SPA Girls Podcast – EP24 – All About Amazon
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It’s the episode you’ve all been waiting for… This week, in lucky episode 24 (I love that number, it’s my date of birth), we talk all about the retail site Amazon. It’s the first of two episodes on Amazon, and this week we start by giving a bit of an overview of Amazon’s history, what they do, and how they came to be such a powerhouse retail site. Then we talk about Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) where indie authors load up their books, the pros and cons of KDP Select, talk about Kindle Unlimited (KU), and how to use Author Central. This is a long episode, and potentially involves me rambling on for too long about Amazon’s history (the others certainly think so… 🙂 ), but I think it’s another great episode. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about Amazon and how it works, listen in!
What Do These Terms Mean?
KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing
KDP Select (exclusive)
KU stands for Kindle unlimited
KOLL stands for Kindle Owners Lending Library
Kindle Unlimited is a subscription program for readers that allows them to read as many books as they want. The Kindle Owners’ Lending Library is a collection of books that Amazon Prime members who own a Kindle can choose one book from each month with no due dates. When you enroll in KDP Select, your books are automatically included in both programs. Your books will still be available for anyone to buy in the Kindle Store, and you’ll continue to earn royalties from those sales like you do today.
What does it mean to publish exclusively on Kindle?
When you choose to enroll your book in KDP Select, (for a 90 day period) you’re committing to make the digital format of that book available exclusively through KDP. During the period of exclusivity, you cannot distribute your book digitally anywhere else, including on your website, blogs, etc. However, you can continue to distribute your book in physical format, or in any format other than digital.
Payment is paid per page read and depends on how much is in the KDP Select Global fund. For example, it was $12 mill in Feb so that means that money must be paid out to those authors enrolled in KDP
Kindle Unlimited is now available through Amazon U.S, U.K., Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and India and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL) in the U.S, U.K., Germany, France, and Japan.
Kindle MatchBook – gives customers who buy a print book from Amazon.com the option to purchase the Kindle version of the same title for $2.99 or less.
Pros & Cons for exclusively loading to Amazon
Pros
Convenient
Limited term – 90 days experiment
Largest bookseller in the world
Exposure
All Star bonuses – for pen names, individual titles
Visibility
Cons
Exclusivity
Unknown per page rate until 15th of the month following
Philosophy – putting all your eggs into one basket
Lack of control – once you’re in you’re stuck for 90 days and the rules can change
Final decision – depends on author, what they’re writing and their own experiences. There’s no one right answer. Can do some books in and some books out and try.
Information
Amazon makes up a higher percentage of the total US ebook market than the oft-cited 65% figure: when indie books without ISBNs are included in the statistics, Amazon accounts for 74%of all US ebook purchases and 71%of all US consumer dollars spent on ebooks.
Outside of Amazon.com, 4 other major online retailers comprise nearly the entirety of the remaining26% of the US ebook market: the Apple iBookstore, the Barnes & Noble Nook store, the Kobo US bookstore, and GooglePlay Books.
At those 4 other stores, self-published indie ebooksmake up 22% of all ebooks purchases and take in 32% of all author income generated by ebook sales.
Between 14%and 25% of all ebooks sold at Apple, Nook, and Kobo store lack Bowker-issued International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs).
In total, more than 33%of all ebooks sold in the US each year have no ISBN.
Across the entire US ebook market, ebooks without ISBNsnow command a greater share of consumer ebook purchases, reading time, and author earnings than all of the AAP’s 1,200 publishers put together, including the Big Five.
The true US ebook market, which includes non-ISBN sales, isat least 50% larger than ISBN-limited market statistics from Nielsen and Bowker are estimating.
Still, Amazon is not the entirety of the US ebook market.
We know that 35% of traditionally published ebook sales occur outside Amazon: at competing retailers like the Apple iBooks store, the Barnes & Noble Nook store, the Kobo Book store, and Google Play.
But what about indie ebook sales?
