Summary:
A good look at some advanced publishing and marketing strategies for indie authors.
Additional comments:
- I recommend reading Deb Potter’s Amazon Ads for Authors 2020 first. It’s a more introductory look at how to set up ads.
- You could also try Bryan Cohen’s quarterly free amazon ad challenges if you want to learn basics, but be aware of 2 things. 1) The “free” ad challenges are really a long ad for his paid course, which minimum comes to $297. If you have the willpower and want to see somebody lay out the dashboard, this is a decent way to do so. However, I DO NOT RECOMMEND the paid course. Why am I harping on that? 2) Because if you agree with the author of Amazon Ads Unleashed, then Cohen has no clue what he’s talking about. He’s a proponent of a click is a click is a click, and his methods boil down to set up a ton of low bid random ads to a gazillion targets. You’ll pay for some bad clicks, but if your book has a wide enough general appeal, you’ll make some money.
- Both Potter and Ryan emphasize a need for better targeting. Their philosophies and strategies differ slightly, but they are way more compatible with each other than other theories out there.
- Are there annoying points? Sure. If he wrote the word grasshopper one more time, I was gonna throw the paperback.
- Is the book worth re-reading? Yes. It’s not a pleasure read. It’s an information book. It provides some overviews of various strategies. Which path you pick and the strategies you employ usually differ by your overarching goals, so I’ll probably have to review that section.
- Robert Ryan is NOT a proponent of the spaghetti on a wall approach. He believes more in finding the right keywords and making a high enough bid to tempt the amazon behemoth into helping you with organic sales.
- But the spaghetti on wall approach works for some people, right? Yes, it will work at low scales and if your book has a general enough appeal. But it’s a heck of a lot of maintenance for middling results. If you really want the amazon ads machine to work for you, then you need to do a heck of a lot of upfront work, data analysis, and optimizing. Ads start out great as Amazon test drives it. If you throw a cover in front of somebody, sometimes, you’ll get lucky and they will buy it. But that’s not a long-term, sustainable business model.
- This book doesn’t have all the answers, nor does it claim to, but it’s an excellent start.
Conclusion:
Which method works well for you largely depends on the type of author you are, but amazon ads are going to work best if you have a long series ~10 books and box sets. If you want some solid advice to getting amazon ads to work for you, this is a decent starting point.
Audiobook Promotions …
Many of my 42 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.
Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)
Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
River’s Edge Ransom – Prequel to Redeemer Chronicles (Amazon) (email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)
Devya’s Children Series Links:
Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian. (Amazon) (free codes)
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live. (Amazon) (Please email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift. (Amazon) (free codes)
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma. (Amazon) (free codes)
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother. (Amazon) (free codes)
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble. (Amazon) (free codes)
More Scifi:
Reshner’s Royal Ranger (epic sci-fi) just made it there. (Amazon) (free codes)
Guardian Angel Files:
Spirit’s Bane – Allister and Mina are training to be Guardians. Satan’s out to get them. (Amazon) (free codes)
Kindred Spirits – Mina’s exiled to Earth. Allister’s stuck in the Heavens. (Amazon) (free codes)
