With millions of new titles released per year, it’s crucial to learn how to get your book noticed on Amazon in a way that it stands out from all others. Whether you write in a genre that is highly saturated or are more niché, finding ways to get your book noticed can make or break your sales success.
While Amazon is not the only platform to sell books, it is a great place to focus, especially if you choose to self-publish. There are tricks of the trade when it comes to standing out in a crowded marketplace, and in this article, we dive into eleven ways for you to do so.
As always, take your time reading through the following list, get a feel for what’s out there, and then choose to implement the top two or three points that seem best for you. Give yourself an allotted trial period and track your numbers. Once you conduct your first trial, consider trying a few other ways and testing them out as well.
Once you find a method that works for you, stick with it and continue to educate yourself. Getting noticed on Amazon can take you further than you imagined, if you find the right methods and habitually execute them.
- Book Cover
- Editorial Reviews
- A+ Content
- Focus On Keywords
- Use More Than One Platform
- Make Use Of A Publishing Partner
- Author Central
- Your Author Bio
- Don’t Forget Aesthetics
- Distribute In Multiple Formats
- Ads, But Don’t Be Salesy
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Let’s start with your book cover, because this is the first aspect of your book potential customers, readers, and future fans will see.
#1 – Book Cover
We’ve heard we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the truth is, we all do. With this in mind, it’s crucial to ensure your book’s cover correlates with your genre and brand. Writers often focus on the writing aspect of their books because this is their sweet spot.
Keep this in mind as you look into designing a book cover.
Getting noticed on Amazon will likely happen much more positively if you hire out your book cover design to a professional graphic designer. Simply search the web, ask writing colleagues who they use, and find the person that works best for you.
#2 – Editorial Reviews
Especially for nonfiction writers, editorial reviews can play a large part in getting your book noticed. For instance, if you write a book on entrepreneurship and business, reach out to others in this field and ask if they would be willing to write a review for your book.
This will not only add credibility to your writing, but can help you get noticed in ways books without reviews can’t. Reviews are extremely important for your book’s overall success.
#3 – A+ Content
A+ Content is a feature used on Amazon product listing pages. For books, it’s like having an extra free advertisement, plus eye-catching content on your product listing page. This is a fairly new feature for Amazon, but it is being used by more and more self-published authors.
In fact, as part of our publishing package, we offer an A+ content graphic design. You can find out more information on Amazon A+ content and how it can help your book here.
#4 – Focus On Keywords
Think of keywords as the hashtags of the marketplace. When writing your copy, whatever form it takes, focus on using appropriate keywords. Your title, subtitle, book description, back cover copy, and any other copy you write should be done with keywords in mind.
This can help readers find your book more easily, and also help your book show up when they search keywords included in your online copy.
The challenge here is finding keywords that aren’t too generic, but aren’t overly specific either. For example, if you’re writing a self-help book, the term “self-help” should show up, but it’s way too generic. Instead, using something like “self-help for seniors” or “self-help for moms” will help you find a sweet spot. Going too far with something like, “self-help for millennial computer programmers” will likely not yield any results.
Your searchers and readers are out there. You just need to find the keywords that they’re searching for in the search bar. Publisher Rocket will help you with this. And in our publishing programs, we provide the best keywords for you.
#5 – Use More Than One Platform
Amazon is a tremendous platform with huge potential for success, but it should not be the only platform you use. Create a Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram account as alternative platforms for sharing your book. Social media is a great, free way to get your book out there.
If you do not have a website yet, use a template or build your own version and target its content on your book. Consider starting a YouTube channel, build newsletter lists, and focus on the platforms that you see helping you most.
#6 – Make Use Of A Publishing Partner
While self-publishing allows you to make all the decisions when putting your book out into the world, you may want to consider using a publishing partner to help you get your book off the ground.
If this is your first book, collaborating with a partner can give you that extra boost of confidence and feedback you need to keep going. That’s what we designed our programs to do, be a help to you along the way!
#7 – Author Central
You can create a free Author Central account and then use it to claim your books, build your online profile, bring a new level of credibility to your writing, and of course, get noticed. Your author profile gets featured on your book’s sales page, which gives people an option to learn more about you.
When it comes to getting noticed, the more readers can connect with you as an author and with your book, the more chances of you getting noticed.
#8 – Your Author Bio
Don’t forget you should apply your writing voice to all forms of copy that relate to your book. Your author bio needs to embody the voice of your book, and you can even use your bio as a place to personify yourself to your readers. You are not only an author after all. Use your bio to build rapport with your readers!
#9 – Don’t Forget Aesthetics
Have you heard of white space? White space is simply the space you do not fill with copy, graphics, or other content. Creating whitespace may feel counterintuitive to writers. However, when creating your Amazon sales page, make sure you do not simply paste your block copy, click save, and exit. Ensure your page is aesthetically pleasing with plenty of white space to make reading simple.
#10 – Distribute In Multiple Formats
Even if your main form of distribution is Amazon, take advantage of creating your book in various formats to ensure the largest audience can access your book. Rather than simply publishing a softcover version, offer the option of:
– Hardcover
– Ebook
– Audiobook
– Kindle
These formats can help you bring in more sales and get noticed.
#11 – Ads, But Don’t Be Salesy
Ads are an important part of your marketing plan, but be careful that you don’t rely on ads alone. Create ads that target your intended audience, write them in the voice of your book, but don’t overdo it. Ads should point potential readers to your book, but should not guilt them into a purchase. Your book’s content should speak for itself.
In fact, your content is a type of passive marketing: Once you do the hard work of putting your book out there, your content will speak for itself. Ads become more effective when the word-of-mouth is already in action.
Next Step
Getting noticed on Amazon may feel overwhelming, but with these eleven tips in mind, you’re well on your way to creating a personalized plan.
Pick two or three of these items to go implement immediately. Your book won’t get noticed just because you read this great article. You actually have to do something with it. Best wishes out there!
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