Some traditional industry spokespersons have speculated that more than 85% of indie ebook sales are wholly dependent upon Amazon. They presume that indies sell very poorly outside the Kindle store and make up an insignificant percentage of ebook sales elsewhere.
Among indie authors themselves, there is little consensus. Anecdotes about sales at other retailers run the gamut. Some indies are now going all-in with Kindle Unlimited, choosing to make their books Amazon-exclusive because the sales they saw at other ebook stores were so anemic in comparison.
Author Central
This is like your book shelf, the place you go to personalize what your readers will see about you on your Amazon Author page, i.e, you author bio, bibliographies, biographies, author photos, and even feeds to blog posts.
Each Amazon site i.e., UK, Canada, USA etc., has author central, so you should take the time to set up a different page on each one.
Here’s how to start:
- Set up your Author Central account if you haven’t already done so.
- In Author Central, click the Profile tab. You’ll see sections for adding or changing your biography, photos, videos, speaking or other events, and blog feeds.
- Click the add or edit link next to a section. Instructions appear, along with space to add information.
If you don’t add information to a section, that section does not appear on the Author Page. Sections are always available in Author Central so you can add or change the information later.
You can also check book, sales, and author rankings here.
Links
KDP Select
Pros & Cons
Hugh Howey http://www.hughhowey.com/kindle-unlimited-knockout/
HM Ward http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,231153.75.html
… Author Earnings Report, October 2015 (http://authorearnings.com/report/october-2015-apple-bn-kobo-and-google-a-look-at-the-rest-of-the-ebook-market/)
Book recommendation
The Everything Store, Brad Stone
http://www.amazon.com/The-Everything-Store-Bezos-Amazon-ebook/dp/B00BWQW73E
Author central
SPA Girls Podcast – EP23 – Dealing with Author Overwhelm
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Welcome to episode 23 of the SPA Girls podcast (there is some confusion about this while we’re recording, thought I’d set the record straight… 🙂 ) This episode we’re talking about Author Overwhelm, one of those insidious blockages sent to distract us as authors. When you’ve got so much on, and so many things that you’re trying to do, and it’s making you feel panicky and frustrated – to the point where you’re not actually doing anything useful at all… that’s author overwhelm. We’ve focused on giving practical tips on what we do when author overwhelm hits, how we keep going through the tough times, and what we do to try and avoid author overwhelm in the first place! I hope you enjoy it, it’s a great episode!
What causes Author Overwhelm?
It’s a solitary job with seemingly no outlet to bounce your ideas/worries/insecurities off.
There are deadlines personal or otherwise.
You want to be successful and achieve money or rewards but there is always someone telling you how you should do things.
You want to do it all at once.
Pressure to succeed – internally and externally. Working for yourself you want to push yourself to be successful, but burning yourself out is counterproductive.
Worried about forgetting to do or write something.
How do you deal with overwhelm?
What should you do first?
Which way is right for you?
How do you avoid it?
We all deal with it differently but first you must curb your impatience. It’s a long race and you need to last the distance. You can’t do that if the overwhelm cripples you. Be aware when things are getting out of hand and take steps to stop it.
Calm down and keep writing.
Competing with other people or ourselves should be motivating not stressful.
It’s important to listen and learn but don’t oversubscribe to everything.
If you do a certain amount of writing every day you will have accomplished and you will fill good about it.
Address the issue. What do you need to do? What can you do now?
Ideas
Different authors use different methods and get different degrees of success. There is a spectrum and no one right answer for all.
Take a moment and some deep breaths.
Write a list if that works for you, or use a diary. (Post it notes if you’re Wendy or Shar!)
Take one thing at a time that needs doing and, if possible, break that down so you make small steps to reach the finish.
Walk away and do something else if necessary. (Walk/research/stretches/exercise)
Try other ways and find what works for you.
What is your definition of success? Write down what that definition is. When you get there celebrate each small step.
Focus
Get the writing done above all else.
What is the most important thing for you now? (Getting the manuscript finished, edited, polished. Finding a cover. FB/Tweet/Mailing list. Learning how to format etc.) Choose one at a time.
