Get More Sales with Amazon Author Page

Get More Sales with Amazon Author Page

Few things demonstrate your expertise on a subject as much as a book. That’s why so many coaches, speakers, marketers and others choose to publish books in their niche.

So what does a book do?

It gives you:

  • Instant credibility—after all, you know enough to fill a book!
  • An unforgettable business card—take a few with you to your next live event.
  • Opportunities to reach a new market—many people will find you first through your book, not your blog.
  • Speaking opportunities—event planners frequently seek out authors to speak at conferences and other gatherings.
  • Bigger paychecks—all that credibility means you can—and should—be charging more.

But your book isn’t the only tool in your author arsenal. If you publish on Amazon, whether as a Kindle author, KDP Paperback author, or with a traditional publishing house, you are entitled to an “Author Page.”

Just like the about page on your website, this is where Amazon browsers go when they want to know more about you. Say for example they’re browsing for information about business branding, and they find your new book. If you’re an unknown to them, it’s hard to know if you have the information they’re looking for. That’s where your author page comes in.

By clicking through to your page, new visitors can learn about:

  • Your experience and expertise
  • Other books you’ve written
  • Your blog and the topics you cover there
  • Upcoming events

They can even ask you a question or two. What better way to decide if that book is worth the investment in time and money than to get to know the author better?

But many authors simply don’t take the time to make the most out of their author page, and they’re missing out—not only on an opportunity to make a great impression, but on the chance to earn more money as well.

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Get More Sales with Amazon Author Page

Draw Your Crowd

I “overheard” an interesting twitter conversation recently. Two marketers were discussing fun facts, when one dropped a bombshell.

Back in the nineties when he started his online business, this marketer encountered a guy named Jeff Bezos on a forum. Bezos had started an online bookstore called Amazon Books, and he was thinking about opening it up for affiliate marketing. What did everyone think?

Wow!

Little did any of those know that today Jeff Bezos would be one of the richest men in the world. And largely because of the affiliate marketing he was discussing.

By affiliate marketing, Bezos had opened his business to friends – and friends’ friends. And on and on until he reached the tipping point.

This conversation started my mind popping. What if he had decided not to affiliate market?

Let’s look at another scenario…

What if Jeff Bezos had opened up a Book Rack Kiosk at one end of a mall in mid America? Where would he be today?

True, he has an excellent product – with great delivery and customer service. But without the visibility he received through marketing, Amazon.com would never have reached its present position.

Marketing is key for the success of any business – and especially for one that’s on the internet.

So we put up our blogs or websites. We work hard to make sure that they look beautiful and that they work properly. We add special themes and plugins. We solicit the aid of sophisticated software.

But for this to be successful, somebody has to come and buy. If nobody notices, we are just playing. If nobody comes, it’s a hobby. And it can grow to be an expensive hobby.

On the other hand, all of this work can be the foundation for a very successful business. One which is successful and prosperous. One which makes us lots of money. One which provides lots of satisfaction and reward for our efforts.

Out in that digital world there are enough clients and customers for all of us to have very successful businesses. When we learn how to reach out for them and let them know we are here, they will want what we have to offer. Then when we give them great benefit, they will be loyal customers.

So what do we do?

As always, we start with a vision and a plan. We look at the many marketing strategies which can work for us, and we decide how we are going to activate them.

We will start where we can, and we grow from there.

The main questions we ask ourselves are Where do we want to be in a year? In 5 years? And What do we have to do to get there?

My recommendation is that every day you “do” something to move forward your marketing goals. Whether it’s writing a blog post, engaging on Social Media, sending out a publicity pitch, or fine tuning your SEO.

It’s the everyday engagement and not a once-in-awhile big splash which makes things happen. (I know this from experience).

So do this..

Begin each day with purpose and determination, keeping focused on your goals.

As a Christian, I like to start my day with prayer. I know that God wants me to be successful in every endeavor, so I thank Him for His guidance and direction. I also thank Him for the people He is helping me to connect with, and for the opportunities which are becoming available.

I pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. I also listen and attempt to stay focused on His direction.

I pray that I will not yield to distractions, but that I will be certain which doors are opening for me. I also pray for my creativity to flow in all of my endeavors.

And one more thing…

Let’s all realize that there is a big, wide world out there full of people who need to hear what we have to say. Or need to receive from us in some way.

As we prepare our products for them and then let them know through marketing, we will have more than enough clients to be over-the-top successful.

We”ll get there…let’s keep on Soaring!

