work seen by potential readers.
The folks at Kindlepreneur have updated their information on how to choose your categories based on the changes at Amazon, so be sure to check that out here!
Bookshop.org is a nonprofit, online retail store that sells books – donating profits back to book retailers across the United States.
As an indie author, do you want to support your local bookstores but feel confused about Bookshop.org's mission? Have you heard the myths that Bookshop.org takes away sales from indie bookstores, only supports bestselling authors, and charges high fees? Don't worry – I'm here to set the record straight and share the truth about how Bookshop.org is actually benefiting indie authors and bookstores.
When we support the independent bookstores, we support the independent publishers, we support the independent authors. It all boils down into us helping each other. – Elle McKenzie
Just when I thought I had found the perfect ethical alternative to Amazon, I discovered a surprising twist in the story. Listen in as I uncover the unexpected truth behind Bookshop.org's mission to support independent bookstores and authors. You won't want to miss this shocking revelation.
In this episode, you will learn to:
Understand Bookshop.org's inspiring objective of uplifting independent bookstores and authors.
Dive into the rewards of Bookshop.org's affiliate program for both authors and publishers.
Acquire tactics for featuring your book on Bookshop.org to boost its exposure.
Keep yourself informed on Bookshop.org's game-changing plans for a free shipping and ebook platform.
Appreciate the essential role of fostering diversity in book choices on Bookshop.org.
Benefits of Supporting Bookshop.org
Bookshop.org offers a unique opportunity for indie authors and book lovers who want to support local bookstores. This platform allows customers to purchase books online, with the majority of the profits going back to independent bookstores. This not only helps maintain the survival of small bookstores, but also provides authors with exposure through the platform's Bestsellers lists and regular newsletters. Bookshop.org gives 80% of its profits back to independent bookstores, ensuring that they thrive in the online market. Plus. the affiliate program allows authors to earn a 10% commission on book sales through their unique affiliate links.
Key Takeaways
Understand Bookshop.org's inspiring objective of uplifting independent bookstores and authors.
Dive into the rewards of Bookshop.org's affiliate program for both authors and publishers.
Acquire tactics for featuring your book on Bookshop.org to boost its exposure.
Keep yourself informed on Bookshop.org's game-changing plans for a free shipping and ebook platform.
Appreciate the essential role of fostering diversity in book choices on Bookshop.org.
Memorable Moments:
00:14:06 – Making Books More Visible on Bookshop.org, Authors can promote their books on Bookshop.org by reaching out to booksellers and mentioning that their books are available there. Curated book lists can be created to get more exposure to readers.
00:23:27 – Bookshop.org's Bestseller List, The sales and advertising team selects the bestseller books based on certain parameters. A book does not have to be a bestseller to be on the bestseller list.
00:26:08 – Getting on Bookshop's Lists, After signing up for Bookshop's affiliate program, authors can submit lists for consideration to be displayed on the homepage. These lists can be anything, from recommended reading to holiday selections.
00:33:48 – Supporting Local Bookstores, Bookshop is a tool for authors to offer their readers an alternative to Amazon and support local bookstores. The program gives 80% of book sale profits to local retailers, and affiliates can use their links to promote not only their own books, but others in their community as well.
Jessie Cunniffe is a professional blurb-writer and book blurb coach from Sydney, Australia, and she's passionate about demystifying blurbs for self-publishing authors so they can take charge of their book description and sales! She offers an affordable DIY course, Book Blurb Magic, as well as 1:1 blurb critique and custom blurb writing services.
With a knack for uncovering hidden truths, Jessie Cunniffe made an unexpected discovery – the true power behind captivating book blurbs isn't the plot, but the characters' emotions and unique circumstances. Join us as Alexa talks to Jessie about her journey to unlock the secrets of blurb writing and empower authors to craft irresistibly engaging back cover descriptions. What will she uncover next?
I always try to find the essence, the key message of the book, and actually frame the entire blurb around that. – Jessie Cunniffe
This is Jessie Cunniffe's story:
Determined to make a difference in the world of book marketing, Jessie Cunniffe embarked on a mission to unlock the secrets of writing tantalizing blurbs. Through tireless research and careful examination, Jessie found that the key to a successful blurb lay not in the story's plot, but in the emotional connection between the characters and their unique circumstances. Armed with this newfound knowledge, Jessie developed a formula to help authors perfect their blurbs, capturing the hearts and minds of their readers. Now, Jessie shares her passion for blurb writing, empowering authors to create impactful back cover descriptions that resonate with their audience and propel them on a journey they'll never forget.
After this episode, you will be able to:
Uncover the crucial role of book blurbs in successful marketing campaigns.
Conjure captivating blurbs for novels, memoirs, and reference books alike.
Master techniques for drafting compelling, thumb-stopping book blurbs.