Do that one thing.
Don’t do a particular social media if you really don’t like it.
Do the tasks that must be done. Business needs especially e.g. taxes.
Find other like-minded people to push you and to help you deal with being an author.
The beauty of self-pubbing is setting your own timelines.
Filter out or recognize that one deal success is rare.
Everyone feels this way at times. You are not alone. (The Spa Girls are here)
Here’s a couple of interesting books to help:
Write Mind by Eric Maisel (299 things writers should never say to themselves – and what they should say instead)
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
* As a side note, during the recording, Shar mentioned there were cicadas in the background of my house, and I denied it at the time, because I couldn’t hear them… Well, I realised as soon as I took off my headphones that I was an idiot, and she was right – those damn little insects were singing away in their annoying little voices outside my office window like there was no tomorrow. So, my apologies. 🙂
SPA Girls Podcast – EP22 – Pre-Publication Checklist (Part Two)
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Welcome to episode 22, and the second in our pre-publication special episodes. In these two informative sessions, we talk in depth about the things you need to take into account before you hit publish on your self-published book. This episode we talk about things like formatting, categories, key words, book descriptions, covers, pricing and your title/subtitle of your book.
If you’re serious about self publishing your book, don’t miss these two episodes! (and remember to take notes!)
Blurb/description – Best 100 words you can write.
It’s the sales description/hook and it’s vitally important that you get this right, because this is what will draw in the reader. It’s a taster, a glimpse into what they will get when they read your book. It must be consistent with the tone of the book.
Read some of the bestselling blurbs in your genre.
It’s not easy to do, so practice, and remember, it can be changed if you are not happy with it.
Taglines – some writers like to use them. It’s a catchy 4-10-word line at the start of the blurb. It’s like copywriting. Often this is all you see when you look on the Amazon page, and then you can read more if your interest is captured.
Writing the book is the easy part!
Get help if blurb writing is not your strength. Ask someone else to read it and offer advice.
Don’t be afraid to use tropes, for example ‘Step Brother Romance’, ‘Cinderella story’. People will search using these kinds of words, and you want them to find your book!
Experiment! Use a good review quote, author interviews, or bestseller tags.
Subscribe to book bub and look at their blurbs. They have wonderful author resources available, so sign up for their newsletter, you’ll get a lot of great advice.
Remember make this blurb a good one, because it will also be used at the beginning of your book, and on all platforms, also on the back of your print book.
Search Engine Optimization
When loading to Amazon, you will see spaces for other things, like subtitles, author interviews, reviews. When doing these you can use words that you couldn’t use in your blurb to help you get into other categories. Think about your keywords. Use as many as you can to optimize your search reach.
Whatever you put in the title on Amazon, it must be on the title of your book, but you can use other words in your subtitles.
Categories – definition under which your book is loaded – see links.
You need to know where your book will sit on the big virtual bookshelves of Amazon.
Remember, if your selections aren’t working well for you, you can change them at any time. Sometimes if your book is in a big category list there’s a high chance you won’t get as much traction as you would on a smaller, more obscure list.
Keywords (themes) – you can have seven keywords, but they can be a sentence, not just one word. For example, one keyword could be: ‘aristocrats and royalty’ or ‘boss’s secret lover’. Remember to try and hit those tropes!
Search in Amazon, see what people are looking for and how many books are in the categories you’re thinking about using.
There are certain keywords you can put in to get into certain categories. (see links)
Metadata – all of the things we are talking about will help with your metadata, which is information you give to the retailer in order for a reader to find your book. It is all the stuff going on behind the scenes, like, blurb, keywords, etc.
Have your keywords and blurb prepared before you start uploading to Amazon.
Titles
Keep your titles literal so you are giving your readers a strong indication of what they are getting.
Check your title on Amazon, to make sure it doesn’t match a famous author, as their book will always come up before yours in any search, until your sales overtake theirs. Titles cannot be copyrighted, but do your research!
Cover
Make it as professional as your budget allows!!