 

P.S. My  book, How to Draw Your Crowd is coming soon. It’s a look at the many ways to get that crowd coming to your site. I’ll keep you posted.

 

 

 

 

Face Your Obstacles

Face Your Obstacles

I am thinking back to a special August day in 2010. My husband and I had just celebrated the birth of a beautiful grandson, so I was already on an emotional high. And then as we arrived back home and saw the box on our porch, I could hardly contain the excitement.

My books had arrived! My very own books!

With trembling hands,  I opened the box and saw my name staring back at me. My beautiful books. All the work I had put into this masterpiece (at least to me, it was a masterpiece) – had paid off.

It was done. My very own book ready to give and to sell. Ready to bring encouragement to those who read it. Ready to open new doors for me since now I was a published author.

I began to reflect. I had wanted to write this book for a long time – mulling over ideas for many years. Why had I waited so long to actually do it?

Many things had held me back from experiencing this moment.

There had been confusion. And overwhelm. How could I write a whole book? What if I didn’t have enough to say? Who would really want to read it? Would it cost too much? And on and on…

Obstacles of thought and emotions. Fear, anxiety, and overwhelm.

I just wasn’t sure that I could do it.

Do you relate to what I’m saying? Do you have obstacles of mind and emotions which hinder you from accomplishing what you want?

Let’s face it. Each of us has obstacles in our life’s journey.

Some of these are because of our environment, our health, or our unique circumstances. We may be dealing with sickness in ourselves or a close family member. We might be going through a major life change – such as a  divorce or the death of someone close.

Sometimes demands are made on our time and energy by good seasons in our lives. We may have several small children who need an usual amount of attention. Or we may be getting married or starting an engaging career.

Yet when life is rolling along at a more even pace (if that ever really happens), we can still face obstacles in our minds. Our thoughts, our emotions, and our habits can cause us to stand still and not move forward.

We may occasionally dream about the “what if’s,” but we don’t take any steps toward accomplishing those dreams. We treat our lives as if we will either win the lottery – or not. The big moment will come, or it won’t.

And in the meantime, we remain idle without moving toward those dreams.

Well I have met many people who have a dream of writing a book. Maybe they have a great story concerning their own unique experiences. Perhaps they realize that a book would be just the thing to  introduce Jesus to those who don’t know Him. cement their credibility in their field. Maybe they want to make some extra money from the book sales.

There are many reasons for writing a book.

Yet here is the truth: Many talk about it, but very few ever really get it done. They dream and they talk, but they never actually do it.

I understand this dilemma, because that’s the way I was for many years. I would think about it. I would even occasionally jot down a few notes. But I just couldn’t get over that unidentifiable roadblock. It just seemed too hard. Out of reach. I would put it aside and forget about it for awhile.

Well my day finally came, and what made that switch for me?

I began studying about self-publishing. I read books, attended seminars, and online webinars. Somehow, during that process, I gained courage and began the journey. One step at a time, I completed the trip and published my first book.

I realized that those who were writing their books were just like me – like you. If they could do it, then so could I.

Now several years later, I have more than 20 books published in paperback and on Kindle. Once I started the process, each one became easier.

Now my goal is to help others who were just like I was.

Maybe you are one of them.

If you have been thinking about writing your book but haven’t done it yet, then maybe overwhelm or confusion is holding you back.

In my series of 12 On Demand Webinars, Audios, Transcripts, Action Step Sheets, and Bonuses, I take you step by step through the process. Your Planning, Writing, Pre-marketing, Designing, and Publishing can be accomplished by you – just as they were by me. One step at a time – and it’s done.

Please check out the opportunity. At https://OurCBI.com.  The world needs to hear from you.

And for a limited time, the entire course will be half price.

In the meantime, Keep on Soaring!

 

 

 

 

Writing Tips: Research

Writing Tips: Research

You have these ideas circulating in your head, and you can hardly wait to start writing them down. You know your subject and you know it well. Maybe your area of expertise is Biblical understanding of marriage, or prayer, or finances, or ministry to women in crisis. If you’re already an expert in your niche, then you can probably sit down and write an article, a report,  or an e-book without having to consult any sources.

Yet if you’re like most people, then you need to do some research before you start writing.  Even if you are an expert, researching other resources can help you to expand the benefit of your writing. And if you want to end with an accurate, useful article, then you’d better be sure you do your research the right way.

