Setting Up Amazon Author pages

Your Amazon page should be an important part of your ‘author platform’ – yet many authors don’t bother. It may be they are so busy writing they really don’t have the time but it's easy to do and here are my ten top tips:

1. Create your own Amazon author page

This only takes a moment to do. Once you have an Amazon Author account and at least one book published on Amazon, simply visit https://authorcentral.amazon.co.uk/ or https://authorcentral.amazon.com/ (US) and follow the instructions. You probably have short author ‘bio’ and a suitable picture somewhere already. (I’ve seen research suggesting that readers like to see a picture of the author, so try to resist using a book cover, as I have seen some people do!) Readers can click on any of your books and be directed to the Kindle store where they can download the book in less than a minute. Also, any time you update your biography or claim a new book through Author Central, About the Author will update on Kindle giving your readers access to the most recent information.

2. Make sure all your books are linked to the page

Amazon leave this to you as they can’t always be sure which are your books. Simply click on the ‘Add More Books’ button and search for books you've written by title, author, or ISBN and add them. While you’re there you can also click on any of your books to check and add information about them.

3. Copy and paste your details to the other Amazon countries

Unfortunately, updates you make to any Amazon site don’t automatically find their way to the other twelve countries – but all you need to do is copy and paste the bio and update your list of books and add videos when you have the time. (I use Google translate to understand the prompts on the non-English sites – but would appreciate help from anyone who can help translate my German and French pages.)

4. Add your promotional videos

Promotional videos can bring your author platform to life and your Amazon pages are a great place to showcase them. Unlike some sites, you actually need to upload the video, rather than just add the YouTube embed code or link. You can ‘manage’ the order they are displayed and easily update them. I have had feedback from readers that they made the decision to buy my book after seeing the video, so they definitely work!

5. Link to your blog

Your writing blog can be linked to your Amazon US page with an RSS feed. This isn’t currently available on the other country sites and sounds more complicated than it is but really makes your page more dynamic, as well as bringing more readers to your blog. There are plenty of tutorials of how to do it – Amazon’s guidance is HERE.

6. Link to your Twitter feed

Assuming you are using Twitter as an author, this is a great way to engage with your readers. All you have to do is add your Twitter name and your most recent tweet will be displayed on your author page.

7. Create your personal Author Page URL

Your Author Page URL is an easy to share link to your Author Page on Amazon.com. You can use your Author Page URL in blog posts tweets. On your Profile, click add link next to Author Page URL. You can add any text up to 30 characters but it’s good to secure your author name before anyone else does. Check out my author page at this easy to remember url: Amazon.com/author/tonyriches

8. Update with forthcoming events

If you have any events such as book signings or talks you can share them on your Amazon page under ‘Events’. (Try to remember to keep them up to date though.)

9. Start a ‘Customer Discussion’ in your author forum

Readers can also visit your Amazon Author page to post questions in a dedicated ‘forum’ section at the bottom of the page. This doesn’t seem to be a well-used feature and I’ve only recently started experimenting with it but anything that helps you to engage with readers has to be a good idea.

10. See 'Customers Also Bought Items By...'

And finally… under your bio you can see a list of other authors your readers are interested in. I find it helpful to see who these are and what I can learn by looking at their books.

If you have any more ideas on how to improve Amazon Author Pages please comment below :)

See Also:

Twitter for Authors ~ Ten Top Tips

Historical Fiction Spotlight: The Virgin's Daughter ~ Book 1 in the Tudor Legacy Trilogy, by Laura S. Andersen

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Since the death of her brother, William, Elizabeth I has ruled England. She's made the necessary alliances, married Philip of Spain, and produced a successor: her only daughter, Anne Isabella, Princess of Wales. Elizabeth knows that her beloved Anabel will be a political pawn across Europe unless she can convince Philip to grant her a divorce, freeing him to remarry and give Spain its own heir. 

But the enemies of England have even greater plans for the princess, a plot that will put Anabel's very life and the security of the nation in peril. Only those closest to Elizabeth—her longtime confidante Minuette, her advisor and friend Dominic, and the couple's grown children—can be trusted to carry forth a most delicate and dangerous mission. Yet, all of the queen's maneuverings may ultimately prove her undoing.