Dimension for Amazon – (see links)
Pricing
You can price match all your books in different countries to USA, but often it’s better to price them separately. Do your research!
Royalty Rates
35% – .99c to $2.99
70% – $2.99 and above
(see links for more info)
Formatting – creating file from your document to load onto a platform.
There are two types of ebook files. Amazon uses .mobi and everyone else uses .epub
There are several types of formatting software you can purchase. Trudi uses Legend Maker (a Mac program), Cheryl, Wendy and Shar use Jutoh (for PCs). (See links)
First up, it may pay you to get your work formatted by someone else, just to take the stress out of it until you’re ready to start learning this process yourself. You don’t have to pay a lot of money for this, and you definitely don’t have to sign over any rights to your books!
Final piece of advice. Retain control, do not hand it over to anyone else unless you are absolutely certain this is the right move for you.
Links
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/11/16/how-to-write-back-blurb-for-your-book/
http://bryancohen.com/best-page-forward/
https://www.bookbub.com/ebook-deals/recommended
Selecting Browse Categories – Amazon
Software for formatting
http://www.zapptek.com/legendmaker/
Formatters
http://e-bookformattingfairies.blogspot.com/
http://www.zapptek.com/legendmaker/
Covers
Pricing
SPA Girls Podcast – EP021 – Pre-Publication Checklist (Part One)
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We’re officially 21! Well, at least 21 episodes into the SPA Girls podcast… This week we dive into some really meaty content – it’s the first of a two part series where we talk in depth about the things you need to take into account before you hit publish on your self-published book.
This first episode talks about tax numbers (ITIN and EIN etc) and whether you need them, ISBN numbers (what they are, and why you might choose to get one), copyright for your books, bank accounts and accountants, pen names, and front and back matter in your book.
Grab a pen and paper for this one – or just check out our show notes – this is an episode you’ll need to refer back to!
SHOW NOTES:
Paying Taxes – Three years ago Wendy got an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) as a traditionally published author but lately things have changed. Trudi, Shar and Cheryl have EIN (Employer Identification Number) which is far simpler to get and, for us at least, does the same thing. We rang the IRS in America to make sure we were doing it right as we live in New Zealand and things are not always as straight forward as they might be if we lived in the States. It would pay for you to go online and see what you need for where you live, and please make sure the information is current.
ISBN – International Standard Book Number. This is a unique identifier number and was initially set up to track sales and for library cataloguing. Not necessary for all counties or all formats unless you want to put your book in the library. Some platforms like create space will assign you one. They can be purchased from Bowker, however, in New Zealand we can contact our main library and get them for free and we believe Canada has a similar deal. Just a note that 30% of indie publishers do not have them and don’t see the need. You can get one later if you’re not sure and then change your mind.
Copyright – Every book you create has a copyright. You don’t have to do it legally but if you choose to you can do this through the USA and receive a certificate. It is voluntary and can also be done later. Copyright details – TITLE was published by AUTHOR Copyright ©
Accounts – You might like to use a separate bank account just for ease of checking how your business is doing. Subscriptions, conferences etc should be allocated to this account.
You don’t have to have set up a Limited Liability company, although Wendy and Trudi have done this. Cheryl is a Sole Trader.
PayPal is a great way to do online payments. Very safe and secure and easy to set up. You can pay people or accept payments easily without giving individuals your bank details. Can incur costs. There are other platforms that do the same job.
Pseudonyms – a non-de-plume or pen name. Trudi has a pen name as she has a lot of things online under her married name which are non-fiction, so she did this for separation purposes. She also made it short so her name placement on her covers is more visible. Shar also has other business interests under her real name and chooses to use a pen name. It is totally up to you, but could be handy if you write in multiple genres. Be aware that the more names you have the more work this will entail. You will want to create a brand around any name you choose.
The front and back matter in a book are one of the key factors to presenting a professional and quality product. If it doesn’t look professional, people may think that the book content will not be up to a good standard. So please take some time with this and check out other books in your genre.