Identify usual missteps authors might commit when writing their book blurbs.
Capitalize on social media channels to bolster book promotion and foster networking.
The Three-Paragraph Structure
A well-structured blurb is crucial for maintaining your reader's interest, and a common approach is the three-paragraph structure. The first paragraph sets the context and introduces the characters, the second paragraph delves deeper into the character development and conflict, and the third paragraph raises the stakes, creating a sense of urgency for the reader. This structure allows for a concise and engaging blurb that maintains momentum and draws the reader into the story. Each paragraph plays an important role in context, character development, and raising the stakes.
Key Takeaways
Start with a hook: Write a single sentence or two that captures the crux of your book and its main conflict.
Use third-person POV: Most book blurbs are written in third person, which is easier to convey your story.
Focus on emotion and characters: The driving force of your blurb should be the unique emotions and circumstances your characters are experiencing.
Establish the character's greatest challenge: Begin the blurb by setting up the theme or challenge that has followed your character throughout their life.
Create a satisfying narrative arc within the blurb: Provide a beginning, middle, and end that differs from the actual book's narrative to avoid spoilers and keep readers engaged.
Memorable Moments:
00:03:09 – Why are blurbs difficult to write?, Jessie shares that many authors struggle with writing blurbs because they approach it as condensing the plot of their book. She emphasizes that the emotion, unique characters, and circumstances that they face are what truly drive a book blurb. 00:09:34 – How to write a book blurb, Jessie explains that the starting point of a book blurb is to find the essence or critical character flaw of the main character. She also advises writers to find a narrative arc within the blurb that is satisfying without giving away spoilers. Jessie provides a free cheat sheet on anatomyoffabookblurb.com that outlines the pieces of the puzzle needed for a book blurb.
Rocket to the top of the best-seller list on Amazon
In this hour long webinar, we'll dive into the details of how Keywords and Categories work on Amazon, tactics authors can use to gain traction, and optimization for effective sales results.
Included topics are: – Finding profitable keywords that users actually search for on Amazon – Discovering and applying secret Amazon categories most authors don’t know about – Learning how to become a category bestseller without spending thousands – Strategies to make a book more discoverable to target readers …plus more!
And there’s one company out there that collects, analyzes and shares that data better than anyone else out there: K-lytics, an expert analytics firm for indie authors and publishers company run by the brilliant Alex Newton. And I’m delighted and grateful to announce that Alex and his team has joined the 2022 Women in Publishing Summit as a Bronze Sponsor.
You might be wondering why authors need this kind of analytical data. Isn’t the job to just write a good book and market it, letting the chips fall where they may? K-lytics offers a smarter path, one where you can make informed decisions as you go through the publishing process, all in service of better sales.
What does K-Lytics do?
K-Lytics was founded by Alex Newton, a man with a mission: to help authors make better, faster decisions so they can focus on THEIR mission of writing. They’ve built a reputation by making sense of the Amazon supply and demand.
There are more than 8 million English language books on Amazon. That’s the supply. On the demand side, you have more than 20 million people in the U.S. alone who own e-reader devices and millions more who have a reading app on their smartphone or tablet.
The team at K-lytics reviews the massive amount of data available on Amazon’s website and analyzes it for trends that impact the bottom line for authors and publishers. From what genres and sub-genres are trending to what cover images and titles are selling to what average prices look like, they take massive data sets and turn them into usable information for working authors and publishers of any size, all for an affordable price.
Think of K-lytics like “Bloomberg” for the book market. What categories, covers, tropes, keywords, etc., are trending up? – Which are trending down? – Which pockets of the market offer high demand but come with a low level of competition?
What makes K-lytics different from something like a keyword report is that it’s not just a snapshot in time. Amazon sales rankings fluctuate WILDLY – something can be a “bestseller” for an hour and then drop into obscurity. K-lytics collects thousands upon thousands of data points to get an accurate big picture of what’s selling and at what price. And it’s data you can look at in broad genre categories, all the way down to sub-sub categories.
Amazon can be a black box for so many authors, but we know it’s possible to build a sustainable author career if we can just crack the code. What we love about K-lytics is that their reports guide choices by using real world, real time, real clear data instead of sound bytes.
What kind of author needs K-lytics?
K-lytics’s basic reports cover 30 different Amazon book categories, both nonfiction and fiction, and their premium reports cover more than 400 sub-categories. The elite reports cover 2400+ sub-sub-categories. So no matter what you’re writing, there is data available to use to help inform your publishing choices.
So whether you’re writing Time Travel Romance novels or Nutrition nonfiction, there is actionable data on current trends in your genre.
How can I learn more about K-lytics?
K-lytics is joining us on January 25 at 1pm EST for a free webinar about how you can use data to boost your book’s Amazon sales! Register here to check it out!