So here are some tips…

Create Multiple Searches

You’ll get a wider variety of sources and information if you complete several Google searches. Let’s suppose you’re looking up information about prayer. You’d want to do several searches, such as:

  • Praying for family
  • Praying for children
  • Praying for husband or wife
  • Praying for revival
  • Biblical prayer
  • Christian prayer
  • How to pray

These are just a few ideas. You will think of your own, but you will see that as you search, you will come up with quite a few sources of information.

Use Credible Sources

Anyone can put just about anything online. And that’s why it’s so important for you to get your information from credible sources only. This includes:

  •  Well-known experts. For example, you can trust people like Cindy Jacobs, Dutch Sheets, or Germaine Copeland in the prayer niche.
  • Established authority sites. These are sites like Elijah List or John Bevere’s Messenger International.org which are known for providing high-quality information.
  • News sites. Stick to major news sites, like Charisma News or Breaking Christian News.
  • Academic and research sites. These include official university websites as well as research papers in peer-reviewed journals. Oral Roberts University or Lee University are just a couple of universities which would have valuable information.

Verify With Multiple Sources

Even if you are going through credible sources for your research, be sure to use multiple sources.

In other words, verify all facts with at least two or three credible sources. In the mouths of two or three witnesses let everything be established. (Deut. 19:15)

Make Notes

As you’re doing your research, take notes about important points. If you think of your own examples, stories or tips, write these down too.

That’s because you’re going to want to close all your sources before you start writing to avoid accidentally plagiarizing anyone else’s material. Thus you’ll refer to your notes rather than referring directly to a source.

Tip: In order to create truly original content, it’s best if you find your own fresh angle for the topic. For example, many writing books and articles refer to the importance of telling stories to illustrate your points and grab attention.

Credit Your Sources

If you’re using multiple sources to do your research on something which is written about often, like prayer, then generally you’ll find that the information is the same across these sources.

Thus you just need to write the information in your own words and add in your own unique tips, examples, and stories.

However, if you’re gathering research on something specific, and quoting someone exactly, then you need to cite your source.

In this case, you’d track down the original scholarly journal and cite this journal at the end of your article, report, or e-book.

In summary…

You need to make sure your information is accurate by researching a variety of credible sources. However, you also need to make sure that any content piece you create is completely original.

So while you can certainly use a content piece for inspiration and research, you cannot copy or merely “rewrite” other people’s work. Instead, you need to write all your content in your own words, preferably adding in your own experiences whenever possible.

The result is fresh information, drawing upon the experience of others, but filtered through your own understanding. That’s how you can inform and inspire your audience.

As you continue with your research, you will find many ideas which you might like to use in your own articles. By drawing upon the experience of others – as well as your own – you bring new inspiration to your audience.

You and your audience will be inspired as you do.

Great Writing: Great Story Telling

Great Writing: Great Story Telling

You know the old proverb that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” That is so true. People are visual, and because of that a picture – especially a picture explained in detail – will get points across better than lots and lots of talk.

That’s why Jesus used parables to deliver the truth. He was a master at the tool of story-telling.

So let’s take a look at how we can incorporate that tool into our writing.

Here’s why it works:

Stories make people pay attention. Indeed, people pay huge sums of money to read stories (novels) and watch them (movies).

Stories make people remember. If you want to teach something to someone, tell a story. That’s why the world’s most famous teaching tool, the Bible, is packed full of stories.

Stories tap into emotion. You can’t convince your readers to hear your advice until they feel something emotionally. So what better way to put them in the right emotional state than by telling them a story!

You can see the benefits. But maybe you’re wondering how this works for you.

Indeed, one of the best places to tell a story is on your blog. And that’s because it gives you the opportunity to really connect with your readers.

Here’s how to create a story-telling blog post…

Hook Your Readers Immediately

Forget about an article that starts by telling the readers what they’re going to learn. Instead, jump right into your story. And engage the reader’s senses whenever possible.

Example: Perhaps you’d start a Marriage-Help article like this: “Suzy felt hopelessness wash over her. Every Monday morning seemed to be the same. There were these issues between them that they just couldn’t seem to discuss. Their attitudes toward money. Their attitudes toward the children. They seemed to disagree on so much!”

Transition From Story to Facts and Benefits 

Now you need to start tying your story into the points you wish to make.

So often people who face these hard times want to give up and think there is no hope for their marriage.

Yet you are armed with scriptures and wisdom from God about prayer and faith. You can use this story to share testimonies of people who have faced worse but who have trusted God and entered into a new era of excellence in their marriage.

Conclusion 

The truth is, story-telling is just one way to turn your blog posts into great teaching moments – without being pedantic. When people engage in the pictures portrayed in these stories, they are able to see the hope offered them.