Front matter can be subjective and it varies from author to author. It is ultimately what you prefer, but again look to other successful writers in your genre for ideas.
What you could/should use: Cover/Title/ Call to action – links for email newsletter sign up/facebook/website /copyright/disclaimer/ISBN/Dedication/Acknowledgements/Cover Artist (Graphic acknowledgments) /Contents page
Be wary of being too wordy and having too many pages in the front matter as this can skew the sample so that the reader will get too much front matter and not enough content.
Backmatter
Again this is subjective.
Thank you – for reading etc/Call to Action – Email sign up with FB and website links – as above/Reviews – Reviews help other readers find books. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative/Sneak Peek at next book
Excerpt – Don’t use first chapter as the reader may think they have already read the book
Book list – Can add links but only for that site eg amazon links are only for amazon (the book will not be accepted with any other sites links)
For ibooks etc – may be best to link to your page if you are not going direct as you can’t put other links into different sites.
Bio – About the Author – this is up to you and is not strictly necessary. You could also insert a picture. (building a connection)
Author EMS http://www.authorems.com/self-publishing/
Intro to US Copyright http://www.authorems.com/us-copyright/
SPA Girls Podcast – EP20 – Find Your Tribe Challenge
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This week it’s a challenge episode – please ignore the weird silence at the beginning of the recording, it was supposed to be our new theme song, but technical issues got in the way…! And then we ask what you thought of it…? Ha, just try to comment on something you can’t hear… Sorry, we’ll do better next time. 🙂
We talk about the ways we decided to meet new people – preferably other authors who could help with the self publishing process. We all found ways to get into Facebook groups, Google + hangouts, and forums and online groups. Listen in and find out how you can find the kind of people who will support you through the ups and downs of the self publishing process.
What Groups Did We Join?
Cheryl – was invited to join a group called ‘World Building,’ and they are planning to write books that relate to this subject and bundle them into a boxed set. This is an on online, world-wide group. Networking with this group will enhance her profile and also widen her writer connections. Groups like this help hugely with promotion.
Remember if you join a group you can always leave if it doesn’t suit you.
Wendy – is in a closed group (FB invitation only) of Hybrid and traditional published writers. The group is diverse and the writers at differing stages in their publishing journey. Most are based in the USA, and their knowledge base is huge and they are more than happy to help if you ask for it. This group has taught her that you never stop learning.
Be aware of the group setting that you choose to join. Remember, once it’s online, then it can be shared, especially if this is not a closed group, so be careful what information you post.
Trudi – did the Nick Stevenson course called your first 10k readers, and from that she joined the private FB group. The group was helpful when she was doing the course because could interact with other people and join discussions. As a result of this group, she put one of her books into a paranormal romance boxed set, which is helping with exposure, and often does google plus hangouts with other writers.
Remember to say yes occasionally, you never know what opportunities can arise from it!
Shar – she joined Romance Diva’s an online writer forum (not a FB group), this group has many writers all at different stages, both traditionally and self-published. There are a huge number of romance writers on there. It’s monitored, and very active and they expect you to be active also and will kick you off if you do not post. If you are active, you will benefit by exposure to their resources. There are mentoring programs and boxed set opportunities. She also joined Indie Pub Club. This also demands a high level of participation from you, or you will be asked to leave (like Shar). This is not romance pacific, and very business oriented, but they do welcome romance writers.
Maybe to begin with, look for a group that suits your genre. Now, go out there and find a group that suits you!!
Exercise challenge – the SPA girls have taken up the challenge to get moving. So you can too! Don’t be inactive all day, find something that suits you and remember, small steps lead to big ones.
If she can to it…just saying!
What’s coming up?
Pre-loading Podcasts – we will be discussing what you need to do to get your book ready to load on Amazon.
Links
https://www.yourfirst10kreaders.com/
http://www.pbs.org/video/2364990532/ – Michael Mosley (exercise)
http://www.builtlean.com/2011/05/25/basic-stretching-exercises-routine/ (stretching exercises)