# # #

About the Author

Laura Andersen has one husband, four children, and a college degree in English that she puts to non-profitable use by reading everything she can lay her hands on. Books, shoes, and travel are her fiscal downfalls, which she justifies because all three 'take you places.' She loves the ocean (but not sand), forests (but not camping), good food (but not cooking), and shopping (there is no downside.) Historical fiction offers her all the pleasure of visiting the past without the inconvenience of no electricity or indoor plumbing. After more than thirty years spent west of the Rocky Mountains, she now lives in Massachusetts with her family. Find out more at Laura's website lauraandersenbooks.com and find her on Facebook and Twitter @LauraSAndersen.

Historical Fiction Book Launch ~ Watch the Lady, by Elizabeth Fremantle

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

THE QUEEN'S GODDAUGHTER.

HER MOST TRUSTED MAID.

ADULTRESS, ENEMY OF THE STATE.

WHO IS THE REAL PENELOPE DEVEREUX?

Penelope Devereux is a legendary beauty in the court of Elizabeth I, with a smile that would light up the shadows of hell. But it's not just her looks which have won her favour with the Queen wing; her canny instinct for being in the right place at the right time, and her skilled political manoeuvrings under the guise of diplomacy, have rendered her a formidable adversary to anyone who stands in her path. Including Elizabeth.

For Penelope must secure the future of the Devereux dynasty at whatever cost. Even treason. And the Queen, a woman she holds responsible for the death of her father, the exile of her mother and her failure to marry the one man she ever truly loved, is just one more pawn in a deadly game.

Walking the knife-edge of court, whilst ensuring that her reckless brother Essex remains the only star in the Queen's firmament - and out of the Tower - Penelope must plan for the inevitable succession of an ailing monarch.

But her secret letters of friendship to a foreign King - one who has a strong claim to the English throne - could see her illustrious family in the gutter and her own head on the block. It would only take a single mistake, a slip of the tongue, an intercepted message for Penelope to become the architect of her downfall.

In a world where sister is turned against brother, husband against wife, courtier against queen, the rules of the game are forever changing.

Praise for Watch the Lady

'Be transported to the court of Elizabeth I, where Penelope Devereux is prepared to do anything in the scramble for power. Watch The Lady by Elizabeth Fremantle combines fast-paced storytelling with rich period detail' Good Housekeeping

'If you want an immersive read then this is it. The remarkable story of the beautiful Penelope Devereux comes vividly alive, bursting with colour and detail. The reader is transported to the perilous Elizabethan court, with all its plots, treachery and heartbreak, and gains fascinating insights into some of the most important figures of the time. Yet again Elizabeth Fremantle has produced a pacey, powerful narrative that kept this reader riveted throughout' Jane Thynne

# # #

About the Author

Elizabeth Fremantle lives in London. She holds a first in English from Birkbeck where she also studied for an MA in Creative Writing. She has contributed to titles such as Vogue, The Sunday Times, The Wall Street Journal and Elle and spent some time in Paris working at French Vogue. Her fascination with early modern culture and writing led to her debut novel Queen's Gambit the first of a Tudor trilogy, the second of which is Sisters of Treason and Watch The Lady is the third. See Elizabeth's website for more information about her novels at elizabethfremantle.com and find her on Twitter @LizFremantle.

Book Launch ~ You're Not Alone, An Indie Author Anthology

Pre-Order on Amazon UK and Amazon US

An international group of indie authors, inspired by the personal grief of one, decided to collaborate in the spring of 2015 in a project to create this multi-genre smorgasbord of original short stories, all with the same potent theme – relationships. Some are heartfelt, some funny, some poignant, and some are just a little bit scary – much like relationships themselves. All are by authors fired by the shared enthusiasm to give something back in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Cancer touches us all. It has in some way affected those who have contributed their time and talent here. This is our way of showing that we care. 

Indie authors carry forward a revolutionary shift in publishing, which allows the author to be creative director in their own work. There are many exceptional, experienced and acclaimed writers who have decided to take this bold step in publishing. In producing this anthology we have also had the inestimable assistance on board of artists, graphic designers, and bloggers – all of whom have a place in our acknowledgments. You, the discerning reader, are the other vital part of this equation. By buying this book you are supporting the work of indie authors, as well as discovering their worth. You are also supporting the charity to which we have chosen to dedicate our work. 

100% of the royalties earned or accrued in the

purchase of this book, in all formats, will go to the

Pamela Winton tribute fund, which is in aid of

Macmillan Cancer Support. 

Wild Child Publishing Blog Tour: Connected, by Kat Stiles

Available on Amazon US and Amazon UK

High school is hard enough, Em knows. Her freshman year introduced her to all the cliques, annoying teachers, and tough homework assignments. But discovering you have super powers and not knowing how to control them is a whole new level of complicated.

Thankfully, Em isn’t alone. Her best friend Roz starts having unusual dreams that come true, and Tommy, Em’s secret crush, can hear the softest whispers in class.

A romance blossoms with Tommy. But just as things are looking up, people start dropping like flies. A telepathic serial killer is on the loose and only Em and her friends have a hope of stopping him.

Or do they? If they don’t figure out the killer’s identity soon, one of them could be next.

# # #

About the Author

Kat Stiles is a super hero geek at heart. She grew up watching Spiderman, X-men and Superfriends cartoons, and she loved the idea of having super powers. The superhero movies that came out delighted her; even the bad ones were still so much fun. And she remembers wishing the series, “Heroes” would go on forever. With Connected, she tried to keep the abilities as organic as possible – something just a little beyond what a normal human can do. She’s met some pretty incredible people in her life, and her experiences greatly influenced the writing of Connected. Find out more at Kat's website and follow her on Twitter
@KatStilesAuthor.

Book Review: Selling Well: The 5 Relationships That Experts, Authors & Coaches Use To Sell 1,000 Books In 21 Days

New on Amazon US and Amazon UK

Ryan Mendenhall is a man on a mission - to help thousands of authors spend the time they invest in book marketing more productively. I've been doing this for about five years now and had to learn the hard way, but I can see how anyone following Ryan's advice could boost sales in a month.

This book draws on Ryan's personal experience as host of The 2014 Book Marketing Summit, where many of the best known names in book marketing and best selling authors met to share some of their top tips.

The five 'Relationships' of the title turn out to be your mindset, message, marketing, [list] members - and of course, your money. I particularly like Ryan's relentless enthusiasm and refusal to be beaten, despite the apparently overwhelming odds against success. 

Book marketing is now an essential part of being a successful author, so Selling Well: The 5 Relationships that Experts, Authors & Coaches Use to Sell 1,000 Books in 21 Days is highly recommended for anyone who wants to sell more books.

(Ryan likes to practise what he preaches, so has set a target of 100 reviews on Amazon. If you are interested in helping him achieve this, email him at Ryan@AuthorsCatapult.com and he will be happy to send you a review kit.)

# # #

About the Author

As founder of Author's Catapult, Ryan Mendenhall brings 12 years of digital marketing experience to the field of his passion: wellness marketing. This includes experts, authors & coaches who facilitate change in the areas of mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, relational, financial, societal & environmental health. Ryan has worked with large companies like 3M, Omniture, Little Giant Ladder and Disney, but has always felt pulled to work with small businesses where he can work directly with the visionaries and feed off their passion. Ryan is an author, coach and speaker. He has an exclusive group success program where he takes wellness experts, authors, bloggers, coaches & speakers through The Book Launch Blueprint to sell 1,000 books in 21 days. Ryan is also developing a program to train authors to implement The 5 Relationships. Find out more at Ryan's website and follow him on Facebook and Twitter @authorscatapult 

Book Launch ~ Before It's Too Late, by Jane Isaac

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

I concentrated hard, desperately listening for something familiar, the sound of life. I heard nothing. Just my own breaths and the wind, whistling through branches above... The thought made me shiver. 

I am buried alive. 

Following an argument with her British boyfriend, Chinese student Min Li is abducted whilst walking the dark streets of picturesque Stratford-upon-Avon alone. Trapped in a dark pit, Min is at the mercy of her captor. 

Detective Inspector Will Jackman is tasked with solving the case and in his search for answers discovers that the truth is buried deeper than he ever expected. But, as another student vanishes and Min grows ever weaker, 

time is running out.

Can Jackman track down the kidnapper, before it's too late?

# # #

About the Author

Jane Isaac lives with her husband, daughter and dog, Bollo, in rural Northamptonshire, UK. Her debut novel, An Unfamiliar Murder, was nominated as best mystery in the 'eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook awards 2013.' The Truth Will Out was nominated as 'Thriller of the Month - April 2014' by E-thriller.com and winner of 'Noveltunity book club selection - May 2014'. Jane was runner up, 'Writers Bureau Writer of the Year 2013'. Her short stories have appeared in several crime fiction anthologies. When she is not writing she loves to travel, is an avid reader, mum, dog lover and enjoys spending time with her family. She believes life should be an adventure! Jane loves to hear from readers and writers. Visit her at www.janeisaac.co.uk where you can peruse her blog, 'Caffeine's Not a Crime' and find her on Twitter

@JaneIsaacAuthor.